Filtered By: Showbiz
Showbiz

Whoa! AI auditionee, Reynaldo Lapuz, now an Internet hit


Reynaldo Lapuz in his passionate 'We're Brothers Forever' song GMANews.TV
MANILA, Philippines - Reynaldo Lapuz, the flamboyant Nevada-based Filipino who breezed his way through the American Idol auditions, has now become an instant Internet sensation, spawning fans all over the world to remix his infectious song, “We’re Brothers Forever." Reynaldo’s AI Season 7 audition piece was the top favorite of the week, with more than 6,000 hits in the video sharing Web site YouTube. In fact, his audition piece has become so popular that about five of his now famous video clips landed in the top 10 most favorite for the week, totaling to about 21,000 favorites as of posting time. Since it was uploaded on January 16, Reynaldo’s seven-minute video has attracted more than 650,000 views (as of 11 pm, Tuesday), which is also among the top views in YouTube for the week. Despite being tagged as the next William Hung, Reynaldo’s indisputable edge seems to be his passionate a cappella, “We’re Brothers Forever," which inspired a throng of his admirers to fill the missing music to his power-ballad song. Elliot Bronson strummed his guitar providing an acoustic theme to Reynaldo’s signature song, while fellow YouTube user, Rocko, added Pinoy beatbox to give the song a more upbeat hip-hop sound. But perhaps one of the standout remixes to “We’re Brothers Forever" is the hypnotic Dance Remix, where two American cheerleaders, complete with matching silver pompoms, are seen gyrating to Reynaldo’s song. These video clips and more can now be seen on Reynaldo’s official fansite. The Reynaldo interview “While I was watching, I felt nervous, like doing the audition again," Reynaldo said in an interview with local Dallas TV network, FOX 4 . “Over-to-the-maximum of happiness, really,"Reynaldo said, describing his feeling after the auditions. Reynaldo is optimistic that his AI stint is only the beginning of more blessings in his life, and perhaps, career. “Hopefully it would be a continuous progress. I expect, you know, blessings…," he said. According to Reynaldo, the hit song he wrote for terror-judge Simon Cowell, was meant to spread the word that Simon is a good person who spends millions of dollars just to look for a new talent. Early on in the audition, Simon was unimpressed with Reynaldo, until later, when the terror-judge began waving his hands as if conducting the Filipino singer. Fellow AI judge Randy Jackson became so amused that he called in AI host Ryan Seacrest to listen in on Reynaldo's performance, while fellow Idol judge Paula Abdul danced like a 60s go-go dancer. No age limit? Reynaldo said his friends prodded him to join the AI auditions. “Hey Brother Rey, why don’t you join American Idol?" Reynaldo recalled his friends telling him. “There’s no age-limit, check it again", his friends told him, amid Reynaldo’s hesitation. AI only accepts aspiring singers who are not more than 28 years old. Reynaldo turned 45 last December 18. The ‘Flash’ outfit Even before Reynaldo walked in the audition room, Seacrest immediately noticed his outrageous white flashy ensemble. “I don’t know what to wear, because in the paper it states dress to impress," Reynaldo said. In the interview, he confessed that it took him two weeks to prepare his costume, inspired by comics hero, Flash, and the film “Gladiator." But for his feathered cowboy hat, Reynaldo said Elton John’s 1969 hit “Skyline Pigeon" was his inspiration. “That’s it! That’s what made the whole outfit," he said. - GMANews.TV
LOADING CONTENT