Where I Belong

Freedom and Life - "...Nitong mga nakaraang araw, pinilit kong manahimik kaysa sagutin ang tanong ng ilan kung totoo nga bang nag-tangka ako ng suicide dahil wala na akong pera. Ngayon, pabubulaanan ko ang mga bintang, (This last few day, I tried to be quiet instead of replying to all question that they said I committed suicide because they said I don't have money anymore, now I will say to all of that, that's all wrong)," Pempengco said. "Mahal ko po ang buhay ko, lalo pa nga't malaya ko nang naipapahayag ang totoong ako. At mayroon pa rin po akong naitatagong pera, (I love my life, specially now that I have my freedom to be who I am and I still have money saved.)" she said. Pempengco was referring to her decision to go public with her sexual preference in June, which she has since credited in interviews for being happy. She is also openly in a relationship with Alyssa Quijano, a former rival in singing competitions with whom she now shares a home. On the subject of her alleged financial woes and her estrangement from her family, Pempengco added: "Patuloy pa rin po akong nag-tatrabaho dahil mahal ko ang pamilya ko. Maaring hindi maayos ang sitwasyon namin ngayon, pero umaasa po akong magiging okay kami sa nalalapit na panahon (I continuing to work because I love family, the situation right now may not be good but in due time, I still hoping it will be)...." - ABS-CBN News, 10 Dec 2013 (READ MORE)

Right Where I Belong - "...Pempengco lent her singing voice for the film's theme song "Right Where I Belong." The singer, however, said she almost lost the project after she revealed she was a lesbian. "I came out...I almost lost it but they didn't give up on me. They were scared, siyempre kasi 'di ba ang audience is mga kids, ganyan, but they realized na the story of being who you are is very beautiful and that's why they chose me," she told ANC. News that Charice was working on a US animated film first surfaced in June 2013, shortly after Pempengco revealed she was a lesbian. Pempenco did not announce the film's title, but hinted at the project..." - Rappler (READ MORE)

Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco (born May 10, 1992), popularly known by the mononym Charice, is a Filipina singer who rose to popularity through YouTube. Dubbed by Oprah Winfrey as "the most talented girl in the world", she released her first international studio album Charice in 2010. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number-eight, making Charice the first Asian solo singer in history to land in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart. She released the single "Pyramid" which featured singer Iyaz. It is her most successful single to-date, charting within the top 40 in a number of countries, and debuting on The Oprah Winfrey Show where she sang live vocals. Crossing over to acting on television, she joined the cast of TV series Glee as Sunshine Corazon. She has released a new lead single, "Before It Explodes", written by Bruno Mars, from her international sophomore studio album, Infinity. In March 2012, she signed on to be one of the four judges of the Philippine version of The X Factor, which began to air on ABS-CBN in June. - Wikipedia (READ MORE)

Related Reading:

• Rose 'Osang' Fostanes, gustong makasama si Charice sa concert
• Conflicting sides in Pempengco-Smith dispute
• Glee star reportedly attempted suicide due to 'financial worries'
• Charice denies alleged suicide attempt: "Mahal ko po ang buhay ko."
• Charice Reportedly Attempted Suicide Over Financial Troubles (Video)

Proud Darren

Socialitelife: Not at all. To be quite honest, that doesn’t take up a huge chunk of what really matters about Blaine. After having gotten to know the show a little bit, I was really excited to see that a character like this—such a strong gay character, especially a young, male, out-and-proud teen—was going to make its way onto network television, much less Fox. This is the first time I’d really seen an out student that was so young and innocent and really struggling with the big ordeal that it is to be an out student at such an early age. When other shows present the gay character thing, it’s typically been in much more adult situations, like gay men living in New York or closeted men who are married and struggling with that ordeal, but never really the core of the journey of defining your sexuality. Blaine offers a beautiful counter to that and makes such a great addition to the many-colored palette that is Glee. So as far as me having any reservations about it, no. I read it being like, this would be so cool, whoever gets to play this, it’s going to be a great thing for an already great show. (Justin Thompson Dec 2010) Darren Criss Proud To Play Gay

Out: Criss initially thought he would tell reporters something ambiguous and "idealistic" like "It doesn’t matter if I’m gay or straight -- I’m playing a role." Though new to Hollywood, he’s wise enough to know that such a tactic could have backfired. He concluded, "I didn’t want to make it troublesome." So Criss came out, as it were, as straight, and now he regularly says things like "I think it’s more empowering to everybody, including myself, if I’m articulate about identifying myself as a straight male playing a gay character. Ultimately, that’s more powerful for both communities."  Criss’s backstory is so good it seems tailor-made for this moment. He grew up in San Francisco (translation: he’s gay-friendly), where he was a big musical theater geek (see previous); his mom is Filipino and his dad is Irish (so he’s appealingly multicultural); he graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009 (in other words, he’s a smartie); his self-produced EP and the Harry Potter musical parody he and his UM friends made became worldwide viral video hits (he’s creative, resourceful, and of-the-moment); he auditioned three times for Glee (that’s persistence); and he’s still deeply involved in Team StarKid, the theater company he started with his friends in college (he’s grounded). The New Kid on the Block

Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American television actor, singer-songwriter, musician, and Internet personality. He is best known for his portrayals of Harry Potter in the plays A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel, as well as playing the role of Blaine, an openly gay student at Dalton Academy, in the second season of Glee (Wikipedia).

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GAY -- and proud of it

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