Asia's Queen of Songs, Pilita Corrales, adds another feather on her already heavily decorated cap by being selected as one of the three judges of Philippine Idol, the local franchise of the US phenomenal hit singing tilt, American Idol.

“I’m so excited,” beams the unsinkable Cebuana Spanish mestiza who is famous for bending backwards while hitting the high notes. “Everybody’s congratulating me.”

With her 50-plus-year experience in showbiz as a singer, actress and TV host, Pilita’s inclusion in the panel with Maestro Ryan Cayabyab and Master Rapper Francis Magalona is indeed a no-brainer. But just like Francis, program host Ryan Agoncillo and the others who had attempted to get a slot in Philippine Idol, she had to follow the Hollywood standard procedure: auditioning.

“It was already three times that [people from ABC 5, the local network that has bought the rights to replicate American Idol in the Philippines] sent me a message, asking me if I could please come and audition,” recalls Pilita. “So finally I went. After five to 10 minutes, it was finished. I only interviewed three [supposed contestants], then I went home and forgot about it.”

Not that Pilita is in dire need of another project. She is busy performing in concerts in and out of the country, co-starring with Richard Gomez, Joey Marquez, Raymart Santiagao and Benjie Paras on the Channel 7 sitcom, Lagot Ka. . . Isusumbong Kita, and overseeing operations of the restaurant and music bar in Greenhills that bears her famous name. She was formally taken in by ABC 5 last May. Though it was supposed to be still under wraps, the news about her selection quickly found prominent space in the entertainment pages of broadsheets and tabloids.

On June 9, Pilita, along with Mr. C (as the music professor and composer is fondly called) and Francis M (the rapper/singer/actor/TV host’s moniker) made their first official appearance as Philippine Idol judges in the first of the three-day audition at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila. They then went to Davao and Cebu to screen applicants from Mindanao and Visayas, respectively.

Philippine Idol is set to premiere on Channel 5 on July 29. Just like the original, the first weeks will feature highlights from the auditions before the chosen ones buckle down to work in a series of make-or-break tests until 12 standouts are chosen to compete in the weekly eliminations that will culminate in a showdown between the top two contestants and the much-awaited announcement of the winner the following night.

This is not the first time that Pilita has become part of a talent search on TV. In the ‘80s, she co-hosted with Bert “Tawa” Marcelo Ang Bagong Kampeon, which was later reformatted into Tanghalan ng Kampeon. Regine Velasquez, now the acknowledged Asia’s Songbird, was able to cross over from provincial singing competitions to professional gigs by emerging as a grand champion of Bagong Kampeon at the age of 14.

“[Singing contests on TV] have more production value now,” observes Pilita. “The money is bigger, the exposure is bigger.”

Indeed, TV networks that produce and run these tilts (Search for a Star in a Million on Channel 2 and Pinoy Pop Superstar on Channel 7) don’t only award titles, cash prizes and recording deals through their affiliated labels but they also give away a house and lot package and other perks like shouldering the expenses of one or several medical procedures that they think will add star value to their discoveries. With its Hollywood connections, Philippine Idol promises an opportunity to gain a foothold in the international scene.

While Pilita is a firm believer and an avid fan of Filipino talents, she laments the fact that a lot of them don’t last long in the business. Thus she offers these pieces of advice for those who aspire to be an enduring star like her: “You have to love what you’re doing, not just for the money. You have to be professional. You have to be on time. Study your songs. Now you have all these teleprompters. But doing a show and looking at a teleprompter, I cannot.

“[Also] you have to be good with the audience. I have a repertoire but just after one song, I already know what they want and what they don’t want. I still spend a lot on [music] arrangement and clothes that I use in shows. But I’d rather share them with people. ‘Pag may nanghihingi ng gown ko, binibigay ko. The same with the arrangement. If [the person asking for it] and I have the same key, [I allow him or her to have it photocopied].”

She also reminds veterans and upstarts alike to always look their best. “I tell them that they owe it to the public,” says the always well-dressed and made up Pilita. “Not like this with total makeup, but put a little lipstick and a little powder. Even young stars today, [I wonder] ‘Sino ba ‘yan? Kasi hindi naka-makeup [that’s why I don’t recognize them].”

When asked how she keeps her good looks and trim figure, she replies with a laugh: “I’m very lazy to exercise! I just eat the right food. But I’m so used to fixing myself. In my office downstairs (Pilita Corrales and Associates located at her New Manila home), nobody can see me without my eyebrows. Sanayan lang ‘yan. I feel better like that, so why not?”

Too, her passion for fashion hasn’t waned. “I still dress sexily on stage,” says Pilita, who’s known for donning gowns with slits that go up to here. “But I can’t be indecent. For somebody who have grandchildren like me, baka sabihin nila… But if you have a figure to show, why not?”

Pilita has seven grandchildren courtesy of daughter Jackie Lou (and her husband Ricky Davao) and Ramon Christopher (who’s been estranged from his wife Lotlot de Leon for a couple of years now). Jackie and Ramon Christopher co-own the Pilita’s restaurant cum music bar in Greenhills along with her husband Carlos Lopez. It has become her second home, she adds, where she can hang out with old pals like German Moreno and Nikki Ross (of the Wing Duo) and make new friends with diners, who never fail to request for a song or two from the gracious star and restaurateur.

“I’m basically a happy person,” she replies on how she maintains her youthful vibrancy. “If I have a problem, nobody knows about it. I don’t have enemies, I hope.”

“Nowadays, competition is tough,” she continues, sighing. “During our days, we were all friends – Carmen Soriano, Carmen Pateña – walang inggitan. It was all professional.

“Now, it’s a bit tighter. But I’m not bothered. Aside from being in this business for so long, everybody respects me. Hindi ako ‘yung kailangan mauna ang pangalan ko [in the billing]. I’m not a billing reklamadora. I’ll never say na finale ako because I know that when I get on that stage, I’ll get the audience anyway. Gusto ko nga mag-opening [number], mas okey para uwi na ako pagkatapos. You know, it’s the attitude of the person [that matters].”

More than the illustrious accomplishments (some of which are preserved in glass frames and displayed at the Greenhills haven for music and munchies) it’s her beauty – inside and out – that makes Pilita Corrales a Philippine idol.

(Pilita will bring her act to the US in July: July 15, Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas; July 18, Viejas Casino in San Diego, California; July 21, South San Francisco High in San Francisco; and July 22, Sacramento City College in Sacramento, California.)

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