This idol has talent

Everyone predicted that Jessica Sanchez would win the 11th Season of American Idol in 2012. She had the strong vocal chops, the personality, and the marketability to make her a singing superstar. 

She eventually finished runner up to Phillip Phillips.

Now, 13 years after, she gets her well-deserved victory on another stage - America's Got Talent.

This is one of those "never denied, only redirected" stories.

Hi Heidi!

So, the rumours are true!

Heidi Klum is back on "Project Runway!"

This is going to make this show much more fun to watch. And yes, as Heidi herself said, we're so excited to hear her say "Auf Wiedersehen" yet again.

(Please bring back Tim Gun, too!)

Christmas in our Hearts

No, this isn’t a Jose Mar Chan post.

We’re a few months too early for that.

This is about the fact that...

Sydnie Christmas won BGT!

Woot! Much deserved!

Her way

The last time I was this excited about a singer in a talent show was Carrie Underwood.

After seeing Sydney Christmas in BGT, that level of excitement just came back!

As Filipinos can attest, “My Way” is a dangerous song to sing.

But my gosh! Sydney sang it perfectly!

She’s going to win  this!

Thank you, Next!

No, this isn’t about an Ariana Grande Song.

It’s about the fact that “Next in Fashion” is having  a 2nd season!

This is going to be next on my binge-watch list!

Kim-possible

Nope, this isn't about that iconic animated series from the early 2000s. 

But make no mistake, I loved watching that series.

This is about another series that was the subject of my binge-watching this weekend - "Next in Fashion."

Simply put, "Next in Fashion" was Netfilx's foray into "Project Runway" territory. It was a fashion design reality show featuring 18 designers - both established and aspiring - vying to be the next big thing in fashion.

What's interesting about the cast of this series is that some of them are actually quite famous in their hometowns. Designers like Angel Chen who already has multiple stores in China and is considered a young fashion wunderkind at home. There's Daniel Fletcher who's also the Creative Director of Fiorucci. There's Marco Morante who has a big following in LA. And that's just a fraction of the cast.

So, to say that this was a competition of the best-of-the-best could be considered an understatement.

Among the 18 designers, there was one who really caught my eye from Episode 1. She's the very humble, very unassuming, yet supremely talented Minju Kim.

Minju Kim is from Seoul, and her design aesthetic was very true to her roots. She was unconventional, innovative, with an eye for prints, patterns and proportions. Even the way she dressed during the competition was very Seoul.

She wore a lot of loose clothes, jumpers, aprons, long sleeved shirts with pants, and a lot of layering. She also was very Asian in a sense that she didn't want a lot of attention, she was very self-effacing, and would be genuinely surprised when she won a challenge.

That's why it was such a joy to see her when she (Korean) won everything. (Sorry, I couldn't help it. Harhar.)

Yes, Minju Kim is the Next in Fashion!

Her winning moment was truly magical. And I've watched and re-watched that moment several times the past few days.

Now, I have to find her store the next time I go to Seoul.

Designing Women

More than 2 decades ago, there was a hit Sitcom in the US which was also aired here in the Philippines. It was a sitcom about 4 creative women in the field of design, and it was entitled “Designing Women.”

The 4 women in the series were in the Interior Design industry, and they were all headstrong and had their unique points-of-view.

Fast forward to 2022, and i’m watching the finale of Project Runway Season 19. And while watching it, I couldn’t help but get flashbacks.

Here’s why:

The top 4 finalists are all women. They’re all in the field of design - Fashion Design, and they’re all headstrong, they have their unique points-of-view, and are all supremely creative.

It was like art imitating life!

But after the episode was done, the ultimate designing woman was Shantall! Which was no surprise because everyone was expecting her to win.

That’s the power of (designing) women!

Eye, eye, Captain!

Aside from Surprise-themed shows, another genre I enjoy watching a lot are makeover shows. Whether they’re making over people, homes, cars or what-not, there’s a satisfaction in seeing how that transformation ultimately changes a person’s life.

Despite that, I never really watched - not even an episode - of the OG “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” in 2003. (The show was later renamed to just “Queer Eye” eventually.) At the time when everyone was SO into this show, and the cast even went to Manila, I was watching something else.

Fast forward to 2019, and the show now has a reincarnation on Netflix. Same concept, same format, but updated content.

When I was just at home last September and October, it was one of the things I stumbled on to on Netflix. It was entertaining, but I didn’t find it as gratifying as the other “makeover” show I was watching, which was “Tidying up with Marie Kondo.”

Last week, I saw on Netflix that the “Queer Eye” series had a new spin-off, “Queer Eye, We’re in Japan!” As a Nihonphile, I decided to watch an episode to see how it was.

By golly, it was such a great show! The subjects they chose and the stories behind them were so compelling and real. Having been a long-time and frequent visitor of Japan, and also getting insights about their personalities from Mark, I knew that this type of show would be so beneficial for Japanese.

You see, as a people, the Japanese don’t like to stand out. They are more comfortable blending into the background and staying within the parameters of the norm. So much so that they’d rather lose their identity than express themselves individually.

Also, they’re the type of people who would never talk about their feelings. Not to their family, not to their friends, and definitely not too strangers. But after seeing the first episode, and how the subjects slowly opened up to the Fab 5, it was refreshing to see that change of attitude and mindset. And this change ultimately transformed the way they felt, also the way they looked and lived.

Actually, the emotional transformation of the subjects were more gratifying to watch than their physical ones. Which is actually a first for a makeover show.

Plus, their Japanese counterpart - Kiko Mizuhara, and guest Naomi Watanabe - was also such a joy to watch. They gave that very important Japanese perspective that guided the makeover guys.

This series was so good. I ended up binge-watching all 4 episodes! Each one was a joy to watch, but the 4th one was the best for me.

Hoping that they have a 2nd season of this show. It’s something the Japanese need in their lives.

Dom’s Dominance

While waiting for the latest episodes of Project Runway 18 to be uploaded, I find myself watching and re-watching previous seasons.

There are some glaring differences from the first 16 seasons and the last 2. There’s the difference between Heidi and Karlie as hosts (Auf Weidersen is still unparalleled), Tim and Christian as mentors (I miss the Tim-isms like Sturm und Drang), even Michael and Brandon as judges (Michael has more one-liners).

One of the seasons I love to watch is Season 12. This is the season that had the stoic and talented Alexandra, the deaf-mute and fiercely talented Justin, and the cool, calm and brilliantly creative winner, Dom.

Since episode 1, I knew she was a winner. Her point of view and aesthetic were both solid. Her designs were fresh and fashionable. And her personality was lovable AF.

After watching her “Retro Futuristic” collection for her final runway, there’s no doubt that she was leading this competition.

And of course, she came back for Project Runway All Stars 5, winning that one, too.

How’s that for dominance?

Exie-lharating!

Another awesome discovery from Project Runway All Stars 7, Christina Exie!

I don't follow the international seasons of Project Runway, but she's the winner of Project Runway Australia Season 4. And now is making waves in the fashion scene down under.



She's such a dynamite! Aside from being creative, she's also very articulate, conceptual and technical. Plus, that accent! Divine!

Must. Back watch. Her. Season!

Ma Belle!

When Michelle Lesniak won her season, I was thrilled! Her personality, craftsmanship and aesthetic really made her a stand-out in that first and only "Team Season" in Season 11.

Then, she returned for Project Runway All Stars 4, where she finished 4th.

And when she came back for Project Runway All Stars 7, she was one of my favorites. In fact, I had 3 women who I was rooting for: Michelle, Irina Shabayeva and Christina Exie.

Both Irina and Michelle made it to the top 4, but after the finale runway, it was Dmitry and Michelle who were standing as the last 2.

At first, I was a bit nervous because both Dmitry and Michelle were in Project Runway All Stars Season 4, and Dmitry won over Michelle. So, in my mind, the scenarios were playing: will it be a repeat, or will fate favor Michelle this time.

And the fates delivered!

Michelle Lesniak is the World Champion of Project Runway!

Congratulations, Michelle! Well deserved!

Fashion Fours

All of a sudden, I'm hooked on the final season of Project Runway: All Stars.

I've been binge-watching the final season's episodes in the run-in to the finale. And on the last episode - the one when they were supposed to whittle down to the top 3 - the unthinkable happened.

They have a top 4!

Actually, I was worried when the bottom 2 was composed of Michelle and Dmitry, both very talented designers from the US version, so, it was good news when they both qualified.

So now, the Fashion World Championship is a toss-up among Bidell, Dmitry, Irina and Michelle.

I have my favorites!

All about the Basse

While waiting for the next episode of Project Runway All-Stars Season 7 to appear on-line, I've been binge-watching previous seasons of both the main show and All-Stars.

One of my discoveries from the recent seasons was Laurence Bass from Season 15.

She has a very clear aesthetic and point of view, which is no surprise since she made it to Fashion Week. But aside from her fashion, I'm also drawn to her accent. Just like Anya and Olivier from previous seasons, she has this way of speaking that is so easy on the ears.



With her talent, I'm sure she's going far in the fashion world, post-Project Runway.

Back Masking

When I was in SG, I caught the re-run of this new game show in the U.S. called "The Masked Singer."

The show has an interesting premise. Singers are fully disguised, and they compete against each other. The judges eliminate a contestant per week, and they do this based on their singing performance. After they're eliminated, that's the only time they reveal who they are.

When I found out the names behind the masks, I was impressed. They had LaToya Jackson, Ricki Lake, Tori Spelling, Terry Bradshaw, among others.

After that re-run, I've only managed to watch the show twice.

Looks like I have to back watch a few more episodes to catch up.

Makes my blood Boyle

When we first saw Susan Boyle on the stage of "Britain's Got Talent," we fell in love with her immediately.

That's why I was quite disappointed that she just finished 1st runner up on her season.

While browsing youtube, I came across a video that shows one important thing:

Susan Boyle is back!



I hope she wins this time. I really, really do!

Marshall Law

The first time we met Adela Marshall was during the shoot of our Smiley's commercial 2 years ago. From the story of her Mom, she just came to the Philippines to visit, someone scouted her, and she started doing commercials.

Even back then, I found her very charismatic, the camera loves her, and she has a very nice disposition. You can say that it was "Model attitude."

When she appeared in Philippines' Next Top Model, she made it to top 2. It was well deserved.

And now, she's on the 6th cycle of Asia's Next Top Model!



Just like in the local version, I'm sure she'll go very, very far.

Nine lives of the cat-walk

Just when you thought ANTM was sent home.

Apparently, it's making a comeback on VH1!



I wonder how this show will fare without Tyra's Tyra-isms.

Looks like I have to watch to find out.

Car-a-oke!

Whenever I have downtime - few and far between these days - I go to youtube and watch James Corden's "Carpool Karaoke" series.

It's a novel concept, and it's always a joy to watch these singers bust a song in such an odd location.

One of my favorite episodes is the one with JHud!



When she ordered drive through in a song, it was just genius!

I can watch this over and over again!

Magical dance

While browsing through youtube, this video came up in the suggestion box. It was an excerpt from a Chinese talent show, and it featured a ballerina.

Not just any ballerina, but a ballerina who does magic!



What can I say, this was really a magical performance!

Jewel of the Nyle

Yup, they wanted to end with a big bang.

So they chose Nyle, a deaf model, to be the last winner of ANTM.

And with that, ANTM packs their bags and goes home.