Artista Academy Best Actor and Best Actress Winners: Vin Abrenica and Sophie Albert

Artista Academy Awards Night (grand finals) happened October 27 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and TV-5 crowned the winners of the said artista search. Vin Abrenica and Sophie Albert were hailed as the search's Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.

Six students in the Artista Academy honors list vied for the title including Akihiro Blanco, Chanel Morales, Mark Neumann, Shaira Mae, Sophie Albert and Vin Abrenica. The winners were determined based on 40% accumulated average for the past 3 weeks, 40% grades for their performance during the Awards night and 20% text votes.

Before the announcement of winners, the Artista Academy Final 6 showcased their talent in singing, dancing and acting. Their individual short films helmed by Eric Quizon (girls) and Bb. Joyce Bernal (boys) were also shown after each of their song and dance performance.

Artista Academy’s Best Actor and Best Actress winners Vin and Sophie took home a total of P20 million in cash and prizes plus guaranteed lead roles in an upcoming TV5 teleserye. Each bagged a total of P10 million worth of prize package which includes a trophy especially crafted by Leeroy New, a condominium unit at Lakefront in Parañaque City, 1 million pesos cash, a Toyota Innova and an exclusive TV5 contract with a minimum guarantee of P5 million.

Vin and Sophie will also be the new Close-Up ambassadors. Being trained at the Asian Academy of Televison Arts (AATA), they are now the new breed of professional actors who are equipped with the proper training and attitude that will rightfully make them the industry’s future stars.

The Artista Academy Top 16 were also given exclusive talent management contract by TV-5. They will also star in the new Kapatid youth-oriented series, Forever Barkada (FB). This summer, TV-5 will also launch Artista Academy Tweens.

Photos courtesy of kristn.com

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Artista Academy Kicked Out 4 Students in One Night, Twist Coming Up

Artista Academy sent home 4 students on Monday's (September 17) Kick Out episode. Alberto Bruno, Marvelous Alejo, Nicole Estrada and Stephanie Rowe were expelled from the academy after getting the lowest combined scores from the AATA, the live exams and text votes.

After a memorable weekend in Hong Kong last week where they performed for thousands of OFWs and had the time of their lives in Hong Kong Disneyland, last night’s Kick Out episode proved to be most devastating for the Artista Academy students as four of them were instantly expelled in one sweep.

Alberto Bruno, Marvelous Alejo, Nicole Estrada and Stephanie Rowe now joined the ranks of Artista Academy kickouts after they failed to make the grade in the now intensifying competition for the coveted P20 Million total pizes, the biggest pot to be given away by any talent search in the country.

With eight contenders remaining in TV5’s grandest and most intensive artista search, the students will have to work doubly hard if they are really intent on making it to the grand finals and winning the title of Artista Academy’s Best Actor and Best Actress.

This week, in line with their “Fearless” challenge, the remaining eight students will be doing two horror flicks to be directed by highly acclaimed director Topel Lee. The short films will be shown in the Live Exam this Saturday and will comprise a portion of the grades to be given by the Live Exam critics.

Artista Academy Principal Wilma V. Galvante also announced in last night’s episode that the eliminated students will form a group called Tropang Kickout and will be given one production number in upcoming Live Exams. Though expelled from Artista Academy, the kickouts continue their extensive training at the Asian Academy of Television Arts (AATA) and are bound to be professional ‘artistas’ when they graduate.

Artista Academy airs weeknights at 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. on TV5.

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Brent Manzano Expelled from Artista Academy

The competition for the P20 Million total prize gets more intense as Artista Academy reduces the number of contenders to 12, following the elimination of Brent Manzano in Monday’s Kick Out episode (September 3).

Brent is the third student to be kicked out of Artista Academy after garnering the lowest combined scores from his Live Exam performance last Saturday, his grades from the Asian Academy of Television Arts (AATA) where all the artista hopefuls are undergoing extensive training, and the text votes from fans and supporters.

He joins Chris Leonardo and Jon Orlando in the ranks of being Artista Academy kick-outs. Julia Quisumbing, on the other hand, dropped out of the academy last week due to health reasons.

Although he showed an intense acting performance in last Saturday’s Live Exam, Brent still failed to make the grade. He landed in the Live Exam’s bottom 3, along with Marvelous Alejo and Benjo Leoncio.

Last Saturday’s episode also proclaimed Vin Abrenica as the honor student for dancing and singing. He received a grade of 93.5% for dancing and 92% for singing. Sophie Albert is the honor student for acting, with a total grade of 94.5%.

Artista Academy airs weeknights at 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m.

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Jon Orlando Expelled from Artista Academy, Julia Quisumbing Dropped Out

Jon Orlando, 19-year-old FIlipino Italian from Canada is the second student to be kicked out of Artista Academy, following the elimination of Chris Leonardo last week. Julia Quisumbing, on the other hand, has been dropped out due to excessive absences.

Jon Orlando failed to level up in Saturday’s Live Exam, where he landed at the bottom 5 with Brent Manzano, Nicole Estrada, Julia Quisumbing and Marvelous Alejo.

After the students’ grades from the Asian Academy of Television Arts (AATA) and the text votes were factored in, Jon received the lowest points for the week, making him the second kick-out of TV5’s reality-based artista search.

Meanwhile, Julia Quisumbing is also eliminated in the competition. The Jessica Biel look-alike has been dropped out due to absences.

With Jon, Chris and Julia out of the competition, the remaining 13 students who are focused on winning the P20 Million total prizes are Akihiro Blanco, Alberto Bruno, Benjo Leoncio, Brent Manzano, Chanel Morales, Malak So Shdifat, Mark Neumann, Marvelous Alejo, Nicole Estrada, Shaira Mae, Sophie Albert, Stephanie Rowe, and Vin Abrenica.

To vote for the student you want to save from expulsion, key in AA and send to 5656.

Artista Academy airs weeknights at 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m.

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Chris Leonardo Expelled From Artista Academy

Chris Leonardo is the first one to be eliminated and kicked-out from TV-5's Artista Academy.

The 20-year-old “Dancing Cutie of Laguna” received the lowest grade from combined points from the live exam, the academy itself and audience text votes. Chris was part of the seven academy scholars who were brought to the principal's office to be reminded of the importance of doing well inside the academy and in the live exams.

Nicole Estrada, Akihiro Blanco, Stephanie Rowe and Jon Orlando, together with Benjo Leoncio and Brent Manzano (who joined Chris as the bottom group after the live exam night on Saturday) completed the bottom seven.

Eliminated though from the competition, Chris Leonardo will still continue to train at the Asian Academy of Television Arts  to become a professional actor. 

This weeks' best students are Sophie Albert, Vin Abrenica and Chanel Morales while saved from expulsion after being part of the bottom are Stephanie Rowe and Benjo Leoncio. See the rest of the Artista Academy Top 16 hopefuls here.

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The X Factor Philippines Beats Artista Academy and Protégé in TV Ratings

The country’s biggest musical event of the year, “The X Factor Philippines,” won in national TV ratings over rival network’s newly launched talent-reality shows during the weekend making it the most-watched talent show in the land. 

Based on recent urban and rural TV ratings data from Kantar Media, “The X Factor Philippines” scored an average national TV rating of 20.7% last Saturday (Aug 4) vs TV5’s Artista Academy” only rated at 1.8%. GMA 7’s bet “Protégé: The Battle for the Big Artista Break” also fell short on its viewership and wasn’t able to beat “The X Factor Philippines” (16.6%) during its launch last Sunday (Aug 5). 

More Filipinos are definitely glued to the intense competition being served by the hit Kapamilya show especially after judge-mentor Charice bid goodbye to her first act. Jerrianne Templo, a dive guide from Mandaluyong City, got booted from the competition after judge-mentors Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, and Pilita Corrales favored to save Over 25s Joan Da, who is also at the bottom two together with Jerrianne. 

Who among the finalist will standout in this week’s performances? Who will be the next finalist falling off to the bottom 2? Whose judge’s acts will continue and who will end their journey? Don’t miss as the competition heats up in the country’s biggest and grandest musical event of the year, “The X Factor Philippines,” with KC Concepcion as host, every Saturday, after “MMK,” and every Sunday, after “Sarah G Live” on ABS-CBN. 

Follow the show’s official Twitter account at @thexfactorphil and tweet your thoughts and reactions using the hashtag #XFactorPHLive. You can also like its official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/XFactorPhOfficial.

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Artista Academy Top 16 Hopefuls Named

Artista Academy has revealed the list of the Top 16 scholars who will undergo a rigorous training at the Asian Academy of Television Arts (AATA) to be the country's biggest stars.

The Top 16 scholars, consisting of eight male and eight female aspirants between the ages of 16 and 21 get a full scholarship at the said academy of television arts and will train under the industry's highly-regarded professionals in their respective fields including multi-awarded director Joel Lamangan, music master Louie Ocampo and dance guru Georcelle Dapat-Sy of G Force.

Artista Academy, dubbed as the country’s biggest and most inventive talent search will give away a P20 million worth of total prizes, the biggest amount ever given by any talent search. Two winners will walk away with the coveted Best Actor and Best Actress awards and the promise of fame, fortune and stardom.

Here are the Top 16 scholars of TV-5's Artista Academy:

Boys	Girls
Akihiro Blanco (Pasig) Alberto Bruno (Marikina) Benjo Leoncio (Cebu) Brent Manzano (Quezon City) Chris Leonardo (Laguna) Jon Orlando (Quezon City) Vin Abrenica (Pampanga) Mark Neumann (Quezon City)	Chanel Morales (Bacolod) Julia Quisumbing (Makati) Malak So Shdifat (Manila) Marvelous Alejo (Valenzuela) Nicole Estrada (Pasig) Shaira Mae (Las Piñas City) Sophie Albert (Mandaluyong) Stephanie Rowe (Pampanga)

Artista Academy employs Cesar Montano and Marvin Agustin as hosts while Lorna Tolentino, Gelli De Belen and TV-5 Talent Center head and director Mac Alejandre will be the Live Exam critics. In this curriculum-based training, scholars will be up for lessons in acting, singing, dancing, personality development, image-building and English proficiency.

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Cesar Montano Transfers to TV5, to Host Artista Academy

Actor Cesar Montano had already transferred to TV5. Cesar decided to jump ship to the Kapatid Network after his one-year contract with GMA7 expired.

Cesar Montano's last project with GMA7 was the sitcom Andres de Saya where he starred opposite now Kapamilya Iza Calzado. The show ended last August 2011. Prior to that, he did the telefantasya Ilumina.

Before deciding to transfer to TV5, Cesar admitted that his camp has been negotiating with ABS-CBN. Last February, Cesar was actively seen in the Kapamilya network where he did several guesting including being a 'Hurado' in It's Showtime, a live interview in Ikaw Na! segment of late night newscast Bandila and an appearance on GGV season 2 first episode.

Cesar Montano said that his contract with TV5 will be per project as of now. As his first project with the Kapatid network, Cesar will be the main host of TV5's newest artista search, Artista Academy which promises P10 million, fame and stardom for winners.

Cesar Montano is set to play Andres Bonifacio in the historical action film, El Presidente, one of the eight official entries to the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival. He will be joined by Gov. ER Ejercito, Cristine Reyes and Nora Aunor.

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TV5's Artista Academy Audition Schedule

Perhaps with the largest prize to be given away in a Philippine TV talent search, TV5's Artista Academy is set to be the largest artista search to date.

If you have what it takes to be the next big star, join TV5's Artista Academy and enjoy the prize of stardom! P10 million and the glamorous life of an artista can be yours.

If you are 16-21 years old, come to the Artista Academy  grand adition this June 19 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Just bring your birth certificate, valid ID and your best glam picture.

Discover fame, fortune and stardom in Artista Academy, opening soon in TV5. For more information, watch the video below:

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