BY JENNIE L. ILUSTRE

WASHINGTON D.C. — YouTube Filipina teen sensation Charice Pempengco is earning so many raves in the United States that "they" can’t stop talking about her.

"They" are Ellen Degeneres, a one-time host of the Academy Awards and host of NBC-TV’s "Ellen," in the West Coast, and the Filipino American community in this US capital and the nearby states of Virginia and Maryland in the East Coast.

Charice, the tiny girl with the big dreams and the lung power of a Whitney Houston at her peak, performed on "Ellen," a top-rated daytime talk show in the US, last Dec. 19. The day after, Ellen was still raving over the performance.

Ellen, who told Charice she was her No. 1 fan, remarked, "How about that girl that was on yesterday?" Her remark was greeted by a cascade of "wooh’s" and prolonged applause from the audience.

The day-after segment features a half-minute video clip of the teenager belting out the Whitney hit, "I Will Always Love You." It has been spreading on YouTube and community emails here.

It’s fast joining Charice’s tour-de-force guest performance in Korea’s "Star King" singing contest on October 13, 2007 on YouTube, which had enticed over 1,390,851 visitors as of Jan. 6, making Charice, who still has to cut a record, a modern-day phenomenon.

Ellen said those who saw the performance would imagine that was like witnessing Celine Dion when she was 13. She said Charice was 15 (born May 10, 1993, making Charice a mere 14). "Charice is from the Philippines. We flew her here – she’s never been here – and I think we just watched her begin her stardom."

After the video clip, Ellen shuddered, and tapping her arms, said simply, "Chills!" She added, to audience laughter, "It’s something to be sitting next to that, and you could just smell the star in her, you could just smell it!"

On Dec. 19, Ellen and her studio audience in Los Angeles, California were blown away by Pempengco’s renditions of "And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going" and "I Will Always Love You," hit songs from "Dreamgirls" and "Bodyguard."

The one-time Oscar host kept saying, "You’re amazing!" Studio members gave a visibly touched Charice a standing ovation.

Ellen’s staff learned about Charice after they saw the "Star King" YouTube video generating such a buzz around the world. That performance showed Charice at her best, with her remarkable voice, electric stage presence and winsome personality.

In her MySpace on Dec. 21, Charice wrote she "really enjoyed guesting" on Ellen. She said Ellen "cried when she first heard me sing during the rehearsals, though she told me she didn’t want to cry."

During holiday parties, Charice was the talk of the town here. Young Fil-Ams like Rolando J. Candelaria eagerly whipped up I-phones and digital cameras with the video clip of the "Ellen" performance. Candelaria showed the performance to relatives Claude and Joy Arenas at a birthday party here.

Party-goers related how last November, Ellen said she had been looking for Charice to guest on her show, joking there was "a cash reward" for anyone who could turn her in. There was pride and awe in their voices. Candelaria’s mom Mamerta said, "She’s so good – and she’s a Filipino!" She said they knew about her from watching ABS-CBN’s "Little Big Star" singing competition on The Filipino Channel.

Consul General Domingo P. Nolasco of the Philippine embassy said he saw the performance and remarked, "Wow, she was really superb, absolutely impressive."