Regine-ified Pinoy Idol

So they Regine-ified Pinoy Idol, finally tackling an artist after weeks of trying to whip out a decent performance from its lackluster contestants who have been bombarded with themes reeking of failed attempts to squeeze out melodramatic interludes on stage. Such attempts were outshined by Jolina Magdangal's stupid thumb-ups and incessant declarations of "Winner!", and Wyngard Tracy's pathetic critique of appearances confirming what we all know about talent managers in this country that look for people they and the public would want to bed.

I don't know if the minds behind Pinoy Idol are really stupid or if they're just plain arrogant to admit that they have one lousy show, but Regine Velasquez as the first artist to tackle? Come on, the girls who can pull it off and the boys creative enough to do something new to the Songbird's songs are all gone. Why would you want your remaining contestants to pale even more considering none of them were impressive singing songs culled from their 'greatest performance' or 'the song of their life'? Worse, why would you want to compare your remaining singers to Regine Velasquez when a lot of them may not even sing well enough beside the likes of Richard Gomez on SOP?

As a result, we have a putrid reggae version of "Urong-Sulong", fun but putrid nonetheless, the kind you enjoy on a videoke night with friends when you're all drunk and a little bit uninhibited than usual. We also have an amped version of "Tuwing Umuulan", nice but you have to admit Robin Padilla sang that song much much better. And then you have a bunch of sorry songs from girls who tried to outdiva Regine. Sorry, but they really didn't have it in them to begin with. Nor is it possible to imagine any of them growing in that direction.

Sue Ellen Cubing FINALLY got voted off. On the downside however, they announce that Jaya will be next week's theme. Another screamfest, and another opportunity for David Cook wannabes to showcase their mediocre musical rearrangements. A stupid attempt to salvage fans from the older and more successful GMA singing shows from the past or just plain stupid?

Seriously, Philippine music has a lot more to offer, do we really want these contestants and the audience to think that our musical fabric starts and ends with GMA talents or should we remind them that there are other materials that need to be resuscitated and appreciated? It's bad enough the show sucks, even worse for GMA to use the same lame show to promote itself.

The show's problem isn't technical. It isn't the audio quality nor the lights nor the space, nor the host. The Filipino audience can hear and see through these things. We have a plethora of experiences from local town fiestas to 5-peso karaoke machines that have given us discerning ears to know better. Nor should the audiences be blamed for who they vote. They should be commended for not participating in the whole process since they have unconsciously said no to something not worth believing in. The problem is much deeper. The show has no concept of what it wants for its contestants nor for music, and that much the audience knows that's why not a lot waste time anymore because its not clear as to how the people behind the show would define what their concept of what Philippine music is, and what kind of artist can help them and the audience achieve that vision. All it sees is a false sense of glory, and definitely money. I felt the show was in trouble when I didn't hear any of the judges articulate anything about the talent they are looking for in the first three performance episodes of the show. And they are paying for it dearly.

The real sad thing about it is that they seem stupefied that they don't know what to do about it. Clearly, the principle of establishing artistry through commerce is failing. It's such a pity for a big network-backed show not be able to have the tools to react to it and make the necessary adjustments convinced that their worn money-making ways are the way to go.

Whether you're Kapuso or Kapamilya, it doesn't matter. We are all duped by petty network politics that milk money out of us. And we shouldn't defend their mediocrity nor be satisfied with the practices they have naturalized. They get richer and powerful for it while all we get are a bunch of idiotic shows like Pinoy Idol.

Robby Navarro Voted Out of Pinoy Idol

I didn't watch the performances last weekend. And thankfully so, I heard from a friend Robby Navarro sang well only to be floored by Sunday's results. Oh well. At least Robby's in good company as all the better singers of Pinoy Idol's first season have left. I'm excited to see Gretchen Espina win this!!! I am so excited for her, I can't wait for the show to end so we can hope for better weekend programming from GMA starring Gretchen Espina, no less.

She also has a chance to represent the country in Asian Idol. I hope she sings "Respect" there and show the world how she's no Aretha.

Got to watch my recordings of the show this morning, and it is getting pathetic. It has brushed up significantly on a lot of technicalities but whether the people behind it have any vision to impart remains to be seen. The contest has gone halfway and they still haven't introduced a musical genre, a significant artist or a memorable era for their themes. What's worse is that they insist on amateurish and, not to mention, idiotic themes such as "The Song of My Life" and "My Greatest Performance", both of which turned out to be disastrous. Raymond has gone stiffer and more self-conscious, Jolina Magdangal tries too hard but is still insubstantial, and Wyngard Tracy has become very articulate for a leech.

It would be nice to rant but I have to watch Rafael Nadal whip Roger's ass. Pinoy Dream Academy next time and I am falling in love with Liezel Garcia, who has been dominating the show, and Cris Pastor, who's a delightful talent whose metamorphosis I am anticipating.

Liezel Garcia: "Count on Me"

Over on Pinoy Dream Academy... this is a classic example of how to sing a Whitney Houston song without having the chops to sing it. Liezel Garcia does well singing "Count on Me" but somehow it was a little too stiff for me. Stiff because she's not as relaxed as she was last week. Technically, it's good and you can see all the mentors' work pay off in trying to let the contestants unlearn all the nasty pop habits they have accumulated through the years. As a singer, Liezel sounds more proficient now. On the down side, she also may be overthinking everything. Nonetheless, it was the best for the night.

The real down side to this is what Toni Gonzaga made Liezel do after Gerard Salonga gave his comment: she accepted her "small dream gift" for Liezel to give her aunt in Mindoro. Though the size of the gift is immaterial--it can be small to someone earning a lot, it can be big for someone who can't afford to buy one--it is tacky either way. Typical of most ABS-CBN shows, I really don't get why they have to squeeze in the opportunity to send a message and go explore (or exploit) the contestants friends and relatives when this could have been a simple singing contest. Drop the feigned drama, please.

Mae Flores Eliminated from Pinoy Idol

Mae Flores was eliminated from Pinoy Idol. The show officially sucks. I'm curious, how many votes does Pinoy Idol get in a week? A few hundred thousand? A million?

They never say. Nor do you hear or see people convincing each other to make voting urgent. The show doesn't make as much buzz as a Manny Pacquiao fight nor produce songs people rip into their music players. Coming from a station who has fought the war of network ratings, it's strange that Pinoy Idol has never boasted of its numbers.

Because there are not that much numbers to speak of.

And how many unique voters does Pinoy Idol get? I vote for contestants I like but I don't send 200 votes for them. Just a few, until my fingers get stiff, or I become cranky. And why are there so many bad contestants left there. To have a proverbial Sanjaya Malakar is understandable, but none of the less talented contestants have a hairstyle or a smile that's palatable and memorable for all of them to have survived that long.

Do people still vote for a Pinoy Idol? There isn't anyone in the show left to pull out huge numbers from a throng of believers. I maintain it's the friends and relatives of the remaining contestants who vote.

And why is this show taking forever to end?

I vote for the reinstatement of a Regine Velasquez-hosted pop star search. I think Regine Velasquez is meticulous enough not to let her work turn mediocre as evidenced by a number of singing contests she has starred in. They all are better than Pinoy Idol.

American Idol Sets Audition Cities for Season 8

With the recent coronation of David Cook as American Idol champion in the show's seventh season, the show prepares itself again for it's eighth season next year starting on Thursday, July 17 2008.

The audition tour will kick off at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and will visit seven other cities, including a visit to the island of Puerto Rico on Saturday, Aug. 2. After San Francisco American Idol will proceed to Louisville, Kentucky on July 21 and to Phoenix, Arizona on July 25. Runner-up David Archuleta's hometown Salt Lake City, Utah will get an audition on July 29.

After the trip to Puerto Rico, American Idol will proceed to the mainland for auditions in Kansas City, David Cook's hometown on Aug. 8, followed by Jacksonville, Florida on Aug. 13 and East Rutherford, New Jersey on Aug. 18.

Auditions are open to men and women 16-28 years of age as of July 14, 2008.

Mae Flores: "You Oughta Know"

Mae Flores - You Oughta Know
by starmometer.com

Again, too short. Twenty seconds into the song, and Mae Flores is still into the crucial intro. If she had 30 seconds more, she would have had enough time to build it up and charge this into something really phenomenal.

Robby Navarro: "One Last Cry"

Robby Navarro - One Last Cry
from starmometer.com

My only complaint to this is that it's too short. It could have gone shorter if Robby made more runs, which he could have. This is a challenge not just for the contestants but for the show itself: how do you let your contestants connect to a wider audience with just a minute of singing without getting much structured feedback from the judges, who can't highlight what was done well or poorly in the performance? I can hear Jolina Magdangal butting in to shout "Winner!"

Pinoy Dream Academy: Gala Night

Pinoy Dream Academy's Second Season started out really well and a lot of contestants were quite impressive, while a number are still clueless and a bit out of their element. What is apparent is that the contestants are taught well. A number of them have unlearned or are in the process of eliminating the antics they've gathered through amateur forays in the past as shown in some pre-taped segments prior to their performances. Best of all, the training gave them fundamental vocal skills, as can be seen (or rather heard) in the performances themselves. That's a good start.

If the judging was any indication of other good things to come, Pinoy Dream Academy's judges covered a comprehensive list of skills from breathing to jumping the gun on the beat to outfits that "accentuate height"--at least there's an end to nitpicking on an outfit.

My favorites last night were Van Pojas's rendition of "Can’t Fight This Feeling", Liezel Garcia's "Dance With My Father", Miguel Mendoza's "A House is Not A Home", Ross Dio's cover of "Father and Son" and, strangely, Apple Abarquez's “Papa Can You Hear Me”. (Strange because I hate the song.) Of the five, the first three were on the top of the class and Liezel was given the star of the week award, or whatever it is they call it to say who's the best. Unfortunately, Liezel--pretty as she is--had really bad make-up that night.

The one thing I found really distracting was Billy Crawford whose hosting skills remind me of the frenetic kid that he once was on That's Entertainment. He was struggling throughout the show, and he would resort to those impish gestures that reminded me of his days as Kuya Germs's pet. We've seen him on his international appearances several times and he doesn't behave this way. Toni Gonzaga is reliable. But I must admit that I miss her Wazzup Wazzup persona and the kind of fun she exuded on Eat Bulaga.

Pinoy Idol: "My Greatest Performance"

I don't understand the theme in last night's Pinoy Idol. I don't know why the show is insisting on very personal themes--father's day, birth year, now your greatest performance--when a lot of the contestants need to be re-educated with regards to music. It would be nice to tackle a genre or an era or specific music from a particular artist that would force the contestants out of their comfort zones and make the really brilliant ones stand out: the ones who can understand music and hear things in a whole new and exciting light. The personal themes are doing the opposite. Instead of making the contestants shine, they are made more amateurish than they should be, allowing them to continue those nasty habits they need to unlearn through songs they like, songs that they think they can sing but can't. Unless it's the finale, and these really are the greatest performances under the contestants' repertoire, then be afraid. Be very afraid.

Case in point: Someone should tell Warren Antig to stop it with the rock antics. It's getting annoying considering he can sing and doesn't have to hide underneath that cocky rockstar wannabe attitude of his. Considering every rockstar wannabe like him has his or her own version of a Tears for Fears song, his was really unforgivable, he couldn't hack it. And what was Gretchen Espina thinking singing "Respect"? Of course you have to be compared to Aretha Franklin. If you figured out that you are no Aretha, you shouldn't even entertain the idea of singing her songs. It takes a lot of grit and soul, and if you don't have it, a cutesy rendition will do no justice to one of the feminist movement's theme songs.

It would be nice if the 'minds' behind Pinoy Idol can get contestants like these two to sing something else if only to let them discover that they are not who they think they are. Gretchen Espina should be given more melodic songs, the kind that Jolina usually sings on SOP. Warren Antig should try going soft and see that there's nothing wrong with letting your guard down and sing without having to scream. If Pinoy Idol can do something like a duets night, they should let these two sing Regine Velasquez and Robin Padilla's cover of "Tuwing Umuulan". That they can do.

(Or better yet, Pinoy Idol can do a novelty song night and sing stuff from Lito Camo, Yoyoy Villame and Willy Revillame. That would be so much fun. A Lito Camo night would be perfect because there is a market for songs like that. More on this next time.)

On a positive note, Mae Flores did us proud. On an Alanis Morisette song no less!!! Robby Navarro did good too, but Mae is my dark horse and I feel she didn't deserve to be in last week's bottom two. I am still waiting for her to go all out as I felt she was still a bit tentative last night. Jolina Magdangal is exerting more effort to be a little more articulate only she has to stop saying "Winner". I'd rather have her do her thumb-ups instead. But is it enough? Not really. I think the judges should sit down one time and maybe discuss with the producers what each contestants' weaknesses and strengths are so that they can point it out during judging.

I am not saying who, but one contestant's problem is phrasing. It's been consistent from week to week and no judge has tried to correct it. A couple are too nasal, and they're not being called on it. Another one tends to go faster than the beat, another one has a problem with the middle register, another keeps singing high-pitched songs but would be better off with low-pitched songs. They should scrap the group number on performance night. It's silly, the contestants have to deliver their songs and let them focus on that. Plus it would be nice to hear them sing for more than a minute.

The set is still awful, and the lighting really putrid. Since they have a bunch of pretty contestants, they should do a sagala night and let them parade under their magnificent arko (arch) in couture gowns so Wyngard Tracy can have a blast commenting about looks and outfits. I think they got sick of everyone saying that the lighting is bad so they bombarded it with lights. Which, again, is proof that it has nothing to do with being 'third world' or 'colonial' as some of our smarter readers have said. Today's media is global and definitely commercialized. What should potentially make money is given a lot of money, third world or otherwise. To accept mediocrity and to refuse comparing it with successful global franchises speaks of not just an inability to compete but to also accept subjugation just because we don't have the capital. Regine Velasquez's show "Songbird" on GMA has a beautiful set in such a small stage. But it looks and feels bigger than what GMA has done with Pinoy Idol. Why can't they do that for this show? It's absurd, you don't even have to compare the show to American Idol since GMA has had better conceptualized, designed, executed and judged singing contests before that it's just easy to see how horrible this one is turning out to be.

E bakit ka pa nanonood?

You'll never know if the next best thing is there who will overcome a bad production and shitty judging, who will surprise us (like what Mae Flores did last night) and give us something new to sing in the future so that I wouldn't have to listen to Sitti in the mall, in the restaurant, in airport terminals.

Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2

Things are looking up for Pinoy Dream Academy, local franchise of the not-so famous Star Academy, which has made waves here thanks in part to the voyeuristic Big-Brother-like filming of the show which has scored a hit with local audiences. The christening of a star happens through a pretense of a school--an academy to be exact--and contestants are treated as students learning the hows and whys of becoming a star.

While I am not a fan of the format--I just have no tolerance to watch the off-stage portions of it not to mention the hyper-extended and unedited live-in portions of the show airing on Studio 23--the talent the show may have stumbled upon is promising. As to why the public would want to watch relative unknowns brush their teeth or hang around all day doing nothing, I don't know, but it worked and the formula is being exploited. The 15 they have chosen so far include:

Michelle Belmonte, 25, Quezon City
Hansen Nichols, 23, Taguig
Christian Alvear, 25, Taguig
Jay Bogayan, 17, Camarines Sur
Van Louelle Pojas, 17, Cebu
Jun Ross Dio, 25, Quezon City
Apple Abarquez, 18, Cebu
Cristina Pastor, 20, Paranaque City
Miguel Mendoza, 18, Muntinlupa City
Beatriz Munoz, 17, Muntinlupa City
Maria Liezel Garcia, 22, Dubai
Chivas Anton Mallinda, 22, Tanjay, Negros Oriental
Jovannie Mallinda, 22, Tanjay, Negros Oriental
Rafael Ignacio Ting, 18, Pasig
Laarni Losala, 22, Sultan Kudarat

A slot for a 16th is still up for grabs as one of the supposed finalists quit. The show, however, has yet to get a grip on its production. Billy Crawford has a lot of mishaps as host, the spiels need to be rewritten and polished, and the camera work is insanely dizzying, out of focus and uncoordinated.

What is doubly exciting for Pinoy Dream Academy is the selection of Ryan Cayabyab as "headmaster" for the academy. At the very start, Ryan Cayabyab has made strides establishing what he wants and what he's looking for, taking reigns not just over the contestants but also audience expectations.

(I'd like to compare it to Pinoy Idol but an 'exasperated' reader might find it colonial, even if the word colonial as a practice of appropriating culture has serious political implications.)