Tuesday, May 09, 2006

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?