Thia Megia Sings US National Anthem in Pacquiao-Marquez Match; Trends on Twitter

Filipino-American and American Idol 10 finalist Thia Megia recently sang Star-Spangled Banner, the US National Anthem, in the Pacquiao vs Marquez boxing match  held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 12, 2011.

"Thia Megia" trended on Twitter in the Philippines on the day of the fight. Pinoys were evidently so proud of the singer singing the American Anthem.

A WhatTheTrend.com description on why she trended said "...Thia Megia will be playing Sunshine's sister in a [sic] upcoming episode of "Glee"." But we're not so sure about that. WhatTheTrend descriptions are almost always fan-generated that sometimes they are even not related to the trending topic at all.

Come to think of it, Thia Megia on Glee is not a bad idea at all!

What's sure, though, is Thia's riding the ZhuZhu Pets Float at the Thanks Giving Parade in New York City three weeks from now. She sang the ballad One Day for the soundtrack of ZhuZhu Pets, an animated film being released this Holiday season.

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Manny Pacquiao on the Cover of Esquire Philippines Maiden Issue

Boxing champ and Saranggani congressman Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao is the cover boy of Esquire Philippines first-ever (October 2011) issue with the cover story "5 Rounds with Manny Pacquiao."

Ninong Manny, as he is called in his GMA-7 show Manny Many Prices, is currently busy preparing for his fight against Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez. It is going to be held on November 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the said fight, Filipino-Canadian YouTube sensation Maria Aragon will sing the Philippine national anthem, while Filipino-American singer and American Idol 10 finalist Thia Megia will sing USA's Star-Spangled Banner.

Esquire Philippines maiden issue features "Wisdom and Damn Good Advice from Juan Ponce Enrile," "Lourd De Veyra on Making Love Out of Nothing at All," "How to Be a Man," "Deal or No Deal: The PLDT-Digitel Merger," and "A Woman We Love: Lovi Poe."

Esquire Philippines October 2011 is available in all leading magazine stands nationwide for only P195.00.

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American Idol Live in Manila is Extended!

American Idol Live Tour 2011's Manila leg will be extended for one more night. Aside from the September 20 Smart Araneta Coliseum concert, the Top 11 finalists will give another performance tomorrow night, September 21, on the same venue.

Get a chance to watch American Idol 10 finalists Scotty McCreery, Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, Pia Toscano, Paul McDonald, Stefano Langone, Naima Adedapo, and Filipino-American Thia Megia in another night of fun-filled concert.

Ticket prices:

VIP (Reserved Seating) – P12,675
PATRON A (Reserved Seating) – P12,145
PATRON B (Reserved Seating) – P10,560
PATRON /LOWER BOX VIP (Reserved Seating) – P7,920
LOWER BOX REG (Reserved Seating) – P5,810
UPPER BOX A – P3,700
UPPER BOX B – P1,585
GENERAL ADMISSION - P740

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Thia Megia to Sing US National Anthem in Pacquiao vs Marquez Fight in November

American Idol 10 finalist Thia Megia will be singing the US National Anthem, Star-Spangled Banner, in Manny Pacquiao's fight against the Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez  this coming November 12 in Las Vegas.

The Filipino-American singer, who is currently here in the country with fellow AI10 finalists for a concert, said Pacquiao told her about it when she met him last Saturday.

Meanwhile, Filipino-Canadian YouTube sensation Maria Aragon will be singing the Philippine National Anthem, Lupang Hinirang, in the same fight.

Seems like the Pacquiao-Marquez game will be full of talented, young Pinoys. I just wonder if the Mexican National Anthem will be sung by an equally young singer.

The last Pinoy who sang the Star-Spangled Banner in an American crowd was Charice. She sang the patriotic song, plus God Bless America, during the NFL's 9/11 Tribute Game two Sundays ago.

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photo: Thia's twitter

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American Idol 10 Finalists Live in Manila

The American Idol 10 finalists are having a concert here in Manila on September 20, 8 PM, at the Araneta Coliseum. This is the first time that the country is included in the American Idol Live Tour and I'm sure every Idol fan is excited.

There are 11 finalists in season ten because the judges used the "Judges Save" too early (before the Top 10) to save Casey Abrams.

The 11 finalists include the Filipino-American Thia Megia and I think that's reason enough for Pinoys to see the show.

Aside from Thia, other finalists include Scotty McCreery,  Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, Pia Toscano, Paul McDonald, Stefano Langone, and Naima Adedapo.

Ticket Prices:
VIP – P12,000
Patron A – P11,500
Patron B – 10,000
Lower Box VIP – P7,500
Lower Box Regular – P5,500
Upper Box A – P3,500
Upper Box B – P1,500
General Admission – P700

There's a 10% early bird discount from July 20-27 on Upper Box A & B only. For more info, call 9115555.

This concert is made possible by ETC, Jack TV, and Ovation Productions.

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Thia Megia and Naima Adedapo are Eliminated on "American Idol 10"

Thia Megia and Naima Adedapo has just been eliminated from American Idol 10. The show had to remove two contestants because no one was eliminated last week. The judges used "Idol Save" on Casey Abrams.

Paul McDonald joined Thia and Naima on the Bottom 3 but he was immediately saved.

In tonight's episode, the contestants were divided in several groups instead of the usual production number. Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery were the first to perform a duet, followed by Jacob Lusk and Naima. Thia, Haley Reinhart, and Pia Toscano did Teenage Dream, and the four remaining boys – James Durbin, Paul, Casey, and Stefano Langone - did a band performance with each of them playing an instrument.

It's just sad that Thia only get little singing parts in every production number. Tonight, she got the whole bridge, but with the other two girls singing along with her.

Oh, well, goodluck Thia. We hope you have more opportunities after AI.

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Thia Megia Sings "Daniel" on American Idol 10's Top 11 (Again) Performance Night

Thia Megia, the lovely Filipino-American contestant of American Idol 10, chose Elton John's Daniel for the second Top 11 Performance Night. There are still 11 contestants as Casey Abrams was saved from elimination by the judges last week.

Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler loved Thia's performance but Randy Jackson still finds it safe.

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American Idol 10: Judges Save Casey Abrams

It was quite a surprise that Casey Abrams became part of the Bottom 3, but what's more surprising was that he almost got eliminated if not for the Judges Save. The three judges – Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson, and Steven Tyler – had a unanimous decision to let Casey's journey on American Idol continue.

Filipino-American Thia Megia and Italian-American Stefano Langone were the other two in the Bottom 3. It's Thia's first time to be in danger of elimination while Stefano almost didn't make it after the Top 24. Thanks to the wildcard.

Thia was the first to be sent back to the couch, and the contestants and judges, as well as the audience, were so shocked when the 20-year-old Casey was announced to be the one in danger of facing elimination.

Casey was asked to sing but Randy Jackson stopped him by waving his hand. The judge said, "Listen, we know who you are, Casey. We don't need to hear you sing anymore."

And by that, the audience and the remaining contestants cheered for the judges' decision to save Casey Abrams.

Watch Casey Abrams near-elimination video after the jump.

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Thia Megia Sings 'Heatwave' at American Idol 10's Top 11 Performance Night

Thia Megia sang Martha and the Vandellas' 1963 song Heatwave during the Motown Week of American Idol 10's Top 11 Performance Night.

The past couple of weeks had been hard for the Filipino-American contestant. The judges wanted the see more from her other than just doing ballads.

Heatwave is a little uptempo and the judges actually liked that the 16-year-old singer took the risk, although they all agreed that Thia needs to dig a little bit more deeper.

Watch Thia Megia's rendition of Martha and the Vandella's Heatwave after the jump.

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American Idol 10: It's the End of the Road for Karen Rodriguez

The Latina contest Karen Rodriguez was eliminated from American Idol 10 after getting the least number of votes.

Just like last week, the Bottom 3 again consisted of female contestants. And unfortunately, Karen and Haley Reinhart were again part of it. The two were joined by Naima Adedapo who was the first to be declared safe from getting eliminated.

After singing her English-Spanish rendition of Mariah Carey's Hero, Randy Jackson sadly told Karen that the judges were not going to use the "Judges Save" on her. Randy pointed out, though, that it's not a unanimous decision. But since they all have to agree on saving a contestant in order to use the saving privilege, they couldn't keep Karen from getting booted out of the show.

Filipino-American Thia Megia was safe from going home. Let's just hope that she picks a better song next week so she wouldn't be branded as "boring."

Our other favorite Paul McDonald was also safe. His distinct singing voice and perhaps his swagger that is way cool (as Steven Tyler put it) saved him from being at the bottom.

The male contestants overshadow the female ones this season. Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, and James Durbin can hit the high notes effortlessly. The Italian-American Stefano Langone can sing difficult ballads like a pro and Paul has the voice quality all his own and "way cool" on the stage.

Pia Toscano, the other Italian-American on the show, is the better one among the girls, followed by Lauren Alaina and Thia Megia. Thia, though, needs a little help on her song choices just like Naima. Their voices, in my opinion, are better off singing blues.

If you missed watching American Idol 10's Elimination Night, you can watch it on the video after the jump.

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Thia Megia Sings "Colors of the Wind" at American Idol 10's Top 12 Performance Night

Thia Megia gave her own rendition of Vanessa Williams' 1995 hit Colors of the Wind at the Top 12 Performance Night of American Idol 10.

The 15-year-old Filipino-American chose to sing Colors of the Wind as she thought the lyrics suit perfectly with what's happening in the world today. But she confessed that she didn't have much choice since they had to pick a song from their birth year, which for her was 1995. She also thought it was the best song out of all the choices that she had (or was given).

Comments from the judges:

Randy Jackson: You've been singing all these ballads every week. For me, it was very boring I felt like I was at some pageant somewhere... There was nothing specially unique about it and you have the talent so I mean maybe a different kind of song this time.

Steven Tyler: I think you sang it beautifully, you have a beautiful voice.

Jennifer Lopez: When we first saw you, Thia, we loved the quality and tone of your voice... also I hear in your vibrato i'm not sure if it's nervousness or that's the quality of your vibrato. Either way, I don't wanna think about that so it feels like that needs a little bit of working on, too.

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American Idol 10's Top 13 Group Performance

American Idol 10's Top 13 contestants did a Michael Jackson medley for their group performance on the Top 13 Elimination Night.

Among the Michael Jackson songs that they did were Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Rock With You, Black or White, and Man in the Mirror.

Casey Abrams wasn't present in the performance because he was sick and in the hospital.

Thia Megia and Scotty McCreery sang together and started Rock With You but that was all the part that they got. They could've given Casey's part to the two so they could have had more parts, but no they gave it to someone else as evident in the other contestants having multiple parts.

At least neither Thia nor Scotty went home tonight. Scotty has a big fan base while Thia needs a good song choice to make her standing in the competition more secure.

Come to think of it, Scotty is 16, Thia is 15. And they look good together! What do you say?

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Thia Megia Sings "Smile" at American Idol 10's Top 13 Performance Night

Thia Megia sang Smile at the Top 13 performance night of American Idol 10.

Thia's angelic vocals came through in the beginning of the song as she started out slow. They gave it a jazzy arrangement from the middle up til the end and that's where her singing became a little pitchy for the judges.

Randy said, "It turned out to be good. I loved the beginning more than the end for me. The jazzy bit I didn't know if I loved so much, that arrangement. But the beginning you just, with the microphone, with an instrument, is just golden to me. I wish the whole song would have been like that honestly..."

Steven Tyler: "I liked the front more than the end as well."

Jennifer Lopez: "It doesn't matter, you sing like an angel."

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Charice is Back on "Glee"

Gwyneth Paltrow isn't the only one returning to Glee next Tuesday.

Inside TV shares that Charice is also going to be on the episode. And I'm sure fans all over the world are rejoicing. Sunshine Corazon is back, and I'm hoping to see her belt out some power ballads.

Aside from that good news, Charice is also happy for American Idol 10 contestant Thia Megia. The two met during the David Foster and Friends concert in LA which Thia also guested in.

In support of Thia, Charice tweets, “So proud of my friend being on American Idol. Good luck to you young lady and see you in Hollywood . I miss you.”

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Thia Megia Makes it to AI's Top 13

Thia Megia made it to the Top 13 of American Idol Season 10. She definitely wowed the judges (and America) yesterday with her rendition of Out Here On My Own.

DialIdol.com's prediction, though, seemed to have failed because their top-ranking female contestant didn't even make the cut. Ta-tynisa Wilson was sent packing and wasn't even asked to stay for the wildcards.

The top favorite among the girls was Pia Toscano who received the judges' first standing ovation this season with her rendition of I'll Stand By You. While among the boys, the 16-year-old country singer Scotty McCreery continues to become a favorite. He's also DialIdol's top-ranking male contestant and I'm glad they're right this time. Scotty's voice is so country and his smile is so endearing.

It's just sad that the other Pinoy contestant, Clint Jun Gamboa, didn't make it. It's just okay, though, because being included in the Top 24 is definitely a big accomplishment for the karaoke singer.

My personal favorite among the boys, Paul McDonald, also got through. The old school rocker has a very distinct voice and his moves on stage is sexy.

The 10 Idol hopefuls based on viewers' votes are:

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Thia Megia is "Pitch Perfect" on AI

Thia Megia sang "Out Here On My Own" in tonight's round for the Top 12 girls.

Thia Megia got very positive comments from the judges ranging from Steven Tyler's "perfect pitch" to Randy Jackson's "you remind me of the late, great Michael Jackson."

Even the website known for its cruelty, Vote For The Worst, praised Thia's performance. On DialIdol, however, Thia is ranked 5th. It's fine, though, cuz they will be picking 5 from the girls and 5 from the boys tomorrow.

The other Pinoy on the show, Clint Jun Gamboa, was ranked the lowest on DialIdol website. If DialIdol's predictions are correct, let's just hope and pray that Jun will make it in the wildcards next week.

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Thia Megia - "Here Comes the Sun"

Thia Megia sang Beatle's Here Comes the Sun on American Idol's Las Vegas Beatles Round. She sang with Melinda who didn't make it to Top 24.

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Thia Megia Sings "Summertime" in AI10's Hollywood Round #1

Filipino-American Thia Megia sang her rendition of Ella Fitzgerald's Summertime in Round 1 of American Idol 10's Hollywood Week.

Thia, together with a bunch of other hopefuls, got through the first round.

Thia is not new to this kind of competition as she was a semi-finalist in America's Got Talent in 2009.

It's just sad that she seems to be a favorite of the Vote for the Worst website. But then again, I hope they change their minds when they hear more from Thia Megia. Well, not that VFTW's choice matters. But still...

For those who do not know Summertime, here's a video of Ella Fitzgerald singing it live:

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Thia Megia Goes To Hollywood

After Charice’s rise to fame and making us proud, here’s another young female vocalist by the name of Thia Megia who auditioned in American Idol 10 in their Milwaukee leg.

The 15-year-old high school student from Mountain House, California, sang Chasing Pavements by Adele.

She got three yeses and Jennifer Lopez even commented that Thia’s name is a movie star name.

Thia was an America’s Got Talent semi-finalist in 2009. Many guess her choice of song was what made the boot.

Then late 2009, she performed Who’s Loving You (Jackson 5) at the David Foster and Friends concert.

She has a big voice. We really hope she gets far American Idol.

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Thia Megia on American Idol 10 Top 20?

American Idol 10 has just aired its pilot episode but spoilers were all over the internet as early as now.

There’s one thing, though, that we Pinoys can be happy about if the spoilers are all true. It’s because our fellow Filipino, Thia Megia, is included in the Top 20 spoiler.

Thia, 15-year-old, was a quarterfinalist in the fourth season of America’s Got Talent where she sang her rendition of Miley Cyrus’ The Climb.

There’s no mistaking that this girl has talent in singing. Let’s just hope that the spoilers are true.

Watch Thia’s The Climb rendition on America’s Got Talent below.

By the way, AI 10 has two new judges – superstars Steve Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. Randy Jackson is the only one of the original judges remaining.

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