By Fatima Parel; Video Submitted by FalseVoice
All roads lead to the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila tonight as People Asia magazine honors its “People of the Year 2008 ” in glittering awards rites to be graced by the country’s movers and shakers.
The prestigious roster of awardees is led by former President Corazon Aquino as special awardee. The other awardees include Vice President Noli de Castro, Sen. Manny Villar, US Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Go Negosyo’s Joey Concepcion, “Megastar” Sharon Cuneta, Philippine National Red Cross governor Rosa Rosal, Century Properties Group head and Special Envoy to China Joey Antonio, Kuok Group-Philippines CEO Andy Bautista, social worker Dominique Lemay, fashion designer and social entrepreneur Rajo Laurel, and international singing sensation Charice Pempengco.
The magazine, which is also celebrating its ninth anniversary, launched the awards, a brainchild of the late STAR and People Asia publisher Max Soliven five years ago. The awards night has since become a much anticipated event at the start of every new year.
The special award, which goes this year to Mrs. Aquino, is a first for the magazine. As an icon of democracy, Mrs. Aquino’s inspiring story of courage and integrity continues to encourage and empower Filipinos as well as citizens of other nations from all walks of life.
De Castro rose from being a radio field reporter to TV Patrol anchor, earning the tag “Kabayan Noli” for being accessible to the people. The vice president is a frontrunner in surveys for “winnability” in the next presidential polls.
A “self-made” man, Sen. Manny Villar’s rags-to-riches story is a source of inspiration to millions. He was the biggest homebuilder in Asia before he threw his hat into the political ring. The first post-war House Speaker to have also become Senate president, he is also a frontrunner for the presidential polls.
The first woman US Ambassador to the Philippines, Kristie Kenney’s people-oriented style of diplomacy has created stronger RP-US ties. Active, sociable and sports-oriented, Kenney has reached to many Filipinos from all walks of life, from Luzon to Mindanao.
With over 25 years in the political scene, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay certainly knows what public service is all about, and he continues to serve the people of Makati with the same zest as he did years before, making this city one of the most flourishing in the country.
Business is undoubtedly in his genes, and Go Negosyo’s Joey Concepcion has used his expertise to encourage Filipinos to start their own businesses. He has published several books on entrepreneurship that aim to spread the Go Negosyo mindset among Filipinos.
Mention the word “Megastar” and there’s only one face that will come to mind: Sharon Cuneta. The actress-singer has been through many hurdles but her grace, strength and of course, her unmatched talent has continued to endear her to her many fans through the years.
A visionary in real estate, Century Properties chairman Joey Antonio has led his company to great heights of success. Antonio tries to cultivate the real estate industry through education and has set up an academy for the purpose.
Holding two top positions in two different institutions is no mean feat, but FEU’s law dean and Kuok Group CEO Andy Bautista makes it look easy with the savvy way he balances his multifarious responsibilities.
Despite an uncertain future, Dominique Lemay left his beloved country of France two decades ago to make his way to the Philippines. To this day, the head of the Virlanie Foundation continues to help thousands of Filipino street children by giving them comfort, providing shelter and much-needed guidance in their lives.
Rosa Rosal came into the limelight as a dramatic actress with a flair for contravida roles. In real life, however, her beautiful face is matched by an equally beautiful and caring heart, saving the lives of countless Filipinos through her untiring work as governor of the Philippine National Red Cross.
Fashion maverick Rajo Laurel proves that high fashion is not only for the rich and famous, as he utilizes his talent to provide livelihood for the women of Payatas through his Rags2Riches line.
A star is definitely born in Charice Pempengco, a young lass from Laguna who makes the whole country proud by conquering the international stage, the only Filipino to have performed abroad with big stars like Celine Dion, Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. She has been seen on international television in the Oprah Winfrey show and ellen.
The “People of the Year” awards will be hosted by Johnny Litton and Champagne Morales.
This year’s event sponsors include HSBC, Volvo, Thai Airways, Dockers San Francisco, Ever Bilena Gandang Pinay, International Container Terminal Services Inc., Eurocopter, Margarita King, Havaianas and The Philippine STAR.
Source link: philstar.com
Posted by GM, Submitted by AnonymousFanatic
Video sumbmitted by FalseVoice
———————-
Here’s Ricardo Lo’s take on how Charice People night; submitted by jrzeegrl.
Charice steals People night
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo, philstar.com Updated January 17, 2009 12:00 AM
Ninety-percent of the well-heeled guests graced the People of the Year 2008 Awards Night (marking People Asia magazine’s ninth anniversary) Thursday night at the grand ballroom Sofitel Philippine Plaza went home tsk-tsking in awe over Charice who rendered three numbers after she got her plaque as one of the 10 awardees (also including, among others, Pres. Cory Aquino, Sharon Cuneta, Makati Mayor Jojo Binay, Vice Pres. Noli de Castro, Sen. Manny Villar and US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney).
“I came not only to witness the awarding but also, more so, to watch Charice sing ‘live’,” was what many of the guests were saying.
Charice didn’t disappoint. She unleashed such a powerful voice that everybody listened with mouths agape.
“What a jaw-dropping performance,” quipped an “invited” guest.“Siguro kung may langaw dito, lahat pumasok sa bibig ng audience.Mabuti na lang wala.”
Charice stole the People night by singing first a medley of I Will Always Love You and I Have Nothing, followed by Listen which was, according to Charice, re-arranged for her by the David Foster who was quoted when he and Charice guested together on Good Morning, America, that Charice actually helped him with the re-arranging. “She’s a musical genius,” said Foster, “she can re-arrange a song so easily, as if she’s just picking a dress from the closet.”
Revealed Charice, “Mr. Foster asked me to point out kung saan ko dapat itaas ang aking key at kung saan dapat ibaba, kung saan dapat magtu-turn ang boses ko.”
In response to shouts for an encore, Charice obliged with a heart-stopping rendition of I Will Survive. The audience gave her a standing ovation.
Last night, Charice and her mom Raquel took a JAL flight to the US where she’s performing two songs, God Bless America and One Moment in Time, tomorrow, Jan. 18, in one of the pre-inaugural parties for President-Elect Barack Obama.
“I will send The STAR exclusive photos of my performance,” promised Charice. Good. That should put in place detractors who have been belittling Charice’s part in the event.
Incidentally, as Funfare reported in a “scoop” several issues ago, Charice is included in Foster’s album entitled You’re The Inspiration: The Music of David Foster & Friends which honors Foster’s colorful four-decade career. The CD/DVD features the tribute to Foster held last year in Las Vegas. Aside from Charice, also on the DVD/CD are Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Katharine McPhee, Blake Shelton, Kenny G, Peter Cetera and Brian McKnight. It’s available in record bars at P550 apiece.
Possibly Related Posts (automatically generated):
- PEOPLE OF THE YEAR awardees for 2008…
The bar of excellence was raised, and the selection was narrowed down to these accomplished and extraordinary individuals. They are... - Charice steals People night
by Ricardo F. Lo, Philstar.com Ninety-percent of the well-heeled guests graced the People of the Year 2008 Awards Night (marking... - Charice to perform at People Asia gala
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo Yes, Charice is going to Washington D.C. to sing at US President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural...
Max (1141)
noellen (865)
ebjohns11 (766)
Eve (726)
justcharrie (698)
Jimfan155 (696)
LoloLando (648)
ArrVee (546)
jn (515)
Joy Co (509)
to Justcharice, Patsrick:
you people worry too much,Celine Dion,a Canadian,sings the song all over USA.check it up Youtube:mxm18,12/21/2007
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
She’ll be performing at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel?
I wonder how The Inquirer got this information first, even before ABS-CBN news. I mean, considering that she’s always there in ABS-CBN, you’d think that they’d get first-hand scoop to these kind of things. But nah, please ignore. This is just a minor rant.
I wonder if this IS truly IT – the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel. Is she performing here or is this where she’s staying while in DC? ‘Cause I just checked online and it says that there’s a ball at the Grand Hyatt Washington; it’s called the African-American Churches Inaugural Ball. But let me check if there are other balls in that same hotel..
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
Here is a video of Charice being interviewed at the awards show that I found. Scroll down the page until you see her picture.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
Found this article that will answer everyones’ inquiry where will Charice perform, which of the inauguration balls on the 18th of January…Got this article from (Phils. Daily Inquirer). Is this really the one??? Remember, Charice is always full of surprises.
Charice: ‘One moment in time’ for Obama
By Pocholo Concepcion
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:26:00 01/17/2009
Filed Under: Music, Celebrities, Entertainment (general)
MANILA, Philippines—As the program for US President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural ball—the party that follows the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20—have Americans all agog for its lineup of performers, a separate set of shows preceding it has got Filipinos doubly excited.
A series of pre-inaugural parties has been organized to build momentum to the main event; one of them, to be held on Jan. 18 at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel, will feature teenage Pinay singing sensation Charice Pempengco.
On the same day, another pre-inaugural concert featuring an all-star lineup including classical musician Yo-Yo Ma and rock singer Bono will be held at the Lincoln Memorial. It is said to be the event that the President-elect is expected to attend in its entirety.
Off to US
The Cabuyao, Laguna-born Charice, who is now formally called only by her first name, confirmed her participation in the Obama celebrations in an interview with a news team of her home network, ABS-CBN, on the day she was to board a flight to Washington.
Oprah’s protégé
Discovered by the world through the video-sharing website YouTube, Charice—whose international career is being handled by no less than billionaire media personality Oprah Winfrey—will sing two numbers, as requested by Obama’s staff: “God Bless America” and “One Moment in Time”—the latter originally performed on record by pop superstar Whitney Houston.
It was Winfrey, an ardent supporter of Obama’s presidential campaign, who reportedly lobbied to have Charice included in the pre-inaugural program.
Although Charice made her debut TV appearance in the US on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in December 2007, it was a guest stint on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in May 2008 where she was featured in a special segment dubbed “The World’s Smartest Kids.” In that segment Charice sang another Houston hit, “I Have Nothing.”
Four months later, Charice returned as a guest in another special segment, “Dreams Come True,” on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Charice’s performance piece, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” was made extra special because it had the renowned Canadian songwriter-producer David Foster accompanying her on piano.
‘World’s most talented girl’
In the same show, host Winfrey described Charice in glowing terms as “the most talented girl in the world.”
From then on, it has been a dizzying ride to music biz recognition in which Charice —guided by Winfrey’s influential clout—graced a number of high-profile events: a rare duet with Dion at the latter’s Madison Square Garden concert which reportedly merited mention in the New York Times; a spot number at Andre Agassi’s “Grand Slam for Children” benefit concert in Las Vegas; a performance at the annual Carousel of Hope Ball 2008 in Beverly Hills, California, for the benefit of children with diabetes; another guest stint at the David Foster & Friends Charity Gala & Concert at Alberta, Canada; and an appearance at Macy’s 150 Years Anniversary Celebration in New York City, among others.
With music greats
America is bound to hear more of Charice with the release of a DVD/CD of a tribute concert.
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
Hehe…Ricky Lo always have misinfo in some ways…I think he’s talking about IWS as the one re-arranged by DF not Listen. Anyway, the thing is he always have nice article written about Charice and I love him for that. He’s definitely a fan.
I salute you Mr. Lo!
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
Charice steals People night
——————————————————————————–
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo/The Philippine Star | 01/17/2009 12:11 AM
Ninety-percent of the well-heeled guests graced the People of the Year 2008 Awards Night (marking People Asia magazine’s ninth anniversary) Thursday night at the grand ballroom Sofitel Philippine Plaza went home tsk-tsking in awe over Charice who rendered three numbers after she got her plaque as one of the 10 awardees (also including, among others, Pres. Cory Aquino, Sharon Cuneta, Makati Mayor Jojo Binay, Vice Pres. Noli de Castro, Sen. Manny Villar and US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney).
“I came not only to witness the awarding but also, more so, to watch Charice sing ‘live’,” was what many of the guests were saying.
Charice didn’t disappoint. She unleashed such a powerful voice that everybody listened with mouths agape.
“What a jaw-dropping performance,” quipped an “invited” guest. “Siguro kung may langaw dito, lahat pumasok sa bibig ng audience. Mabuti na lang wala.”
Charice stole the People night by singing first a medley of I Will Always Love You and I Have Nothing, followed by Listen which was, according to Charice, re-arranged for her by the David Foster who was quoted when he and Charice guested together on Good Morning, America, that Charice actually helped him with the re-arranging. “She’s a musical genius,” said Foster, “she can re-arrange a song so easily, as if she’s just picking a dress from the closet.”
Revealed Charice, “Mr. Foster asked me to point out kung saan ko dapat itaas ang aking key at kung saan dapat ibaba, kung saan dapat magtu-turn ang boses ko.”
In response to shouts for an encore, Charice obliged with a heart-stopping rendition of I Will Survive. The audience gave her a standing ovation.
Last night, Charice and her mom Raquel took a JAL flight to the US where she’s performing two songs, God Bless America and One Moment in Time, tomorrow, Jan. 18, in one of the pre-inaugural parties for President-Elect Barack Obama.
“I will send The STAR exclusive photos of my performance,” promised Charice. Good. That should put in place detractors who have been belittling Charice’s part in the event.
Incidentally, as Funfare reported in a “scoop” several issues ago, Charice is included in Foster’s album entitled You’re The Inspiration: The Music of David Foster & Friends which honors Foster’s colorful four-decade career. The CD/DVD features the tribute to Foster held last year in Las Vegas. Aside from Charice, also on the DVD/CD are Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Katharine McPhee, Blake Shelton, Kenny G, Peter Cetera and Brian McKnight. It’s available in record bars at P550 apiece
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
Check out this link to find out more about Oprah’s inaugural activities. Scroll down the page to find the article. I think we can safely assume Charice will be featured at some point.
http://www.oprah.com/package/world/peopleandpolitics/pkginauguration/20090112_orig_inauguration
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
Congratulations Charice!!! Another incredible achievement.
BTW, when/where was the Charice’ two songs at the Obama Inaugural revealed? I hope she doesn’t sing GBA. Her voice will sound superb on it, but “my home sweet home”? Why subject her to the criticism?
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
The two songs GBA & OMIT that Charice is going to sing at the inauguration fit her voice. She will definitely nail these 2 songs without a doubt. I’m just hoping that after she sang GBA, race will not become an issue of why a non-Ams sang this song. I wish people will just be open-minded and just enjoy her music.
Charice, congratulations for this additional recognition. You truly
deserve it.
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
You guys might have forgotten that he has a world class arranger in tow. DF might do something special with the song.
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
I think she will do Whitney’s version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PFmPugQfOU&feature=related
Whitney sang off-key at 3:37 but I’m sure Charice won’t.
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
Is this what they asked Charice to sing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfcdrUDQ_tc&feature=related ???
It’s kinda boring and the lyrics are not appropriate for her unless she plans to make America her home sweet home.
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
matagal na ako rito sa USA pero ngayon ko lang naramdaman na masarap pala maging pilipino. NO DOUBT CHARICE CAN UNIFY OUR TROUBLED NATION. SOBRA NA ANG POLITICA DYAN SA PILIPINAS. NAKAKAWALANG GANANG UMUWI.KAHIT ANONG GAWIN NI GLORIA MARAMI PA RIN SASABIHIN ANG MGA TAO LALO NA ANG MGA CRITICO NYA. TO CHARICE HELP US UNIFY OUR COUNTRY SANA WAG MONG PATULAN ANG MGA WALANG HIYANG MGA POLITICO DYAN. WAG KANG PAGAMIT. KEEP SINGING PALIGAYAHIN AT PASAYAHIN MO NALANG KAMI. IM FOLLOWING YOUR CAREER HERE IN THE USA. FROM JOHNMER OF LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA USA
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/01/16/09/charice-confirms-shes-singing-obama
Charice confirms she’s singing for Obama
Charice said she will be performing two songs – “God Bless America” and “One Moment in Time.” She said the songs were chosen by Obama’s staff.
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
No videos yet!
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
This is the same article that BAF submitted earlier, but I only posted the paragraph discussing Charice and put it under the comment section on the article Charice to Perform at People Asia Gala. Sorry, BAF. I was being lazy!
Best,
KV
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0
guys charice had been featured in thai news lately….. i think last year (last week of december) hope she go to thai after the much awaited inaguration of the pres obama….. i really want charice to go to other places and amaze other people…….. hope the thais will invite charice to sing 4 them….
Recommend or Disapprove:
0 
0