Philippine Idol judges panel complete

Philippine Idol's panel of judges is complete.

A Philippine Idol press release published on page A16 of the Philippine Daily Inquirer dated May 30, 2006, announced the list of two additional Philippine Idol judges to join maestro Ryan Cayabyab for Philippine Idol, the ABC-5 reality talent competition set to launch sometime in July.

In addition to Cayabyab, the other two judges for Philippine Idol are Asia's Queen of Song Pilita Corrales and rapper/producer Francis Magalona, more popular known as Francis M.

The names of all three Philippine Idol judges - Ryan Cayabyab, Pilita Corrales, and Francis M - were announced by Perci Intalan, ABC-5's head of Creative and Entertainment Production. The Fremantle Media and 19 Entertainment-owned American Idol franchise, of which Philippine Idol is a part, calls for three Philippine Idol judges. While Cayabyab was a hand-picked Philippine Idol judge from the beginning, both Francis Magalona and Pilita Corrales submitted to Philippine Idol judge auditions and screen tests, and it was only after UK-based Fremantle Media reviewed the Philippine Idol audition tapes of both Corrales and Magalona that a go-signal was given for all three Philippine Idol judge candidates came together in workshops that allowed them to interact with each other to gauge their chemistry.

Intalan said that Cayabyab, Corrales, and Magalona's "Filipino"-ness, their passion for music, and their genuine concern for the contestants played major roles in their selection as Philippine Idol judges. ABC-5 made it clear that the selection of Philippine Idol judges was not to look for clones of American Idol judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell.

Philippine Idol auditions at SM Sta Mesa cancelled, angers hundreds

A May 27 Philippine Idol fast-track audition at SM Sta. Mesa was cancelled, angering hundreds of hopefuls who trooped to the shopping mall yesterday, according to a report filed on Inq7.net.

More than 200 Philippine Idol hopefuls showed up to audition at the Philippine Idol fast-track audition at SM Sta. Mesa for the ABC-5 reality show, a franchise of the popular Fremantle Media/19 Entertainment-owned and -operated American Idol.

According to SM Sta. Mesa's marketing personnel, ABC 5 canceled the Philippine Idol fast-track audition at SM Sta. Mesa last Wednesday, but information was apparently not disseminated on television. Cancellation information was aired only last week on radio stations 101.1 Yes FM and 90.7 Love Radio and in a print advertisement in the Inquirer’s May 26 issue. Readers of every other Manila newspaper, listeners of every other Manila radio station, and viewers of ABC-5 per se were apparently not in the know.

Both Philippine Idol fast-track hopefuls and SM Sta. Mesa were frustrated with the organizers of Philippine Idol.

Philippine Idol representative Perci Intalan, vice president for Creative and Entertainment Production of ABC 5, told the Inquirer in the Inq7 article that they found the venue “too small.” He quickly added that no one was to blame, but noted fast-track screenings were handled by Manila Broadcasting Corp., ABC 5’s media partner for “Philippine Idol.”

A representative from ABC-5 later on arrived to assuage the disgruntled applicants, assuring them of slots at the next fast-track screenings, to be held on May 30 at SM Valenzuela, on June 1 at SM Manila and June 2 at SM San Lazaro.

Philippine Idol application forms

The official Philippine Idol website has made the application forms for Philippine Idol available.

Download the Philippine Idol application form in English here.

Download the Philippine Idol application form in Filipino here.

Download the Philippine Idol competition rules here.

Oh, look, there's a Philippine Idol YahooGroups already! How cute.

Philippine Idol auditions and fast-tracks (Updated May 9)

Philippine Idol auditions and fast track schedules have been updated. Here is the updated schedule of Philippine Idol auditions and Philippine fast tracks, taken from the ABC-5 Forums.

All Venues (SM Malls and Other Venues) Schedules for Luzon

May 12
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Lucena, SM Fairview

May 14
Philippine Idol fast track at Pacific Mall, Laoag / Pacific Mall, Legaspi
Philippine Idol fast track at CSI Mall, Dagupan / MART ONE, Isabela

May 15
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Pampanga
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Megamall
Philippine Idol fast track at CSI Mall San Fernando, La Union

May 17
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Bacoor

May 18
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Dasmarinas

May 19
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Bicutan

May 20
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Sucat

May 26
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Baguio

May 27
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Southmall
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Centerpoint

May 30
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Valenzuela

June 01
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Manila

June 02
Philippine Idol fast track at SM San Lazaro

June 03
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Batangas

June 04
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Sta Rosa

June 05
Philippine Idol fast track at SM Marilao

All Venues (SM Malls and Other Venues) Schedules for Mindanao

June 03
Philippine Idol fast track in Zamboanga Non-SM

June 10
Philippine Idol fast track in Cagayan de Oro SM Cagayan de Oro

June 17
Philippine Idol fast track in GenSan/Davao SM Davao

June 26
Philippine Idol fast track in Davao (Auditions and Judging Dates)

All Venues (SM Malls and Other Venues) Schedules for Visayas
June 17
Philippine Idol fast track in Tacloban - Non-SM

June 18
Philippine Idol fast track in Bacolod & Iloilo - SM Iloilo

June 24
Philippine Idol fast track in Cebu - SM Cebu

July 06
Cebu (Audition and Judging Date)

As Philippine Idol Updates insinuated last week, there is no more required Philippine Idol song list. ABC-5 recommends preparing two songs - one ballad and one uptempo track - along with the following Philippine Idol requirements:

1) Two photos (1 full-body shot or 3R-sized, & 1 close-up or passport size)
2) Birth cert - the original and two certified true copies
3) Two IDs (passport, driver’s license, SSS/GSIS, school or company ID)
4) Completed Philippine Idol application form, signed by your parent or guardian if you're below 18

You have to be:
1) between 16 – 28 years old on July 1, 2006;
2) Filipino or holding dual citizenship (possessing Filipino as well as foreign citizenship)
3) Wearing quality clothes without logos

You can get application forms from the fast-track venue. ABC-5 has announced that forms may be downloaded from the official Philippine Idol website, but as of blog time, nothing is available yet.

Did you audition? Send us your photo!

Here's your cheap chance to make yourself famous for two seconds! If you auditioned for Philippine Idol, send any one photo of your choice from your audition to our email address: philippineidol at national-champs.com, and we'll post it in a link on Philippine Idol Updates!

No studio shots, no fancy photos, we will only publish documentation of the mall auditions. Good luck to you!

Philippine Idol fast-track screenings start today

Philippine Idol's 'fast-track screenings' start today at 10AM at different malls across the nation, according to a press release from ABC-5 published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Applicants will have to fill out necessary forms and perform two songs before a set of judges.

With no additional information on Philippine Idol's official website, we are assuming that previous Philippine Idol announcements regarding song lists posted on the website are temporarily on hold because of the lack of updates on Philippine Idol's official website; if any Philippine Idol Updates readers out there were able to audition, we would appreciate your telling us if there was a list from which you could select songs.

Today, according to previous ABC-5 press releases, Philippine Idol screens promising talents at the Pacific Mall in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, SM Lucena in Lucena City, and SM Fairview in Quezon City.

Who will join Ryan Agoncillo?

With the naming of television host and commercial model Ryan Agoncillo as one of two Philippine Idol hosts, the buzz is starting to build for his potential partner.

What makes an American Idol host? In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Agoncillo identified some character quirks that he feels helped him clinch one of the most sought-after hosting gigs on Philippine television. Among them, apparently, aside from his seven-year stint as television host, are the abilities to adlib and deadpan spontaneously, to commiserate with ego-wounded contestants, and affect a unique, if somewhat corny, sense of humor.

"Call me Ryan Seacreature," the former Sprite endorser deadpanned in the interview. "“Or Ryan Secret."

“I’m comfortable with ad-libbing,” he pointed out. “It’s easier for me because I get to dictate the tempo. I’m not constrained by a TelePrompter, idiot board or script. I’ve reached a point in my hosting where I now know when and when not to bend and break rules and put them together in one breath.”

The question at hand now, given that he calls himself the "thread" that holds the show together (with the metaphorical jacket being the contestants), is this:

Who will be Ryan's Philippine Idol co-host?

Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera to join Ryan Cayabyab as Philippine Idol judges?

Now that Philippine Idol has signed up acclaimed Philippine composer, producer, and arranger Ryan Cayabyab as one of the talent competition's three judges, the topic turns now to who the other two judges will be.

The Wikipedia listing of Philippine Idol surmises Lea Salonga and Martin Nievera are strong candidates, so strong that it goes far enough to list them down as final (not even candidates). The addition of Salonga and Nievera to the roster certainly adds a huge amount of credibility to Philippine Idol, but it also brings into question the long-term viability of the potential winner, given that Salonga and Nievera are not typically known for their producing and songwriting prowess, and Cayabyab, while certainly luminary, has not scored a recent radio hit of his own.

Other names, therefore, floating around include producers and songwriters who may or may not be associated with other reality shows, including Vehnee Saturno, Jimmy Antiporda, Trina Belamide, and Ito Rapadas.

Until ABC-5 announces the final roster, though, it's anybody's game. Who do you think would make a good judge for Philippine Idol?

Argument for older singers?

Is Philippine Idol age-ist?

The ABC-5 reality show, set to blast off sometime in June to July, delved a bit from the rules of the American Idol franchise and set an age limit of 28, two years younger than the age limit allowed on the current season of the Fox blockbuster.

This writer, of course, has not been too quiet about his gripe about the age limit, but he isn't alone in noting the benefits of raising the age limits of talent contests. In a column dated April 6, 2004, Inquirer columnist Nestor Torre makes the argument for Oprah's Pop Idol, a competition launched by the Queen of Daytime for more mature, unknown musical talent.

"American Idol was doing a great job otherwise - but what about the more mature unknown musical talents out there?," Torre mused. "What chance did they have of being discovered in their 30s, or even later? Didn't they also deserve an opportunity to shine, and affect people positively with their singing talent? And there was the additional plus factor of the experience that comes with age. Older people are generally more interesting and put together because they've learned from living, and this makes them better than younger performers."

When Torre's column Viewfinder discussed Season 4, he pointed out that raising the age limit helped tremendously.

"What happened?" he asked. "It's likely that the tilt's decision to raise its age limit to 28 did the trick, making it possible for older and more experienced men to join the competition. Yes, the female finalists are older, too, but more of the original male finalists were in their late 20s."

When, ultimately, he discussed Carrie Underwood's victory, he noted that the more mature singers added spice and interest to the show.

"Definitely," Torre wrote, "the decision to raise the tilt's maximum age limit has attracted more experienced singers with solid, expressive voices, and few teenage performers survived the tougher field and landed in the finals."

May 12 marks start of fast-track screenings for Philippine Idol

Philippine Idol contestants should start vocalizing - judging starts even before the auditions start.

According to Terra Daffon, ABC-5 senior vice president for corporate affairs, fast-track screenings, during which Philippine Idol contestants submit credentials for validation, will be held to accommodate all contestants, especially those from northern and southern Luzon.

Here is the schedule of fast-track screenings:

May 12
Pacific Mall in Laoag, Ilocos Norte
SM Lucena in Lucena City
SM Fairview in Quezon City

May 14
CSI Mall in San Fernando, La Union
CSI Mall in Dagupan, Pangasinan
Mart One in Cagayan
Pacific Mall in Legazpi, Albay

May 15
SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City
SM San Fernando, Pampanga

May 17
SM Bacoor in Cavite

May 18
SM Dasmarinas in Cavite

May 19
SM Bicutan, Paranaque City

May 26
SM Baguio

May 27
SM Southmall in las Pinas
SM Sta. Mesa

May 30
SM Valenzuela

Applicants will be asked to full up necessary forms and perform a minimum of two songs before a set of judges. Those who pass will each be given a badge and pass for the audition proper. There will only be one Manila audition.

June 3 marks first batch of auditions

June 3 marks first batch of auditions

Philippine Idol wannabe winners, mark your calendars. Your dreams can come true June 3, when the first audition for the first season of Philippine Idol is set for launch.

Requirements

Philippine Idol contestants should be at least 16 but not more than 28 years old on the day of the Philippine Idol audition.

S/He must be a Filipino citizen or a bearer of dual citizenship, one of which is Filipino.

In case a Philippine Idol contestant has dual citizenship, he/she must present the original and two certified true copies of his/her Philippine passport.

S/He should be prepared to sing two songs from the official song list found on the official Philippine Idol website.

On Philippine Idol audition day, a contestant must submit a completed Philippine Idol application form and two photos (one full-body shot or at least 3R-sized, and one close-up or at least passport size).

If a Philippine Idol contestant is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign the application form.

The Philippine Idol contestant should submit the original and two certified true copies of birth certificates and two kinds of IDs (i. e., passport, driver’s license, SSS/GSIS, school or company ID).

Good luck!

Welcome to Philippine Idol 2006!

Welcome to Philippine Idol News, your one stop shop for news, views, and reviews on Philippine Idol, airing soon on ABC-5!