Young Pinays on center stage

She made a big splash on YouTube by singing the smash hit of her idol Lady Gaga, “Born This Way.” Last week Fil-Canadian Maria Aragon joined Lady Gaga on stage for a duet during the pop megastar’s concert in Toronto, Canada.

Lady Gaga had been so impressed by the 10-year-old Maria’s YouTube video that last month she invited her to sing at her concert. Before that Maria had already guested in The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Good Morning America. But joining her idol on stage was a dream come true for her.

At the concert Lady Gaga thanked Maria for giving her song “a life.”

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Another Filipina who was in the international spotlight last week was 15-year-old Thia Megia.

Viewers of American Idol believed Thia was good enough to make the Top 10 and voted her in. That was after she blew away judges Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler with her rendition of "Out Here On My Own." The bluesy ballad was a refreshing change from the rock and uptempo numbers belted out by her rivals.

Thia isn’t exactly a newcomer to talent shows. The Californian reached the semifinals of America’s Got Talent in 2009.

Too bad another Fil-Am, Jun Clint Gamboa, failed to make the cut in the men’s side of American Idol. Jun was simply overshadowed by the powerful performances of his rivals.

It would have been the first time there were two contestants with Filipino blood making the Top 10 of Idol.

I believe Thia has a good chance of bagging the title. But the decision of course rests with the show’s viewers. There were instances in American Idol that the most popular, and not necessarily the best, contestant won.

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Angelica Panganiban should know better than to get involved in a Twitter tussle with a supposed fan of the Azkals’star striker Phil Younghusband.

Someone who calls herself “Baby Morales” (Anil Morales) has been tweeting nasty remarks aimed at Angelica. The tirades came after Angelica commented on reports that Phil was to star in an indie film. “I thought he was a football player. Everyone wants to be in the movies…Sad,” she tweeted.

She followed it up with an unsolicited advice to the Fil-Briton to concentrate on football.

There’s more: “He should have joined pbb (Pinoy Big Brother), not the Azkals. He might tire himself during shooting that his play may not be up to par.”

That was when the Baby Morales tweets began to surface. They affected Angelica so much that she tried to trace the identity of the hostile tweeter.

Now she and boyfriend Derek Ramsay are planning to sue Baby Morales.

Not a good move at all. By now Angelica should have gotten used to the fact that as a celebrity, she will always be a target of innuendos and barbs. It comes with the territory.

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Pokwang denies that she was bumped off from the cast of the remake of Temptation Island because she had an attitude problem. The comedian however refused to divulge the real reason, saying “it’s a long story.”

“It’s not because of the rumors that I have an attitude. Management knows all about it so they should do the explaining,” she said.

One rumor has it that her bosses at Star Cinema didn’t agree to let her do a project under Regal Films, which is producing Temptation Island.

Pokwang’s role in the film has been given to Rufa Mae Quinto.

Pokwang also shrugged off reports that she’s in a bad financial way after Wowowee and Pilipinas Win Na Win, where she was a host, were taken off the air.

"Why should I be financially strapped as they claim? I work almost everyday. Besides, I have enough money set aside, I don’t have any serious vice and I know how to handle my finances.”