Pinoy Idol
The second Philippine Idol franchise on GMA Network.
Pinoy Idol was a Philippine television reality singing competition that aired on GMA Network in 2008. It was the second Philippine version of the Pop Idol franchise, created by Simon Fuller and developed by FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment. Raymond Gutierrez hosted, with judges Ogie Alcasid, Jolina Magdangal, and Wyngard Tracy. The show premiered on April 4, 2008, and ended on August 17, 2008, running for 37 episodes.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Reality competition
- Based on
- Pop Idol, Simon Fuller
- Director
- Louie Ignacio
- Presenter
- Raymond Gutierrez
- Judges
- Ogie Alcasid
- Jolina Magdangal
- Wyngard Tracy
- Country
- Philippines
- Language
- Tagalog
- Episodes
- 37
Facts from the source article.
Development
ABC 5 had initially said it was thinking about making a second season of the show, but reports suggested the network was backing away from that idea. According to sources, ABC took a big financial hit from the first season because it couldn't sell enough ad slots, even though the show was very popular. ABC insisted it was still talking to FremantleMedia about another season and had planned to make Asian Idol a major launch, but there was also talk that GMA Network might be in the mix, since it already aired FremantleMedia shows like Celebrity Duets and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?. After more talks, FremantleMedia officially decided to move the show to GMA Network, where it premiered on April 5, 2008. FremantleMedia's Geraldine Bravo called it "very fortunate" to find a new partner, and GMA's Wilma Galvante said both sides agreed the network "has the experience, the resources, and the people to mount talent-search programs."
Overview
Auditions for Pinoy Idol were held in the following cities: Cagayan de Oro, Batangas City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Davao City, Pasay, Dagupan, and Angeles City. During the Pasay auditions, Ida Henares, head of the GMA Artist Center, took over Magdangal's seat in the judges' panel as the latter was in the United States at the time. Out of thousands of aspirants, 179 passed through the next round of eliminations. The 179 audition passers gathered in Manila for the theater rounds in Cinema 6 of SM City North EDSA. The first round saw the hopefuls divided into groups of 10 and they each performed their pieces in front of the judges. Ninety contestants were chosen for the second round. In the second round, the ninety aspirants formed pairs and each pair had duets to perform together; they were judged separately. Half of the ninety were virtually cut. The final forty-five each performed a song of their choice for a final time in front of the judges. Afterwards, they were divided into three groups of fifteen. One group was eliminated, bringing the number down to thirty. In April 2008, the judges re-examined the performances of the final thirty survivors, starting from their audition pieces down to their final ones in the theater round. Then, in the GMA Network Center, the judges announced the fates of the thirty. It is from this final group that the Top 24 were chosen. The 2008 Beijing Olympics song 'Ready to Fly' by Amy Pearson was used extensively throughout the audition and theatre phases of the competition. The 24 semi-finalists were announced on May 17, 2008. Some of their names were changed or shortened so it would be easier for viewers to remember. Their names and short biographies were also published the day after the announcement. The semifinals, or 'workshop phase,' began on May 23, 2008, with the Top 12 male contestants performing first and the Top 12 female contestants performing the next day. Eliminations were on a weekly basis beginning May 25, 2008, until the Top 12 was finalized. Male semi-finalists included Joselindo Pimpino Jr., also known as JJ Jr., 17 from Bataan, who auditioned in Dagupan; Walton Zerrudo, 25 from Laguna, who auditioned in Pasay; Ryan 'Rye' Estrada, 28 from Iloilo, who auditioned in Iloilo; Sherwin Bayangan (Sherwin Marquez), 26 from Dagupan, who auditioned in Dagupan; Paulo Dio Maghari (Dio Paolo), 24 from Bacolod, who auditioned in Iloilo; and Eleuterio 'Elliot' Andal, 24 from Batangas, who auditioned in Batangas. Female semi-finalists included Carol (Anne) Leus, 17 from Batangas, who auditioned in Pasay; Meryl (Consulta) David, 23 from the Bicol Region, who auditioned in Angeles; Regene Ong, 20 from Quezon City, who auditioned in Pasay; Vrenilyn 'Vren' Villaflor, 17 from Quezon City, who auditioned in Pasay; Beverly 'Bev' Ejercito, 18 from Davao, who auditioned in Pasay; and Drizzle (Emerald) Muñiz, 28 from Quezon City, who auditioned in Pasay. Semifinals weekly song themes: Week 1 (May 23 & 24): Own choice of songs; Week 2 (May 30 & 31): Hit songs from year of birth; Week 3 (June 6 & 7): Greatest musical influences; Week 4 (June 13 & 14): Songs for fathers. After eliminating the eleventh and twelfth semi-finalists, the Final 12 was formally announced on June 15, 2008. The finals, or 'gala night' stage, started on June 21, 2008, with eliminations the next night. In the eighth week, two finalists were cut in a single night to accommodate the final three for the finale; that elimination took place on August 10, 2008. The finale shows took place on August 16 and August 17, 2008, at the SMX Convention Center. Gretchen (Stephanie) Espina, 20 from Biliran, daughter of Governor Rogelio J. Espina, studied at the University of the Philippines, Diliman and was a member of the University of the Philippines Singing Ambassadors (UPSA). She was never in the bottom group and auditioned in Pasay accompanied by a bodyguard.
Reception
The pilot episode earned a 16.3% rating according to AGB Nielsen Philippines. An online campaign sought the removal of program director Ignacio due to his frequent use of butterflies, which critics called tacky and not Idol-material; Ignacio defended the trademark but no butterfly designs appeared on the show. Critic Nestor U. Torre hoped earlier lapses would be remedied but found mediocre talent and host Raymond Gutierrez not yet comfortable in the role, though he praised the judges. A viewer complained about Gutierrez's nasal hosting, Magdangal's immaturity, and Tracy imitating Simon Cowell. Entertainment writer Jean Oli said the show lacked an "Idol feel" and called it an ordinary singing contest, finding GMA's earlier shows more interesting. In a post-mortem, Torre wrote that the Finals were less exciting than Philippine Idol's due to finalists lacking star quality, the audition process, and early elimination of better singers, doubting the winners' talent and versatility.
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