Pinoy Idol

Pinoy Auditions in Cagayan de Oro as reported by Asian Journal

MANILA, Philippines — During the first round of auditions for GMA 7’s “Pinoy Idol” in Cagayan de Oro last week, Jolina Magdangal cried, Ogie Alcasid picked up a slew of lessons, and Wyngard Tracy realized that he would soon become the most hated man in the country.

Jolina, Ogie and Wyngard are the judges in the local version of the world-famous reality talent search from FremantleMedia.

In an exclusive interview, Wilma Galvante, GMA 7 senior VP for Entertainment TV, pointed out that the judges’ “two-pronged” role was very important: “They tell the contestant whether they’re good or not, and they influence the viewers’ vote.”

Credibility

For this reason, Fremantle had put a premium on credibility in choosing the three jurors from a list presented by the Kapuso network.

Another crucial consideration was whether prospective judges were willing to devote the next eight months to “Idol,” which premieres in April and wraps up in August.

“I wanted [singer] Regine Velasquez to be a judge, but she’s doing a series of concerts in the US,” Galvante said. “Jolina gave up an afternoon soap.”

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