July 25, 2006
Philippine Idol: The Phenomenon Begins
Filipinos who have been following the worldwide phenomenon American Idol for the past few years have been silently longing for our very own version of the show. Now what used to be a dream for many of us is now a reality with the launch of Philippine Idol on July 30, Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC-5.
Expected to replicate the world-famous American Idol, Philippine Idol is poised to make it big in the country as the first-ever local reality TV, singing competition and real-life drama rolled into one entertaining package.
With Philippine Idol, the Philippines becomes the 35th country to have acquired the Idol franchise, thanks to ABC-5, the station that acquired the license for the format from Fremantle Media Limited.
The nationwide search for singing talents
After scouring the whole country in search for singing talents, Philippine Idol is now ready to launch the competition proper.
In the past two months, fast track screenings and auditions were held in key cities across the nation to find fresh new talents who will vie for the much-coveted title of the very first Philippine Idol. All of the auditions were well-organized and well-attended. The audition venues teemed with happy, anxious, but altogether hopeful singers.
ABC-5 partnered with Manila Broadcasting Co. for Luzon and Radio Mindanao Networks for Visayas-Mindanao in organizing fast tracks screenings in 21 SM malls and seven non-SM malls nationwide. The fast tracks were held prior to the main auditions and gave the applicants a chance to be prescreened and earn a slot to the main auditions as well as free transport and lodging for provincial qualifiers.
Upon completion of the Luzon fast tracks, the first leg of the three main auditions was held on June 3 at the Philippine International Convention Center. It was like one big party, with over 2,000 hopefuls high on hope, rich in talent.
Philippine Idol took eight days to audition the thousands who came from all over Luzon. As the Luzon main auditions ended, 116 very talented contestants were given the much-coveted "Gold Pass" to go to the next round—the Cultural Center of the Philippines theater eliminations.
Next up, the ABC crew flew all the way to Davao and Cebu for the second and third main auditions.
The second leg, the Mindanao main auditions, took place from June 23 to 26 at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao. At the end of the Davao main auditions, 17 contestants had made it to the next round.
The Cebu auditions ended with a band with 36 "gold passers" chosen out of the thousands who auditioned, exceeding the 25 member quota initially set. This highly successful Visayas main auditions were held at state-of-the-art Bigfoot Entertainment in Mactan, Cebu from July 4 to 9.
All in all, a total of 169 promising contestants will go to the CCP theater eliminations to vie for the top 24 slots.
Thousands of Filipinos, with some flying in from abroad and from all walks of life took a shot at becoming the fist Philippine Idol. Many even tried out in fast tracks screenings more than once, some even five times to pursue the dream. Some of the hopefuls were raw talents, some were already professional signers, while others just wanted to be on TV—but all of them had one goal in mind: to be the first Philippine Idol.
It's not just a new standard, it's the world standard
The people with the toughest job in Philippine Idol are Ryan Cayabyab, Pilita Corrales, and Francis Magalona—three musical personalities with diverse musical backgrounds and learnings.
They have the unenviable task of choosing among the talented aspirants the very first Philippine Idol. In their hands lies the country's search for the very first National Singer. And considering the talent, expertise, and experience of the three, we know that the search is in good hands. Remember this, only the best can choose the best!
Much like in AI, Philippine Idol will not be complete without the amiable host who will serve as the adviser and provider of moral support for the contestants. While AI has Ryan Seacrest, Philippine Idol, in turn, has its own Ryan in the person of popular host and former teen heartthrob Ryan Agoncillo. The cool and handsome Agoncillo is expected to provide the much-needed breath of fresh air to the contestants.
After all the initial work has been done and after a long and exciting wait, Philippine Idol hits the television screens and jumpstarts ABC's primetime programming starting July 30 at 8 p.m. Also, watch out for the Idol Exclusive, the show that caters to everything about Philippine Idol, every night beginning August.
Hold on to your seats as Philippine Idol starts its quest to find the best singer in the land. The stage is set and on July 30, the Idol phenomenon begins.
SOURCE: Yehey!
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