Jovit indeed got talent

MANILA, Philippines - It was electrifying. The crowd at the Araneta Coliseum went wild each time the hosts mentioned Jovit Baldivino’s name and went wilder when they saw him on stage and watched him perform Saturday night.

And when they heard his name proclaimed as the first grand winner of Pilipinas Got Talent Sunday night, the crowd thumped and cheered for the teenager who used to sell siomai in Batangas before joining the country’s biggest talent-reality search.

Jovit, who sang Queen’s Too Much Love Will Kill You, cried when judge Freddie “FMG” Garcia called out his name as the grand winner and thanked his family and fans for supporting him. He won P2-M by beating 11 other finalists with a total of 48.81 percent or almost half of the total votes.

No less than judge Kris Aquino said Jovit could be the next superstar. When Kris asked if he wanted to appear in a teleserye, be part of A.S.A.P. XV or host Wowowee, Jovit just replied, “Lahat po.”

Before winning, Jovit became an object of attacks by some detractors. But his overwhelming victory indicated that the controversies didn’t affect his popularity in the contest that became a top topic in a microblogging site for two consecutive nights.

Pilipinas Got Talent became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter, even beating the popular 2010 FIFA World Cup on Sunday night during the results night. And it was the second most popular topic the night before the performance finals.

Jovit became an Internet sensation with his audition video getting more than 1.5 million hits worldwide at the start of the season. He rose to prominence when he impressed viewers with his interpretation of Journey’s Faithfully during the auditions.

Joining Jovit in the top three spots were dance group Baguio Metamorphosis and the breakdancers Velasco Brothers, who each received P100,000.

Other finalists who each won P50,000 included ventriloquist Ruther Urquia, magician Allan “Alakim” De Paz, Fil-Norwegian crooner Markki Stroem, guitarist Keith Delleva, the Ezra Band, balladeer Sherwin Baguion, chorale group Luntayao Family, violinist Jeline Oliva and Broadway singer Ingrid Payaket.

Among the celebrities who performed during the two-night finals were Robin Padilla, Gary Valenciano, Robert Seña, Jed Madela, Rhap Salazar, Juris Fernandez, Kjwan, Rocksteddy and Sugarfree.

Also present were ABS-CBN executives led by its president-COO Charo Santos Concio, Channel 2 head Cory Vidanes and head of TV Entertainment Production Linggit Tan. Freemantle Media officials visited Manila to watch the season ender and congratulate winners.

Launched in February 2010, Pilipinas Got Talent has been dominating weekend primetime TV by topping national TV ratings as shown in the data of TNS Media Research. It is hosted by Luis Manzano and Billy Crawford. Iya Villania co-hosted the finals’ result night.

Judges Kris, Ai-Ai delas Alas and FMG toured different parts of the country during the auditions stage. From 220 contestants who passed, the number was trimmed to 36 before the 12 finalists were chosen.

Watch the Pilipinas Got Talent concert on ABS-CBN this Saturday and Sunday on ABS-CBN. Those who missed the grand finals can catch it on Studio 23 this Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m.