Pinoy in Grand Finals of Austria's top talent show

Vincent Bueno

Filipino performer Vincent Bueno is in the grand finals of a major TV musical competition in Austria titled Musical! Die Show (Musical! The Show ).

He has made headlines of major dailies and magazines in Austria, as the winner of the finals in this Broadway-inspired musical competition will be known this weekend.

Bueno is a crowd favorite in the contest. Having to contend with 400 other aspirants, the 21-year-old Filipino performer had to crawl himself out of the equally talented crowd through talent, sheer determination, and loads of luck.

His first appearance took place during the first round of the elimination last November 23, 2007. Vincent impressed the televiewers with his version of the Broadway opus, Hair. The winner is determined through text votes or phone-ins.

Vincent with other finalists

Compared to its Western and Asian talent show counterparts, Musical! Die Show, is considered more strenuous and challenging owing to its theater leanings. To qualify and compete, contestants are required to act and sing a la Broadway. A contestant, however, is still very much required to blend his or her own style and innovation to break the stereotyped theatrics of stage performance without sacrificing quality.

The finals take place this Friday at 9:15 pm (4:15 a.m., Manila time), with the Pinoy pride going up against two female finalists-Eva Klikovics and Gudrun Ihninger-for the title as well as the 50,000 euros (P3 million).

Since his first appearance, Vincent's European fans has grown exponentially every week. Most of the show's followers have openly admitted being enthralled by Vincent's strong stage presence, accentuated by his perfect command of graceful body movements, facial expressions and stage antics.

Photos courtesy of ABS-CBN News