MANILA, Philippines - Filipino artists continue to make their presence felt in Hollywood.

An "alumnus" of ABS-CBN's "Pinoy Dream Academy" (PDA) has made it to the semi-finals of the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) 2010 in Los Angeles.

Panky Trinidad, the top finalist in the first season of PDA, is joined by Mariel Corpus, Kay Miranda, and Myka Torres in the WCOPA semi-finals.

The head of the Philippine team, Kitchie Benedicto, is hoping Trinidad and the other team members will win in their respective categories in the finals of WCOPA.

Meanwhile, Pinoy director Ace Cruz had his biggest break in the film "Outrage" starring Michael Madson. The film won Best Sci-Fi Thriller at a film festival in California.

Cruz is preparing for his dream Hollywood project for Pinoy artists, which will involve Pinoy actress Judy Ann Santos and Fil-Am movie actress Vanessa Hudgens. -- ABS-CBN News