As we saysay goodbye to 2009, we can’t help but be grateful for God’s grace and faithfulness in this interesting and memorable year. Several misfortunes challenged the world like the recession and the swine/H1N1 flu. And some tragedies again tested the Filipinos’ resiliency (i.e. Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, the Maguindanao massacre). As the Queen of England described 2009 as a year best forgotten, many say that maybe she had a point.

But there are some who have had a banner year in 2009, many of them Filipinos. Indeed, there were many of our kabayayans who prominently hugged the limelight in the world stage, earning them worldwide recognition and bringing honor to our country. Some of them are among the 52 newsmakers who made it to the cover of Asian Journal’s MDWK Magazine.

Here are the top 9 MDWK newsmakers for 2009, as voted and selected by the Asian Journal editorial board:

Charice

She has been referred to by Oprah Winfrey as “the most talented girl in the world.” “She’s going to be the next superstar,” David Foster said as Charice performed during a private party he had with his friends recently.

Truly, ever since 2007, when a YouTube video made Charice an internet phenomenon, everything that happened to her has been nothing but remarkable. She was invited to do a recording for a music publishing company in Stockholm, Sweden, and to guest in the South Korean talent show Star King. Soon after, Charice was invited to guest in The Ellen Degeneres Show, the Paul O’Grady Show in London, England, and in The Oprah Winfrey Show. Through the recommendation of Oprah, music producer David Foster took Charice under his wing. Charice has performed onstage with top international stars like Celine Dion, Josh Groban, David Foster, Alicia Keys and Andrea Bocelli.

2009 saw Charice become an established international sensation. She performed at two presidential pre-inaugural events in Washington, D.C. This fall, she went on a successful 10-city concert tour with David Foster and Friends. She is part of the Chipmunks’ latest flick Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, and wowed Los Angeles as the special guest in the Christmas concerto, Handog ng FASO sa Pasko.

With her brilliant voice, Charice has affirmed that Filipino singers are some of the best in the world. With her international debut album slated for release in January 2010, Charice can look forward to another brilliant year in 2010.

>>> Continue reading

Possibly Related Posts (automatically generated):

1. Charice: Top 10 Biggest Entertainment Events in 2009 The accolades grow as Charice once again makes the list of Top 10 Biggest Entertainment Events in 2009 according to...
2. The Big 9 in 2009 Charice Pempengco is included in Asian Journal’s list of top 9 stories that Filipinos should look into in 2009. I...
3. Philippines’ 2008 newsmakers Nobody can stop young singing sensation Charice from becoming an international music superstar. She became a singing sensation when her...