After Walton Zerrudo and Meryl David were voted out last night, I came to the realization that, no, Philippines is not ready for Pinoy Idol.
I am big fan of singing contests and I don’t mind wasting time glued on TV just see who will be the next singing sensation. I watched Sarah Geronimo as she took her shawl off and dropped it on the floor while pausing in between the now famous line of Celine Dion’s "To Love You More” ---- “I’ll be (pause… drop shawl.. extend hand to audience).. waaaaiting for youwooh…..!” At that same instant, we knew she was gonna win. I also remember applauding to Erik Santos’ “This Is The Moment”, a song most people didn’t know before but now has become a contest piece thanks to his winning performance. By the time Erik was singing the chorus, there was no doubt Sheryn Regis was gonna fall flat on her face.
I also witnessed on TV how Carrie Underwood won American Idol and all the other idols following her --- Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks and David Cook. Although Bo Bice (giggle, giggle) was the reason I started watching (and got hooked on) this American show, when AI season in on, every week, I look forward to Wednesday nights and Thursdays nights to make sure I didn’t miss a single show.
When I learned that GMA7 won the rights to the Idol search franchise, I got really excited. At first it was weird that they called it “the search for the first Pinoy Idol” but what the heck. After watching Channel 5 made a major booboo of handling the now forgotten Philipine Idol, I thought maybe this time, the winner (or even the finalist) will have a career in Philippine music industry. Except for Jan Nieto and Gian Magdangal who were given so-so breaks in GMA7 (well, it’s better than nothing), I have not heard of the grand winner Mau Marcelo and the other finalist since the show ended. (Oh, Miguel something --- Ryan Cayabyab’s favorite, will be appearing on ABS CBN’s Pinoy Dream Academy opening next week, which is strange because Mr. C. is one of the judges, while some other girls from Philipine Idol, I think I see on The Singing Bee from time to time.)
After only a few weeks of airing, I am a little bit disappointed with Pinoy Idol. For one thing, what is wrong with the show’s audio system? Maybe it sounds different live but for us watching at home, it’s a strain. The audio sound from the contestants' mike doesn’t make their voices sound good. Most of the time, the sound of the band overshadows the voices, and it just doesn’t register well.
This early the judges seem to be begging the audience to vote for the talented ones! Sad to say the Pinoys are not listening. This is reminiscent of Mr. C. begging viewers of Philippine Idol to do same. Erap once said “walang kama-kamag-anak, walang kai-kaibigan!” Yeah, right. Not in this country. It looks like Filipinos (even this modern generation) still vote for the “kamag-anak” , “kaibigan” or “kakilala”. Sometimes it’s not even based on personal “kakilala” but “kapatid yan ng officemate ng bilas ko kaya binoto ko!” Why is there a need for Filipinos to associated themselves to somebody famous or to somebody who appears on TV? For reality shows like Pinoy Big Brother, whose structure is mostly based on mass appeal and popularity, this selection process might work, but for talent searches like Idol, it's called permanent damage.
I was not expecting that Walton or Meryl would be going home. I mean they may not be best singers in the bunch but they were so much better that the others who remain standing. But I am not surprised that results are unpredictable. Robby Navarro, who is my favorite because he is one of the best singers in this competition, if not the best (and yes I vote for him and no I am not related to him in any way) was on the bottom four last week. The judges could not hide their exasperation about it.
Anyway here is my personal opinion on the other contestants based on their latest performances (emphasis on the word PERSONAL please).
Grethen Espina (Wala Na Bang Pag-Ibig) – Wala na bang iba? She should sing Bossa songs, I think that fits her personality and voice. For me she is the weakest now.
Carol Leus (Voice Within) – Her voice is really really good. But she lacks confidence and personality. I think the judges are frustrated with her. If she doesn’t step up it bye-bye time for her too.
Penelope (One Step at a Time) – This girl can really sing and is very talented. But can somebody assign a personal stylist for her please? Please? I almost expect that she’s gonna belt out “Aawitan kit-taah…….aaawitan kit-taaaah…!”
Jayann Bautista (Bleeding Love) – Voice and star quality are both OK. But she should dress down a little bit. Or maybe she wants to join EB Babes.
Meryl David (Killing Me Softly) – Like I said, probably not the best singer but definitely better than most.
Mae Flores (Walk Away) – Star quality lang talaga. Nice legs and skin. Most likely to join showbiz win or lose.
Jeni Rawolle (Too Darn Hot) – Best female performance last Saturday.
Sue Ellen (Love Like This) – Again, personal stylist please? I can’t look at her. As Wyngard put it “stop wearing costumes, wear proper clothes”. And, yes, Wyngard I think she sounded Japanese last Saturday, too.
Ram Chavez (Kung Ayaw Mo Wag Mo) – Sorry to his fans but I don’t understand why he is in the competition in the first place. No star quality, voice is not so great, but he seems to be Jolina’s favorite.
Daryl Celis (Because of You) – Daryl who?? Oh the cute one, no wonder he is still around.
Toffer Rei (Something to Say) – I have always favored rockers in Amrican Idol (Bo Bice, Cris Daughtry, David Cook over David Archuleta) but not this contestant though. Going back to the audio issue, are the judges hearing a different thing live? Because Toffer doesn’t sound as good as they say he does. He strains his voice so much when trying to reach for the high notes that I fear he is gonna break his vocal chords. His voice sounds good on lower keys though. Unfortunately he sings rock songs which require him to shout. Maybe a better song choice.
Warren Antig (Billie Jean) – again the rocker thing. Why did he say his musical influence was Michael Jackson and then proceeded to sing (or should I say copy) the David Cook version? He should have said David Cook was his musical influence; maybe the judges would have been more forgiving.
Kid Camaya (Love Always Finds A Way) – Safe performance, as safe as the first day of a menstrual cycle. He should find an ally on Ogie, being a balladeer himself, but Ogie is unimpressed.
Walton Zerrudo (Hello) – Like I said, he was one of the better singers. Too bad he was voted out.
JJ Jr. (Wish) – They say the Harry Potter look-alike. I wish he stops doing that annoying habit of pursing his lips when singing. It’s annoying. Did I mention it’s annoying? He must be using his magic wand to stay in the competition…Ziiing!
Robby Navarro (Wildflower) – He used to be a part of an all-male singing group called Wiseguys. May I say again that Robby Navarro is my favorite? Robby’s take on the song Wildflower last Friday was just fantastic! Here’s his version of What You Won’t Do For Love by Bobby Caldwell.
I am big fan of singing contests and I don’t mind wasting time glued on TV just see who will be the next singing sensation. I watched Sarah Geronimo as she took her shawl off and dropped it on the floor while pausing in between the now famous line of Celine Dion’s "To Love You More” ---- “I’ll be (pause… drop shawl.. extend hand to audience).. waaaaiting for youwooh…..!” At that same instant, we knew she was gonna win. I also remember applauding to Erik Santos’ “This Is The Moment”, a song most people didn’t know before but now has become a contest piece thanks to his winning performance. By the time Erik was singing the chorus, there was no doubt Sheryn Regis was gonna fall flat on her face.
I also witnessed on TV how Carrie Underwood won American Idol and all the other idols following her --- Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks and David Cook. Although Bo Bice (giggle, giggle) was the reason I started watching (and got hooked on) this American show, when AI season in on, every week, I look forward to Wednesday nights and Thursdays nights to make sure I didn’t miss a single show.
When I learned that GMA7 won the rights to the Idol search franchise, I got really excited. At first it was weird that they called it “the search for the first Pinoy Idol” but what the heck. After watching Channel 5 made a major booboo of handling the now forgotten Philipine Idol, I thought maybe this time, the winner (or even the finalist) will have a career in Philippine music industry. Except for Jan Nieto and Gian Magdangal who were given so-so breaks in GMA7 (well, it’s better than nothing), I have not heard of the grand winner Mau Marcelo and the other finalist since the show ended. (Oh, Miguel something --- Ryan Cayabyab’s favorite, will be appearing on ABS CBN’s Pinoy Dream Academy opening next week, which is strange because Mr. C. is one of the judges, while some other girls from Philipine Idol, I think I see on The Singing Bee from time to time.)
After only a few weeks of airing, I am a little bit disappointed with Pinoy Idol. For one thing, what is wrong with the show’s audio system? Maybe it sounds different live but for us watching at home, it’s a strain. The audio sound from the contestants' mike doesn’t make their voices sound good. Most of the time, the sound of the band overshadows the voices, and it just doesn’t register well.
This early the judges seem to be begging the audience to vote for the talented ones! Sad to say the Pinoys are not listening. This is reminiscent of Mr. C. begging viewers of Philippine Idol to do same. Erap once said “walang kama-kamag-anak, walang kai-kaibigan!” Yeah, right. Not in this country. It looks like Filipinos (even this modern generation) still vote for the “kamag-anak” , “kaibigan” or “kakilala”. Sometimes it’s not even based on personal “kakilala” but “kapatid yan ng officemate ng bilas ko kaya binoto ko!” Why is there a need for Filipinos to associated themselves to somebody famous or to somebody who appears on TV? For reality shows like Pinoy Big Brother, whose structure is mostly based on mass appeal and popularity, this selection process might work, but for talent searches like Idol, it's called permanent damage.
I was not expecting that Walton or Meryl would be going home. I mean they may not be best singers in the bunch but they were so much better that the others who remain standing. But I am not surprised that results are unpredictable. Robby Navarro, who is my favorite because he is one of the best singers in this competition, if not the best (and yes I vote for him and no I am not related to him in any way) was on the bottom four last week. The judges could not hide their exasperation about it.
Anyway here is my personal opinion on the other contestants based on their latest performances (emphasis on the word PERSONAL please).
Grethen Espina (Wala Na Bang Pag-Ibig) – Wala na bang iba? She should sing Bossa songs, I think that fits her personality and voice. For me she is the weakest now.
Carol Leus (Voice Within) – Her voice is really really good. But she lacks confidence and personality. I think the judges are frustrated with her. If she doesn’t step up it bye-bye time for her too.
Penelope (One Step at a Time) – This girl can really sing and is very talented. But can somebody assign a personal stylist for her please? Please? I almost expect that she’s gonna belt out “Aawitan kit-taah…….aaawitan kit-taaaah…!”
Jayann Bautista (Bleeding Love) – Voice and star quality are both OK. But she should dress down a little bit. Or maybe she wants to join EB Babes.
Meryl David (Killing Me Softly) – Like I said, probably not the best singer but definitely better than most.
Mae Flores (Walk Away) – Star quality lang talaga. Nice legs and skin. Most likely to join showbiz win or lose.
Jeni Rawolle (Too Darn Hot) – Best female performance last Saturday.
Sue Ellen (Love Like This) – Again, personal stylist please? I can’t look at her. As Wyngard put it “stop wearing costumes, wear proper clothes”. And, yes, Wyngard I think she sounded Japanese last Saturday, too.
Ram Chavez (Kung Ayaw Mo Wag Mo) – Sorry to his fans but I don’t understand why he is in the competition in the first place. No star quality, voice is not so great, but he seems to be Jolina’s favorite.
Daryl Celis (Because of You) – Daryl who?? Oh the cute one, no wonder he is still around.
Toffer Rei (Something to Say) – I have always favored rockers in Amrican Idol (Bo Bice, Cris Daughtry, David Cook over David Archuleta) but not this contestant though. Going back to the audio issue, are the judges hearing a different thing live? Because Toffer doesn’t sound as good as they say he does. He strains his voice so much when trying to reach for the high notes that I fear he is gonna break his vocal chords. His voice sounds good on lower keys though. Unfortunately he sings rock songs which require him to shout. Maybe a better song choice.
Warren Antig (Billie Jean) – again the rocker thing. Why did he say his musical influence was Michael Jackson and then proceeded to sing (or should I say copy) the David Cook version? He should have said David Cook was his musical influence; maybe the judges would have been more forgiving.
Kid Camaya (Love Always Finds A Way) – Safe performance, as safe as the first day of a menstrual cycle. He should find an ally on Ogie, being a balladeer himself, but Ogie is unimpressed.
Walton Zerrudo (Hello) – Like I said, he was one of the better singers. Too bad he was voted out.
JJ Jr. (Wish) – They say the Harry Potter look-alike. I wish he stops doing that annoying habit of pursing his lips when singing. It’s annoying. Did I mention it’s annoying? He must be using his magic wand to stay in the competition…Ziiing!
Robby Navarro (Wildflower) – He used to be a part of an all-male singing group called Wiseguys. May I say again that Robby Navarro is my favorite? Robby’s take on the song Wildflower last Friday was just fantastic! Here’s his version of What You Won’t Do For Love by Bobby Caldwell.
Cheers to the judges and host of the show though, I think they’re the only thing right about the show. But if the voting continues to follow "kakilala" trend for the remaining weeks of the contest, we should probably go back to and be content with Regine Velasquez's "Peeenoy Pop Suuup-perstar!!"
pinoy idol logo from http://www.sulit.com.ph
pinoy idol judges image from http://www.pinoyidolblog.com
robby navarro, walton zerrudo & meryl david images from www.idolphilippines.com/2008_04_01_archive.html
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