Claudine Barretto Plastic Surgery

Claudine Barretto was at the Folded & Hung Fashion Show this weekend as the head celebrity spokesmodel. Claudine was also the celebrity guest of Vicki Belo's TV show on ABS-CBN, Belo Beauty 101. Ms. Belo performed a lyposunction on Claudine to reduce her fat after giving birth to her baby. Claudine also had plastic surgery done on her breasts and got a breast reduction. Claudine was also reported to have gotten veneers on her teeth. Charice Pempengco's mom Raquel was also one of Vicki Belo's clients on the show. Thanks to ClaudineTilDEnd!

Claudine Barretto Belo Beauty 101 part 1

Claudine Barretto Belo Beauty 101 part 2

Charice Pempengco meets Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow

Charice Pempengco performs with Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow in the 13th annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children benefit concert held last October 11 at Las Vegas.

Charice has been chosen to perform with Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow for the 13th Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children charity concert. This annual event, which aims to benefit underserved children, was scheduled to be held on October 11 at Wynn Las Vegas. This event also marks David Foster's 13th year anniversary as a musical director.


In the October 10 episode of Wonder Mom, host Karen Davila talked with Charice regarding her past performances with international stars.

Last July, Charice sang "The Prayer" with the Italian tenor Andrea Bocceli. She recalls feeling at that moment, "Iniisip ko wow, inaakay ko si Andrea Bocceli, talagang hindi ako makapaniwala kasi napapanood ko lang siya dati sa TV.

Karen also asked Charice to narrate the concert that she did with Celine Dion in New York. The singer recalled, "Second to the last song niya yung ‘Because You Loved Me' so ang ginawa po niya siya po ang unang kumanta then pinutol po niya sa may chorus then saka niya ako in-introduce."

Celine Dion introduced Charice as a 16-year-old singer from the Philippines before helping her relaz onstage. "Sinabi ko po na kinakabahan ako at sinabi po niya na isipin ko lang daw po na ang mga nanonood sa akin ay mga brothers and sisters ko."


The young singer also pointed out how Canadian arranger David Foster has been helping her career by introducing her to key people in the industry. The Grammy award-winning producer, arranger and composer was instrumental in paving the way for Charice to perform in the Paul O'Grady Show. David has taken Charice under his wing and he has proudly introduced Charice as "my new singer."

Mommy Raquel is so overwhelmed sometimes by the amount of attention given to her daughter. "Minsan ‘pag iniisip ko, natutulala ako...sinasabi ko nga minsan, gisingin mo ako parang natutulog lang ako. Napakabilis ng panahon na ganito na ang nangyayari sa anak ko. Naranasan ko pa na kamag-anak ko ang nananakit sa amin."

She also gives her advice for her young offspring. "Wag sana lalaki ang ulo niya. Gusto ko ang Charice na tinuruan ko nung bata hanggang sa makilala siya, gusto ko Charice pa rin."

With her background in singing, Mommy Raquel makes it a point to not only cheer for Charice but also coach her when it comes to performing. "Gusto ko every performance, ginagawa niya ang best niya. Gusto ko walang mali. Bawat kanta niya, kahit sa rehearsal pa lang, kino-correct ko siya para sa performance niya walang magco-comment kahit sino." PEP

Celine Dion and Charice Pempengco

Charice Pempengco was Celine Dion's special guest at her concert in New York City's Madison Square Garden, where she belted out an amazing rendition of 'Because You Loved Me' and received a standing ovation. 'When you have your own concert here at Madison Square Garden, are you going to invite me?' said Celine. Oprah Winfrey will handle Charice's career in the US.

Celine Dion and Charice on Oprah

Celine Dion suprised Charice Pempengco on Oprah Winfrey today Sept. 9 with a special live satellite transmission, and the Canadian singer also invited the young Filipina songstress to perform with her live at her concert next week at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This was a huge deal for Charice, as Celine is her idol. Hit producer David Foster, Andrea Bocelli, and Michael Buble were also featured in the show to support Charice. The crew of the show visited Charice's hometown in the Philippines, and aired her life story. For those in Los Angeles who missed the episode, my tiVo says it will re-air this Sunday at 11:35 p.m. on ABC. I was able to record it in widescreen HDTV on my dvd recorder, which was amazing seeing the Philippines right in front of me in high def, so make sure you turn that option on on your DVR, dvd recorder, or video card when you record it.

KC Concepcion wears Richard Gutierrez's necklace

Lucy Torres leads the stars during the launching of TV5 last Thursday night, August 7. Lucy's dance show Shall We Dance is the only program from ABC-5 that will continue airing in TV5.

KC Concepcion is wearing the necklace and bracelet that Richard Gutierrez gave her during their shooting of For The First Time in Santorini, Greece. KC was a special guest at her mom Sharon Cuneta's anniversary concert at Araneta Coliseum last night, August 8.

Sharon Cuneta, 30 years in showbiz celebration, and the man who wrote her first hit song, Rey Valera. The two perform "Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko," another piece from the composer of "Mr. DJ."

Rhian Ramos: "I am really, really happy because nagtiwala si Mr. Sabella sa sa akin even if there are really bad rumors about me. Sinabi naman nila sa akin na what's important is that I can represent the new look of Sabella."

Brent Javier: "They're trying to package me wholesome as an actor. So don't expect me to don swimwear anytime soon or be as daring as my pictorial."

• Sharon Cuneta reminisces 30 years of showbiz career with famous hits August 10, 2008 01:38 AM
• Yasmien Kurdi: "Ang big deal naman ng paglaki ng boobs ko!" August 9, 2008 03:58 PM
• Only a handful of Kapuso talents join the new TV5 August 9, 2008 03:42 PM
• Supermodel Brent Javier turns actor with wholesome image August 9, 2008 02:49 PM
• John Prats joins Kapuso stars in "Loving You" August 9, 2008 02:20 PM
• Ai-Ai delas Alas on Pokwang imitating her style: "The more, the merrier!" August 9, 2008 02:20 PM
• FIRST READ ON PEP: Sunshine Dizon returns to work after three-month break August 9, 2008 01:07 PM
• KC Concepcion wears necklace and bracelet from Richard Gutierrez at her mom's concert August 9, 2008 12:29 PM
• Rhian Ramos endorses fashion brand despite negative issues about her August 9, 2008 11:57 AM
• Sam Concepcion is proud of "Little Big Star" batchmate Charice August 9, 2008 12:52 AM

Charice Pempengco on Sharon Cuneta

Charice Pempengco on Sharon Cuneta's weekly show.

Charice has also appeared on Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey, and Paul O' Grady.

Charice Pempengco on Oprah Winfrey May 12

Charice Pempengco was on Oprah with her performance of Whitney Houston's 'I Have Nothing' on May 12, 2008 in Chicago, USA. The picture above was Oprah's reaction to Charice's performance.

If you live in the US, and you missed the live broadcast and would like to record it, the magic of my TiVo says that this episode of Oprah will be re-airing this Saturday, May 17 at 11:35 pm on ABC.

After her stirring rendition of the Whitney Houston song I Have Nothing, an emotional Charice told Oprah, “I’m always dreaming that someday I can be a part of your show. I can’t believe I’m here standing with you. This is my dream come true.”

The 15-year-old singing wonderkind has been a very busy girl making her rounds of the top international talk shows, from Sweden, Korea, the United States and England.

She is now a sought-after guest on TV shows after being discovered by Ellen DeGeneres on Youtube and guesting Charice on her top rated show. Ellen admires Charice for her amazing vocal skills.

Charice Pempengco on Oprah

Charice Pempengco will be on Oprah Monday May 12 at 3pm in the US, and at 11pm on Studio 23 in the Philippines. This is not a show you want to miss!
DREAM COME TRUE: Charice Set to Conquer Oprah on May 12
By Momar G. Visaya Asianjournal.com
Charice Pempengco with Oprah Winfrey. The young diva made a guest appearance on ‘Oprah’ which will air on May 12. Photo courtesy of Harpo Productions, Inc./Copyright-Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo by George Burns.
MAKATI CITY – Mark your calendars.

On May 12, young diva Charice Pempengco’s quest for international stardom gets a much-needed boost as her dream of being a guest at The Oprah Winfrey Show becomes a reality.

After traveling thousands of miles from Manila, Charice joined some of the world’s most talented, amazing kids take the Oprah stage. The Oprah Winfrey Show is the longest-running and highest-rated daytime television talk show in America today.

The young diva blew the audience away with her performance of Whitney Houston’s song I Have Nothing. After her fantastic performance, an emotional Charice told Oprah, "I’m always dreaming that someday I can be a part of your show. I can’t believe I’m here standing with you. This is my dream come true."

"Nung una po, parang hindi ako makapaniwala. Kasi Oprah yan eh, napapanood ko lang sa TV. Tita Millie (Gurfinkel) called my mom and sabi niya na mag ge-guest ako sa Oprah Winfrey Show. Si mommy, parang walang reaction, parang okay lang. Tapos after nilang mag-usap, sinabi ni mommy sa akin na gusto akong mai-guest sa Oprah so napasigaw ako sa tuwa,"

Charice said as she recalled the day when she found out about the guesting.

Indeed, it was a dream come true, considering that only weeks earlier, she and her mom have been talking about the good breaks she has been getting.

Charice Pempengco on Oprah Winfrey experience

Charice Pempengco's performance reportedly moved American host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey to tears. "Medyo naluha po siya tapos sinabi po niya sa akin nung after po ng performance ko na hindi daw po siya makapaniwalang ganoon kagaling ang mga Pinoy," said Charice to Ruffa Gutierrez and Boy Abunda on The Buzz this past Sunday.

This time, it was Oprah Winfrey's turn to be charmed.



With her Ellen DeGeneres appearance still lingering in the memories of her countrymen, young singing sensation Charice pulled off another stellar feat when she graced the highly-popular U.S. talk show Oprah, hosted by Oprah Winfrey.



Charice shared to The Buzz yesterday, May 4, that the influential American host and media mogul deliberately skipped watching the rehearsal session so as to maintain that element of surprise come the actual taping.



"Kahit po siya hindi niya po ako kilala," said Charice to hosts Boy Abunda and Ruffa Gutierrez.



"Kumbaga, talaga pong gusto niya po ma-surprise sa talent ko so nag-perform po ako nandoon po siya sa gilid," she added, while obviously still reeling from the entire experience.



Throughout the performance, Oprah silently watched in one corner as Charice exhibited her vocal power along with other young talents.



"Nasa gilid po siya nanonood po, so kinanatahan ko po siya," recounted the 15-year-old belter from Cabuyao, Laguna. Oprah, as shared by Charice, was moved by the performance saying, "Medyo naluha po siya tapos sinabi po niya sa akin nung after po ng performance ko, sinabi niya sa akin na hindi daw po siya makapaniwalang ganoon kagaling ang mga Pinoy."



WINNING FANS ALL OVER THE GLOBE. Oprah's enthusiasm with Charice's extraordinary talent isn't entirely new. Since placing third behind eventual champion Sam Concepcion in the local singing tilt Little Big Star in 2005, Charice's singing career skyrocketed; bolstered mainly through video postings of her performances in YouTube.



Prior to Oprah's show, Charice had been invited by a handful of foreign programs after seeing her perform in South Korea's Star King. E! later on cited Charice in its "The Daily 10" segment under the banner "A Star Is Born." The "Hollywood Royalty Segment," on the other hand, acknowledged the young singer with a headline that read "A Queen Is Born."



Unknown to Charice, American talk show host Ellen DeGeneres had been keeping an eye on her after watching her sing in YouTube. Ellen even showed clippings of Charice singing and went on to imitate her gestures before issuing an invitation to the Filipino talent to grace the show.



On December 19, 2007, Charice accepted Ellen's invitation and performed two songs on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The young singing sensation also had the chance to personally meet esteemed American composer David Foster during her short U.S. stay.



Last April 8, 2008, Charice once again conquered the international stage, this time as a guest performer in London's Paul O' Grady Show. Charice dished out her two signature cover songs: "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" taken from the movie Dreamgirls and Whitney Houston's massive 1992 smash hit "I Will Always Love You." Charice received two standing ovations from the audience.



Charice was also featured in various news programs abroad like CNN and France News.



But nothing still beats the euphoria of meeting, much more, sharing the spotlight with the unrivaled Oprah Winfrey.



"Sa studio po, nung nag-guest po ako... So siyempre before po ako mag-perform, nung rehearsal po, ipinakita po sa akin ‘yong studio. So sabi po nila, tingnan mo na, diyan ka kakanta bukas," she recalled being told by the staff.



Just the thought of stepping inside the Harpo studio was enough to excite Charice. "So parang hindi po ako makapaniwala na ‘yon na ‘yong studio ng Oprah tapos sabi umikot ka diyan, tumalon ka... Tumalon po ako kasi talagang ‘yon po ‘yong pangarap ko—makapag-guest sa show na ‘yon," she confessed to Boy and Ruffa.



On May 12, the entire world will finally witness the realization of that dream. PEP

Charice Pempengco debut album Star Records

Charice Pempengco, the 15-year-old Filipina singing sensation who has enchanted the world through Ellen Degeneres, Paul O' Grady, and through Youtube, will release her self-titled debut album under Star Records. The six-track CD entitled 'Charice' will be available at all record stores and National Bookstores by the end of the month.

Through the help of Nixon Sy, audio marketing unit head of Star Records, PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) was able to speak with Charice on the phone. The young singer, who will turn 15 on May 10, was then having her album pictorial with celebrated photographer Ronnie Salvacion.

How does she feel about having her first album?

"Hindi ko po ine-expect kasi matagal ko na pong gustong magka-album. Masaya po ako na nabigyan ako ng chance na makagawa ng album under Star Records," says Charice gratefully.

Charice was the third placer in the ABS-CBN talent search Little Big Star aired in 2006. Since then, she has become popular for her YouTube videos that paved the way for her to guest in Ellen as well as the British talk show Paul O'Grady Show.

This time, she joins nine other kids in showcasing their unique talents for the May 12 episode of the American TV show Oprah, hosted by popular personality Oprah Winfrey, of course.

Canadian record producer-songwriter David Foster was the one who told Oprah Winfrey about Charice, prompting the TV host to book the Filipina singer as a guest in her show. Charice performed the Whitney Houston song "I Have Nothing" for the episode titled "World's Smartest Kids."

What did Oprah tell Charice after performing her song?

"Hindi raw siya makapaniwala na ganun ang boses kasi maliit raw ako," narrates Charice. "Si David Foster po ang nagsabi kay Oprah tungkol sa akin. Sabi po niya, ‘She's a show stopper.' Naiyak nga po ako nang sinabi niya yun."

She adds: "Hindi rin po ako makapaniwala...niyakap niya [Oprah] ako...sina Mommy, lahat sila po sila umiiyak."

Charice was in Chicago, U.S.A., during the first week of April to shoot the episode, which took two hours to tape.

"I Have Nothing" is one of the songs included in her debut album. The other songs are "Mama" by Smokey Mountain plus the two songs she sang in Ellen—"I Will Always Love You" and "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."

Two original songs, penned by Swedish songwriters, titled "Born to Love You Forever" and "It Can Only Get Better" are also included in the six-track album Charice. PEP

Ellen Degeneres praises Filipino singers

Ellen DeGeneres recently featured Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda on her program, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show". The popular American comedienne and TV host shared some details on how Pineda turned out to be the newest vocalist of the band.

Charice Pempengco guest starred on the Paul O'Grady Show in Britain on April 8 and blew the audience away.

DeGeneres said: "This guy, this is not lipsinging he's actually singing. His name is Arnel Pineda, (shows clip of Pineda while singing) anyways he is incredible! So the guitarist from journey Neal Schon saw this video and he sent email to Arnel and Arnel emailed back and now Arnel is in the studio recording the Journey album. He is gonna be the lead singer of "Journey" how cool is that. Let that be a lesson to you don't stop believing. And i think i want him on the show I think we were talking to him about he maybe on the show -- I think the whole band."

Ellen also said that there are lots of talented singers from the Philippines and mentioned Charice Pempengco, who guested on her show and drew a lot of attention from viewers around the world. Ellen said she would like Arnel and Journey to guest star on her show.

I've been a fan of Ellen Degeneres practically my entire life, since I was a little kid and used to watch her great and funny TV sitcom, all the way til her talk show, and it's just so wonderful to have the support from someone that you grew up with and looked up to since you were a kid. God bless Ellen, we love you!

Charice Pempengco, Disney's future star!

Charice Pempengco, the young 15-year-old Filipina phenomenon, will be traveling to London next week to guest star on The Paul O’Grady Show (the British counterpart of the popular US TV show Ellen, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, in which Charice guested in late December last year). Then Charice and her mother are scheduled to fly to New York to meet with Disney representatives, who are interested in signing up Charice for an exclusive contract. Charice will not just do a record for Disney but also appear in Disney projects, including High School Musical 3 which stars another young Filipina actress, Vanessa Hudgens. Pinoys are succeeding in this world. Take that, and shove it up your a--, Desperate Housewives! Haha.

Charice Pempengco on Ellen Today

15-year-old Filipina singing sensation Charice Pempengco will be on the Ellen Degeneres Show today at 4pm on NBC.

You can watch the clip of her performance via the Ellen Degeneres Official Website. Here's what Ellen writes about her:

In her first appearance on American television, 15 year-old Charice Pempengco from the Philippines performs an incredible version of, “And I Am Telling You.” It is one of the most incredible performances I've ever seen.

Young Filipino Diva Arrives for US Debut on Ellen Show
Asian Journal

LOS ANGELES -- It's fitting that the first song that 15-year-old Filipina diva Charice Pempengco sang when she got off of the airplane in Los Angeles International Airport was Whitney Houston's One Moment In Time.

In the corner wing of the Tom Bradley International Airport arrival center, the brown-haired, light-skinned, and petite Pempengco sang the song with much gusto, causing passersby to watch in admiration as she belted out the chorus in front of the Asian Journal and a small ABS-CBN television crew.

This is Pempengco’s moment to shine.

“I chose this song because it really fits me,” she said before she burst into song.

The talented Filipino singer wunderkind from Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines is the latest YouTube sensation. Her video performance clip of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You when she was 12-years-old on ABS-CBN’s Little Big Star has garnered more than 700,000 page views and counting.

Pempengco arrived from the Philippines on Thursday on a special invitation. Last month, television host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres featured Pempengco on her network daytime show (also seen on YouTube). After viewing a video clip of Pempengco singing, the crowd clapped in ovation while Degeneres said in front of the camera, “You [Charice] come here too. Yeah. You!”

Pempengco took up the offer and a few weeks later, she’s in the United States for the first time. It has been reported but not confirmed that she will be on the Ellen DeGeneres Show next Tuesday.

“I’m a little bit nervous but excited,” said Pempengco, who was escorted by Millie Gurfinkel. “This is my first time [here] and I’m going to meet Ellen DeGeneres.”

The Asian Journal tried to get in contact with Ellen DeGeneres but the e-mail was not returned as of press time.

Youtube

Pempengco credits much of her success to YouTube, a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share [legal] video clips.

Charice became a singing sensation at the age of 12, when she appeared on the Philippine show Little Big Star.

She placed third on the competition but her career took a turn for the better when people began to watch videos of her performances posted on the popular website, YouTube.

DeGeneres, one of hundreds of thousands of viewers, saw the clips and demanded her to be on the show.

According to Pempengco, DeGeneres’ people discovered her after watching the videos.

“After talking to an [Ellen DeGeneres show] producer, Ellen DeGeneres called me,” Pempengco recalled. “And then she said, that she’s my No. 1 fan. I’m really really shocked that she said that.”

“I’m so excited. I can’t explain [it],” she added.

This is not the first time that Pempengco was discovered on YouTube. A record producer in Sweden discovered her after watching her YouTube performance.

Pempengco said she recorded six songs in Sweden earlier this year.

She then made an appearance on a South Korean TV variety show Star King and sang And I am telling you I’m not going from Dreamgirls last October.

Pempengco said she wants to be the next Filipino international superstar. But first things first, she said that since she’s in Los Angeles, she just wants to visit all the tourist destinations.

“I want to visit Disneyland, Hollywood, the Walk of Fame,” she said.

Special thanks

Pempengco is taking her recent success in stride.

She knows she wouldn’t be successful if it weren’t for all the fans that continue to watch her sing and perform.

“I want to thank you for all of your support and I hope that you will still support me,” she said. “Now that I’m in the United States, just pray for me. All my dreams are dedicated to all of you.”

As for her appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show next week, she’s keeping her performance a secret.

“Of course I’m going to sing in the show,” she said. “[But] it’s a secret. It’ll be a surprise.”

And just like the song, One Moment In Time, this is Pempengco’s moment on US national network television. Let’s hope this moment lasts for eternity. (AJ)