Jersey City Register

Who Will Be the Next Filipino Idol? Vote Now!

The nine contestants on stage

UPDATE (June 30, 2008) : Due to the bad weather condition, Grand Finals of Filipino Idol will be rescheduled.

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UPDATE (June 27, 2008) : Read the latest updates here including the BIOs of all finalists!

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Original Post: June 15, 2008

The Filipino Idol Audition at Five Corners Branch Library in Jersey City attracted sixteen participants from New Jersey, New York, and even Virginia. However, for some reasons, only nine showed up.

But the low number didn’t discourage the organizers and the candidates to continue the event. As a matter of fact, the audition turned out fun and tension-less.

After the brief orientation, the nine contestants battled it out on stage, showcasing their talent in front of five respectable judges and supporters. The contestants were judged based on three criterias: Voice Quality (40%), Artistic Interpretation (30%), and Stage Presence (30%).

At break time, Jon-Michael and Riana, “jammed” with musicians, including former Filipino Idol Finalist John Balingit. Song-writer Archie arrived during that time and joined the panel of judges when the audition resumed.

When the audition was over, the judges conferred and Filipino Idol Chairperson Hector Magno gathered the participants on stage. Former Overall Chair for PAFCOM Carmen Flores went up and announced the finalists, who will then compete for the Grand Finals on June 29th at Exchange Place during the big annual festival famously known as “Philippine-American Friendship Day.”

Originally, eight finalists will be chosen. Since only nine auditioned, the judges decided that all of them will advance to the grand finals, which drew applause from the contestants and audience.

That also means one thing: all of them are guaranteed to receive $100!

Prizes at stake:
1st Place : $1000
2nd Place : $700
3rd Place : $500
Other Finalists : $100

Vote for your favorite contestant!
This poll does not affect the outcome of the competition

I apologize for the crappy quality of pictures. I’ll bring a decent camera next time.

Show your support to your favorite candidate. Email this post to your friends and family members!

Who is your favorite Filipino Idol Candidate?

• 7. Andy Bello (36%, 191 Votes)
• 3. Kristine May Parcon (33%, 177 Votes)
• 8. Chelsea Evangelista (11%, 58 Votes)
• 2. Riana Balahadia (10%, 51 Votes)
• 4. Jon-Michael Eclar (4%, 22 Votes)
• 5. Elizabeth Bukiron (4%, 20 Votes)
• 6. Cherry Joy Demiao (2%, 9 Votes)
• 9. Vanessa Angela Villena (1%, 4 Votes)
• 1. Michael Ray Calalang (0%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 534

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Read the rest for more story…

AUDITION SIDENOTES:

• Hector Magno was surprised that most of the young aspirants chose to sing old songs. He said that was unexpected.
• Archie jokingly asked Hector to stop referring him as “The Composer”, as it sounded like “decomposer”. Hence, the title “song-writer” in this entry.
• John Balingit initially was shy to go up on stage, but later on joined the group of “jammers” (Joe and Archie) for some intermission numbers.
• John asked me to feature him on this site. Thus, his name was mentioned more than twice! You owe me one John!
• Michael, Riana, and Kristine May were the first to arrive.
• Joe displayed his expertise by mentioning the mic problem which will go unnoticed to the untrained ears.
• Archie played the role of “Simon” (one of the judges in American Idol), by giving pointers to the participants. Archie gave no harsh words though, only useful tips.

Filipino Idol Contestants and their Audition Songs

#	Contestants (From/Occupation)	Song Title/Singer
1	Michael Ray Calalang (JC/student)	Sapagkat Mahal Kita (Acapella) by Larry Miranda
2	Riana Balahadia (JC/student)	At Last
3	Kristine May Parcon (NY/employee)	You Are My Song(Acapella) by Regine Velazquez
4	Jon-Michael Eclar (VA/college graduate)	Kahit Isang Saglit
5	Elizabeth Bukiron (Elizabeth NJ/student)	You Know Im no Good
6	Cherry Joy Demiao (NY)	I Believe In You and Me
7	Andy Bello (JC/employee)	Hanggang (Acapella) by Wency Cornejo
8	Chelsea Evangelista (Howell NJ)	How Could You Say You Love Me
9	Vanessa Angela Villena (New Brunswick; NJ)	You Dont Have To Say You Love Me

Judges:
John Balingit - Former Filipino Idol Finalist
Archie Dairocas - Song-writer
Carmen Flores - Former Overall Chair for PAFCOM
Hector Magno - Filipino Idol Chairperson
Joe Vallado - Technical Director
* A different set of judges will be selected in the finals on June 29th.

Grand Finals Judging
Unlike the audition, the contestants will be judged in the Finals openly by four judges right after finishing their songs — similar to American Idol.

Pointers and Guidelines for the Finalists

• Candidates may change their songs for the Grand Finals. Email the songs to Hector (magnopi@yahoo.com)
• Finalists should notify Hector Magno regarding their contest piece to avoid duplication. If ever there is duplication, he will not accept or entertain the 2nd one.
• Finalists should wear something formal (ie. Sunday Best). For men, they could wear “Barong Tagalog”
• Finalists should dress like a “real” stage performers; they could wear make-ups for the benefit of the cameras.
• Finalists should memorize their songs
• It was reiterated that “Stage Presence” is vital to win. Therefore, finalists should avoid being “stiff” when performing.
• Finalists should “throw it to audience” when singing and avoid being self-indulgent.
• Finalists should arrive ahead of time, as the order of performance will be based on “draw-lots”. If a finalist is late, s/he will be the first to perform.
• Finalists should label their CDs with their names.
• Entourage for finalists is preferred; the more the better.

SPONSOR
The event is sponsored by PAFCOM (Philippine-American Friendship Committee, Inc.) a non-profit Jersey City-based organization helping the community especially the senior citizens and minorities in bridging the gap. For more information about PAFCOM, visit their website at http://www.pafcom.org.

For more information, finalists are requested to directly contact Hector Magno via email at [magnopi at yahoo dot com] -> magnopi@yahoo.com

If there are errors in this post, kindly contact me via the comment section or email me at info@jcregister.com so I can make the necessary corrections. Thank you.

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