Melissa R. Interview
by Lisa Steinberg (Starry Constellation Magazine)
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Fil-Am Teen in the Running for Next Pussycat Doll
by Arianne Magat (excerpts from BalitaNews March 2007)
Eighteen year-old Melissa Reyes portrays everything
a Pussycat Doll member embodies: female empowerment,
confidence, talent and beauty. Her undeniable abilities
in singing and dancing have earned the bubbly Filipino
American from Cypress, California a spot as one of
nine finalists in the new CW network show, "Search
for the New Doll".
Thousands of girls throughout the nation auditioned
for the show but were narrowed down to only 18. Last
October and November, the 9 finalists spent two months
of "boot camp" in a local Los Angeles hotel
where they trained and rehearsed songs and dances.
Cameras followed them throughout the process, in which
the judges later narrowed it down to 9 girls. The
final winner, however, will not be announced until
another 8 weeks.
According to Robin Antin, the producer of the show
and the creator of The Pussycat Dolls, she wanted
to add another member because "there could never
be enough Pussycats." However, she finds that
the show's main purpose is to give a woman an opportunity
to accomplish their dream at becoming a star.
Already fans and critics alike have dubbed Reyes
as one of their favorites in the shows. "For
me, you're the full package," said Mikey Minden,
co-choreographer of the Pussycat Dolls. "If I
were one of those girls, I would be intimidated."
Melissa is the youngest of three children of Tony
and Belle Reyes, both of whom have established successful
medical careers in California and are active in the
Filipino Ministry and the Marriage Encounter in the
Filipino Perspective of which they are chair couple.
She has been performing since the age of 8 and has
trained with, among others, the Aldeguer Sisters Performing
Arts Center and various other groups. She is represented
by Bloc Agency, which also represents the dancers
of Justin Timberlake among other top performers.
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