Bwahahahahaha!!!

Unfortunately it's not a joke. It's sad that the first Pinoy Idol winner has to go on the defensive. “The viewers chose me as their idol. I hope everyone would respect their decision,” said Espina in an interview with the Inquirer.

And just how many viewers chose Espina as their Pinoy Idol? GMA has yet to reveal the numbers of their voting game not just for the finals but even for the previous weeks. Judging by how they've shortened the inaugural season of Pinoy Idol--with double elimination nights and a three-person finale--numbers may not even reach a million.

Not that Gretchen Espina doesn't deserve to win, it's just that she could have won in more favorable conditions. There wasn't much competition for her to prove her mettle since the show failed to capitalize on the international franchise's formula, opting instead to use the Idol brand to promote its personalities--from the host and judges to the artists it featured in the show--in dire need of an audience. It backfired, contestants were given insufficient time to perform with the kilometric commercial breaks, they weren't given proper input and training, and audiences were ticked off by the inconsistent, incoherent and feeble comments passed on by its judges. As a result, the better contestants got booted out early, and Pinoy Idol became a joke.

I'm not saying Gretchen Espina's win is a joke, I'm saying it's tainted by the show being a joke. Anyway, she seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. In the same interview she said: “Show biz can be really nasty. I’m ready for it. It’s not any different from politics.”

It just dawned on me. Gretchen Espina can also have a career as a comedian.