The Last Girl Standing

'Celebrity Duets' started with three lovely ladies as contestants--Melanie Marquez, Cory Quirino, and Carlene Aguilar. After five weeks of performances, Melanie and Cory were eliminated, and now, only Carlene remains. Will this beauty queen survive another week of elimination or will she suffer the same fate as the other lady contenders? Text by Loretta G. Ramirez. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. After proving to the public that she can indeed sing, Carlene Aguilar is hoping that she would last until the finals of Celebrity Duets. She has been getting positive remarks from the judges since the competition started, and last Saturday, she gave a powerful performance when she sang "Halik" with Ms. Dulce. Joining Duets A self-confessed Celebrity Duets fan, Carlene said that ever since she saw her friend, Hayden Kho Jr., perform in the first season of the show, she had wanted to join the contest herself. “Sinusubaybayan ko sya (show) sa Internet," shares the former Binibining Pilipinas title-holder. "Sabi ko sa mama ko, kasi friend ko si Hayden, ‘Wow sumali, ah! Naku ma, gusto ko ding sumali diyan.’ Tapos, hindi ko inexpect na magkakaroon ng Season 2 at ininvite nila ako." She confessed that she really loves to sing and she saw this invitation as a sign to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional singer: “Sobrang frustrated singer ako. Gusto ko talagang kumanta, noong bata pa ako, nag-voice lessons pa ako. Dream ko talagang maging singer.” Controversial Carlene After five weeks of performing, Carlene has really made an impression on the judges and the viewers of Celebrity Duets. Being the last girl standing, she hopes to remain in the contest until the finals. Says this Art Studies student from UP Diliman, "Siyempre nakakanerbiyos pa rin kahit papaano. Noong una kasi, tatlo kaming girls tapos biglang nawala si Ms. Melanie [Marquez] tapos si Ms. Cory [Quirino]. Ako na lang ang magtatayo ng bandila ng kababaihan sa contest.” Indeed, a lot of people are hoping that she lasts but there are also many detractors who have propagated nasty rumors about a rich benefactor who has been supporting her campaign in the contest. "Nakakaloka naman ‘yan. Kung alam lang nila kung gaano kahirap mangalap ng boto sa text, ‘di ba? Kung totoo nga yang benefactor na ‘yan, e, di sana hindi na lang ako sumali sa Celebrity Duets. Siya na lang ang bahala sa mga gastusin ko at magbuhay-reyna na lang ako,” says Carlene to the press. Quite used to the intrigues and malicious rumors ever since her controversial relationship with Dennis Trillo, Carlene just laughs off the gossip and instead opts to concentrate on her performances, which by the way, improve every week. Watch her perform every Saturday in Celebrity Duets right after Pinoy Records and find out whether she truly deserves to remain in the competition. Vote for your candidate by texting DUETS (contestant name) to 2344 for Globe, TM and Sun subscribers or 367 for Smart & Talk N' Text subscribers (This service is available only in the Philippines.)