Carmelle set to champion OPM's global appeal at Eurovision Asia
The Philippines’ first-ever Eurovision Song Contest Asia representative, Carmelle Collado, is all set to make her mark on the global stage as she performs “Sobra-Sobra” to vie for the top honor on 14 November (Saturday) in Bangkok, Thailand.
In a heartwarming send-off program by ABS-CBN dubbed CARMELLE: Sobra-Sobrang Send Off attended by her family, friends, and fans, the Tawag ng Tanghalan: The School Showdown winner and former Pinoy Big Brother: Collab 2.0 housemate hopes to help put OPM on the global map by emphasizing its ability to connect with people across cultures.
“’Yung goal ko talaga is to leave the global audience with a deep sense of connection. Maiintindihan po sana nila na 'yung Filipino music is universally relatable (My ultimate goal is to leave the global audience with a deep sense of connection. I hope they come to understand that Filipino music is universally relatable),” she said.
The Bicolana artist, who also won 7 gold medals from the 2019 World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), revealed that joining the competition is a dream come true, as she has long aspired to perform on the international stage since childhood.
“Sa mga hindi nakakaalam, talagang international stage ang pinapangarap ko po. Lumaki ako na pinapanood ko mga Pussycat Dolls, Spice Girls, kasi po 'yan ang pinapalabas ng nanay ko noong bata pa ako (To those who do not know, I am really dreaming of international stage. I grew up watching Pussycat Dolls, Spice Girls because that's what my mom shows when I was young),” she shared.
The Philippines’ bet is supported by Team CARMELLE, comprising of “Sobra-Sobra” songwriters Mat Olavides and Nica del Rosario, production head Jessamae Samson, stylist and creative director Ica Villanueva, and the whole ABS-CBN Music headed by Roxy Liquigan together with its overall creatives, content, and operations head Jonathan Manalo.
For Jonathan, Carmelle’s journey on the global stage means proudly representing the Philippines and championing the empowered Filipino spirit.
“More than ABS-CBN, ito ay laban nating mga Pilipino. Lahat tayo, flag ng Philippines ang wine-wave natin dito. Nakakatuwa na si Carmelle ay representation ng isang empowered Filipina (More than ABS-CBN, this is a fight for Filipinos. All of us, we're waving the Philippine flag here. It's nice that Carmelle is a representation of an empowered Filipina),” Jonathan said.
Jessamae, meanwhile, believes that Carmelle’s extraordinary talent will naturally shine in the competition.
“Carmelle can sing, of course, given na magaling talaga (she's truly excellent). Maganda ang boses (Her voice is beautiful). But to dance and sing at the same time, and rap, in the global stage. That is very exciting for us,” Jessamae shared.
The send-off also surprised Carmelle with messages from Apl de Ap, Bini, and her former The Voice Kids coach, Bamboo. Runners-up from the Philippine Selection Night, Marielle Montellano and SAGA, performed and wished Carmelle luck in the grand finals.
Carmelle surprised the event attendees with the announcement for her upcoming solo concert Unleashed, happening on 29 January 2027 at New Frontier Theater. She is performing against 10 other Eurovision Asia competitors from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
Did Anthony Pangilinan take a swipe at Vice Ganda's handling of interview?
Although it was rather late, Anthony Pangilinan, father of Donny Pangilinan, made public his thoughts on the viral interview involving Baby Dolls member Juby, who unabashedly shared her dreams involving Donny.
In his Instagram Story, Anthony felt Juby did not intend to offend Donny.
“’Di naman ata sinadyang maka-offend ‘yung guest (I don’t think the guest meant to cause offense)," Anthony wrote.
What Anthony was seemingly complaining about was how Vice Ganda handled the interview in his show, Gandang Gabi Vice.
"Siguro lang next time, ‘yung handling of the comment, like follow-up question and edit could be more responsible and sensitive to certain audiences, like to Maricel as a mom,” Anthony wrote.
Anthony felt one can learn from this experience.
“Hopefully, as Donny said, a learning experience for all, new and seasoned in the industry," he finally wrote.
Jordan confesses his love to Billy
Kathryn Bernardo, James Reid and Maja Salvador treat viewers to a combination of heart-fluttering and explosive confrontation scenes as major plot twists begin to unravel in the ABS-CBN primetime series Someone, Someday.
The series’ teaser plug features the highly anticipated confession of Jordan (James) to his long-time best friend Billy (Kathryn), which shows Jordan finally admitting to Billy that he is madly in love with her. The plug also gave a sneak peek of Kathryn and Maja’s impending intense scenes.
However, their strained relationship will turn violent once more when Billy suspects Bea of continuing to plot against her with the help of Caloy (McCoy de Leon), which will ultimately result in life-threatening incidents that will also involve Billy’s most beloved brother, Oliver (Migz Casimiro).