Focus on the Philippines: Cyrus Villanueva croons his way to X Factor top 10

Also: Philippine films recognised in top 100 list; Filipino paralegal leaves MAsterChef Asia kitchen' and Pinoy Big Brother evicts YouTube star Mikee Agustin.

Filipino-Australian student Cyrus Villanueva wowed judges with his rendition of Wicked Game on The X Factor Australia. Courtesy: Seven West Media

Viewers have voted Cyrus Villanueva through to The X Factor Australia's top 10 show next week. The 19-year-old Filipino-­Australian student from Wollongong, New South Wales, continued to impress the show's judging panel after his performance on October 5 of Wicked Game, a ballad originally sung by his mentor and judge, American rocker Chris Isaak. (See video of his performance below).

“I’ve heard over the years a million people do this song and nobody ever did it this way,” Isaak said about Villanueva’s rendition, which he sung one key higher than the original track. “That’s what I meant the song to sound like.”

Villanueva’s performance received a standing ovation from all four judges.

“Last week I said you’re a star, and this week I’ll say you’re a superstar. Wow, amazing,” said Guy Sebastian.

“I wanted something negative to say,” quipped James Blunt. “But, ugh – nothing!”

“If you perform like that every week, nobody else stands a chance – and that’s the truth,” said Dannii Minogue, who encouraged Isaak to write an original song for Villanueva.

Isaak added: “I’m just so proud that you have a great work ethic. People don’t know what you’re like offstage. He comes to work like: ‘Yes, sir, let’s do it,’ and never complains. Just a hard­working guy and I love that about you.”

Hours after the show’s broadcast, Villanueva’s recording of the track placed sixth on the iTunes charts, the highest placing by any contestant this season so far.

He posted on Instagram: “Last night was unreal. My performance charted at #6 on iTunes, the feedback from everyone has been phenomenal, and I’m feeling so blessed. It was an absolute honour to perform Chris’s song in front of him, and an opportunity I’ll never forget.”

The Fisher Boys, an R&B quartet featuring four brothers from Perth, were eliminated from the competition on October 6. This week’s musical guests were One Direction, Robbie Williams and Ellie Goulding.

Philippine films recognised intop 100 list

The Busan International Film Festival is marking its 20th ­anniversary by releasing a list of the 100 greatest Asian films of all time, based on a poll of 73 film professionals and critics. Dubbed “Asian Cinema 100”, the list features four titles from the Philippines.

Lino Brocka's 1975 drama Maynila sa mga Kuko ng ­Liwanag (Manila in the Claws of Light) placed 30th, while Brocka's ­Insiang (1976), Mike De Leon's Batch '81 (1982) and Lav Diaz's Melancholia (2008) all shared the 66th spot.

The list was topped by Japanese auteur Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 drama Tokyo Story, followed by Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950), Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love (2000), Satyajit Ray's The Apu Trilogy (1955-1959) and Hou Hsiao-Hsien's A City of Sadness (1989).

Filipino paralegal leaves MasterChef Asia kitchen

Filipino contestant Rico Amancio was eliminated from ­MasterChef Asia, placing 11th overall out of 15 aspirants. The 31-year-old paralegal failed to dazzle judges Susur Lee, Bruno Ménard, Audra Morrice and Eric Teo in a challenge that required the contestants to reinvent a classic Singaporean dish, chilli crab.

“I want to show to the rest of the world that we are not only a country of balut and adobo,” Amancio said before the start of the contest in September. “We can showcase to them how we cook, how diverse our country is and how our cuisine comes from different regions.”

Amancio learnt how to cook when he was younger, by assisting an aunt who worked in a school cafeteria.

Another Filipino contestant, 29-year-old finance officer Lica Ibarra, is still in the competition. The current front runners are Malaysian banker Marcus Low and Singaporean engineer Lennard Yeong, who each have won three challenges.

Pinoy Big Brother evicts YouTube star Mikee Agustin

Mikee Agustin was evicted from Pinoy Big Brother on October 3.

The 21-year-old YouTube star received the least number of audience votes among her fellow nominees, the Filipino-American models Tommy Esguerra and Jameson Blake. Agustin was evicted in September after losing a team challenge, but re-entered the house a week later after winning a public vote.

On October 3, the Pinoy Big Brother house was opened to the public for the first time in its 10-year history. Fans had to buy a ticket for 1,000 pesos (Dh79) to get a tour of the house from contestant Roger Lucero, who is a tourist guide by profession. The proceeds were donated to the victims of an earthquake that recently hit Bohol, a province in the country's Visayas region.

On October 5, film and tele­vision actress Karla Estrada entered the house as a ­celebrity houseguest, though the length of her stay has not been announced.

October 8 marks the 111th day in the reality show’s timeline. There are 11 housemates ­remaining, including four teenage contestants.