Charice is joining the cast of Glee!

add Charice here

Charice is confirmed to be on Glee next season. I'm a Gleek so this is pretty exciting. I'm so happy for Charice--she's come a long, long way from her impoverished, small-town amateur singing days.

I bet her fool of a father who abandoned her when she was young--he did not even want her to use the surname "Pempengco" professionally (never mind that she has a right to it by birth, what a heartless jerk!) so she opted to use just "Charice" instead to shut him up--is kicking himself right now.

All that Hollywood money coming in and he can't do anything but drool... tsk, tsk! He's an idiot for not realizing what a treasure he had in his daughter. If only he'd been a good father to Charice and her brother. Sayang 'no? Success truly is the best revenge especially in this case.



Update: Charice's excellent rendition of "Lupang Hinirang" at the Aquino inauguration:



Update 2: Oh no. Botox at 18?



Update 3: Charice's estranged dad murdered.

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About Miley Cyrus' kiss stunt...

not cool

"Hannah Montana is gross!", spat my horrified 9-year-old goddaughter and avid "Hannah Montana" fan Lizzie after watching Miley Cyrus' performance of her new single on "Britain's Got Talent". Lizzie could not yet separate Miley from Hannah so her shock was understandable.

Stunts like this fake lesbian kiss has become a rite of passage for child stars (hello, Britney and Christina) trying to make the leap into adulthood. I happen to think Miley Cyrus is talented enough that she doesn't need to do this...

I know she's growing up and is eager to leave her wholesome G-rated Hannah Montana character behind but I hope she doesn't go too far too fast. No matter how "edgy" she wants her new grown-up image to be--fact is, she still has impressionable little fans who get confused and weirded out by simulated girl-on-girl action from their favorite Disney Channel star.

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What happened to Whitney Houston?

come back, Whitney

Is "The Voice" gone forever? I feel so sad watching videos of Whitney Houston's recent concert performances. She sounded so hoarse and out of breath--just miles away from the singer I've loved since childhood--what did she do to her voice? Was it the drugs and the years of hard living? So terrible to see one of the greatest voices ever heard in pop music reduced to this.

Update: Whitney Houston Addresses Voice Problems At London Show 

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There's something about Taylor Swift

This is so predictable. It seems every time Taylor Swift wins some important music award, there are people who immediately question if she deserves it... even Kanye West very rudely interrupted her acceptance speech when she won "Best Female Video" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Her latest win over the likes of Beyonce and Lady Gaga for Album of the Year at the 2010 Grammys is provoking the same reactions.

I think people should stop whining and lay off Taylor--she's undeniably talented. I've enjoyed listening to both of her albums ( "Taylor Swift" and "Fearless"). She may not be the best singer, but she writes and produces all of her catchy, relatable songs.

Her success and ubiquitous presence in the entertainment industry shows that you could actually get by with talent, charm and hard work--without succumbing to the pitfalls of Hollywood celebrity. I have yet to see her do something stupid like being photographed sans underwear, falling down drunk at parties or getting arrested. And that's a good thing.

***Dateline NBC Taylor Swift clip:

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