Filipino girl group 4th Power's audition on the British version of The X Factor continues to go viral. Since it was uploaded two weeks ago, the YouTube clip has amassed more than 10 million views on the programme's official page.
During the August 29 premiere of the programme's 12th season, the four sisters – Almira, Irene, Mylene and Celina – wowed judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Rita Ora and Nick Grimshaw with their take on the Jessie J/Nicki Minaj/Ariana Grande hit Bang Bang. The judges unanimously sent 4th Power to the next round of the competition, which will begin this month.
Last week, the girl group met Filipino singer Rachelle Ann Go in London. Fans on social media had previously noted the sisters' resemblance to the music superstar. Go, who plays Fantine in the latest West End production of Les Misérables, posted her photo with 4th Power on Instagram. "Bang bang! Thank you @4thPowerUK for watching Les Misérables tonight," she wrote in the caption. "Proud of you ladies! Keep on shining. Let us all support them. Proud to be Pinoy."
Filipino nurse knocked out of The Great British Bake Off
Alvin Magallanes was eliminated last week from the British reality-TV programme The Great British Bake Off, finishing seventh out of the 12 contestants.
The 37-year-old Filipino nurse failed to impress judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood during pastry week, the round in which the amateur bakers were tasked with making tarts, Cypriot flaounes and vol-au-vents. “I feel I can call myself a good baker now, as I have moved on from cupcakes and sponges. I like to keep challenging myself, which is good I think,” Magallanes said after his elimination.
As for what’s next for the budding baker, he said: “I am carrying on with my nursing, but would also like to take a patisserie course and get some kind of qualification working with chocolate. You have to give a lot of care and attention in nursing the same as you do in baking.”
A father of two from Berkshire, England, Magallanes was the first Filipino contestant in the show’s history. He admitted he had become quite a celebrity among his patients. “The show has been fantastic and has brought people together at work,” he said. “The patients refuse to go to sleep until they have seen the show and some of them ask me to drop in and see them on the ward.”
Broadcast on BBC One, the Bafta-winning Great British Bake Off is drawing record ratings for its sixth season, attracting 11 million viewers a week.
Danish rockers praise ‘amazing’ Philippines ahead of return
Danish band Michael Learns to Rock are set to perform in Manila’s Araneta Coliseum on Saturday. In an interview with Philippine news network ANC on Sunday, the group’s members, Mikkel Lentz, Jascha Richter and Kåre Wanscher, talked about returning to the country after seven years.
“Coming back after so many years is like coming back home to visit old friends. I think we have a very long relationship with our Filipino fans,” said guitarist Lentz.
Vocalist Richter added: “It’s so different here compared to where we come from. It was just an amazing experience [performing in 2008]. And it’s still an amazing experience to come here,” he said. “The Philippines is the biggest country on our Facebook page and we get a lot of nice messages all the time. And it’s nice to be able to reward our fans with a concert.”
The Manila show is part of Michael Learns to Rock’s 25th anniversary tour.
The veteran musicians are not the only A-listers dropping by Manila this week. Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Missandei in the HBO series, is going to the Philippines for the first Asia Pop Comic-Con Manila, to be held from today until Sunday. The English actress, who also starred in Furious 7 and The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, which is out in cinemas today, joins previously announced Comic-Con headliners Paul Bettany and Colton Haynes.
Pinoy Big Brother continues with surprising twists
After being on the losing side of a team competition against their fellow housemates on Pinoy Big Brother last week, YouTube sensation Mikee Agustin, nurse Krizia Lusuegro and model Charlhone Petro thought they would be punished with a special task. The three contestants – and the viewers – were shocked when Big Brother told them of their punishment: an automatic eviction from his house – yet another twist in the 10-year anniversary season of the popular reality programme.
A day later, while still recovering from the surprise mass eviction, the remaining six housemates were stunned by the arrival of two new contestants: hip-hop dancer Zeus Collins and model Jameson Blake.
Last weekend, Big Brother announced another unprecedented move – previously eliminated housemates Agustin and Kamille Filoteo had the chance to rejoin the competition based on a public vote. It was Agustin who made it through after receiving a staggering 83 per cent of the votes.
artslife@thenational.ae
