It's Christmas Time in the City! :)

Today, the whole world celebrates yuletide season in so many different ways. How about you? how did you celebrate Christmas today. As for me, I just helped my family preparing dishes for the Christmas Eve. I prepared my ever-favorite pasta dish, and yes it's Carbonara. Earlier in the morning, we were able to see lots of kids roaming around, going on different houses looking for their Godfathers and Godmothers. It's good to share something you have this Christmas, and yes it's about sharing. You share some of you have in return of so many blessings you have received the entire year. It is good to see those children smiling because of what you have shared to them.

On the other hand, we must never forget that this season is not just about the food, the gifts, cash or anything, it's also time to give Love. It's the season of love, you can offer love in so many ways, we can offer the Love that Jesus show us. We should also remember and never forget that this season, we are Celebrating His day. Through Him, let us thank all of the love and blessings we have received for the entire year, even the trials which made us firm and strong. And let us give back the love he shown us through helping and sharing the blessings to other.. :) A blessed Christmas to everybody! Thank you for your continuous support on my blog, from the bottom of my heart I am wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New year ahead. God bless us all! :)

Protege: The Battle for the Big Break-The Final Battle(My Review)

December 18, 2011, Top 3 proteges RnB Sistah Krizza Neri, Pop sweetheart Lirah Bermudez and Singing Cinderella Lovely Embuscado performed for the last time to have that shot for the big break. All judges and even the guest judge was there to witness the show's finale. The 7 eliminated proteges with their mentors were also present that evening and rendered a separate number during the show. The Competition was divided into 3 rounds.


And this is my review regarding the Protege's Last Episode


ROUND 1 (Duet with my Mentor)


1st Performer was Krizza and mentor Aiza. They sang a mashup of the songs I'll be there for you and There you'll be by Martin Nievera and Faith Hill respectively. For me It was the BEST! Best performance of the night, Krizza's Best Performance throughout the show, Best Duet, everything is best. A heartfelt number and there's nothing I can say but totally the Best.


2nd Performer was Lovely with Mentor Jaya. They sang a mashup of the OPM songs Handog by Florante and Minsan ang minahal ay ako. It was a great performance, for me, seems like I am watching a Mother-Daughter performance, plus the meaning of the songs perfectly described their journey for the past months since the protege began.


3rd performer was Lirah and Mentor Janno. They sang a mashup of the songs Iris by Goo goo dolls and I'm with you by Avril Lavigne. I find it great as well, because it seems like they are not competing but just performing, enjoying while performing. For me this time, It's just like a Father-Daughter tandem performance.


What's My Review's Ranking for Round 1?

Round 2 (My Greatest Performance)


Krizza sang Grown-up Christmas list by David Foster and Natalie Cole with the Mandaluyong Children's Choir. No doubt with the ability of this performer, the clarity of her voice was there, the song fits the season since it's Christmas time and for some reasons I know it is dedicated for the typhoon Sendong Victims on their area. Perfect performance.


Lovely sang another mashup. A mashup of the songs Nais Ko by Basil Valdez and Kayganda ng ating musika by Haji Alejandro. What I love about this performer is that she always imply the importance and the essence of OPM hits with her song choices for the evening. It was obviously seen with her performance how she really wanted to win. She gave all the best to have a great performance, very powerful, though there are some pitch problems, just a bit.


Lirah sang another mashup as well. A mashup of the songs Nakapagtataka by APO Hiking Society and Bakit Pa by Jessa Zaragoza. Though ideally it's not really a perfect choice for a competition, but the arrangement made it sound like it's really suited for a competition, plus Lirah's clear lines while singing and hitting all the notes correctly, for me she nailed it. Great performance as well.


What's my Review's Ranking for Round 2?

Round 3 (Final Triple Showdown)


All 3 proteges sang for the last time together, singing Perfect by Pink. Krizza for me is so consistent. From the start of the protege up to the final battle, I ranked her 1st not only because she's one of my favorites but also I can't see any problems and mistakes with her performance, and I'm sure majority of the viewers will agree. Lovely obviously struggling with this round, and why is she crying? and also there are some lines that she didn't sang. She's a great performer, a well-deserving member of the top 3, she has a very touching life story but it's a singing contest she needs to give it all and set aside her life story because at the end of the day people will automatically notice it and praise her on how strong she is in surviving her everyday lives with her mom and family. Lirah was also consistent of not sounding like a "biritera" and for that, Janno for me wins upon not developing her protege as a biritera or a power belter singer. Lirah truly deserves the title Pop Sweet heart. She enjoyed her performance on round 3 and for me she had proven the judges wrong upon saying that she was the weakest among the top 3.


What's my Review's Ranking on Round 3?

All 3 proteges received a 5 year exclusive contract with GMA Artist Center and a 4 year scholarship grant from STI so no one goes empty-handed. 2 special awards were given, texter's choice award worth 50 thousand pesos and Sky Flakes Biggest break worth 100 thousand pesos all goes to Lovely Embuscado.


And the winner is.....

Krizza Neri! Mentor Aiza's Protege from Cagayan de Oro. A well-deserved finish, consistent total performer from day 1 to Final Battle. Congratulations! :)





AGAIN: No offense meant to them and for their fans, remember, I'm also a fan of them and the show.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PROTEGE'S OFFICIAL FANPAGE ON FACEBOOK :)

Protege: The Battle for the Big Break (9th Gala Show/7th Elimination Night)-My Review

This episode happened last December 11, 2011 still at SM Mall of Asia Center Stage. After the exit of Kenneth and So Wat, the remaining 5 proteges struggled when it comes to the cleanliness of their quarters, since their elder brothers and sisters were already out of the competition, they strive to do all household chores to keep the quarters clean and properly organized. Other issue was the controversial entry of Lovely into the Top 3 which is unfair according to Mentor Claire Dela Fuente since she was already been eliminated and just cameback because of the wildcard round.


The theme that week was "My song, my life" wherein the remaining 5 will showcase their talent which will obviously represent their lives. At the end of the competition, Bibong Showstopper Nomer Limatog Jr. of Mentors Rachelle Anne Go and Arnel Pineda has been eliminated together with Mentor Claire Dela Fuente's Sultry Charmer Jensen Tenoso. Thus the Top 3 proteges were named and they are Krizza, lirah and Lovely.


My personal pick for the top 3 were Krizza Neri, Lirah Bermudez and Nomer Limatog Jr., but based on their performance, this is how my review goes...


1st
KRIZZA NERI (Aiza Seguerra's Protege)
from Cagayan de Oro
who sang Iduyan mo by Basil Valdez
Previous Rank(My Review): 1st(SAME)


Honestly I am not totally familiar with this song, maybe it was written in the early 90's or earlier, but how Krizza performed this song made it sound like it was hers and just written recently. A very Good rendition of this song. I can not notice any problems, and yes, it was a very good performance. :)

2nd
LIRAH BERMUDEZ (Janno Gibbs' Protege)
from Capiz
who sang a mashup of Paglisan by Color it Red and Habang May Buhay by After Image Previous Rank(My Review): 3rd (up by 1 last performance)


Although some of the judges said that she is the weakest, I still ranked her at 2nd place because of the exactness of the song to her life story, and I thought she sang it very well and for me, this week's competition is hers, it's just that Krizza has some edge in the competition that is why I ranked Krizza in 1st and Lirah in 2nd.

3rd
JENSEN TENOSO (Claire Dela Fuente's Protege)
from Batangas
who sang Imagine by John Lennon
Previous Rank(My Review): 5th (up by 2 last performance)


This protege gave a heartfelt performance that night, even some of the judges cried and some were almost in tears. That is why I am surprised that she did not make it to the finals, maybe the text votes did not saved her, since she ranked 4th or 5th in text voting.

4th
LOVELY EMBUSCADO (Jaya's Protege)
from Davao
who sang a mashup of When you wish upon a star by Cliff Edwards and Somewhere over the rainbow by Judy Garland
Previous Rank(My Review): 2nd (down by 2 last performance)


Lovely performed this song very well, everybody knows that she can sing, it's just that for me, she sounded like a classic singer or a singer of the 80's or earlier, for me, it did not fitted on her age the way she sang it. But it was still good.

5th
NOMER LIMATOG JR. (Rachelle Anne Go/Arnel Pineda's Protege)
from Cebu
who sang Angels Brought me here by Guy Sebastian
Previous Rank(My Review): 4th (down by 1 last performance)


Now I understand why this kid keeps on singing rock songs most of the time, though he sang it very well, ballad songs does not fit into his voice for now, because at 10, his voice is still developing, so it's just enough for him to sing fast songs. Just be careful of the song choice.

AGAIN: No offense meant to them and for their fans, remember, I'm also a fan of them and the show.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PROTEGE'S OFFICIAL FANPAGE ON FACEBOOK :)


I'll be posting my review regarding the Final battle the soonest possible time, maybe today as well or on the following days to come. God bless us all. :)

Protege: The Battle for the Big Break (8th Gala Show/6th Elimination Night)-My Review

OMG I am so so late with my posting regarding the updates on Protege.. anyway everybody knows what's happening with the show, as for me, it's my review that is so late and delayed, and until now, I am still familiarizing this new setup in posting blogs.


As Nomer and Lovely Got their second chance for the big break, the Battle continues for the 7 remaining Proteges that week (December 4, 2011)with the theme "Dance hits remix" to survive the double elimination. That night, Soul Heartrob Kenneth Monico of Mentor Jay-R and the singing group, the Lovesome foursome SO WAT of Mentor Rey Valera did not survived the eliminations, thus the 5 protege finalists were determined. So here's my review, my opinion regarding that episode.


1st
KRIZZA NERI (Aiza Seguerra's Protege)
from Cagayan de Oro
who sang Mashup of Like a prayer by Madonna and Beautiful Life by Ace of base
Previous Rank(My Review): 1st(SAME)


I was impressed with the arrangement of her song, it sounded like bring me to life. Once again, she just shown another rough side of her when it comes to performing, yet, the lines were clearly sang, no pitch and diction problems, perfect performance of her, for me.

2nd
LOVELY EMBUSCADO (Jaya's Protege)
from Davao
who sang One Night Only by Jennifer Holiday
Previous Rank(My Review): 2nd(Advanced from wildcard battle)


With this performance, I can say that she has shown maturity at a very young age. Even though another "birit song" yet the other side of her was also seen and it made her a total performer. There are just a bit pitch problems with the last part, yet it was still a great performance.

3rd
LIRAH BERMUDEZ (Janno Gibbs' Protege)
from Capiz
who sang a Mashup of Disturbia by Rihanna and Sweet Dreams by Beyonce Knowles
Previous Rank(My Review): 2nd (down by 1 last performance)


Judges praised her ability to do a mashup of different song. Honestly, it made her a total performer for me. It reminded me of Boyce Avenue's performance of Disturbia, it sounded like a female version of their cover. I can't say any negative comments since she nailed the song and it was great.. :)

4th
NOMER LIMATOG JR. (Rachelle Anne Go/Arnel Pineda's Protege)
from Cebu
who sang I kissed a girl by Katy Perry
Previous Rank(My Review): 3rd(advanced from wild card battle)


Finally Nomer is back in the game! He sang a song which is just enough to fit his voice, not a rock version or something. For me, this is his 2nd best performance next to Baby I love your way. The wild card slot was proven worthy to be his slot. Good song choice.

5th
JENSEN TENOSO (Claire Dela Fuente's Protege)
from Batangas
who sang Tearin' up my heart by N' sync
Previous Rank(My Review): 3rd (down by 2 last performance)


A safe performance for me. Her rendition of this song sounded like it was performed several decades ago, it should have been better if she sang it in a fast version. Anyway Good for that she was still saved by the elimination that week.

6th
KENNETH MONICO (Jay-R's Protege)
from Cabanatuan City
who sang Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga
Previous Rank(My Review): 5th(down by 1 last performance)


This guy was getting better and better, but he just picked a wrong song,although he gave a twist with the song and made it a rock version, obviously he was struggling and pitch problems were noticed. Anyway it's not the end of his journey, I think he has a future on showbiz or just in music industry.

7th
SO WAT (Rey Valera's Protege)
singing group from Pampanga
who sang Firework by Katy Perry
Previous Rank(My Review): 6th (down by 1 last performance)


A safe performance for me. The blending of the four was not obviously heard. They were out-shined by Jenina. No wonder they had been eliminated, and surprisingly, they got a few number of text votes based on fan ranking. A sad exit for the group since their mentor felt bad and almost broke down after giving his insights regarding the haters of the group.

AGAIN: No offense meant for their fans, remember, I'm also a fan of them and the show.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PROTEGE'S OFFICIAL FANPAGE ON FACEBOOK :)

Protege: The Battle for the Big Break (7th Gala Show/Wild Card Battle-My Review)

My Apology for my late posting. I was so busy last week completing my requirements for a work. Anyway, This wildcard battle happened Last November 27, 2011 wherein 5 eliminated proteges has been given another chance to prove their worth for the big break wherein Nomer and Lovely advanced and had another shot for the big break.


Competition for the top 5 temporarily stopped to give way for their co-proteges performing on stage once again. The theme was "My Comeback song" really suited that night's competition. So here's my review, my opinion regarding that episode


1st
Samantha Felizco (Joey G's Protege)
who sang How to touch a girl by Jojo

I thought it would be a boring performance for Samantha because this song is not really fit for a wildcard battle, but the way she performed this song, it became a contest piece. Others said that it was a better version than the original, and the judges were right, she does not need to sing birit song always to prove her worth as a singer and Samantha did it.

2nd
Lovely Embuscado (Jaya's Protege)
who sang I believe I can fly by R. Kelly

Her performance of this song made me goosebumps. With her performance, seems like she was saying that she shouldn't been eliminated from the show. And it was also seen in the text votes wherein she ranked 1st. This girl improved a lot even though she is facing a lot of issues regarding her family.

3rd
Nomer Limatog Jr. (Rachelle Anne Go's Protege)
who sang Sweet Child of mine by Guns n' Roses

Several fans knew that this kid has proven his worth to remain in the competition. maybe he got been eliminated before because of a low text votes and wrong song choice. With his performance of that song made him like he is not just a 10-year old boy. Judges and text votes agreed this time tat is why he is back in the game.

4th
Denise Barbacena (Gloc 9's Protege)
who sang Tuwing Umuulan by Regine Velasquez

It's nice to see her back and performed one more time, although she was not given a slot for another big break, she has proven so many times that she is not the weakest among the 10 proteges chosen. With her performance of this song, she sounded mature enough, she shew another side of her when it comes to singing and she is so beautiful on stage.

5th
Rosalyn Navarro (Imelda Papin's Protege)
who sang Power of Love by Jennifer Rush

No doubt Rosalyn can sing. Maybe she was just eliminated first because of the lack in popularity and sometimes she overdo her song. With this performance of her, I think it was Better than her last Performance of Beyonce's Listen. But also with this song proves her title as the Prima Biritera.

AGAIN: No offense meant for their fans, remember, I'm also a fan of them and the show.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PROTEGE'S OFFICIAL FANPAGE ON FACEBOOK :)