Charice Pempengco performs at Resorts World Manila on July 15. Click for more photos

International pop star Charice Pempengco has haters. A good number of them don't hold back when they say she's not good enough for the mind-boggling opportunities that come her way, the latest one being her stint on Glee. Still, nobody should be surprised that she can ignore the bitter rants and remain bubbly. She's been through so much worse.

Just like Oprah

Like her good friend Oprah Winfrey, Charice's childhood was troubled. In the November 2009 issue of YES!, Charice's mother Raquel revealed that Charice's father had been a drug addict who was prone to violent fits. In the same interview, Raquel recounted how her husband had kept the then two-year-old Charice away from her for three weeks. When he brought back Charice to her, the girl was horribly thin. It turned out that she had been eating plastic fruits. "Akala ko, Mommy, totoo, kaya kinain ko eh," Charice had told Raquel.

When Charice was three, Raquel finally decided to leave their home. Raquel went on to raise Charice and her brother Kokoy on her own. But that wasn't the end of Charice's travails. A perennial winner in provincial singing contests she joined starting at seven years old to earn money for her family, she was constantly being picked on by her competitors. Then, in contests like Bulilit Kampeon, Birit Bulilit, Magandang Tanghali Bayan's "MTB Popstar" and "Little Big Star," Charice had to be content with the second or third place. When her career started to take off, she had to deal with naysayers who attacked her looks and height. "Tulad nga po ng sinabi ko no'ng nag-guest ako sa SNN, ''Tong pangit na 'to, na-discover nila,'" she told YES!

Charice Pempengco performs "In This Song" at Resorts World Manila on July 15.

Going viral

In 2007, 15-year-old Charice hit karmic pay dirt, when the video her fan Dave Duenas uploaded on YouTube caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, who invited her to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Soon enough, Charice flew to the States. She later bowled over US talk show maven Oprah Winfrey. It wasn't long before she was rubbing elbows with international music stars like Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, and, most recently, Justin Bieber.

To date, Charice has topped the Billboard Dance Charts in May with her first single "Pyramid" from her self-titled album. She also appeared in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Now, everyone is waiting for her appearance in Glee.

Jumping with Glee

Charice has landed a plum role in "Glee," as a Filipino (as she and her mother insisted to the producers) exchange student who will give the show's resident drama queen Rachel Berry (played by Lea Michele) such "a run for her money," that Berry gets so competitive she "contemplates murder." Taping on July 28 or 29 for 10 out of 20 episodes of the show's second season, Raquel told reporters after the press conference. "'Di naman puwedeng mag-full [season] si Charice kasi madami din siyang commitment sa America."

Charice said, "Talagang di ako nag-expect na makakapasa ako kasi talagang that time nanginginig pa ako." To prepare for the show, Charice said she is working on her accent and acting skills, "Ang pinakaimportante po talaga ay 'yung acting. Dun po kami nagfofocus talaga." She is also taking voice lessons for the role, something that might come as a surprise to anyone who has heard her sing in person or even on TV. The petite singer showed off her vocal prowess at the concert after the press conference.