MANILA, Philippines?Turns out, Madonna Decena isn?t the only Filipino on the reality search, ?Britain?s Got Talent.?
According to various blogs, 32-year-old Decena?s stiffest rival could very well be Charlie Green, an 11-year-old Filipino-British jazz singer who similarly wowed judges and audiences in the show?s Birmingham tryouts.
Green, who sang Frank Sinatra?s ?Summer Wind,? received a standing ovation from the audience and rave reviews from the three judges: Show co-creator Simon Cowell, journalist Piers Morgan and theater actress Amanda Holden.
The usually caustic Cowell commended the kid: ?You?re a little star.? Morgan praised his dancing; Holden predicted that the kid would win the tilt.
Like Decena, Green is advancing to the next round of the contest.
Filipino bloggers have readily embraced Green as Pinoy. One site reported that Charlie?s mom, Cecilia Sumargo, ?hails from Dumanjug, Cebu.?
Inquirer Entertainment asked Decena in an e-mail interview if she had heard of Green?s Filipino roots.
?I heard, but I can?t confirm,? she replied. ?But it?s been reported [that he?s half-Filipino]. Based on his looks, it?s evident that he has Asian blood.?
Confirmation
Various reports have since confirmed that Green is, indeed, half-Filipino.
According to the Daily Mail, Green, who?s from Droitwich, Worcestershire, was coached by his father Roger, principal vocalist of the Black and White Minstrels which was featured on a BBC show from 1958 to 1978.
The pint-sized warbler told the Daily Mail: ?Because my dad is a singer, there?s always music in the house. I love Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé. I?d love to sing with [them].?
On the show, he said that his dream is to become a professional singer. ?It?s something I just picked up naturally when I was growing up.?
The same online report recounted that Green had performed at the Royal Opera House at St. James Palace for Princess Anne.
Green?s home page confirmed this, adding that meeting the Princess Royal at age 8 was the highlight of his young career.
According to his website, Green, who was born on February 16, 1997, started singing tunes like ?New York, New York? and ?If I Were a Rich Man? at age 2 for family and friends.
A year later, he joined a talent show, singing ?All of Me? on the cruise ship Ocean Majesty.
For one so young, he has built an impressive résumé, performing in different theaters across the UK.
Last year, Green also recorded a Christmas song, ?Hands Around the World,? composed by Cedric Whitehouse.
According to the kid?s homepage, Whitehouse (who had previously worked with artists like Roy Orbison, Kenny Rogers and Chaka Khan) invited the kid to record the song for charity.
Green?s chosen beneficiary is Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, a cause close to his heart because a good friend, Murray Field, suffers from that ailment.
E-mail: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com
