Initial broadcast: Who are your favorites?

So the first broadcast of Philippine Idol went on last night at 815 on ABC-5 (tsk tsk. Delayed, delayed). What do you think? Who are your favorites? Who stood out? :)

With YouTube on the fritz for the meantime, here are some people you can choose from (based on availability of screenshots from PinoyExchange.com):

JHONALENE SISON
Sang Voltes V Theme

CHERRY ANN CHIU
Sang Spaghetti

IRA PATRICIA MARASIGAN
Sang Route 66


LALAINE ENRIQUEZ
Sang Hindi Ako Bakla


JOHN JERRICO PEREY
Sang Broken Vow

ERIKA JILL BAUTISTA
Song title unknown as of blog time

ROWELL QUIZON
Sang Lately

JELLICA MARIE MATEO
Sang You Don't Know Me

MARCELLO STROEM
Sang Anak

PAULA PATRICIA CHAVEZ
Sang I Want You Back

Discuss.

Tonight Is The Night!

Yes! Tonight is the much-awaited premiere of Philippine Idol. At 8PM on ABC-5, right after the premiere of Joey De Leon's "Teka Mona," we will witness a TV phenomenon as it unfolds. Don't forget to post your first impressions about the show at the chatbox.

Meanwhile, in an article at Philippine Daily Inquirer, ABC-5's entertainment head Perci Intalan revealed that the Gold Passers from Visayas and Mindanao will be arriving tomorrow in expense-paid first-class transportation via Super Ferry, while all the Gold Pass receipients from Luzon will be shuttled by bus from different pick-up points in selected SM Malls. All of them will be accomodated in Bayview Park Hotel, where a welcome dinner awaits them tomorrow night.

However, 3 Gold Passers backed-out (two from Luzon and one from Visayas) with reasons ranging from family problems, an unpermitting spouse, to working abroad. This means, 166 aspirants remain to battle it out at the Theater Eliminations, which will be held in Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater from August 1 to 3. Only 24 of them will make it to the televised semi-finals. Read more of the article here.

Keep posted on this site for more Philippine Idol Updates.

View new Philippine Idol trailers on YouTube

With only four days to go before Philippine Idol kicks off, there are four new videos for you to view on YouTube. Embedding was disabled, so Philippine Idol Updates won't bring you the videos directly here, because 1) we respect copyright; and 2) we can't. Cheers!

Philippine Idol Text Downloads Now Available!

Philippine Idol Premium Downloads are now available for you mobile phone! Just text IDOL to 483 exclusive to Smart subscribers.

Text IDOL NEWS for the latest Philippine Idol news and infotext. You can also download exclusive picture messages and logos by typing in IDOL PIC or IDOL LOGO and send to 483.

Tune in to this site for more PHILIPPINE IDOL UPDATES. You can help us promote this site to win premium Idol merchandise!

Official Philippine Idol Airing Date

It's official: Philippine Idol will air on ABC-5 on July 30, 2006, Sunday, at 8PM. Its maiden broadcast is certainly one to keep us hanging; Philippine Idol is scheduled for an hour and a half of Sunday primetime.

Very reliable sources have told Philippine Idol Updates that Philippine Idol is the centerpiece of a powerpacked Sunday night for ABC-5. Prior to Philippine Idol, at 7PM, comedian Joey de Leon will launch his new gag show Teka Mona. [The same source tells us that Alyssa Alano, more famously known as the Keys Me karaoke tart, is scheduled to perform.]

After Philippine Idol, at 9:30PM, Lucy Torres-Gomez hosts Shall We Dance: The Celebrity Dance Challenge, the most recent incarnation of the successful ABC-5 show. The latest batch features self-proclaimed sex guru Asia Agcaoili, former matinee idol Jao Mapa, and 80s variety show partners-turned-competitors Roderick Paulate and Carmi Martin.

ABC acknowledges the confusion that resulted from the change of premiere date, and assures its viewers that the change will be worth it, because now, Sundays have gotten even more exciting than ever on ABC-5.

Mark your calendars! Malapit na ang Philippine Idol!

Philippine Idol Premiere Moved Or Not: The Confusion

I would personally like to explain the issue about the supposedly moved premiere date of Philippine Idol.

Last Sunday, the TV Guide of Philippine Daily Inquirer posted an advertisement of Philippine Idol where it said that it will premiere on July 30, Sunday, 8PM. I checked for confirmation from the official Philippine Idol website as well as on ABC-5, but the premiere date was still July 29. I thought the ad carried a typographical error.

However, Monday's issue of Inquirer carried another advertisement of Philippine Idol on its TV Guide with the premiere date still on July 30. This prompted me to confirm the July 30 premiere on this site, which caused confusion among Idol fanatics.

I apologize that I got a bit carried away.

Until ABC-5 confirms it otherwise on its TV plugs, Philippine Idol would still premiere on July 29, Saturday, 8PM.

Visayas Main Auditions, A Goldmine Of Talent

The high expectations that faced musically-inclined Visayans were exceeded as Philippine Idol judges Francis Magalona, Pilita Corrales, and Ryan Cayabyab, gave a total of 36 Gold Passes that were held last week at the state-of-the-art International Academy for Film and Television (or Big Foot Entertainment) located in Mactan Island, Cebu.

After what was described as a "disappointing" Mindanao Audition, the judges were allowed to give at least 33 Gold Passes, more than the usual 25. With an estimated 5,000 that auditioned during the pre-casting stages, 89 had the opportunity to face the Idol judges.

Corrales described that most of the auditioneers are the ones that you would see in bars, clubs, and hotel lounges, but not everyone were brave enough to join the auditions because they were afraid to risk their jobs as professional singers.

A lot of interesting Visayan Gold Passers have emerged from this auditions, among them a tranvestite named Kenneth Paul Alonzo, aged 21. He (let's make that a "she") was described by Cayabyab as someone "who looked and sounded female" and all of the judges were drawn to her singing talent. If Alonzo wins the coveted title, the Philippines would have been the first in the world with a tranvestite "Idol."

Magalona meanwhile singled out Monette Rica Lim, a radiology technician, whom he said in an interview with Inquirer Entertainment as "too good to be true." He said even Corrales joked that she didn't want to pick a contestant prettier than herself.

Other Visayas Gold Passers include James Yebes, a photography student at Big Foot; Fred Abaquita, who first joined "Fam Jam," a family singing competition that Magalona hosted; Mabel So, whom Cayabyab said reminded him of award-winning singer Dessa; Gian Carlo Magdangal, cousin of popular singer-celebrity Jolina Magdangal and a member of singing group 17:28; and Robert Bernadas of Toledo City, who is Cayabyab's bet in the Visayas leg of auditions.

Overall, a total of over 40,000 aspirants tried-out at all Philippine Idol main auditions, truly a rousing success for its first season. We at Philippine Idol Updates congratulate ABC-5 and the staff of Philippine Idol for a job well-done.

Philippine Idol Wall of Fame [updated]

The following are photographs of Filipinos who claim to have received the Philippine Idol Gold Pass to the next set of auditions. If you received the Philippine Idol Gold Pass and would like your photograph here, send an email to philippineidol@national-champs.com with your photograph (preferably holding the Gold Pass, eherm).

Good luck to all of you!

Philippine Idol Help Line Now Open!

You've heard it right! The Philippine Idol Help Line is now live at your service!

Dial 1-908-5-IDOL-00 for important information on everything Philippine Idol, from auditions, judges, airing dates, and more! That's 1-908-5-4365-00!

Calls are charged P2.00/ minute anytime and anywhere in the Philippines. Available in all PLDT phonelines.

Keep visiting this site for more Philippine Idol Updates! You can also participate in our promotional game where you can win cool Idol merchandise!

Fan art

Isn't that cute?

If you have any fan art of your own to submit, send it to philippineidol@national-champs.com for your own 15 seconds of fame! :D

New Philippine Idol videos

Philippine Idol Updates is proud to present new videos promoting Philippine Idol on ABC-5! Thank you, ABC-5, for allowing us to share these new Philippine Idol promo spots with the world!

Don't forget to join our contest for a chance to win American Idol CDs and a bunch of other prizes!





Videos uploaded with permission.

Philippine Idol Performance Show Venue To Be Held "Somewhere Else"

A source in ABC revealed that the weekly performances of Philippine Idol will not be held in the network's Novaliches studios. They are actually to be held on a "bigger" venue.

Where do you think these performances will be held?

You can choose from the following:

* Araneta Coliseum
* Cultural Center of the Philippines
* Folk Arts Theater
* Star Theater, inside Star City
* PICC Plenary Hall
* Aliw Theater

***************

Keep visiting this site for more Philippine Idol Updates.

Also, don't forget to join in our special promotion where we give away lots of Idol giveaways. Just click on this link for more information.

Philippine Idol Updates Pre-Philippine Idol CD Giveaway!

With Philippine Idol set to reach boiling point when it launches soon, we at Philippine Idol Updates would like to make the going even more exciting, with our first Philippine Idol Updates Pre-Philippine Idol CD Giveaway Contest!

For July, we celebrate Season 2 as we give away a brand-new, legitimate CD of American Idol Ruben Studdard's debut album Soulful AND a brand-new, legitimate CD of his runner-up Clay Aiken, Measure of a Man!

For August, we explore the UK's Pop Idol as we give away a brand-new, legitimate CD of Pop Idol Will Young's Friday's Child, AND take a tip from Season 4, with a CDs containing mp3s of all performances from the Top 12 until the Carrie Underwood-Bo Bice showdown!

And for September, things really heat up, as we give away a special Season 3 and 4 package consisting of a Carrie Underwood Some Hearts CD and a limited-edition CD of Season 3 finalist George Huff's Miracles debut album - autographed and signed!

What do you have to do? FOR JULY, simply tell people about Philippine Idol Updates and how we're the best fansite to go to for Philippine Idol information! The following actions get points, and at the end of July, the person with the most points wins the CDs, plus the winner gets a permanent link on a special section of our menu, plus the winner gets a special email interview on Philippine Idol Updates!

PHILIPPINE IDOL UPDATE PRE-PHILIPPINE IDOL CD GIVEAWAY!
1. Posting a text link on the menu/link roll of your personal blog/website to Philippine Idol Updates - 1 point
2. Posting a button link on your personal blog/website to Philippine Idol Updates - 2 points
3. Posting a blog entry with a link to Philippine Idol Updates (about the site, not the contest) on your personal blog/website - 2 points
4. Posting a blog entry on your personal blog/website exclusively about the Philippine Idol Updates site, not contest (one blog entry only per day) - 3 points. Posting a picture of you holding anything that promotes Philippine Idol Updates (one picture per day) earns you additional 3 points! We'll post your photo on our website too, if you want! :D
5. Posting a bulletin entry exclusively about Philippine Idol Updates on Friendster/MySpace - 3 points
6. Making a signature link to Philippine Idol Updates on ABC-5 forums - 5 points
7. Posting an entry linking to Philippine Idol Updates on any other forum (PinoyExchange, DigitalForum, etc.) - 2 points per thread

What could you write about? Talk about Philippine Idol! Talk about the judges! Talk about the sneak previews on ABC-5! Talk about how Philippine Idol Update gives you updated news, honest views, and great videus (hey, it had to rhyme). Be creative, we could give extra points just because we FEEL like it!

To let us know how you've been doing, send one email to philippineidol@national-champs.com detailing what you've done. Include your name (or a pseudonym if you don't want to be identified), a mobile number, and a postal address to where you want the CDs mailed (if you can't meet up with us in Makati to claim it in person), and a list of the activities you've done, including URLs and photos.

A weekly update will be posted, detailing the Top 10 posters, and links to their websites.

So what are you waiting for? It's hits for your website, it's a great promotion for Philippine Idol AND Philippine Idol Updates, and you could win great Idol music! Sali na!

More Mindanao Audition Insights!

More interesting people and events during Philippine Idol's Mindanao Main Auditions were uncovered in a recent article in Manila Bulletin.

According to the report, the judges put-up a "one song, one chance" policy for the auditioneers, apparently learning their lessons from the endless pleadings they have encountered during the Luzon Main Auditions. The judges also tend to beat around the bush in sending the rejects home since they find saying "no" in Davao Auditions to be quite difficult, considering what the aspirants went through after hours of waiting.

But what Philippine Idol staff found odd during the Mindanao Auditions was that the auditioneers backed out in groups, a lot of them begging-off even before the first round of pre-casting. Judge Francis Magalona attributed this to extreme stress and pressure, but some observers claim that it was mainly because of lack of self-confidence. They tend to doubt themselves after seeing some "good singers" being sent home.

Despite of this, those who received the Gold Pass were expected to do well in the Theater Eliminations starting July 31 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Mr. C singled out siblings Armando and Armarie Cruz of Zamboanga. "Palagay ko papasok (sila) sa Top 24 (I think they would make it to the Top 24)," Cayabyab said. "Hopefully, I don't want to predict, but hopefully."

Keep visiting this site for more Philippine Idol Updates!

Newsbreak Features Philippine Idol

Newsbreak Magazine featured Philippine Idol on its latest cover story! Writer Carmela Fonbuena visited the Luzon Main Auditions held at PICC last month and she gave an insightful report about Philippine Idol and its potential, as well as some goings-on in the audition.

One notable part of the report is the expected comparison between the Philippine Idol judges to their American Idol counterparts, that Francis Magalona is Randy Jackson, Pilita Corrales is Paula Abdul, and Ryan Cayabyab is the local Simon Cowell.

But the PI judges went to the audition as themselves. "Well, I’m not Simon Cowell," Ryan Cayabyab said in the interview. "I am Mr. C. I will use my lifetime training as a teacher and musician.”

"We don't need a Simon Cowell," Pilita seemed to agree. "I don’t think we will ever have a contestant who will say, ‘Who do you think you are to tell me that I can’t sing?’ They just beg (instead).”

Read the whole Newsbreak article here.

Keep visiting this site for more Philippine Idol Updates!