BY JOVE!

PHILIPPINE IDOL: BIG 3 AT THE BIG DOME

(Shining Stars, Glowing After Their Stellar Performances)

Minutes after the credits rolled on your television sets, their respective supporters rushed to the stage to greet, meet and take photos with their idol pick. Proof that Jan, Mau and Gian will walk away from the show as certified idols if not stars.

It was great looking at them interacting with their fans. Basking in the afterglow of their Araneta Coliseum gig. From the auditions to the big dome, it was quite a journey for each of them, indeed!

(That is why I am pissed with the inane comments of the judges. How could they even use the preparation of a hopeful as a factor to consider in their judging or as a judging quip? Why? Of course, Jan, of course, Mau and of course, Gian… all prepared for this night. The night of their transition from Idol wannabees to Idols. Duh? They all deserve pats in the back for “bringing it on!” tonight.)

Thank you Mau, Jan and Gian for an exciting, entertaining and emotion eliciting final performance night.

Thanks for making us all interested in Philippine Idol, from the first episode to the homestretch.

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Recap?

We’ve all seen the show. We already voted like there’s no tomorrow. A recap is, in my opinion, pointless. By this time, the winner’s been picked. We just have to wait for the 9:00 pm reveal over ABC 5 (and via live stream on the Idol site).

Besides: Patty said it all for me and she said it best! (i agree with everything you said, patty, especially those stuff about the judges! tama ka!)

Besides2: Noemi’s blog is interesting, too!

Here’s my personal take on what happened last night.

All three tried their very best. But sometimes, not everyone’s best effort is good enough. Or well, sometimes, they are good enough and even great, but you have judges that are just so inconsistent, inaudible, incoherent, illogical, vocabulary deficient, etc etc etc.

(mabuti nga nasigawan kayo ng “kayo ang pumili, hindi sila ang pumili” when at least two of you tried to criticize the song choice. Napansin ba ninyo na bigla hindi tinuloy ni Pilita Corales ang pintas niya sana sa Balut?)

(mabuti nga at na boo si Francis Magalona sa Araneta. Mabuti at nasupalpal siya ng mahabang ovation para sa hopeful na pinuna niya in “not so well thought of sentences” for losing appeal with the audience kumpara sa Megamall to Araneta.)

I have to say, if not for Jan, Mau and Gian’s good performances tonight, malamang buong show naka kunot ang nuo ko. My officemates noticed how bummed I was with the bits coming out of the judges’ mouths.

Going back to the Big 3.

How did they fare?

Again, they evidently, all worked really hard for their performances last night. I would have to refer you again to the picture I posted earlier this morning.

The picture I took of the three hopefuls during the big band night, could well be the indication of how things went Saturday night.

Jan and Mau registered well on the pic, while Gian’s figure was defocused.

I love you Patty, Pammy and Noemi, but I am quite nervous for Gian. Weeks ago, it seemed like Gian’s got the sure shot for the title. Last night, sadly, I felt like, and I told my friends who were in Araneta with me the same thing, Gian handed the title to another hopeful, “just like that”. I kept asking them throughout the live show, “ano ang nangyari kay Gian?”. I liked his Impossible Dream, the second round (judges’ picks) I didn’t take seriously (lahat ng pinili nila, argh) so I don’t have a comment about “Volare” and in the last round, I didn’t like his “Flying Without Wings”. No Jher and Bridget, it wasn’t the bad audio, it was him who was all over the place during that particular performance. Nalungkot ako. Ang galing galing ni Gian, kagabi magaling din siya, pero not that great to stop Jan’s “improved” streak. If only all the voters voted for his over all performance during the whole season and not for last night’s performances alone. Pero, we all know that Gian’s got a strong support group, too. Isama pa ang young ladies na followers niya. May pag asa pa.

Mau and Jan, round after round, in my opinion, showed everyone that they really really want the coveted title. Mararamdaman mo talaga.

So yeah, given all the indications from day one to the second to the last night of the first season of Philippine Idol, Jan Nieto, may be on his way to clinching the title.

Gian’s fan base and trusty support group may give him a strong finish tonight, despite his good but not great performance Saturday night.

Mau, the great Maureen Marcelo is the darkhorse (Interestingly, Jan’s title weeks ago). I’m just praying really hard that the admiration she gets week after week after week (and until last night when she was accorded that very loooooong standing ovation, that was repeated when the show resumed after commercial break) … will translate into needed votes. Sana.

We will see.

Who knows kung sino nga mananalo di ba?

(Sana nga Gian or Mau, but that’s a personal wish, iba ang reality ng PI eh)

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By the way. Something should be said about the supporters.

From where I was seated at the patron section, it was great seeing the idol specific, color coded supporters filling up seats pataas (lower box, upper box and general admission). In the middle were the blue Gian supporters. On the left side facing the stage, the yellow clad Mau supporters. On the right side, Gian’s supporters in orange.

Wala sa kanilang nagpakita ng masamang asal. Walang asaran. Kapag hindi nila idol ang kumakanta, tahimik sila. Saludo ako sa inyo!

All three groups were quite organized. But Jan’s blue squad was the group that went to the big dome really prepared (nakita naman ninyo sa TV kung paano nag prepare ang group nila, thru one of the Jan videos). Ang saya nila tignan with their blue and silver pompoms.

Mau’s Quezon contingent also made noise. Local politician and kumpare, Webster Letargo proudly wore his yellow shirt as a show of support for a ka-probinsya. He wouldn’t confirm reports about the busloads of Mau supporters from Quezon, that allegedly embarked on a caravan to Araneta. After Mau sang “On My Own”, a lot of people in the patron seats stood up applauding. We also saw many fans in orange giving her an ovation. Jan’s supporters also clapped for Mau (sabagay lahat naman ng grupo pumalakpak din sa ibang hopefuls after each performance eh) … ayan kasi FM eh, ipinakita tuloy sa iyo na mali ka.

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Despite the warnings of the burly security guy, I made my way to the stage to hug and congratulate Mau Marcelo.

As soon as I reached her near the center of the stage, I buzzed her in the cheek and told her “Mau, napansin mo ba na nakatuntong ka sa logo ng Philippine Idol at kakulay ng gown mo ang kinakatayuan mong titulo?”

She just smiled.

After Phillip Camarillo (ABC 5 Photog) took our picture, I hugged her again and wished her good luck.

Earlier, she didn’t just give me goose bumps during her last song for the night. She actually made me release some tears in my eyes. That performance will forever remain etched in my Idol memories. Simply unforgettable. (even the members of the media and especially the members of the entertainment press who were seated near our group, gave her hearty claps and a long standing ovation!)

Ryan Cayabyab summed it up: “THAT WAS MAGIC!”

(from www.starmometer.com)

Ang galing galing mo, Mau!

In a world with justice, you could have easily claimed the title of the first Philippine Idol.

But whatever happens, corny and cliché as it may sound, this experience will make you stronger and better.
Lingo lingo, people give you the validation. In fact, we already crowned you as an artist.

And you know what’s great about this experience para sa iyo?

You earned our respect.

Kudos, Mau!

I love you very much. Just like Pow, you made us feel for someone we didn’t even know months ago.

Now you are Mau Marcelo, our idol!

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Had a great time watching the show inside the Araneta, with my colleagues in the news department.

Shout out to John Susi and his family. To Martin Andanar and his family. Rose, Pinky, Divine, Carmela, Pima, Arvin (and his wife), Carmela (and her sister and companions), and of course, my PI barkadas: Jackie and Greg!

I hope Bombet and Grace enjoyed the show with Juday, Gretchen, Goma and Lucy.

I hope PI loyalists, Barbie and Jay had a blast, too!

Same with Rey Agapay, Joseph Morong and Reeza Singson.

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Thanks Perci!

Chin up and smile, Rich!

Hello, POW!

(this is for you, ESOTERICOS!)

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To my dear high school classmates in Aquinas School: my apologies for not being in our old campus last night for our reunion. Bawi na lang next year!

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(written early Saturday)

I took this picture during the final round before the Big 3.

(ang daming interpretations or balloon thoughts na pwede ilagay sa litratong ito)

THE BIG THREE:
Mau Marcelo
Gian Magdangal
Jan Nieto

Who will be the first ever: PHILIPPINE IDOL?

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Excited na ba kayo…?

Excited like us? Believe it or not, a lot of the people in the news department of ABC 5 were up until the wee hours in the morning kanina because of sheer excitement. We were in a frenzy yesterday because of the last minute release of tickets for our department. We were hawking for tickets, not for ourselves but for the many friends, relatives, viewers and colleagues from other networks who kept asking us for tickets since last week. Not for us anymore, because as employees for the news department, we can choose to work to get inside the venue. Sana mapaligaya kayong lahat ng palabas mamaya at bukas kahit sa bahay lang kayo manunuod or kung mabigyan man kayo ng ticket ng News Department, okay sana seats ninyo kahit General Admission seats or Upper Box lang ang mga iyan. Enjoy!

Fellow bloggers, the great people at the Forums, and the PI fans (closeted or proud PI supporters)… this is it!

Before tonight’s Big Show (tomorrow night, Sunday is the supposed BIGGER SHOW), here’s an announcement posted by ABC 5 on the Forum (sound a lot like THIS which was written more than a week ago), I am posting this because it may well serve as a safety guide for the Araneta shows.

Announcement regarding Tickets

For the past two weeks, the production team has received endless
requests for tickets to the finals in Araneta Coliseum on Dec. 9 and
10. At first, we were optimistic that we would be able to
accommodate everyone. But when the requests seemed endless, we soon
found that we are exceeding the capacity of Araneta, which is only
9,600 for Idol because of the big staging requirements. At one
point, we found ourselves facing 14,000 requests!

So it is with mixed emotions that we report to everyone that there
are really no tickets left to distribute.

We are extremely honored that so many of want to attend our finals —
and that even on the strength of 3 individuals who were not big names
half a year ago, we can proudly say “naubos ang tickets ng Araneta.”

But at the same time, we do feel the frustration of everyone who had
been clamoring for tickets — especially those in the online
community that have been so supportive in giving feedback (both
positive and negative) that help us improve the show.

Some points of clarification:

1. For safety reasons, Araneta Coliseum is strict in releasing only
the maximum number of tickets. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DISTRIBUTE
TICKETS AT THE ARANETA, not even at the last minute.

2. The tickets are NOT NUMBERED. There will be certain areas that
are marked for special guests, but apart from that it will be free
seating. This is a way of ensuring we maximize the good seats for
everyone. It is advisable to come early. (Note that in order to
stretch the seating capacity, we opened some seats that are actually
at the sides of the stage and may not offer the best vantage point.
However, we are doing our best to make sure viewers in these seats
still get to enjoy the show.)

3. There will be DESIGNATED AREAS for the fans of each of the Big 3.
This means that you will be with kindred spirits while you watch the
show.

4. The tickets are FREE OF CHARGE. Beware of individuals attempting
to sell their tickets.

5. No flash photography and video cameras allowed inside the venue.
Please also note that we have to abide by Araneta’s house rules. Of
particular importance is that no wooden sticks or boards are allowed
on streamers and banners — only plastic ones.

6. Please be considerate of other viewers with your banners and
streamers. Also please be considerate of fans of other Idols.
Remember that despite the tough competition, our Idols themselves are
friends.

7. There will be ushers and security marshals to assist fans at the
Coliseum.

Meanwhile, we have heard reports that many Idol fans have organized
their own viewing parties on Saturday and Sunday. We trust you will
have as much fun watching the show as those in Araneta Coliseum.

Our production team and the Idols are working hard to make both
nights truly memorable — it’s the lease we can do to thank all of
you for supporting Philippine Idol so passionately in the past 6
months.

Thank you and get ready to meet the first Philippine Idol!

Team Philippine Idol