Carrie Underwood

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma) is an American country singer-songwriter. She rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, and has become a multi-platinum selling recording artist and a multiple Grammy Award winner. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was certified seven times platinum and is the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history.[1] Some Hearts yielded three number one hits on the Billboard Country charts in the United States and Canada: "Jesus, Take the Wheel","Wasted", and her biggest hit to date, "Before He Cheats". Additionally "Don't Forget to Remember Me" topped the charts in Canada. Underwood scored another Top 10 Billboard hit with her charity single, "I'll Stand by You". Some Hearts sold a total of seven million RIAA-certified copies as of February 2008. It is also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history.

On September 5, 2008, Underwood joined Ciara, Fergie, Rihanna, Beyonce, Leona Lewis and other pop/rock singers in performing a single for the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer. The single, called "Just Stand Up", was performed live during the one-hour telethon that aired on all major U.S. television networks. The song was made available on iTunes on September 2nd.

Underwood has received two Country Music Association nominations for the 2008 CMA Awards, Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year: "Carnival Ride". The award show will be aired on ABC on November 12, 2008, and will be hosted by Underwood along with fellow country star Brad Paisley.

She also has co-written a song for Idol alumni Kristy Lee Cook's major-label debut album Why Wait, called "Not Tonight".

Papa Isio

Dionisio Seguela or Dionisio Papa y Barlucia, more widely known as Papa Isio (Hiligaynon, Isio the Pope), was the leader of a group of babaylanes (shaman) who were, as conjectured by Modesto P. Sa-onoy, recruited from the remnants of the followers of Dios Buhawi upon the dissolution of his group under the poor leadership of Camartin de la Cruz during the years prior to the onset of the Philippine Revolution.

According to Sa-onoy, Seguela's nom de guerre, Papa Isio, was partly dictated by the religious thrust of his revolt against Spain and the Catholic religion it championed. The title "Papa" was a repudiation of the Pope's (Santo Papa) authority - which Seguela then appropriated upon himself. This particular group of babaylanes were organized by Seguela in 1896 in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental.

Fusing religion with agrarian reform and nationalism, Papa Isio called for the removal of non-Malays from Negros and the division of the land among the natives. It is contended that Papa Isio responded to the Philippine Revolution which was began in August 1896 by AndrĂ©s Bonifacio. The group of babaylanes was said to have adopted "¡Viva Rizal!" (Spanish, "Long Live Rizal!"), "¡Viva Filipinas Libre" (Spanish, "Long Live a free Philippines!") and "Kamatayon sa Katsila" (Hiligaynon, "Death to Spaniards!") as their battle cries.

While Filipino revolutionary General Miguel Malvar, widely acknowledged to be the last leader of the Philippine Revolution to surrender to the Americans, actually capitulated on April 16, 1902, Papa Isio gave up his struggle very much later - on August 6, 1907. Finally cornered by government forces, Papa Isio surrendered to an American officer, Lieutenant J. S. Mohler. At first, he was sentenced to death, but the punishment was later mitigated to life imprisonment. Papa Isio died in the Old Bilibid Prison in Manila in 1911.