POPULAR MOVIE STARS AND BEAUTY QUEENS GRACED ABS-CBN BALL "SHARE THE LOVE" FUNDRAISING EVENT

The country's most popular stars and beauty queens slayed their glamorous attire on the red carpet at the 2018 Star Magic Ball, renamed "ABS-CBN Ball: Share the Love."  

The grand event is not all that glitz and glamour, but it is also a fundraising event for the benefit of  Bantay Bata 163, a social welfare program of the ABS-CBN aimed to help re-open the Bantay Bata 163 Children's Village in Norzagaray, Bulacan slated in December.  The village will serve as a home to abused, exploited, and neglected children.  

Among the beauty queens who attended the event were Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, 1993 Miss World 2nd Princess Ruffa Guttierez, 2013 Miss Universe runner-up Ara Arida, and 2016 Miss International Kylie Versoza to name a few.  

Popular Kapamilya loveteams Kathniel (Kathryn Bernard and Daniel Padilla), Jadine (James Reid and Nadine Lustre and Joshlia  (Joshua Garcia and Julia Baretto) were also present. Other celebrities who attended the event includes: Vice Ganda, Piolo Pascual, Luis Manzano, Angel Locsin, Jessy Mendiola, Sarah Geronimo, Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Bea Alonzo, Xian Lim, Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcacid, Judy Anne Santos, Ryan Agoncillo,  Anne Curtis, Matteo Giudecelli, Angelica Panganiban, Carlo Aquino, Inigo Pascual, Richard Gutierez, Sarah Lahbati, Erwan Heussef, Ronnie Alonte, Ryan Bang and a lot more. The event was hosted by master of couture Rajo Laurel, International Model, coach, and women of style Joey Mead-King, and Tim Yap. 

Noted Film Director Mike de Leon posted on Facebook criticizing the event a waste of money wherein celebrities spent millions of Pesos for their gowns and suits they wore for the affair.  The outspoken director says: "Many people will not like this question but I have to ask it - In these dark times of murder and hunger, who really needs the ABS-CBN ball?" He also likened the event as "Bread and Circuses again a la Imelda Marcos."  De Leon drew flak from angry fans citing his outlandish remarks being uncalled for since the event is a fundraising event. 

Photo credits:  all pictures on this article are properties of ABS-CBN and this article has no copyright infringement.   Please visit this link to view all pictures from ABS-CBN site

WHAT MAKES "EXES BAGGAGE" CLICK?

The first team up of real life ex-teenage sweethearts Angelica Panganiban and Carlo Aquino on the big screen continue to soar high at the box-office with an impressive 10 day gross of P206,693,044.  But what makes "Exes Baggage" click? The storyline looks plain and simple, just another love story about two people trying to move on from previous failed relationships; but as simple as it is, it is a story just about everyone of us which we may have been through at one point in our lives. Director Dan Villegas and Scriptwriter Baltazer concocted their script into a quite engaging film in a contemporary setting that audience can easily relate to.  

Pia (played by Angelica) is a  free spirited career woman, a go getter, who spends her time off from work in bars socializing with friends and even goes to bed with man she fancies. Carlo Aquino plays Nix, a furniture designer, who still can't get away from a previous failed relationship. Like Nix, Pia had been through a stormy relationship, but with a married man. The film begins with the two ex-lovers meeting again after two years at the inauguration of a bar owned by a common friend. The chance reunion got them reminisce their past and perhaps figure out an unfinished love affair and both realized that they still care for each other.  But Pia found herself in a dilllema whether to consider having Nix back or stay with her current boyfriend.

Director Dan Villegas treated his audience with a different style of storytelling, injecting a series of flashbacks in between, making the movie's narrative feel even more interesting to watch. Some might find the movie a bit low paced but nonetheless I enjoyed watching the movie.  Aquino and Panganiban, who both started in showbiz as childstars, portrayed their characters with  ease and competence and have blossomed into fine performers to reckon with.  

Everyone knows that both were former teenage sweethearts and more so, both undeniably excludes a great chemistry on and off-screen.  Coincidentally, both Aquino and Panganiban have just been through with similar situation off screen.  Earlier this year Angelica broke up with John Lloyd Cruz (who left her for Ellen Adarna) and Carlo broke up with his non-showbiz girlfriend.  The two have been seen together in public but both neither confirm or deny their current status.  

One of the best scenes of the movie is when Carlo Aquino sang "Maybe The Night" in a beautifully orchestrated romantic scene with Angelica; the song's soothing melody and catchy lyrics is just apt for the scene.  Thanks to the movie, the song is now gaining more views on YouTube and jumped to nearly 4 million views after the movie's release last week.  At first, I thought it just a cover from a foreign artist but it is actually composed by a local band called Ben&Ben. 

Dan Villegas is the director behind the success of low budget indie and mainstream movies such as "That Thing Called Tadhana," "Always Be My Maybe, "English Only Please" and "Walang Forever."  His unique style of film-making is what sets him apart from the new breed of directors, combining art and commercial success.

"Exes Baggage" is directed by Dan Villegas and written by Dweign Baltazar. It is the first venture of Black Sheep Productions and released by Star Cinema.

PIA WURTZBACH IS MADAME TUSSAUD'S FIRST FILIPINO WAX FIGURE

2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach will be Madame Tusaud's first Filipino wax figure to be exhibited in the famed museum.  According to Madame Tussaud's spokesperson "We really want to choose people that can represent the Philippines, no matter if it is from beauty perspective, sports or political; we did a survey and we started the customer's feedback and Pia stood out and she's so popular, people like her and she can represent the Philippines and she's really an international talent for the Philippines.

Pia says "I am just excited with the whole process and I m really happy that you guys chose me to be the first one."  

Pia will either wear the Albert Andraa blue gown she wore when won the Miss Universe title or the gown she wore when she passed the crown to her successor.

Credits: PreviewPh covered the pictorial that took place in Hongkong.  Please watch full coverage on this link

TOP GROSSING FILIPINO FILMS OF 2018

Filipino films bounces back after a series of so-so performance at the box-office during the first half of the year, The Hous of Us breaks all box-office records previously held by Vice Ganda starrer "Gandarapido: The Avenger Squad" (P690M). To-date T.H.O.S. has grossed a whopping P701.2M (and counting), followed by Sid Aya with P167M but another Star Cinema release "Exes Baggage" is expected to outgross Sid Aya soon; the movie had a remarkable opening day gross of P21M and earned P71M in just 3 days.

It is interesting to note that at lease 2 low budget indie films made it to the top 10 albeit below the 100M breach mark and coincidentally both are Bela Padillla starrers ("Meet Me in St. Gallen" and "Day After Valentines). Approximately 83 feature films have been released during the 9 months of 2018. however some entries from local indie film festivals such as To-Farm and Cinemalaya have yet to be released for commercial run due to difficulty in securing theatrical booking.

KATHNIEL MOVIE "THE HOWS OF US" IS A MONSTER HIT

"THE HOWS OF US" BREAKS ALL BOX-OFFICE RECORDS

The movie posted the highest 5-day gross for a local film at Php 276.5M and the highest weekend gross of all time and on Sunday alone "The House of Us" grossed a staggering 82M according to a press release issued by Star Cinema.

The latest Kathniel movie is a monster hit and is expected to hit Php 200M over the weekend. The first screening (1:30 pm) at Cinema 3 (Saturday 01-Sep) in Mega Mall was full house considering that it was also showing simultaneously in 2 other theaters in the same mall.  The movie which is now showing in 403 theaters nationwide also stars teen pop idol Darren Espanto  There are also scheduled screenings in the US, Guam and the Gulf countries.

But some people find the movie a bit melodramatic and at times boring.  There were many scenes that we find a bit shallow.  How could George (played by Kathryn) live alone in an unsafe place like Metro Manila? The "partition drama-comedy" between Primo and George is just too corny and childish.   As the story says Primo (played by Daniel) and Kathryn separated for about 7 years but nothing has really changed with their looks and appearance. They look too young for their first mature roles.  Primo is a member of a struggling band but not a single scene shows them performing or at least rehearsing a song.  Director Cathy Garcia Molina could have done better.  

Meanwhile, “Miss Granny,” the Philippine adaptation of the hit South Korean film about a grandmother who regains her youthful appearance, has earned P85M million since it opened in cinemas on August 22. The Sarah Geronimo starrer reportedly grossed only Php 7.8M on its opening day but ticket sales catch up during it's weekend run (Sunday gross 26-Aug - 21M) but  unfortunately the Kathniel movie crushed Miss Granny's potential high gross when "The Hows of Us" opened a few days ago with a staggering opening day gross of P35,938622.

Kris Aquino has a cameo role in "Crazy Rich Asians" which reportedly grossed Php 107M during its first week run.  Aquino's bashers belittles her 3 minute appearance in the movie after all the hype she made during the pre-production. She's not even included in the movie's poster and trailer but nonetheless she made a remarkable presence in the movie as Princess Intan (which means "diamond" in Bahasa Indonesia and Philipine Tausug dialect). 

VILMA SANTOS AT MOTHER LILY'S 80th BIRTHDAY BASH

Superstar for All Seasons Ms. Vilma Santos  took time out from her busy schedule to attend Mother Lily's birthday party and met with showbiz old friends and royalties that includes former First Lady Madame Imelda Marcos and daughter Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos.  Among those who attended the party were: Former President Noynoy Aquino (escorted by his nephews Bimby and Joshua), Former President Joseph Estrada, Charo and Malou Santos, Korina Sanches, Sharon Cuneta and Ai-Ai de las Alas, Angel Locsin, Vice Ganda and a lot more.

JORDAN CLARKSON TO PLAY FOR GILAS PILIPINAS

UPDATE 

16 Aug 2018

CLARKSON NOW IN INDONESIA

Clarkson, who planed in straight from the US after getting cleared by the NBA, will join the Nationals against China on Tuesday, August 21.

As Jordan Clarkson watched from the sidelines, the Filipino-American NBA player got a glimpse of the Philippine basketball team’s brand of play. Gilas beat the Kazakhs 96-59 to win the first game and will meet China on Tuesday (21 Aug - 4:00 pm)

15 Aug 2018

It's all over the headlines across the country.  NBA clears Jordan Clarkson to play for Gilas Pilipinas! The Cleveland Cavalier point guard took to his facebook account and expressed his excitement now that he got the go signal from NBA to play for the Philippine Team. 

"Puso! My heart is full of gratitude for everyone who helped make this happen.  See you all very soon" Jordan Clarkson wrote on his facebook account. 

For non-Filipinos, surely one would ask why the hell Jordan Clarkson play for Philippine basketball team?  Here's the answer.  Clarkson has a dual citizenship with the United States and the Philippines.  His Filipino citizenship is by virtue of his ancestral descent.  His mother is Annette Davis who is half Filipino descent.  Clarkson has been longing to play for Gilas Pilipinas but wasn't able to play in the past due to NBA's restrictions and yesterday finally NBA gave him the go signal, alongside with two Chinese NBA players to play for their respective teams in the ongoing Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.  

Just a few days ago, NBA released a statement denying Clarkson to see action in the Asian Games but was reinstated yesterday and it's big news for the basketball crazy Philippines.  NBA also clears 2 Chinese NBA stars to play for China. But will his participation catapult the Philippines back in the game in the Asian Games?  Gilas Pilipinas ranked 7th in the Asian Games in Korea.

Clarkson has been visiting the Philippines over the last few years tracing his Filipino roots. He also appeared in a few commercials in the country and attended the team's practice and  joined them in  FIBA Asia in China a few years back though he did not play.  Surely his participation in the Asian games will add glamour and excitement for basketball fans.  Good Luck Gilas Pilipinas!

#gilaspilipinas

#jordanclarkson

NOW UNITED ROCKS MANILA!

Heavy rains didn't stop fans from watching new pop group Now United perform at Venice Piazza, an upscale mall in Taguig City last Sunday. The group which includes the Philippines' very own Bailey May is in Manila for the last leg of the their Asian promotional tour. 

The group performed four songs before an upbeat and screaming crowd who trooped to Venice Piazza Mall despite heavy rains. Only 12 of the 14 member pop group made it to their Manila tour.  Diarra Sylla of Senegal lost her passport while in Japan  and UK's Lamar Morris had also problems regarding his passport.  Special guest Kyle Echarri of The Voice Kids Season 2 performed 3 songs.  

NOW UNITED IS IN MANILA

Bailey May's fans trooped to the Airport to welcome him and other members of the new pop group Now United

Now United, the new pop group created by Simon Fuller is in Manila for their last leg of their Asian promotional tour.  They have just been to Korea and Japan. The group also visited Germany, Russia, Finland and Senegal among others.  They are scheduled to perform on Saturday at Eastwood and Sunday at Venice Piazza in BGC. 

Now United is a global pop music group featuring 14 singing and dancing artists from 14 countries which includes the Philippines' very own Bailey May.   Simon Fuller, who's also the creator of American Idol and Spice Girls, started searching for young singers for a group formed of members around the world.  14 young singers and dancers of different nationalities we selected.  The selection took place through digital platforms like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

Here are the names of the 14 member pop group :

        Any Gabrielly - Brazil

        Bailey May - Philippines

        Diarra Sylla - Senegal

        Heyoon Jeong - Korea

        Hina Yoshihara - Japan

        Joalin Loukamaa - Finland

        Josh Beauchamp - Canada

        Krystian Wang - China

        Lamar Morris - UK

        Noah Urrea - USA

        Sabina Hidalgo - Mexico

        Shivani Paliwal - India

        Sina Deinert - Germany

        Sofya Plotnikova - Russia

KRIS AQUINO PAIRS WITH JULIA AND JOSHUA IN HER COMEBACK MOVIE "I LOVE YOU HATER"

Kris Aquino is back on the big screen after a 3 year hiatus and pairs with onscreen partner Joshua Garcia and Julia Baretto in Star Cinema's latest offering "I Love You Hater."  The movie is expected to redeem Kris Aquino's status as a box-office star since her last two movies  "All You Need is Pag-ibig" and "Etiquette for Mistresses"  didn't fare well at the box-office. 

Kris plays Sasha Imperial, a former broadcast journalist who successfully embarked a career into digital content production. In the movie, Joshua Garcia and Julia Baretto find themselves as rivals hoping to get the attention of their CEO played by Aquino. The plot looks good for a romantic comedy in a millennial setting;  Joshua disguises himself as a gay man to keep his job in a back office saturated by gays. Kris was effortless in portraying her role as a budding social media mogul as it is so close to her real life persona.  The side plots  are interesting enough to make the movie more engaging but I guess the screenplay and pacing didn't seem to click with the audience.  John Estrada plays Kris Aquino's ex but sorry they have no chemistry enough to create "kilig" to the audience.  It would have been okay if they had Dieter Ocampo or another actor play the role.  I am not sure if this is just my opinion or what...but I guess if the movie was directed by another director say Cathy Garcia Molina, it might have been different.  The cinematography is impressive though; the drone shots showing overview of the metropolis are awesome.

The movie reportedly gross P5.5 million on its opening day.  For a local movie to gross for P5.5M on opening day isn't that bad but since this is a Kris Aquino movie, expectations were high considering that it also stars two of the most popular young stars today, Joshua Garcia and Julia Baretto. Surprisingly, there weren't much millenials among the audience, instead I saw a lot of people in their' 30's, 40's and 50's.  I watched the movie on the second day of showing at Mega Mall.  The movie is still worth watching anyway and might catch up at the box-office in the weeks to come.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR TEEJAY MARQUEZ?

No doubt Teejay Marquez has made a milestone in his showbiz career by penetrating the Indonesian showbiz scene via his dubsmash videos which went viral in 2016.  He may not be a big star there but certainly he has made a mark and gained droves of fans in the Southeast Asian country of nearly 300 million population.  

He has done a movie called "Dubsmash: The Movie" and appeared in several TV shows.  He is also made it to the cast of Indonesia's version of Taiwanese hit soap "Meteor Garden" titled "Siapa Takut Katij Cinta ("Who's Afraid of Love").  Looking at the meet and greet event for STKC cast in Jakarta earlier this year, there's no doubt that he has indeed gained a tremendous following in Indonesia with his charm and good looks, but sad to say, not quite, in his home country.  

Before he embark his showbiz career in Indonesia, Teejay did several projects in his former home studio GMA 7 but in 2015, he transferred to ABS-CBN and  appeared in supporting roles in a few soap operas.  His stint on Kapamiliya network was somewhat cut short when he decided to go to Indonesia. 

He announced earlier this week on his Facebook account that he'd met with ABS-CBN big bosses and the possibility of having a teleserye with Kapamilya Network.  Apart from his talent agency in Indonesia, Teejay is managed in the Philippines by ALV Talent Circuit headed by Arnold Vegrafia.   He is currently in the country and will soon star in a movie to be directed by Adolf Alix, Jr.

TRANS WOMAN TO COMPETE IN 2018 MISS UNIVERSE

26-year-old model Angela Ponce of Spain, makes history as the first trans woman to compete in Miss Universe. In her Instagram post - she wrote in Spanish, "Wearing the name and colors of Spain before the universe is my great dream." She continued, "My goal: to be spokesperson for a message of inclusion, respect and diversity not only for the LGBTQ community but for the whole world."

The Philippine's representative Catriona Gray was asked to comment on this issue shown on national television.  She said "personally, I have no problem with it.  But I do understand why there's quite an uproar among all the fans and different people looking at the issue."  She added that it all depends on the Miss Universe Organization "if they allow it, that's their prerogative. if the contestant can go through the casting process, become a candidate, and earn the right to represent her country, then why not? 

Except for Colombia and Puerto Rico, most of the so called powerhouse pageant countries like Venezuela, USA and the Philippines have already elected their respective delegates for the upcoming Miss Universe. 

Among the front runners or pre-pageant favorites includes Sarah Rose Summers (USA), Catriona Gray (PHILIPPINES), Tamaryn Green (SOUTH AFRICA) and Sthefany Gutierrez (VENEZUELA).

It was reported earlier this year that the Philippines will host the 2018 Miss Universe but the new Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat decided to cancel the country's bid to host the pageant pointing out that the department needs to fix a lot of things and holding another Miss Universe pageant is not a priority.  Her predecessor Wanda Tulfo Teo resigned from her post following a Commission on Audit (COA) report on the department's awarding P60 million ads to a company owned by her brother Ben Tulfo.  Teo, who initiated the plan to host the pageant, denied the accusation. 

Thailand and Vietnam have reportedly bid to host the pageant this year.

"SID & AYA" (Not a Love Story)

So far, Sid & Aya is the only Filipino film that grossed
over 150M this year.

The positive reviews that I read about "Sid & Aya" led me to watch the movie and I wasn't disappointed. I certainly enjoyed watching the movie.  I love the visuals, the music and the soundtrack particularly  "Darkness Fell" by the Juans.  Irene Villamor's direction is quite impressive and very contemporary. With three box-office hits in a row she now join the league of female box-office directors like Cathy Molina Garcia and Antonette Jadaone.  Villlamor's credits includes "Camp Sawi" and "Meet Me at St. Gallens."

Dingdong Dantes plays Sid, a successful but callous stockbroker, who is suffering from insomnia.  He hangs out at a cafe in the wee hours and this is where he met Aya (Anne Curtis) who works as a waitress.  Charmed by Aya's odd but pleasant personality, Sid half-jokingly offered to pay Aya to keep him for a company just for a few hours whenever his insomnia strikes. Strange as it is, Aya agreed with the deal.  Aya is a hardworking woman who will to do anything just to earn money to augment her income in order to support her sick father and save money to pay her visa expenses to get her to Japan. She also moonlights working as a laundry attendant. Their constant "paid bonding" brought them closer, just as about Sid's girlfriend (Bubbles Paraiso) began talking about moving-in to Sid's flat. The romantic plot thickens as Sid informed Aya that he plans to propose marriage to his girlfriend. Aya decided to leave and work in Japan as an entertainer and Sid subsequently followed but their meet up didn't bring them back together. Aya didn't show up to bid goodbye before Sid flew back to Manila and nothing was mentioned what happened to the relationship of Sid and his girlfriend.  The next thing we see was the final scene showing Sid clad in a street get-up, walking at a trendy street in Manila and unexpectedly bumped into Aya at a cafe.  What happens next....it's up to the audience to interpret, just watch the movie.

The tagline says it's not a love story.  I guess they just use it to attract viewers to make it more intriguing and appealing to audience and I guess it succeeded; the movie is a certified blockbuster.  Initially it wasn't a love story as there was money involved but as the story progressed, both Sid & Aya found themselves in a situation they didn't expect to happen.  The movie is presented in a semi-narrative style but what makes the movie even more appealing is the on-screen chemistry of Dingdong Dantes and Anne Curtis, somewhat reminiscent of Vi-Boyet tandem back in the 80's. There's a certain level of excitement that the two connects with the audience. Another factor is the directorial style of Irene Villamor which is very contemporary and adequately engaging.

The movie also stars Bubbles Paraiso, Gabby Eigenmann, Cholo Barreto, Joseph Elizalde with cameo roles by Joey Marquez and Jobelle Salvador.

TAWAG NG TANGHALAN - UNIQUE SINGING COMPETITION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Some of the country's popular artists are product of singing contests, among them are Regine Velazquez, Nora Aunor, Sarah Geronimo, Charice and more recently Darren Espanto.  World famous songwriter David Foster once said, the Philippines is home to some of the world's greatest singers. True enough, Filipino talents often wins in singing competitions around the world.  Karaoke is also a big thing in the country.  Imagine a Filipino household party or a beach resort without a karaoke bar: it would be boring, at least for the locals.   

"Tawag ng Tanghalan" which literally means "call of the stage," is probably one of the most popular, if not the most popular singing competition in the Philippines today.  The show was revived two years ago by ABS-CBN as a segment singing contest on popular noontime show "It's Showtime." TNT as it is sometimes called now, debuted in 1953 but was axed in 1972 following the declaration of Martial Law by former President Ferdinand Marcos.  The show was later revived in 1987 to 1988 and resurfaced again in 2016.  No doubt TNT  has become a vital factor of the show in the rating game giving the longest running noontime show "Eat Bulaga" a run for their money.

Now on it's second season, the modern TNT has a new set of winners composed of Janine Berdin (grand champion), a 16 year old lass from Cebu, Ato Arman from Mindanao (2nd place) and Steven Paysu (3rd place) representing the Filipino community in the United States.  The 16 year old grand champion received Php 2M cash prize, a management contract and a house and lot from Camella Homes.  The other  3 grand finalists are Anton Antenorcruz (Metro Manila), Arabelle de la Cruz (Luzon) and Reggie Tortugo (Visayas).

What is interesting about TNT is it's  diversity and it is open to everyone without social discrimination.  Some of the past contestants were farmers, fishermen, street vendors and what have you - representing all social classes from the country's four main regions (Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao).  Movie icon Nora  Aunor was a water vendor at a train station before she competed in the late 60's and the first winner of the modern edition of  TNT was an ordinary farmer from a remote rural area in the Visayas.  Most of the contestants' repertoire are mainly old ballads, something that has not changed even in modern times. Millennial kids are looking for some cool music but it doesn't seem to work out in local singing competition.

Tawag ng Tanghalan is unique in it's own way: If a contestant messed up or constantly off tune while performing, the head of the panel of judges gives the final third signal to the designated person to gong which means the contestant can be literally interrupted while performing and can no longer continue and gets booted out right on the spot. The judges will then explain their side why they decided to "gong" a contestant.  

Rey Valera, who is the head of the panel of judges, is often criticized by viewers for giving offensive comments to contestants, though not necessarily about the singing skills but sometimes a personal one, like body shaming in front of millions of viewers.  Another issue is the inclusion of Karla Estrada as one of the judges questioning her qualification noting that she failed in an audition in a popular reality singing competition a few years back.  But people believe their celebrity status are interesting enough to enhance the tv ratings.

Controversy also hounds one of Season 2 contestants. Just as Anton Antenorcruz began gaining grounds in the early rounds of TNT Q2, his controversial gay marriage video became the subject of rumor mongers online but it didn't stop Anton in pursuing his dreams and went on to become one of the grand finalists. Until now some fans can't just accept the fact that the former flight attendant is not a "straight guy."  Both Janine and Ato experienced rough roads prior to their TNT victories.  They failed in their first attempts and the grand champion herself also failed in her audition at The Voice Kids.

Public Voting and the Rating Game

Surely online and public voting helps the show gain curiosity and interest from the public but nowadays it has become so organized in that one can have a pretty good chance of winning if a contestant gets massive support  from relatives and friends and even financial help from politicians. Public voting accounts 50% of the judging scheme while the 50% comes from the judges.

Interestingly, not all winners become big stars.  Darren Espanto and Morissete Amon weren't grand winners in the reality show they competed but they are more successful than the actual winners.  Even Charice placed only 3rd place in a kiddie singing contest in the 90's.  As they say talent alone is not necessarily the key to success, but one should possess the looks, charisma and star quality and of course the right connections.   Youngsters Isabella Vinzon and Kyle Echari of The Voice Kids enjoys TV exposure at ASAP  than their contemporaries.  Well... this is showbiz.

TNT Kids make waves

Last year "It's Showtime" launched TNT Kids edition won by 10 year old John Clyd Talili of Surigao del Sur.  Among the finalists were Mackie Empuerto, Keifer Sanches and Francis Concepcion but out of the blue the 3 young belters became instant stars after they guested at Gandang Gabi Vice last year.  The show's host asked them to sing an impromptu rendition of Beyonce's "Listen" instructing them to look like as if they were challenging each other to a fight of sort by way of singing.  The video went viral online and bingo! They became instant Youtube sensation and got in demand in TV guesting not only in the Philippines but as far as UK, Australia and the United States.  Now called the TNT Boys, the trio guested in Little Big Shots (both UK and US edition).  They are currently part of the show called "Your Voice Sounds Familiar: Kids Edition."

#walangmagawa