MANILA, Philippines?Filipino club singer Madonna Decena and Filipino-British child performer Charlie Green have landed in the Top 40 of the reality search ?Britain?s Got Talent.? They are both advancing to the next round of competitions.

The good news was confirmed by the Pinoys? fathers.

Through a text message, Manila-based Rey Decena said his daughter Madonna is set to compete on Friday. ?The finals show is on Saturday ? by then the Top 10 finalists would?ve been chosen,? he said.

In an e-mail sent on Tuesday, Charlie?s dad, Roger Green, said the 11-year-old was set to perform on Wednesday (today, Thursday, Manila time).

?The semi-finals are aired live, so viewers can vote for their favorite acts,? he explained.

Charlie?s dad said the kid prepared a new song, ?All I Wanna Do is Sing,? for this round.

The two Pinoys were among the 177 aspirants who competed for the Top 40 slots.

On the show?s official web site, judge Piers Morgan described the Top 40 as a ?varied? bunch. Fellow judge Amanda Holden noted that they made ?brilliant? choices. ?Like last year, the Top 40 will bring the country to a standstill,? she said.

Narrowing down the 177 to 40 semi-finalists was ?the most difficult part of the job,? said Morgan. ?There were lots of debates and rows,? he recalled.

Show co-creator and judge Simon Cowell agreed: ?It?s draining, exhausting. And depressing ? Unless the contestants deserve [to get the boot].?

(E-mail: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com)