Episode 3: Davao, Mindanao auditions

Philippine Idol’s episode three featured the last main audition site, Davao. It was said that Davao is a ‘king’ city in its own right becasue of the following reasons: a.) Davao City is the world’s largest city in terms of landarea b.) it is home of the Philippine Eagle, the king of birds c.) it is the source of the king of fruits, durian d.) it is where we can find Mt. Apo, the king of Philippine mountains e.) waling-waling can also be crowned the king of orchids for its beauty. It wouldn’t be surprsising if the next king or queen of Pop music, comes from this place.
I wasn’t able to get the exact venue (though it could have been Pearl Farm) but what i’m sure about is what happened. I may not be in a good position to say this but as a viewer I was disappointed in what I saw. There were those who I felt deserved to be given the golden pass but was snubbed by the judges. Ok fine, sure there those who performed well in their auditons and were given the opportunity to test their wares in Manila. But sometimes we would see even better performances from people who were not given the chance than those who got the gold pass. One good examplewould be this married girl. I’m not really sure what she sang but hearing her reminded me of Lea Salonga. The judges however didn’t really believe in her and said she’ll just have a hard time when she goes to Manila. It was a good thing she had her supportive stage husband comfort her after the judges snubbed her.

The Visayas Auditions

The Visayas Auditions for Philippine Idol kept me waiting till the last moment since during the episode, teasers of a mystery lady who auditioned tickled the imagination of viewers like me. I was thinking of a celebrity or maybe a high-society person or something like that. However, I was wrong since the mystery lady is….

I’ll continue with that at the end of this entry. Let me discuss first the other aspects of the Visayas Auditions. Hehe.

I guess this leg of auditions was a very good gauge on how universal the appeal of being the next Philippine Idol would be. Auditionees form all walks of life showed what they can and can’t do to our three celebrity judges. This was very evident if we base it on the professions of those who auditioned. Take for instance, the doctor, Randolph Libres, he said his profession would be part of his life forver but Philippine Idol is a once in a lifetime experience for him that’s why he joined. He was lucky enough to get the judges’ approval. There was also this auditionee who was a barber, Fred. Fred sang I’d rather by Luther Vandross. He exited the door happily since he also got a golden pass. There’s this dancesport competitor, skimboarder, driver, the list of aspirants is as diverse at it could get.

There were also those who I think felt they would make it but did not. There’s this operatic singer, Michelle Ortuestre. I also thought she would  make it since it would be interesting to see her if she makes it. The judges were not wowed by her performance and she didn’t make the cut. I guess there were high expectations for her. There’s also this guy who I thought would again make but did not. Let’s call him Mr. Mystica whose real name is  Win John Dacay. He sang this song from West Side Story. In the middle, he faltered since he tried too hard to dance the Mystica way. I guess it’s a learning thing for him that sometimes trying too hard isn’t the way to go.

Let’s go back to the mystery lady. This person was actually not a lady but dressed as a lady. The name is Kenneth Paul Alonzo also known as Yova. He sang Why does it hurt so bad. The judges were impressed with the voice since he sounded very much like a fine lady singing.

Episode 2

Philippine Idol held its Visayas Audtions in the Queen City of the South, Cebu. A host of high caliber Filipino singers such as Dulce, Manilyn Reynes,Vina Morales ,and Philippine Idol judge Ms Pilita Corales trace their roots in this province. The venue for this leg of auditons was at the compound of Big Foot Entertainment which also houses the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT).

The episode proved to be a winner with its selection of audition clips and interesting personalities. Aspiring Philippine Idols from all walks of life came to the Big Foot Entertainment compound hoping to get that golden pass which gives them the right to go to Manila and go on and compete. This was very evident during the Cebu auditions as people from all professions, all genders, and even people not coming from the Visayas (there were those from Manila, and there’s oneform Australia) who tried and auditioned to be the first Philippine Idol.

Interesting stories at the Manila auditions

The Manila auditions housed an interesting mix of faces and voices for this first leg Philippine Idol auditions.

The following a just some of them:

a.) This girl who sings a Jackson Five song as her audition piece, is a victim of a cellphone snatching. She tried to fight back but was shot. She survived and now has acrack at becoming the next Philippine Idol as she received the yellow pass gven by the judges.

b.) A girl brought her supportive ‘stage’ mother with her during her auditions. The mom took special care of her daughter since thedaughter has hearing impairment. The judges gave the girl a yes and even asked the mom to join them inside the audition venue. She shares that her daughter has a hearing disability and this surprises the judges.

c.) This Fil-Am looking guy enters the room, he has this certain look that he doesn’t speak Filipino. To evryone’s surprise, he sings Freddie Aguilar’s Anak. The judges are happy with his performance.

d.) This girl who brought her entire town with her, walks into the room with this certain confidence. She wears this serious face and sings Sexbomb’s Ispageti Song. I think she even did it with actions. She gets the judges’ approval.

e.) A guy enters the room and faces the judges. The judges ask him abouthis surname, Quizon. He is a grandson of Comedy King Dolphy. He sings this R and B song. One of the judges says: ‘Mabuti na lang hindi mo napahiya ang pangalan ng lolo mo.’ or something to that effect.

f.) And of course, there those who tried and failed. Some I think were capable, some just needed more practice, some needed teaching, and a lot were funny.

Hopefully this nice mix of talent recurs in the other venues too so we’ll have more episodes to look forward to.

Philippine Idol updates!

If you happen to know of people who got the yellow pass during their auditions, please feel free to share their names and stories to this website. Who knows, maybe they ‘ll be the first ever Philippine Idol. Hopefully this website becomes a fansite for all aspiring performers who want to be the first Philippine Idol.

For the latest updates and stories on Philippine Idol just login to this website, http://pinoyidol.blogger.ph.

Episode 1

The first episode of Philippine Idol featured its first major auditon venue, Manila. The PICC served as its venue, housing the thousands of hopefuls for the Manila auditions.

This episode proved to be a good pilot episode for Philippine Idol. It had a good mix of comedy and drama that each Philippine Idol hopeful provides.

Between audition scenes other footages are shown. Siyempre para hindi naman masyado nakakasawa. Kasi mahirap naman kung puro kantahan at audtion lang ang pinalabas the whole 60 minutes. So in between auditions footages, tv host Ryan Agoncillo shares interesting facts about the audition venue. for example, he mentioned some tourist destinations in Manila like the Baywalk. Aside from this,since this was their first episode, the judges had their time to be known. This makes us viewers aware of the judges credentials which are the reasons why they have the unenviable task of screening the next singing star, the Philippine Idol.

It’s Philippine Idol time!

Philippine Idol aired its first episode last Sunday 30 July 2006 to the delight of Filipino televiewers. I guess they really waited for the show to air since the announcement that a Philippine franchise would appear on ABC5. I wasn’t one of them since I’m not really a fan of American Idol or any talent search program (maybe except for Starcircle Quest 1). However, as a person with no cable tv, having new shows on tv excite me since it could provide me a much needed break from the monotony of local tv viewing. Philippine Idol did it for me and I guess I’ll be a regular viewer. I would think lots of people would do the same thing and be regular viewers of this young but amazing tv program.