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.