The world never gets tired of Charice Pempengco.
Ever since the Filipino singing prodigy, 18, busted out of Internet obscurity onto Oprah Winfrey's show, she's graced stages with her idol Celine Dion, had a hit debut record and was recently called back to McKinley High to play spunky foreign exchange student Sunshine on Glee.
But not too long ago, she finally got the REAL chance of a lifetime she'd been waiting for: a chance to meet her longtime crush, Justin Timberlake. Only it didn't go exactly as planned. I just caught up with the pint-sized powerhouse to ask her all about it, as well as her new Acuvue 1-Day Contest, where three lucky fans will win a chance to fly to LA to appear in her next video, "One Day" (the song was penned by Nick Jonas!).
UsMagazine.com: How's it been going back on Glee? Is everyone excited to see you?
Charice: Yeah, yeah. It was a very sweet moment when I came back there. Everybody was like, 'Oh, Charice, we missed you!' Lea Michelle took a picture with me and she posted it on Twitter. It was so sweet.
Us: Who have you made friends with? Who is your best friend?
C: I think they’re all my friends. I can't really choose a best friend, because they're all really sweet and they all talk to me. I love Naya Rivera, because the first time I was on the set, she talked to me, and she knows about me. It was really impressive.
Us: Wow — that's great. How many shows are you going to be doing for them?
C: I actually don't know how many more episodes I'm going to do because I have no idea what is going to happen to my character. That's why it’s been really exciting for me, because I can't wait to find out what is going to happen with Sunshine.
Us: Have you met Gwyneth Paltrow, because I know she’s done the show.
C: No, not yet.
Us: What do you think of her singing and everything?
C: I think she looked really hot and sexy and amazing singing.
US: What else do you have going on besides Glee?
C: Right now my song, "Before it Explodes," is out on iTunes and Amazon. Bruno Mars actually wrote the song, and I'm very excited. The next song after that is called "Louder" and is going to come out this May. And those two songs are actually part of my new album that is coming out this fall. I was also just in Boston for a month, shooting a movie called Here Comes the Boom with Kevin James, Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler. It's an action comedy movie, and I'm loving it.
Us: Wow, that’s exciting. What's it like being on a movie set?
C: I love it. You get more time to spend with the cast, and they're really funny and all so nice.
Us: You've covered Bieber and Gaga for me. Have you talked to or heard from either of them since then?
C: No, but I've seen that Lady Gaga cover all over, and I'm looking forward to meeting her. I met Justin Bieber already.
Us: Have you heard from Bieber?
C: No. He's too busy for that.
Us: Oh, yeah. He's busy! Do you still have Bieber Fever?
C: Yeah, everybody has Bieber Fever!
Us: Do you still have a crush on Justin Timberlake?
C: Yeah! I heard that he's dating a new one, but that's okay.
Us: Have you gotten to meet him yet?
C: I actually met him almost two years ago. I did a private event, and he was there. It was nerve racking, because he was watching from front row. I was just like, 'I’m not going to sing tonight.' Then I saw Jessica Biel as well. Then I was like, 'Hmm, maybe this is not my night.'
US: What is this with Acuvue? Explain that to me.
C: It's actually a new TV commercial. It's called the Acuvue 1-Day Contest, and it's where teens can get involved and actually win and be a part of my music video for "One Day." That's the theme song, and Nick Jonas actually wrote and produced it. You can actually go to facebook.com/acuvue and check it out.
By Ian Drew for UsMagazine.com. To read more of Ian's blog, click here.
