Good news to Ikea lovers in the Philippines, we found another seller of Ikea items! Check out their showroom at 120 Kamias Road, Quezon City. They only have small items, but you can still order the bigger items and just wait for them to be shipped. You can check out their Multiply site to see which items are for sale.

So I found out from Dom’s blog that 2 Filipinos have made it to the next round in Britain’s Got Talent. So I searched Youtube for their videos, and here’s what I found:

Charlie Green is a 10 year old boy from the UK, who joined Britain’s Got Talent and sang “Summer Wind” by Frank Sinatra. The judges and the audience absolutely loved his performance. He had it all – stage presence, a good voice, and charm.

The other Filipino is Madonna Decena, a Filipina who went to the UK to work as a club singer. She left her kids in the Philippines. She has a good voice, but we have a lot of good singers here in the Philippines so I wasn’t that impressed.

I actually like this show, most of the acts that make it through the first round are really good talents. Remember Paul Potts and little Connie? I’ll check Charlie’s progress as we go on – I hope he makes it to the finals. It seems that Andrew is still the favorite to win. (Andrew is a choir boy who has the voice of an angel.)

I watched U2 3D with friends around 2 weeks ago and I haven’t blogged about it until now. I just can’t find the words to describe it. It was really awesome. You need to go there though with the mindset that you are going to a concert, not to watch a movie.

The shots were great, especially those coming from the crowd. You really feel that you are there, jumping and singing and having fun with everyone else.

Bono is an amazing performer. After all these years, he still has it. His voice is still solid!

U2 3D is amazing, and it has set the bar for 3D concerts. I really hope that U2 will come to Philippines. That would awesome too, seeing them LIVE!

Last week was Andrew Lloyd Webber Night on American Idol.  People were eagerly anticipating this because it was reported that David Archuleta and Carly Smithson love broadway.  So this was an opportunity for them to shine.

The show opened with Syesha Mercado, who sang “One Rock ‘N Roll Too Many” from Starlight Express.  She was brilliant!  This was her best performance for the season. I’m actually happy for her because even if she won’t do well with the album sales (her mp3′s don’t sell on iTunes), she can still have a career in broadway.

Next was Jason Castro with “Memory” from Cats.  It was definitely not his best performance but I don’t think it was as bad as the judges thought it was.  I felt the song.

Brooke White sang “You Must Love Me” from the movie Evita.  It was a MESS!  She had ANOTHER false start but she  already sang a line before we started again!  The performance felt like a kid trying to recite a memorized poem – she kept bobbing her head with each word or phrase.  Definitely the worst performance of the evening for me.

David Archuleta’s song choice was actually very strange.  He chose “Think Of Me” from Phantom of the Opera.  Andrew Lloyd Webber’s interview was a bit funny because it opened with “this song was written for a diva, for a woman”.  I’m not sure if I detected a tinge of sarcasm when he said that if ‘David wanted to change the song a bit, then bravo’.  David’s version was a pop version, and I think it worked.  It wasn’t his best performance for sure but it was okay.  I’m a bit worried because he forgot his lyrics though not very obvious.  It’s just that it’s not the first time this happened.  I hope it’s the last.  I’m really hoping for a David vs. David final.

Carly Smithson listened to Andrew Lloyd Webber and sang “Jesus Christ Superstar”.  She was supposed to sing “All I Ask  Of You”.  A lot of people think she did well, the judges actually loved her performance.  I didn’t.  She was screaming throughout the chorus but the backup singers sang the melody louder.  I’ve said this before – you don’t win Idol because you can reach the high notes.  And doing it on purpose (singing the high notes) makes it worse for me.  But, good for her, she had fun and it showed.

David Cook closed the show with “Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera.  He didn’t change the arrangement, he sang it as is, and he did well.  So aside from being unpredictable and daring, he has a good voice!  Good choice this week.

The performances, from fave to least fave:

1. Syesha Mercado
2. David Cook
3. David Archuleta
4. Jason Castro
5. Carly Smithson
6. Brooke White

I thought this was how America was going to vote:

1. David Archuleta
2. David Cook
3. Jason Castro
4. Carly Smithson
5. Syesha Mercado
6. Brooke White

Bottom 2 was Carly and Syesha, which surprised a lot of people.  People were betting on a Brooke White elimination. I wasn’t that surprised because it’s very obvious by now that Syesha does not have a fan base, which is a big factor during voting, especially before the Top 4 or Top 3.  People don’t care that she has a good voice (she does), they’re just not that into her.  Regarding Carly, I guess it finally caught up with her.  Brooke was able to offer a couple of FANTASTIC performances in the past with “Let It Be” as the best, which probably saved her, unlike Carly.

So there you have it!  Next week is Neil Diamond week.  I’m still trying to figure out who he is…

What a “dramatic” night. American Idol tried their best to make the results show interesting and well, I think they were able to pull it off. First, they made sure people wouldn’t know who the bottom 3 would be until the last minute. Second, David Archuleta’s sitting in the middle of the stage (with David Cook and Jason Castro following him) lessened the viewers’ perception of the episode being too “scripted” (Remember “There are too many Cooks in the house, let’s swap.” Geez.).

FINALLY, Kristy Lee Cook goes home. FINALLY. It’s about time!!! I guessed this! Barring anything new, I think Syesha Mercado will go home next week.

Happiness comes not because we do great things but because we do small things with great love. Be filled with love today and everyday.

If I have to predict right now the Final 2 for American Idol 7, I’d say it will be David Cook versus David Archuleta. They have been both very consistent. They’ve had many good performances already, they’re good singers, and they connect to the audience.

If I have to pick right now who the winner will be, based on the performances to date, I’d say it will be David Cook. I’m a David Archuleta fan, but I’m also objective.

It’s still a long way to go though. Let’s see what will happen within the next several weeks.

Here’s David’s performance:

Here’s David’s amazing version of “Always Be My Baby”:

I didn’t know what to expect tonight.

How will the boys perform the Mariah songs?! I was worried about little David. And I was very curious about David Cook’s song choice.

How will the girls compare ?! Well, I knew Syesha was just going to sing her heart out, without leaving a “Syesha” stamp on her performance. That’s what she does week after week. Carly will surely belt out again…

What songs will be sung? Will my favorite Mariah song be sung? My favorite song is “Underneath the Stars”. Unfortunately, no one sang it.

David Archuleta opened the show with “When You Believe”. It was definitely a typical David Archuleta song. And it was a typical David Archuleta performance. He sang it REALLY well. He pulled off the falsetto. It was a great way to start the show. It was a tough act to follow.

Carly Smithson sang “Without You” (oh dear, memories of Ken Lee…). Here’s the thing, she can sing. However, AI is not just about singing. It’s not just about reaching the high notes. Her performance didn’t connect to me. It’s like she was thinking with every note that she sang. I think she’s in danger this week.

Syesha Mercado was third and she sang “Vanishing”. So she did her Syesha thing, which means it was a boring performance. She can sing, yes. But frankly, she just doesn’t have IT. Which probably explains why she doesn’t have a lot of fans. Which probably explains why not a lot of people buy her MP3s from iTunes. (more…)