Celebrity singing competition Celebrity Duets 3 held its second non-elimination night last Saturday, October 24. After boxing champ Nonito Donaire, Jr. was voted off last week, five celebrity contenders remained in the competition: perfume line owner Joel Cruz, actor and concert producer Jomari Yllana, fashion photographer Niccolo Cosme, actress and director Gina Alajar, and Brazilian-Japanese model Akihiro Sato.
The theme for the night was OPM--homegrown music popularized by local artists and musicians.
Businessman and Aficionado owner Joel Cruz kicked the night off with Pinoy novelty music, singing Joey de Leon's collaboration with Sexbomb and one of Eat Bulaga's past staple songs, "Itaktak Mo." Wearing black cheerleader costumes and pigtails, Joel and duet partner, comedian John "Sweet" Lapus, incorporated Sexbomb's original choreography into their performance.
After his number, the entrepreneur confessed that he had a difficult time synchronizing his singing with the original dance steps.
Stage director and judge Freddie Santos liked his performance, nonetheless. "Pinupuri ko yung poise ni Joel, intact, kahit yung boses labas pasok dito sa studio," he said. Composer and fellow judge Danny Tan was all praises, as well. "Yan ang tinatawag sa performance na may presence of mind," he observed, noting that Joel enjoyed his own performance. "Good energy," he continued. "It was a good way to open this show. And nag-enjoy kami sa performance ni Joel."
Celebrity judge and socialite Tessa Prieto-Valdez echoed the same opinion and even recalled Joel's pose for his finale, "Ang galing mo mag-split. This is what you call total performance. There's singing, dancing, and exposure ng flesh!" exclaimed Tessa, referring to Joel's exposed belly. "I love it! You've begun this competition na pareho ang form mo lagi, but ngayon, my god. Over naman!" she laughed. "Pero okay lang, very entertaining. Keep it up!"
Actor and now concert producer Jomari Yllana went for OPM Rock and chose the Eraserheads classic, "Ang Huling El Bimbo." Singing with one of OPM's pillars, Rico J. Puno, Jomari appeared in a pair of black flared pants matched with a black turtleneck with sparkling silver embellishments.
Tessa labeled Jomari "Mr. Cool." "Parang mas cool ka pa kay Rico J. Grabe, ang galing mo. All the contenders from the beginning ‘til the end, ikaw lang yung pinaka-swabe. Super low tension, enjoying, flowing. You're gonna flow to the finals," she predicted.
Danny Tan agreed. "Napansin ko lang, ikaw yung one of the few na talagang may confidence on stage. ‘Pag pasok pa lang, confident." Then the composer threw in some constructive advice. "Sa boses naman, may konting gigil. Sobrang gigil at times," he noted, saying that the tune tends to be compromised sometimes. "Otherwise, kapag hindi pinupush ng husto, perfect ang pitch. Bantayan mo lang na huwag masyadong sobrang gigil."
Judge Freddie added, "Linggo-linggo mas gumagaling na gumagaling siya. Which means, conscious siya kung anong ginagawa niya the previous week. It's not about being the best, it's about being better," he said, after jokingly calling Jomari's costume "isang higanteng laser disc".
It was ‘80s disco for fashion photographer Niccolo Cosme, who sang Regine Velasquez's "Urong Sulong" with Sugar Pop alumna Julie Ann San Jose. This week, Niccolo appeared in a golden jacket and a multi-colored striped top that matched Julie Ann's equally vibrant ‘80s-inspired skirt.
When host Ogie Alcasid asked the photographer how he felt during the performance, knowing that the Songbird herself watched him perform that song, Niccolo replied laughingly, "Nainis ata siya, ‘e." To this, host Regine quipped, "Mas maganda [kasi] yung version [ni Niccolo].
Judge Danny was impressed. "Si Niccolo is one of the very few na talagang born to perform on stage. Very comfortable siya," he threw in a compliment. "Sa lahat ng performances niya, ito yung naiiba for me. Kasi very light ang aura niya ngayon, nakasmile siya. Hindi siya masyadong seryoso. Ang sarap panoorin. Nagenjoy ako."
"For the first time, lahat kami naka-smile," seconded Tessa. "It was so light. This is the first time na talagang enjoy! And this is what you're supposed to be doing, enjoying the whole time. Wonderful performance."
"Ginawa mo itong napaka-gaan, at napaka-bagay sa iyong kanta," added judge Freddie, after comparing Niccolo's look to Kuya Germs. "Sayang lang sumasablay ng konti yung key. Pero okay lang kasi, for once we saw you smiling. You're getting to really enjoy this, and we're very glad about it," he said.
Multi-awarded actress and director Gina Alajar channeled the Manila Sound vibe this week with her performance of VST and Company's "Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko" with actor Ricky Davao. The singing duo relived the disco era with their costumes - Gina in a printed dress, boots and frizzy ponytailed hair, and Ricky in a disco outfit ala Saturday Night Fever.
Despite the judges giving credit to Ricky Davao's attempt at a disco costume, they weren't as impressed with Gina's number. "I like your other performance better than last time," said Tessa, recalling last week's number. "Mas feel mo yun. This one you're catching your breath. But otherwise, it's a good performance." Danny Tan agreed but still called Gina's performance "engrossing" and Gina, a "great performer."
Judge Freddie appreciated the duo's swing dance, saying, "walang biro yung kumanta't sumayaw ng sabay." The fact that Gina memorized her lyrics and didn't need to look at the teleprompter also pleased the stage director.
Last for the night was Brazilian-Japanese model Akihiro Sato who pursued an OPM classic, Labuyo's "Tuloy Pa Rin" with singer Gino Padilla. The duet partners wore black vests and danced along to the upbeat melody, as Akihiro struggled with the song's Tagalog lyrics.
After his performance, judge Tessa was pleasantly surprised. "Your Tagalog is better than mine," she laughed. "You have a disadvantage here, because you don't speak our language, but ang galing. It came out so cute," she said. "You're really enjoying, and your voice has gotten better. The timing, everything, mas magaling, grabe. So cute!"
Direk Freddie was speechless and just said, "The turning-turning," noting Akihiro's dance step that involved a 180-degree turn. "It's not going out of my mind." To this, host Ogie Alcasid quipped and told Akihiro, "He couldn't say anything, because he thought it was great."
Maestro
Danny found the performance funny "because the way [Akihiro] moves, iikot siya,
parang de-susing Japanese doll," he laughed. He also said that he was surprised
at how Akihiro was able to pull off a Tagalog song. "Kasi the first time he performed
here, walang ka rhythm-rhythm. Walang ka-tiyempo-tiyempo. Tapos yung pinili
niya, may tiyempo. Ang laki ng improvement! Kahit yung movements medyo saliwa,
pero yung pagkanta niya nasa tiyempo. Huge improvement. And you're enjoying
yourself," he told Akihiro.
In a previous interview with PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal), Akihiro said that this singing competition has helped him to show his true personality on air. (CLICK HERE to read related article)
Next week, the five contenders will have a costume party in celebration of Halloween. What will each contender wear? And who will leave next week? Find out on Celebrity Duets 3, airing every Saturday on GMA-7 after Pinoy Records.