Charice-Cheesa Collaboration A Cry Against Bullies

By ROWENA JOY A. SANCHEZ

'I'm not perfect, but I'm still beautiful,' Charice and Cheesa sing with conviction in their duet (Photo from Charice's Twitter)

MANILA, Philippines - When life gives you haters, create a statement song that would make them cringe.

International singing sensation Charice and "The Voice" Fil-Am semi-finalist Cheesa Laureta did just that with their powerful collaboration, "I'm Not Perfect," an inspirational R&B ballad that encourages victims of bullying to believe in themselves despite being let down by others. It likewise serves as a call for bullies to change for the better.

Cheesa herself wrote the song with her brother Troy, Charice's musical director.

The almost five-minute digital single, released last Sept. 6, is close to Charice and Cheesa's heart, as both of them admit to have been bullied.

"Not only was I bullied when I was little, it came out again throughout the show ('The Voice') through social media," Cheesa told "Balitang America" recently.

Charice, meanwhile, first experienced bullying at the age of seven. The influx of haters didn't stop even as she broke through the international scene.

"Minsan grabe talaga ang ginagawa ng mga tao sa akin, sa amin. Nasasaktan ako kasi, kumbaga, parang gusto ko lang din sabihin sa kanila na, 'Kung sasabihin ko sa'yo, kung ibabalik ko lahat sa ‘yo yung mga sinasabi mo sa'kin, gusto kong ma-feel mo ‘yung nafi-feel ko.' But, at the same time, I don’t wanna do that. Kasi gusto kong ma-realize nila sa sarili nila," she related at length.

The young singers will perform "I'm Not Perfect" in a benefit show in Hawaii next month, the proceeds of which will go to ABS-CBN Foundation's Bantay Bata, added the "Balitang America" report.

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'Apparition' bags Hawaii International Film Festival

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Monday, October 22, 2012

MANILA -- A Filipino film production, "Apparition," bagged the Hawaii International Film Festival's (HIFF) prestigious NETPAC Award 2012 given on October 16 awarding ceremony held at the Governor's Mansion, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

Starring Jodi Sta. Maria and Mylene Dizon, the film about a nun balancing her religious and political beliefs bested 226 other films from over 41 countries, the department said.

The NETPAC Award or Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema is given only at select international film festivals around the world to only one exceptional film from the Asia Pacific.

NETPAC is presented annually at the Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Rotterdam, Pusan, Singapore, Taiwan, Yamagata, Amiens, and Hawaii International Film Festivals.

DFA said two Filipino productions were also in the running for HIFF's two other top awards – Bwakaw for Best Narrative Feature and Harana for Best Documentary Feature.

Both films gave way to foreign productions – Key of Life (Japan) and Where Heaven Meets Hell (Indonesia/US), respectively.

The production teams of Harana and Bwakaw, who attended the ceremonies, said that being nominated was honor and commendation enough considering the number of films in contention.

Directors Benito Bautista of Harana and Jun Lana of Bwakaw expressed pride for having been given the chance to showcase Filipino film talent in a huge international festival such as the HIFF.

Receiving the award for "Apparition" was Deputy Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes, who in his acceptance speech stressed the importance of cinema as a tool to understand other ethnicities' perceptions, thoughts, moral values, social norms, and culture, thereby further promoting peaceful co-existence among peoples. (SDR/Sunnex)

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City for only P12,000.00/month with its own parking lot. Hurry while the supply of units last. Just call the Tel. Nos. (053)555-8464/09164422611/ 09173373687

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KZ Tandingan Scores 1st ‘X Factor PHL’ Title

By MAUREEN MARIE BELMONTE

October 8, 2012, 5:43am

MANILA, Philippines – Jazz singer KZ Tandingan was named first ever winner of the  “X Factor Philippines” Sunday during the show’s finale episode held at the PAGCOR theater.

Garnering 54.77% of the total amount of text votes, KZ bested Gabriel Maturan and group Daddy’s Home who earned 32.33% and 12.90%, respectively.

Soon as her name was called, KZ burst into tears and thanked the Lord for his blessings.

“Lord, Lord grabe salamat po. Salamat po sa lahat ng sumuporta. Hindi ko po inakalang maabot ko ito. Simple lang naman po ‘yung goal ko eh. Ang mapaayos ang church namin at mapatunayang hindi lamang ang mga biritero at biritera ang pwedeng [manalo],” blurted the singer who represents Digos City, Davao del Sur.

Her mentor, international singer Charice, was as grateful for the unwavering support that the show's followers bestowed on her ward.

Sobrang nafeel ko na nanalo rin ako. KZ I’m so proud of you and you know that. Nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat ng sumuporta kay KZ.

“KZ you deserve this.”

After giving her speech, KZ reprised her version of The Carpenters hit “Superstar,” which she sang during performance night on Oct. 6.

As winner, KZ took home four million pesos and a recording contract with Star Music.

Truly a star-studded finale, the show kicked off with a pumping dance number by “X Factor” host KC Concepcion. Each of the four mentor-judges also performed his hit song namely  “Pyramid” (Charice), "Hataw Na" (Gary Valenciano), "This Is The Moment" (Martin Nievera) and “If I Never Sing Another Song” (Pilita Corrales).

The three grand finalists also performed duets with renowned singing champions. Gab sang Whitney Houston’s “On My Own” with Erik Santos, while KZ joined Jed Madela for Jordin Sparks’ “This is My Now.” Daddy’s Home performed with Jovit Baldvino for Brian McKnight’s “Win,” and all three joined Angeline Quinto for Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb.”

One of the highlights of the night was the performance of the Top 3 with their respective mentors. KZ and Charice took on the Fred Astaire-original, “The Way You Look Tonight,” while Daddy’s Home and Gary harmonized to a stripped down version of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.” Gab and Martin, on the other hand, did a duet of the Disney theme song “Go the Distance” from the movie “Hercules.”

All the other contenders rendered production numbers with the top 12 finalists reuniting on stage for the Christmas song, "Star ng Pasko," the Christmas ID theme song of the Kapamilya network.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City for only P12,000.00/month with its own parking lot. Hurry while the supply of units last. Just call the Tel. Nos. (053)555-8464/09164422611/ 09173373687