Pinoy Idol Audition Dates

(Major thanks to Idol Fanatic 05 for this clip.)

Pinoy Idol was formally revealed during GMA Network's New Year's Eve 2007 Presentation. The audition dates are as follows:

January 17, 2008 - Cagayan de Oro City (SM Cagayan de Oro Entertainment Center)
January 24, 2008 - Batangas City (SM Batangas Entertainment Center)
January 31, 2008 - Iloilo City (SM Iloilo Entertainment Center)
February 7, 2008 - Cebu City (SM City Cebu Entertainment Center)
February 14, 2008 - Davao City (SM City Davao Entertainment Center)
February 21, 2008 - Manila (SMX, SM Mall of Asia)
February 28, 2008 - Dagupan City (CSI Stadia)
March 6, 2008 - Angeles City (SM Clark Entertainment Center)

To all fans of Philippine Idol and Mau Marcelo, sorry, but looks like GMA does not recognize PI as the first season since the network promoted Pinoy Idol as "the first Idol competition in the Philippines".

Although I don't have high expectations as to how Pinoy Idol would turn out to be (remember how GMA butchered Celebrity Duets?), I hope this new season of Idol would feature the greatest singers the Philippines has yet to hear.

When Is Too Much Butterflies Too Much?

There is a growing online petition among viewers of GMA Network requesting for the ouster of Louie Ignacio as director of Pinoy Idol, the second season of Philippine Idol. They believe that he has been a jinx on every network he has participated, and add to the fact that he overkills his programs with repetitive over-the-top elements such as drag queens, candle chandeliers, male dancers, ati-atihan dancers, and his favorite "trademark", butterfly wings.

However, Ignacio insists that he did not apply for the job, and even taunts his detractors that he would let them direct the show and put beetles and mosquitoes on the set if that is what they want.

Ryan Agoncillo and Ryan Cayabyab transfer to Pinoy Dream Academy

Ryan Agoncillo, host of Philippine Idol (PI) in 2006, will not be able to reprise his job for Pinoy Idol as he accepted an offer from rival ABS-CBN's Pinoy Dream Academy (PDA), the Philippine franchise of Star Academy.

Meanwhile, PI judge Ryan Cayabyab--one of the most respected Filipino song writers--follow suit as he becomes PDA's new headmaster for its upcoming season.

Agoncillo previous signed an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN, making him unable to host in the station's main rival GMA. Meanwhile, Cayabyab has previous ties with ABS-CBN as he had hosted Ryan Ryan Musikahan several years ago.

This means that GMA is choosing from its stable of talents who would host Pinoy Idol. Early reports claimed that it would be Asia's Songbird Regine Velasquez, who had hosted two of GMA's previous singing competitions: Search for a Star and Pinoy Pop Superstar. However, viewers have been clamoring for the network to field in new blood into the program by straying away from the usual Regine-Velasquez-as-host-of-singing-contests. Several suggestions include Paolo Bediones, Drew Arellano, Mo Twister, Paolo Abrera, Kyla, and Karel Marquez.

Pinoy Idol on GMA-7!

The second season of Philippine Idol was transfered to a new network and with a new name. GMA Network, the current franchise holder of "Idol" in the Philippines, has renamed it "Pinoy Idol". It replaces Associated Broadcasting Company (ABC)'s "Philippine Idol", which was the original franchise, after it was not awarded by FremantleMedia to ABC for its supposedly second season.

Pinoy Idol is set to premiere on February 2008.

From Philippine Idol to Pinoy Idol
(from Wikipedia)

ABC was supposed to have a second season for Philippine Idol, as announced in a report in their late night news show "Sentro".

However, rumors began to spread that Philippine Idol would not be having a second season in 2007 as planned, while major station GMA Network was planning to acquire the Idol franchise. Sources claimed that ABC incurred heavy losses in the previous season, primarily because of the low number of advertisement placements despite being a widely-followed show. ABC asserted that it was still under negotiation with FremantleMedia about the second season and had earmarked Asian Idol as its "big launch", although it was a possibility that GMA was negotiating about Idol as well since the network already had local franchises of Celebrity Duets and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?--both from FremantleMedia.

After several negotiations, FremantleMedia officially decided to have the second season aired on GMA Network, slated for a 2008 premiere. FremantleMedia's representative Geraldine Bravo said that it is "very fortunate" to find a new partner, while GMA Network's Senior Vice President for Entertainment Wilma Galvante added that both parties have agreed that the network "has the experience, the resources, and the people to mount talent-search programs".

Reactions from ABC and GMA
(from Wikipedia)

ABC was reportedly sore about the deal, saying through its senior vice president for Corporate Affairs Terra Daffon that ABC was willing to buy only Idol with no other packages attached, but FremantleMedia has apparently found a better deal with GMA, "a giant" compared to their network which they described as a "Jack trying to climb the beanstalk". ABC was also saddended by rumors that GMA would relaunch the show instead of recognizing the first season and therefore not acknowledging Mau Marcelo as the first Philippine Idol. Daffon commented that GMA's move to acquire FremantleMedia programs was a complete turnaround from its previous vow not to "buy" any foreign franchise, and that it seemed set in battling rival ABS-CBN anew as the latter now has four franchises from Endemol.

Galvante, meanwhile, countered that she will not back down from what she said that GMA will not "copy" foreign franchises completely, without making adjustments to entertain local viewers, which was different from her statement a year before that the network didn't need to "buy" a foreign franchise to put up their own talent searches.