The news of her death baffles millions, but somehow, with the accounts of her self-destructing tabloid-ready lifestyle made public, it is already expected. The members of Forever 27 were at the peak of their careers and shallow existence when they had decided to take their lives. These people, with all their vulnerability, should be enrolled under high risk insurance programs if they opt to choose to leave their loved ones behind on a schedule. Seriously.

I loved what the Glee cast did with Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” in their episode “Theatricality”. That was the only part I was able to catch this evening while reviewing the auto insurance quotes bro received for his new car. But it was great! Amazing vocals. Great costumes. I particularly liked Kurt and Quinn in there.

But if I have to pit it against Bitoy’s original called “Bathroom Dance”, I would still prefer Bitoy’s performance, lyrics and hilarious creativity. That particular Bubble Gang clip has kept me in stitches for really obvious reasons.

For millions who voted for Lee DeWyze, it was a beautiful day.

Personally, I think the paint sales guy deserves his new crown. It has been a slow rise to the top for Lee. And it was indeed an amazing journey for him. In fact, I am at peace whether Lee or Crystal wins. Both are equally talented and hardworking. Both deserve to own a record.

Looking forward to buying their CD’s. Can’t wait.

That’s Bitoy (a.k.a. Michael V) having a good time in his latest Bubble Gang MTV “Bathroom Dance”, a comical rip-off from a famous Lady Gaga original “Bad Romance”. It was hilarious. I still have to meet a person who has not been move to tears laughing at Bitoy’s crazy take on Lady Gaga’s MTV. Right now, its You Tube version already has more than 400,000 hits and growing. If you want to download this in your MP3 players, there’s a program online that can convert this video to an mp3 format. Enjoy.

Of course, Crystal Bowersox is a clear winner given the judges’ consistent praises for her hard work and exceptional talent. But, if I were Crystal, I wouldn’t rest on my laurels yet. Lee DeWyze is a superstar in the making. The guy is said to most likely follow the steps of Daughtry to a record-smashing stardom. People talk about Lee the way one would rave about alli weight loss products. In fact, Kara can already hear Lee’s voice over the radio and the judges seemed to agree. Simon Cowell was so pleased about him he described his last performance as “brilliant”.

Try listening to “Predicament” – Lee’s single from his debut album “So I Was Told” from an independent record company in Chicago called Wuli Records. He actually have two albums recorded under Wuli before he auditioned in American Idol. They’re sold online through Amazon.

Whoever wins between Crystal and Lee, I would still buy both of their records.

And of course we know that Big Mike survived the ax that night. The judges ruled to his favor and he was given another week more.

After American Idol came Glee. The last two episodes leading to the sectionals were simply about scandals and revelations. While the plot was pretty predictable (I always knew it’s going to be Emma and Will in the end, and Sue will need eye cream for wrinkles as she would never cease on plotting Shuester’s downfall), the show choir performances were great. Better than High School Musical in a lot of ways.

I just love Wednesdays.

I join millions of people who admire Lee Dewyze for his great voice. He’s actually got what it takes to make it to the Top 3. (Alright, my Top 3 – Crystal, Andrew and him. Sorry, I am not a Siobhan fan. I don’t like listening to records that end up with too much screaming.) Talent is not his problem. Neither his good looks. The way he sees at himself on stage is. He sorely lacks confidence. He hardly makes eye contact. Lee is a reluctant singer who doesn’t want to draw people’s attention to himself. Whatever it was that bothered him, whether it has to do with his upbringing as kid, or him selling car paints, insurance quotes or drilling in oil fields, it doesn’t actually matter. It’s hard for people with good set of ears not to notice his singing.

I hope he realizes that next time he’s up there under the spotlight. Keep it up. I’ll buy your record.

It wasn’t the first time a singer was criticized over versions of Lupang Hinirang sang live in international competitions. Lea Salonga, Sarah Geronimo, Christian Bautista and Martin Nievera had their shares of lashings in the past. It’s Arnel Pineda’s turn now.

So where did it all go wrong?

R.A. 8491 specifies that Lupang Hinirang “shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe.” If you’ve heard that marching music in our schools, TV stations, the Olympics and even inside the cinemas, you pretty much have the idea that it should be performed with much fervor. It was originally intended as an instrumental freedom march when we declared independence from Spain more than a century ago.

And come to think of it, during my time in school, those teachers sang the lyrics solemnly too. And I didn’t know until now that it should have been sung like a marching song. Now who’s at fault?

Technically, these singers have violated this law when they sang it solemnly like a prayer or a ballad. But I think they shouldn’t be lambasted for having committed this error. I believe that these artists had no slightest intentions of disrespecting the national hymn. I think it was an honest mistake on their part.

Instead of being critical, NHI should perhaps take a proactive way of educating these artists, event organizers and everyone as well. We could have probably prevented undue embarrassment from spreading like accutane side effects by dealing with the problem positively, instead of lashing out on them. It takes two to tango.

Crystal Bowersox came a long way from Ohio to get a piece of Hollywood and try her luck doing what she really does best – singing. If you have seen her since Idol started, she was a plain and simple 24-year-old farmer who easily nailed down songs of Alanis Morissette and Tracy Chapman. And you can’t even say that she’s got the star quality or look that can wow millions of voters. Like Simon said, they sort of underestimated her.

Turns out that Crystal is one tough serious artist everyone has to beat. Well, good luck to all of them.

On the side note, has anyone tried proactiv? Watson is distributing it locally at around P2,500 for a 30-day trial kit, and almost P4000 for a 60-day supply.

Wow.

That was my reaction when I played his “Straight Up” Hollywood piece. It was a Paula Abdul original but Andrew Garcia turned it around into something that made everyone gasped. Because it was oh so good you won’t believe your ears. Even Simon was floored by his performance, ” “The only person who’s walked through today who I genuinely believe is a good singer…a genuinely, genuinely, good, good singer…”

Of course, after that audition piece went on air, I’ve read a couple of queries on his ethnic background. Most people back here asked if he is a Filipino. Sure he does look like one – with dark hair and a built that seemed to be in need of weight loss products prescription. But Andrew Garcia is a pure-blooded Latino. His girlfiend/wife, according to news, is a Filipina named Christine Concepcion. Satisfied?

Andrew Garcia is already a dad living with his family in Moreno Valley. They say that his parents grew up in the streets of Compton and were very active in the gangster lifestyle. But somehow life changed a bit and we can see how Andrew cherished his young family by spending more time with them.

Watch out for this guy.