IT'S SURELY gonna be another exciting gala performance on Saturday because it's the Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2 Showstopper Week, where the scholars will sing showstopper songs and will compete one-on-one with another scholar.

That means one from each of the five pairs will compose the bottom five, who will be next week's probationary scholars. The pairing are as follows:

Laarni versus Liezel
Bugoy vesus Apple
Bunny versus Cris
Van versus Sen
Miguel versus Iñaki
Poy verus Everyone


Watch this video of Laarni's Birit power and whoever's not scared, raise your hands:

Uploaded on YouTube by dlightshines

If Liezel gets a grade lower than that of Laarni, she will automatically become a probationary scholar. Liezel really fears being put under probation. Exciting di ba?

Poy is competing with everyone as part of the challenge. If ever Poy will be this week's star scholar, she will get P 50, 000.00, which will be deducted from the PDA Season 2 winners' pot money.

THE PINOY Dream Academy Season 2 jurors seemed very hard to please, especially Gerard Salonga who notices the smallest mistakes like singing an eighth note ahead of the chorus, but last Saturday their smiles are up to their ears that they rated the scolars 10 out of 10!

It was the first time on PDA Season 2 that the scholars garnered a very high GPA. The trios really worked well. Here is a video of the trio that got the highest grades in both the fast song and acapella, Bugoy, Van, and Sen:

Yesterday, popularized by The Beatles
Uploaded by MoreEvilThanNorman

For their acapella version of this popular Beatles song, the trio got a perfect 10 and for their fast song, Gerard Salonga said that it was the real thing. Here's the video:

Pinoy Dream Academy gets more exciting every week! :D

OUR YOUNG diva, Charice Pempengco, continues to amaze the world with her vocal prowess, the most recent being her duet with no less than the world famous Italian Tenor, Andrea Bocelli at the Teatro del Silenzio in Tuscany, Italy.

Here's a video, courtesy of nythawk25 of the duet that lifted the Philippine flag even higher:

Their duet was given a well-deserved ovation, a reaction that Charice always gets when performing for foreign audiences.

Mr. Bocelli, himself, is all praises for our young diva. Here's a video from Filipinoz08:

Fly high Charice and lift up the name of the Filipinos! We are all proud of you!

THE WHOLE Philippines and even the whole world will now know Charice Pempengco more as the Philippines' best drama anthology show, Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) on ABS-CBN, features her travails as she follows her dream.

Charice Pempengco's biography is one of the featured stories in the 17th Anniversary of MMK.

Her are the teasers of Charice's episode on MMK, courtesy of nythawk25:

The episode will be aired on MMK's new time slot on Saturday night, after Pinoy Dream Academy.

HERE'S THE lovely performance of Cris and Van on Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2 überture as requested by a fan.

Isn't it lovely?

Here's the lyrics of the song, in case you want to sing along with them. :D

Realize
Colbie Caillat

Take time to realize,
That your warmth is
Crashing down on in.
Take time to realize,
That I am on your side
Didn't I, didn't I tell you.

But I can't spell it out for you,
You know it's never gonna be that simple
No I can't spell it out for you

[Chorus:]
If you just realize what I just realized,
Then we'd be perfect for each other
And we'll never find another
Just realized what I just realized
We'd never have to wonder if
We missed out on each other now.

[Verse 2:]
Take time to realize
Oh-oh I'm on your side
Didn't I, didn't I tell you.
Take time to realize
This all can pass you by
Didn't I tell you

[Refrain:]
But I can't spell it out for you,
You know it's never gonna be that simple
No I can't spell it out for you.

[Chorus:]
If you just realized what I just realized
Then we'd be perfect for each other
Then we'd never find another
Just realized what I just realized
We'd never have to wonder if
We missed out on each other but.

[Verse 3:]
It's not all the same
No it's never the same
If you don't feel it too.
If you meet me half way
If you would meet me half way.
It could be the same for you.

[Chorus:]
If you just realize what I just realized
Then we'd be perfect for each other
And we'd never find another
Just realize what I just realized
We'd never have to wonder

Just realize what I just realized

If you just realize what I just realized

OoOoOOo

Missed out on each other now
Missed out on each other now
Missed out on each other now

Realize, realize
Realize, realize

LAST SATURDAY'S Gala Night was filled with Sensual and trying-so-hard-to-be-sensual performances.

Here's my favorite performances:

ERIK SANTOS is reported to perform during the Olympics Conerts with other foreign artists.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Erik says that he'll do his best to show the world the amazing talents of Filipinos.

Part of Santos' preparations in learning the language as he will be introducing his song in Mandarin.

After winning as grand champion in the talent search, Star in Million, in 2004, thsi one of Erik Santos' top achievements.

Erik is a proud Kapamilya but some Kapuso supporters have already expressed their support. Go, Erik! The whole Philippines is supporting you.

*Photo is from http://opmusikahan.com

THERE SEEMS to be some silence about Charice Pempengco now. I'd really love to hear more about her. Charice's talent will take her further in her career.

Here are videos of her performances in Las Vegas:





More power to Charice!

AWESOME! EVEN Gerard Salonga himself from whom we always hear criticisms, expressed admiration for Bugoy and Liezel's performance last night.

In case you weren't able to see it, take a look at this video so you would know what I'm talking about:

It's a product of hardwork, they say, but for me, it really unique talent. Mabuhay, Bugoy and Liezel! You are really making us all, Filipinos, proud! I have never seen a performance as powerful as that in any talent show on Philippine television. It's really wonderful.

On the other hand, I think, it's now time for Bea to go. My thoughts on her stay in the academy still didn't change. Somebody more talented than her should have had her chance to go through the training PDA gives its scholars. Bea can afford to be trained privately. The opportunity should have been given to someone who deserves it better than she does.

Another thing, I'm glad I didn't hear a lot of comments about notes not hit by the scholars. Hearing the judges give such comments makes me feel PDA is being too strict, too perfectionist, in fact, on singing. Yeah, hitting the right notes is very important but the judges should tone down a bit on that part because it makes the show sound too technical that it sort of robs the viewers a chance to appreciate the performances despite the imperfections.

DESPITE THE negative comments he got from the judges, I still think Kid Camaya did well in his performance of Narito Ako, as his piece for Pinoy Idol's Regine Velasquez night.

Take a look at this:

Let's continue to Support Kid Camaya!

I don't undertand why the Pinoy Idol judges kept praising Sue Ellen's crappy performance last night of Velasquez's Dadalhin.

FOR THE third time now, Liezel Garcia was chosen Star Scholar of Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2.

Liezel sang So Much in Love by Sheena Easton. Here's a video:

My favorite scholar, Laarni Losala, was no longer on the top three because, I think, she lacked energy when she performed Fighter by Christina Aguilera.

Van Pojas' performance was a surprise. I even thought he would be this week's star scholar. He made it to the top three. Here's how he performed this week:

HERE IS a video of Kid Camaya performing Warior is A Child on Pinoy Idol:

Kid Camaya - Warrior is a Child
Uploaded by starmometerdotcom

I just don't understand the judges. At one point, they will like Kid. On other times, they will say nonsense criticism s of his performance. They're very inconsistent.

Ogie Alcasid says that it's kid's most soulful performance ever while Wyngard Tracy say's it's his worst. (Never mind Jolina's. Haha.) Are the judges there to confuse the viewing public? They are supposed to give hints to the contestants so that they will suit to the taste of the public.

Nevertheless, let's continue to Support Kid Camaya on Pinoy Idol. He's now number one of Starmometer.com's Power Ranking.

I DIDN'T like Laarni Losala when Pinoy Dream first aired. Although she has the talent, I didn't find her attractive. In the first few days inside the academy, I also found her as an immature person who needed attention.

But later on everything changed. I now understand why she acts like she does. I believe that there are lots of things in her life that she couldn't understand. For being herself, I think she adds more color to the academy.

She has real talent and I believe it will take her far.

Media Performance Mentor Direk Joey Reyes said in an Inquirer article that they are looking for unique talents and not another Gary V or Regine Velasquez. In other words, they are not only looking for someone who can sing well but one who also has the so-called x-factor.

Here's a video of Laarni Losala singing Barbara Streissand's If We Never Said Goodbye: