We Chasters all have a story of how Charice has touched our lives.   I myself have been touched in so many ways.  Please tell us how she touched yours.  Charicemania received this testimonial from Jomz that I want to share with you: Read the full story

Following the official release, on Oprah no less, of Charice’s first US single “Note To God” (written by the legendary Diane Warren and produced by multi-Grammy award winner David Foster), Charice fans worldwide can be heard (or seen, more like) “Tweeting” and “Buzzing” not only Read the full story

Ellen admires Filipino talents, which paved a way for Charice to get recognized globally. Since discovering Charice, Ellen started to believe in Filipino talents and she continues to search for them in YouTube.
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by Eric Caruncho, Philippine Daily Inquirer

SPAM & Eggs – We are in an ABS-CBN dressing room, waiting for Charice’s call to go on “Wowowee!,” where she will presently knock them dead with her new version of Gloria Gaynor’s disco chestnut “I Will Survive.” Read the full story

BY BONG GODINEZ, Philippine Entertainment Portal -

This time, it was Oprah Winfrey’s turn to be charmed.

With her Ellen DeGeneres appearance still lingering in the memories of her countrymen, young singing sensation Charice pulled off another stellar feat when she graced the highly-popular U.S. talk show Oprah, hosted by Oprah Winfrey.

Charice shared to The Buzz yesterday, May 4, that the influential American host and media mogul deliberately skipped watching the rehearsal session so as to maintain that element of surprise come the actual taping.

“Kahit po siya hindi niya po ako kilala,(she didn’t even know who I was)” said Charice to hosts Boy Abunda and Ruffa Gutierrez.

“Kumbaga, talaga pong gusto niya po ma-surprise sa talent ko so nag-perform po ako nandoon po siya sa gilid (it was like she was just in the corner cause she wanted to be surprised by my talent),” she added, while obviously still reeling from the entire experience.

Throughout the performance, Oprah silently watched in one corner as Charice exhibited her vocal power along with other young talents.

“Nasa gilid po siya nanonood po, so kinanatahan ko po siya,” recounted the 15-year-old belter from Cabuyao, Laguna. Oprah, as shared by Charice, was moved by the performance saying, “Medyo naluha po siya tapos sinabi po niya sa akin nung after po ng performance ko, sinabi niya sa akin na hindi daw po siya makapaniwalang ganoon kagaling ang mga Pinoy.( she was teary eyed and then after the performance she told me, she can’t believe the Filipinos are that good).”

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After showing her singing prowess in Korea, Sweden, and the United States, Little Big Star alumna Charice Pempengco says she wants to live like any regular 15-year old. “Gusto ko pa rin yung normal life.  Gusto ko yung nakikipaglaro pa rin sa mga friends ko, yung gumagala sa mall kahit na minsan, yung mga tao tinitingnan nila ko. Gusto ko pa rin lumabas kasama family ko kasi kahit na gumaganda na career ko, gusto ko pa rin mag-enjoy,” she explains.

After making her mark with a performance on the Ellen DeGeneres show last December, she caught the attention of the producers of Oprah, who invited her back to the US last month to tape an episode airing this May. All this attention is something Charice is still getting used to. “After Ellen, yung mga tao sinasabihan nila ako na proud sila sa akin, naging proud sila na Filipino sila. Mas marami nang nakakilala sa akin dahil dun. Happy naman ako,” she shares. This summer brings her to the US once again as she goes to New York for another talk show appearance and to Los Angeles and Hawaii as a guest for Wowowee.

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FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo

Let’s start with the sad(?) news: Henceforth, Charice will be known simply as Charice — not Charice Pempengco as she used to be — because her estranged father (and his family) have asked her to stop using that surname.

Well and good because, according to Charice, who’s turning 15 on May 10, the last time she saw her father, Ricky “P,” was 12 years ago. That was the time when Charice’s mom Raquel and Mr. “P” separated

“I haven’t been in good terms with him since then,” said Raquel, who has another child, Carl (13), by him. “I’ve always been a single mom.”

The good news is that, after her landmark guest appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ self-titled US TV show late last year, Charice will soon be seen on yet another popular US TV show, Oprah no less. Charice doesn’t know exactly when the Oprah episode will be aired, although Oprah herself has been plugging it (including on YouTube), reminding televiewers “to watch for 10 fantastic kids,” one of whom happens to be Charice. The TV teaser said: They may look like ordinary kids but what they are getting ready to do on our stage will blow you away! This you have to see to believe! Coming this May.

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Publisher: Philippine Daily Inquirer – Publication Date: 04-01-2008 – By Nestor Torre

We recently caught Filipino Charice Pempengco’s “command” performance on Ellen Degeneres’ self-titled TV show, and we gladly share these notes:

Charice impressed Ellen and the studio audience so much with her show-stopping performance that they gave her a standing ovation. Americans are among the more demonstrative people in the world, but standing ovations don’t happen every day on live TV shows in the States, so Charice’s performance was truly special.

What made it unusual wasn’t only her amazing vocal range–indeed, the US has many (usually black) singers who can hit those high notes with prodigious skill and unerring accuracy. Belting wasn’t the only factor that made listeners’ day when Charice performed on “Ellen”.

We think that what blew their socks off was her unique combination of vocal power and petite youthfulness. That’s a pretty rare mix to find on US TV, so it really was cause for admiration and celebration.

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Here are some of Ellen’s favorite moments of the year. To date, Charice is leading the pack with 93% of the votes. Show your support for Charice and cast your vote at http://ellen.warnerbros.com/

Charice Pempengco, the 14-year-old Filipino singer whose YouTube videos wowed audiences here and abroad, guested and sang in the American television show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” last Wednesday (Thursday Manila time), ABS-CBN News Bureau Chief Ging Reyes reported.

Pempengco guested on DeGeneres’s nationally-syndicated television show where she sang “And I am Telling You” from the musical Dreamgirls.

After her performance, the audience gave her a standing ovation while host DeGeneres remarked, “you’re amazing.”

Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Pempengco also met with music producer Davis Foster and prominent entertainment lawyer Ed Shapiro. Shapiro said the teenaged singer’s talent is “exceptional.” “You don’t find the Mariah Careys everyday – they come once in a while. The Whitney Houstons, they don’t happen all the time. [We] think Charice is literally that, that next to Whitney, next to Mariah,” said Shapiro. Pempengco was also emotional after her performance on Ellen’s show, saying she did not expect that kind of reception in America.

“Yung isa sa dream ko, natupad na. Tapos lalo pa ng sinabi ni Ms. Ellen na ‘you’re already a big star here,’ sabi nya. Tapos proud na proud daw siya sakin — tuwang tuwa po ako. Hindi ko po akalain na ganito po ako tatanggapin ng mga taga-America. Hindi po nila pinansin kahit na Pinay ako – pinansin nilang pangalan ko,” she said.

(One of my dreams came true, especially after Ms. Ellen said that ‘you’re already a big star here,’ and that she’s proud of me — I’m really happy. I did not expect that Americans would welcome me like this. They did not mind that I am a Pinay – they only noticed my name)

Pempengco will return to the Philippines to fulfill several engagements, and she expects that she still has a long way to go after her unforgettable Hollywood experience.

Pempengco was a former contestant on the ABS-CBN show “Little Big Star,” a children’s singing contest hosted by Sarah Geronimo. She placed 2nd in the show’s Big Division (for 10-13 year old competitors), behind Sam Concepcion and Gian Barbarona.

According to show’s website (www.ellentv.com), the show “features a diverse mix of celebrity interviews, musical performers, audience participation, and segments spotlighting everyday people with extraordinary stories and talents.” It has already won a total of 21 Daytime Emmy Awards, the website said.

It was a glorious day for the Philippines when Charice Pempengco visited the United States to set America’s ears on fire. What began as a simple YouTube video catapulted Charice to ultimate (and international) stardom.

Charice started joining singing contests on TV when she was very little. She once joined Magandang Tanghali Bayan’s Bulilit Starquest singing to the most ambitious Whitney Houston or Celine Dion songs with her unbelievable vocals and child-like charm.

However, it was not until she joined Little Big Star that Charice garnered more attention. In the show, she was able to exhibit her most unique vocal prowess — outbelting the likes of Sheryn Regis in their powerful rendition of the latter’s signature song, “Come In Out of the Rain,” or astounding crowds with her signature rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” Charice was on her way to become the clear winner.

Sadly, things did not come through for Charice. She only placed third during the grand finals, trailing behind Sam Concepcion and Gian Barbarona. I was stunned. Somehow, I knew Charice was never going to be ABS-CBN’s prime choice as the grand winner of the show. They are always after good looks, star quality, and all that baloney.

Charice was a victim of our society’s fondness for good looks and star quality. Her unique and unbelievable talent was simply outshone by Sam Concepcion’s appeal. Vocal-wise, Charice was the obvious choice, but knowing how Filipinos are more interested in “looks” compared to true talent, I was not at all flabbergasted by ABS-CBN’s decision.

A year or two later, after Charice’s not-so-successful stint on Little Big Star, videos of her performances during the contest started popping up on YouTube. It was the perfect timing — Bianca Ryan, an American girl fresh from her performance of the Dreamgirls’ phenomenal hit “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” in America’s Got Talent started gathering attention for herself. Unique and competitive as we Filipinos can be, YouTube fans started comparing Bianca and Charice, to the point of uploading a side-by-side “versus video” of the two. This stirred more attention for Charice as her talent was being recognized by more and more people. And then, the good news finally came.