Gossip from the Philippines

Pempengco's concert 'sold out'
As far as Charice Pempengco's concert producers are concerned, her first major gig in the Philippines made money. Reacting to news reports that the concert, held on June 27 in Manila, was not packed, MixSonic Productions released a statement saying all tickets were sold out.

Videos taken by bloggers during the concert showed a packed venue, although there were a few empty patches in the arena.

Diet stable after seizure
Still reeling from the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, who has a large fan base in the Philippines, Filipino fans got another death scare when news of actor Diether Ocampo collapsing at a rehearsal reached the media last week.

Diet, as the actor is more popularly known, was in the US when the incident happened last Saturday as he prepared for a series of shows in California. According to initial statements released by his handlers, Diet had a seizure during one of the rehearsal sessions.

It took some time for an official statement to be issued, prompting speculation. An official statement was released shortly after his hospitalisation saying the actor was in a stable condition.