I was fortunate to leave the house a bit later yesterday, cos the weather was still as unbearable as always. Firstly I had early lunch at Plaza Sing, then headed to the Cathay Cineplex to check out the turnout for the Singapore Idol 3 auditions. Man I was right... it was MASSIVE, about 4000 people queuing up, 30% more than the turnout for last season!! And 40% of them are teenagers! I was surprised to meet Benny as well as Uncle Joe at the entrance region of the Cathay. Also, I saw Gurmit and Hady... later on Joakim got up to the orange elevator thingy to entertain the crowd and pick a few girls to showcase their talents. I left the place at 1225 hrs and took taxi to my workplace, telling the taxi driver about the return of the Singapore Idol franchise.
Later after I knocked off from work, I headed back to Cathay, only to discover that the barricades had been emptied at abt 6 pm; apparently the remaining fans were told to return to the same place the next day to resume the auditions round, for the security guards wanted them to get more rest and not fall sick afterwards. With little energy left inside my "fuel tank", I decided to head back home by bus, skipping the opportunity to see the rehearsals for True Hearts charity show at Toa Payoh HDB Hub.
As for the new changes for Singapore Idol season 3, Hady will be replacing Daniel Ong and taking on the role of co-host-cum-"big brother" in the upcoming season, while the producers decided to "tim the fat" and leave the judging panel at the original 3 (Dick, Flo and Ken). Gurmit remains as the main host, and there will also be changes added into the competition format... the Judges' Veto Vote and the Salvation Song will be added into the Spectacular rounds, and the results will be telecast on the same day as the performance show (much like Project Superstar or Campus Superstar). Singapore Idol season 3 is scheduled to premier on Channel 5 on August 9th, right after the National Day Parade live telecast... the date of the finals may be taking place in mid-December. (Truth be told, I really hope that history doesn't repeat itself on the day of the Finals yet again... let there be a female in the Final 2 this time please!)
To see more pics, go to this link... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=119137&id=556354026&ref=mf
More info on the Singapore Idol franchise... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Idol
