MANILA, Philippines?It?s a harsh ?reality? but it?s a fact.
GMA 7 program manager Hazel Abonita explained why the network didn?t renew ?Pinoy Idol? and, instead, launched a new reality singing contest, ?Are You the Next Big Star??
Abonita said FremantleMedia, ?Idol? franchise owner, offered the show for renewal with GMA 7. ?We asked for creative leeway to take Filipino culture into consideration, but Fremantle refused.?
Pinoy peculiarities should be factored into the rules for a singing contest, she said.
Crucial factors
For instance, Abonita pointed out, ?Filipinos are clannish, family-oriented and regionalistic. A Pinoy contestant gets full support from parents and immediate relatives, and even from extended family members and province-mates.?
Can it be said then, that in the Philippines, wealth and the ability to buy text votes are crucial factors as well?
?Yes,? Abonita conceded. ?Also, our country is smaller compared to the United States, where voting in one state cannot affect voting in another state.?
On ?Next Big Star,? which premiered May 16, text voting is limited to the Bottom Three and the Grand Finals, director Louie Ignacio said.
?On this new show, the finalists will be narrowed down with the help of five judges and a jury composed of music professionals,? he said.
Unlike ?Pinoy Idol,? where the judges could only give comments to influence viewers, the new show counts the judges? votes in the final tally, said Perry Lansigan, executive producer.
Viewer culture
?The jury consists of representatives from campus choral groups, singers and teachers from UP, Lyceum, Ateneo,? said Abonita. ?Among the judges are Randy Santiago, Mon Faustino, Danny Tan, Pops Fernandez and Anne Quintos.? The show is hosted by Regine Velasquez.
Abonita said these changes were culled from years of producing singing contests. ?After three years of ?Pinoy Pop Superstar? and a year of ?Pinoy Idol,? we?ve learned to adapt to the culture of viewers.?
Lansigan concurred. ?Next Big Star,? he said, is ?an original concept specially designed with Filipino culture in mind. It?s tailor-made for the needs and preferences of Pinoys.?
