It all started when blind Pinoy balladeer Carl Malone Montecido unmindfully sang “Too Good at Goodbyes”, one of the iconic songs of Sam Smith, while inside SM Bacolod in Bacolod City, central Philippines. But someone was so impressed by his voice and took a video that would soon take the internet by storm.

Posted by Trixie Madison, the video would gain over 14 million views – and quickly reached Sam Smith who praised the young man for his impressive cover! Soon, many celebrities also praised his performance, leading no less than popular talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to extend an invitation for the young man to appear on her show!

And we are all quite positive that once Carl will be on the show, Ellen is surely going to let him meet face to face with Sam Smith. Wow.

A number of avid TV viewers quickly recalled that Carl was one of the finalists of ABS-CBN’s Showtime’s “Tawag ng Tanghalan” in 2016. He finished as in Top 5. He was also invited to participate in GMA Network’s “Clash” but was quickly eliminated during the first round.

While the young man wishes to have a better singing career, he was no longer invited to anymore shows. So, he’s back in his hometown when he was unexpectedly “discovered” again. This time, it would seem that he is on the path to make his talent known worldwide!

Days after his cover went viral, SM Bacolod management invited him back. He once again sang “Too Good at Goodbyes” to the cheers of the crowd. He also sang “Exchange of Hearts” by David Slater.

This time around, the SM Bacolod management had prepared a surprise for this young performer. Accompanied by his parents Ferdinand and Divina, Carl received two big carts of groceries, brand new Grand videoke symphony pro plus, and SM gift certificates.

The young man confirmed that they received an invitation from Ellen but the details need to be smoothed out first. We sure to watch him on the show soon!

Here’s the video the made him go viral:

What’s a Balladeer?

A balladeer is someone who sings or composes ballads, a type of slow, sentimental music that often tells a romantic story.

Young actress Nadine Lustre, 26, is currently single after recently breaking up with boyfriend James Reid. And while she doesn’t look like she’s in the market for someone new, a lot of guys have shown their interest on the bankable young star. One of these is no less than the controversial Xian Gaza who’s had a number of ‘links’ to popular artists in the past.

In a post on Facebook, Xian shares a photo of a giant ‘bouquet’ that has a car in the middle – no less than a red Mustang. In the Philippines, the ‘cheapest’ brand-new Mustang would set you back by nearly Php3 million but Xian doesn’t mind throwing away a couple of millions, if that means winning Nadine’s heart.

“Dear Nadine Lustre,

First of all, Happy Valentine’s Week! Sana ay nagustuhan mo at nawa’y tanggapin mo ‘tong “Bouquet of Mustang” na regalo ko para sayo.

Since my teenage days, KSP na talaga ako. Whenever I really like someone, gagawin ko ang lahat-lahat para makuha ang atensyon nung babaeng gusto ko in the grandest way possible within my means. Just like my ligaw efforts to Ella Cruz way back 2016 and so with my epic fail billboard for Erich last 2017.

Three years after, here I am again. Nagpapapansin naman this time sayo. Maaari nanamang magmukhang tanga at katatawanan ng publiko but idgaf sa opinyon ng iba. This is me, this is how I express myself, this is the way I am.”

Of course, he realized in retrospect that he appears to be ‘buying’ Nadine’s love. So, he explained in the post that he’s not doing that but merely giving away the Mustang to Nadine because he’s rather rich at the moment.

“Maybe iisipin ng madlang people that this Ford Mustang is too much, na parang binibili kita at yung pagkababae mo. Nope! It’s just that my financial capacity at the moment is a little bit good and I believe that you deserve to be the first ever person in the Philippines to receive a “Bouquet of Mustang” as a Valentines gift because that’s how high I value you as a woman.

All I want is to be your acquaintance, nothing more nothing less.

Happy Valentines to you, Nadine.

Christian Albert Gaza”

It’s really a very expensive gift! But everyone is curious how Nadine would react to the Valentine’s gift…

What’s a Mustang?

A Mustang is a luxury American car manufactured by Ford. Because this sports car is considered a luxury vehicle, it also comes with a huge price tag.

Filipinos all over the world are cheering for Marcelito Pomoy, expressing pride that the Pinoy singer has made it to the Finals of “America’s Got Talent: The Champions”, 2020 Edition. With Simon Cowell telling him to up his game for the Finals, many suggested that he do songs with more voices, such as “We Are the World”. But Marcelito performed “Beauty and the Beast”, a popular duet.

READ: Marcelito Pomoy Wows Anew with Stellar Performance for Semi-Finals of “AGT: The Champions”

Just like his two impressive performances up to the Semi-Finals, Marcelito has once again wowed the crowd with his talent. The Pinoy artist gave a spectacular rendition of a popular duet; though Simon wasn’t so pleased with the ‘predictable’ song choice.

But Marcelito still hopes to win with this classic piece.

“I know it’s the third time you perform in front of us, but it never gets old. Like when those voices are all coming out and it’s like so many voices inside of your body, it is just incredible over and over and over again. I can feel it from the reactions of the audience, too. It’s amazing!” said Heidi Klum. “You are also very, very smart, because you always picked songs that we all know and love, so we can always kind of follow. You’re so incredible.”

Even Howie Mandel praised Marcelito, despite gaining flak earlier for not pressing the Golden Buzzer for the Pinoy artist.

“Oh, Marcelito! When I first saw you, you blew me away because it was the surprise of it all. Like we don’t expect both voices to come out of oner person. I thought it was a gimmick but the second time I saw you, I enjoyed it just as much – if not more!” he gushed. “And I feel the same thing about tonight. You’re making the right choices on the right song. Great job tonight!”

Alesha Dixon feels the same way.

“Marcelito, the song choice was perfect! And I actually think that you’ve upped your game from the last time we had you sing. The high notes on that song were beautiful. You absolutely nailed it tonight and I couldn’t be happier for you,” she said. “Love you!”

But Simon while Simon praised Marcelito, he said the song was ‘predictable’ and not something that would have impressed everyone in the Finals.

“You are a very nice, very talented guy, I gotta tell you. You really, really are – and this is even better than the last performance you did. Much, much better! However, if it was my choice, on a night like this, I would have done something less predictable,” Simon started.

“How was that predictable?” a flabbergasted Alesha interrupted. She asked again, “How was that predictable?”

“The songs he’s chosen. The very safe, the kind of, you know… I get it they are popular songs but I just think that tonight if he had done something out of his comfort zone, like a shock to everybody. Like “My God he’s chosen this song!” That would have given you another moment because I think you’ve got a massive career in front of you. I really, really do!” Simon said.

“I agree! Good luck tonight, Marcelito! Let’s hear it for Marcelito Pomoy!” Terry Crews announced.

After videos of the performance was leaked on YouTube, supposedly by furious crew who believe Marcelito deserves to win, the show posted an early release on their official YouTube channel:

What’s “America’s Got Talent: The Champions”?

The show is a spin-off of “America’s Got Talent” but features winners, finalists, live round participants and other notable entries not just from the show in America but also a variety of participants taken from across the Got Talent franchise.