The crowd went berserk at the first second he set foot on stage to deliver his performance.

He got the loudest cheer from the crowd during the grand finals of Pilipinas Got Talent which was held at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday night (June 12). And if the thunderous screams of his name translate to votes, there is no doubt, he will be the first winner of Pilipinas Got Talent.

I am talking about the 16-year-old siomai vendor from Batangas, Jovit Baldivino. He may not have a stunning face and body like model/singer Markki Stroem but his voice cuts through the soul. He also got the charisma that compelled the audience to shout his name at the mere second his feet stepped on the stage. And at the moment he opened his mouth to sing, he delivered goosebumps to everyone.

I witnessed this YouTube sensation perform “Too Much Love Will Kill You” by Queen live at the Big Dome and i must say, he’s the front runner for the title. His performance prompted Kris Aquino to say that he could be the next big superstar of ABS-CBN and I agree. My bet goes to this little guy, the possible winner of the P2 million cash prize.

The contestants whom I think could deliver an upset tomorrow at the results night are ventriloquist Ruther Urquia and hip hop dancing acrobats the Velasco Brothers. I am tempted to include Alakim (Allan dela Paz) as another front runner but there’s something I saw at the Araneta that the televiewers did not see. Nevertheless, he got a lot of fans and his previous magical performance during the semifinals was terrific and it could still earn him a lot of votes.

Those who stepped up their game are Markki Stroem who showed that he can also play the saxophone aside from singing and playing the piano (not to mention his terrific choice of song); Maria Jeline Oliva who also played the drums and piano aside from her usual violin, Ruther Urquia who also performed rap with his puppets; and Luntayao Family who ended the show with a bang.

Sherwin Baguion from Lanao del Norte also performed very well but the song he sang (Tayong Dalawa) was the same song he did during the auditions. I’m sorry but i’m not a fan of “recycled” performance but he’s good nonetheless. 14-year-old Keith Clark Delleva, on the other hand, added a little more singing than his usual electric guitar performance and I think he gained more fans to vote for him for that.

The Velasco Brothers may not have surpassed what they did during the auditions but their additional acrobats surely wowed the audience. Ezra Band, too, did not surpass their previous performance but they’re still good. Baguio Metamorphosis and Ingrid Payaket also delivered good-but-not-better-and-not-worst and to quote Randy Jackson of American Idol, “I’m not jumping up and down.” And i still think Imusicapella could have brought something different should they’ve been included in the grand finals.

Anyway, in summary, here’s my “starmo-meter”:

SIZZLING HOT

• Jovit Baldivino (16, vocalist)

HOT

• Ruther Urquia (31, ventriloquist who also rapped) [Click here to watch the video]
• Velasco Brothers (hip hop dancers/acrobats) [Click here to watch the video]
• Markki Stoem (vocalist who also played the piano and sax) [Click here to watch the video]
• Jeline Oliva (13, violinist who also played the piano and drums) [Click here to watch the video]
• Luntayao Family (choir) [Click here to watch the video]
• Alakim (29, magician) [Click here to watch the video]

WARM

• Ezra Band (a band from Davao) [Click here to watch the video]
• Ingrid Payaket (22, vocalist) [Click here to watch the video]
• Keith Clark Delleva (14, electric guitarist who also sang) [Click here to watch the video]
• Sherwin Baguion (19, vocalist) [Click here to watch the video]
• Baguio Metamorphosis (male/female dance group) [Click here to watch the video]

COLD

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