Taking you where it happens, as it happens

I am your brother
Your best friend forever
Singing the songs, the music that you like
We’re brothers ‘til the end of time
Together or not, you’re always in my heart
Your hurt, your feelings in you will reign no more
— Renaldo Lapuz, contestant #20547, American Idol 7

I was so happy one afternoon when I got a call from my boss Hazel Abonita about hosting Pinoy Idol Extra. It’s a show based on American Idol (AI) Extra hosted by AI alumnus Constantine Maroulis. I’ve always dreamed of hosting a music-oriented show like this because I’ve always secretly dreamed of being a VJ. I remember watching Donita Rose as she hosted MTV’s daily request shows from Singapore every day after school and hoping someday I’d have a chance to do something like that.

My other dream of course would be for Simon Cowell to watch me on Pinoy Idol Extra. I keep on joking that we should catch Simon’s attention by greeting him or singing “the songs, the music that he likes.” After all, we come from the land where his “brother” Renaldo Lapuz hails from. Renaldo of course is the AI wannabe who sang and composed the song We are Brothers Forever which is written above. The song became an instant hit with a remix version being played on local radio. We also sang it on our Sunday variety show S.O.P. a couple of times. Simon guessed it right when he said he was afraid that the song would be a big hit.

Renaldo even performed his masterpiece during the AI 7 finale at the Nokia theater in his Elvis-inspired audition costume: An extravagant white ensemble lined with fur, white tassles, a very shiny silver cape topped off with a white furry hat. He sang a cappella and after a few lines, he was joined by a big ol’ marching band complete with cheerleaders who entered from the audience area. The crowd roared and clapped to the beat with much excitement as the music progressed. Towards the end of the song, Renaldo was joined on stage by AI judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson just as they had done during his audition. Of course, there was a close up on Simon, Renaldo’s inspiration for the hit song while he was tapping the table to the beat of his song.

I wonder if Renaldo will make a surprise appearance on the Pinoy Idol finale on Aug. 16 at Centerstage, SM Mall of Asia. That would certainly be one for the books. But with or without him, I have to tell you that the excitement is tremendous every week during performance and elimination night.

It’s common Filipino practice for us to label new people in our lives by associating them with people they look like. Since some of you may not know the Pinoy Idol Top 12 as much as I do (since I’m with them all the time), I thought it would be fun to get to know them by taking a look at who their look-alikes are. Let’s start of with the contestants who were eliminated:

1. Jeni Rawolle loves to sing standard songs. Her white complexion and sultry style make her a dead ringer for Christine Reyes.

2. Mae Flores’ hairdo with very popular full bangs makes her look a lot like Cristina Ricci. Mae was a final contender together with Sarah Geronimo on Channel 13’s Star for a Night which for me was the pioneer of this generation’s new wave of talent searches. Of course it was preceded by the very popular Tawag ng Tanghalan and who could ever forget Ang Bagong Kampeon hosted by the late Bert “Tawa” Marcelo and Asia’s Queen of Song Ms. Pilita Corrales and Tanghalan ng Kampeon.

3. Robbie Navarro was an early favorite in the contest. His R&B style was a big hit among the girls. I’m told that he looks like DJ Durano but for me, he looks like my Philosophy 104 classmate and seatmate, Alfred Vargas. Judge Ogie felt that Robbie’s exit came too soon in the competition. I was witness to the singer/songwriter’s dismay as he stayed onstage after the elimination to chat with Robbie.

4. Sue Ellen has one of the most unique voices in the competition. She is the second to the youngest contestant but is often mistaken as the bunso or baby of the group because she is smaller than the group’s youngest who is Penelope. She’s known for her funky style marked by her colorful tights and tiara. She looks a lot like M.Y.M.P. hitmaker Juris Fernandez.

5. One look at Warren Antig and you will instantly notice all the tattoos on his skin. I once asked Warren moments before elimination about what was more painful, getting a tattoo or waiting for the results. Of course, the answer was standing on the Pinoy Idol stage waiting for the verdict from the Filipino people. I was surprised that Warren is actually a tattoo artist specializing on what they call biomechanical tattoos.

6. If someone were to win Best Makeover in the Pinoy Idol group it would be Penelope. She totally transformed into a beautiful princess thanks to the haircut that Essensuals Toni and Guy gave her as well as all those personality enhancement workshops. The bubbly girl is simple, sweet and endearingly makulit. She is the youngest in the group but she showed the most versatility. This was observed by Ogie who said that she could take on most genres very well like pop, ballad and R&B.

7. Toffer Rei is someone I always joke around with on the set. I even have a picture of him in the dressing room wearing Sue’s tiara. The other contestants jokingly got mad at me when I unintentionally made him cry in his exit interview upon asking him about his girlfriend. Hey, I cried, too. Sorry, Toffer, my bad. It turns out Toffer’s GF whom he lovingly refers to as “pre” or pare supported him very much during the competition. A lot of people say that Toffer looks like funny man Epi Quizon.

Who will make it to the Top 3? Here are the remaining contestants:

8. Ram Chaves was once a contestant of Regine Velasquez’s show Pinoy Pop Superstar. Earlier during the competition, he was criticized by judge Wyngard for copying Bamboo. I’ve listened to Ram’s CD of compositions which he performed with his band Sutil and I must say that he has his own unique style. He made his personality more evident after that criticism which he took in stride.

9. Gretchen Espina is best known as the daughter of the Governor of Biliran but she is slowly making a name for herself by making it to the Pinoy Idol Top 5. The most memorable performance that she gave was during band week where she not only performed well but was hugged by one of the members of Brownman Revival as she performed onstage. I had a hard time finding her look-alike. Some people say that she looks like Giselle Sanchez.

10. I also had a hard time figuring out who Daryl Celis looks like. And then, when I was watching the monitor during commercial break, I saw a glimpse of a member of The Guapings. Daryl, who is a heartthrob himself looks like my cousin Mark Anthony Fernandez who stars opposite Regine on GMA 7’s remake of the Koreanovela Ako si Kim Samsoon.

11. After Kid Camaya received bad comments from judge Wyngard who said that he was “deteriorating” and judge Ogie who said that he was “slipping away,” Kid actually did his homework upon the suggestion of Wyn. As a result, he has come out with two of his best performances.

12. I was able to interview Jayann Bautista’s look-alike Nina. Nina says, “Jayann, as we all know, Pinoy Idol is a contest, but if you’ll just try to enjoy every performance and always give your best, you’ll learn that everything won’t be as hard as you’ve imagined it to be.” I asked Nina to suggest a song for Jayann but she had no song in particular.

I’ve had a blast taking you where it happens, as it happens on our show Pinoy Idol Extra. Tomorrow, the last episode of Pinoy Idol Extra will air live from GMA Studio 3 right after S.O.P. But I will still be at the grand finals next Saturday. Tickets will be free for this big day and you can get them on Aug. 14, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at GMA Network, EDSA. Everyone has a say on who the first Pinoy Idol will be. Make your voice heard by voting. Simply text IDOL (space) (name of contestant) and send to 367 (Smart) and 2344 (Globe).