This Year Ender List of the Good News about Shows in 2020 presents the best of Filipino entertainment staged within the year that saw the cancellation of live events and programs as the world faced the coronavirus pandemic.
Filipinos in the Philippines and around the world offered their gifts of music, storytelling, beauty, and art to shine the light amid the darkness of a worldwide emergency health crisis that kept people at home.
These are the 8 Best Good News in Shows for 2020 that received the most love from GoodNewsPilipinas.com readers:
8. Filipino photographers
In early June 2020, five Filipino photographers together won a total of 8 prizes at the Moscow International Foto Awards.
Jophel Botero Ybiosa, Sherwin Magsino, Froilan Robas, Cris Magsino, and Edwin S. Loyola received honors for their skills and creativity in capturing images of Filipinos and the world’s beauty.
JUST IN: Filipino photographers bag 8 Moscow International Foto Awards
7. Katrina Llegado in Ibong Adarna national costume
Filipina beauty queen Katrina Llegado donned a national costume in January that sent her to the Top 5 of the Reina Hispanoamericana pageant in Bolivia.
Llegado soared like the Ibong Adarna, a prominent mythical bird in Philippine literature that is said to have a capability to heal sickness with its magical songs and symbolizes youth, beauty, power, and resilience.
Katrina Llegado soars in Ibong Adarna national costume at Reina Hispanoamericana Pageant in Bolivia
6. Blind balladeer Carl Montecido
Blind singer Carmalone Montecido of Bacolod singing a cover of Sam Smith’s “Too Good at Goodbyes” at a mall store went viral in February and got the attention of the Grammy artist himself.
The viral video was also noticed by American host Ellen DeGeneres who then invited the student to perform on her TV show.
Ellen DeGeneres adores Carl Montecido, invites blind balladeer to perform on her TV show
5. Janine Gutierrez at New York Fashion Week
Filipino actress-model Janine Gutierrez received love at the New York Fashion Week in February with her street fashion.
New York Post featured Gutierrez among the best in street style with her winter-ready outerwear consisting of Louis Vuitton parka-and-pants set and bright white cowboy boots.
Janine Gutierrez turned heads at NY Fashion Week, gets featured on New York Post
4. Sarah Geronimo’s viral “Tala”
Sarah Geronimo’s 2016-released song “Tala” went viral in late 2019 as a viral dance challenge that had people posting videos of their versions of the original dance.
In January, Tala entered the United States Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart for the best-selling international songs based on sales data compiled by Nielsen Music. Sarah G was the only Filipino to enter the charts alongside Kpop idols.
Sarah Geronimo’s viral “Tala” enters U.S. World Digital Billboard Charts
3. American Idol contestant Francisco Martin
Filipino-American singer-songwriter Francisco Martin of San Francisco auditioned in February for American Idol and immediately received praises from the show’s judges and was even tagged as already a winner.
As the show continued broadcasting from the homes of the contestants amid the pandemic, Martin’s journey on AI was followed around the world as he revealed and paid homage to his Filipino mother, a health worker in the United States. Francisco Martin eventually reached the May finals of the hit talent show.
American Idol judges tag Filipino talent Francisco Martin a Winner
2. Marcelito Pomoy in America’s Got Talent Champions
The Philippines’ multi-voiced singer Marcelito Pomoy surprised the world watching America’s Got Talent Champions’ January auditions with his unique solo performance of a Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli duet, switching from Dion’s female soprano parts and then to Bocelli’s male tenor parts, and even singing fluently in both Italian and English.
The Pilipinas Got Talent Grand Winner went on to the semifinals and performed week after week with his performance videos hitting No. 1 trending videos on YouTube.
Pomoy made it to the AGT Champions Finals in February, performing Beauty and the Beast. He was eventually voted 3rd Runner Up and received praises from America’s Got Talent judges and fans for both his humility and performances.
Marcelito’s journey on AI stayed on trending status, spurring ticket sales for a U.S concert tour that was eventually cancelled as the world went on lockdown due to Covid 19.
Pomoy continued singing on his own YouTube channel and offered a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Heal The World” for COVID-19 healing.
BREAKING NEWS: Marcelito Pomoy is in the Finals of America’s Got Talent Champions
1. Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo student movie trailer
Filipino national hero Jose Rizal’s novel “El Filibusterismo” was turned into a movie trailer by Grade 10 students from Bulacan State University Laboratory High School as a school project and turned viral as netizens noted its production quality.
The trailer was praised by netizens for its professional editing as well as special effects using green screens. The film trailer was shot in several locations including their school, a forest, historical locations, and the seashore. The actors also used old Tagalog words and dressed in clothing reminiscent of the Spanish era in the Philippines when the novel was written.
Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo movie trailer by Bulacan’s Grade 10 students praised by netizens
Check out these Top 10 Entertainment Stories that Captured Filipino Hearts in 2019
SHARE in the comments below, which is your favorite Best Good News in Shows this 2020?
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