Pinoy Idol

I'm sure many of us are waiting for Pinoy Idol. I was somehow thankful that it moved from ABC 5 to GMA 7. It will get much more attention in the latter, really. And who better host the show than Raymond Gutierrez? He's one of the few local celebrity hosts who knows what he's doing. Fluent, articulate, pleasant to look at, and not "baduy". Paolo Bediones (accdg to inquirer.net) didn't make it as host of the show due to age restrictions. Fremantle, Idol's franchise holder, wants the host to be 30 below. Paolo Bediones is already 33. But had Paolo been 30, Raymond Gutierrez is still the better choice. Raymond (like Ryan Seacrest) is more... glamorous.

Also, Regine Velasquez wasn't able to make it as host of Pinoy Idol. Is that the reason why she's leaving GMA? (This is just my own opinion) She doesn't have Pinoy Pop Superstar and Celebrity Duets to host anymore... Is it like she's expecting GMA to put her as host of Pinoy Idol? Well, Fremantle (again) says that singers are "not even considered for the job, so as not to take attention away from the contestants." And for goodness' sake, Regine V can't even host! All she does is stand on stage with a microphone, and read the idiot boards. I'm a big fan of Regine but please, let the singers do the singing, and the hosts do the hosting.

Judges include Ogie Alcasid, Jolina Magdangal and Wyngard Tracy. Pinoy Idol premieres April 5, 2008, Saturday.