Rants of a singing competition enthusiast

You know damn well I’m talking about American Idol, hehe. The finale performance is due tomorrow night and once again I’m gobsmacked from the last elimination. Worse than season 8 (season 9 was meh), my faves didn’t even make it to the finale. Yes I was betting on a Haley – James showdown, actually there could’ve been a Casey somewhere in there too. Casey has musicality and he plays different instruments but I think his main asset is personality.

For those saying James is an Adam 2.0, yes to some extent I agree and to be honest Adam was more versatile in his performances. But from this season’s contestants, James got the attitude and is far surer of himself as an artist than anyone. As for the screaming, I have accepted that its part of the whole rock persona (ehem Steven). And I’m not one to use the sympathy card but I have to say you gotta admire him more in spite of his tourette’s and asperger’s – a form of autism.

With Haley, I like her cause she has that unique and raspy voice that if ever will be exciting to hear in the sea of boring recording artists these days. I’m not saying she’s the best of the season but in the Top 3, she is. And yes I hated her early on cause she seemed fake and her song choices were blah but she is the most improved and each week she bloomed on stage. Her voice got the ‘umph’ and in case you haven’t noticed she’s got some feistiness in there too especially when the judges gang up on her. I’m sorry but I do think they don’t give her enough love and seems harsher on her. When did they ever put Lauren and Scotty in the hot seat? Ya I thought so.

My problem with our 2 youngest finalists ever (16 & 17) is that they’re good performers but not great. If you’re an avid Idol fan you’d agree with this: I didn’t have a ‘wow’ moment with Lauren throughout the season: no jaw drops, no giddy feeling, no standing o (even though I’m just in my room watching). It’s always safe with her, just enough to gather in those votes. Having said that I did like her from the very beginning, cue in the likeability factor but gosh again this is a singing competition.

Scotty, scotty, what can I say? Hmm… I definitely think he’ll win I’m 99% sure of that. He’s charming and different but as weeks passed it gotten dull which will pretty much sum up the upcoming performance night. There’s not much you can expect from him but I guess millions of teenage girls will disagree with me, if you know what I mean.

I’m sure these two must be the sweetest kids ever but I don’t think they have ‘it’. I don’t think I’ll buy their records. Then again, winning this whole thing doesn’t necessarily make you a successful artist. So yeah, weird enough it doesn’t matter in the end. More than anything, Idol has become a mere popularity contest. However if we stick to the show’s premise, they’re looking for the best and they, for me, are not the best.

Hangover and Deathly Hallows sequels release new posters!

Both are big sequels coming out this year. HP7 is actually the 2nd part finale and I can’t freaking wait for July! Waaaaaaaaa!!!! Pardon my fanboy alter-ego. I love the face-off theme of the poster, we’re in for a gruesome treat.

The Hangover was such a smash in 2009 that they decided to make Part 2 and this time the gang hits Bangkok dangerous, hehe. Looks like they’re in a lot of trouble once again which will be fun to watch. I got a feeling that monkey will be a pain in their ass. My only problem here is, where is Justin Bartha??? Hope he’s still part of the movie.

High Fashion

Cycle 15 of America’s Next Top Model is all about high fashion for the winner will be featured in the pages of Italian Vogue, cover of Beauty In Vogue, even on the Vogue.it website, a contract with Covergirl cosmetics & a contract with IMG model management. Plus the designers & photographers the models were able to work with are just the finest & best: Diane Von Furstenberg, Patrick Demarchelier, Zac Posen & Roberto Cavalli to name a few.

Out of the 14, Ann emerged as the winner. The awkward & freakishly tall (6’2″) girl with haunting eyes who managed to get best picture for 5 weeks in a row. No one has ever done that by the way. Some would say a misfit from the group but I’m telling you she is definitely the right choice, I can see her fit in the Italian fashion industry. Chelsey, as the judges said, is more American fashion and for me, she would definitely win if she joined the previous cycles instead (I can name winners she can give a run for their title). They’re both really good but I guess the high end prizes ended up hurting Chelsey in the end. I’m a bit concerned with Ann’s personality but I guess if you can take gorgeous pictures & look amazing in couture then you will get booked which is most important. I’m curious on how Tyra can top this cycle, will she be able to work with Vogue Italia again just like with Seventeen Magazine? We’ll see.

Indie Vs. Mainstream (Predictable Much?)

Can you believe it has been a year already since Adam Lambert took the title as Season 8′s Ameri… oh wait, that didn’t happen, did it?

Oh well, its time once again for America to decide. Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze will be battling it out on Season 9, hoping to garner as much votes as they can.

Frankly, this has been a lackluster year for AI. Barely watched the weekly performances (which I never thought will happen ever), nobody really stood out – yeah they were a bunch of good singers but that’s about it. No ‘X-Factor’ (no pun intended). Do I think people will buy their records? No. At least, I don’t think I am. Simon leaving didn’t really convinced me enough to stay tuned throughout the season. Wow, I’m still surprised I’m talking about Idol this way. Probably the only reason I’ll be watching the finale is because Christina will be performing (shameless plug!). Anyways, if you ask who my “bet” is, though I wouldn’t actually bet on it, it would be Crystal. But if you ask who will win, I would say Lee. Why? He’s got the bigger fan base. Proof? He made it as no. 1 trending topic on Twitter – ever heard of Justin Bieber? Probably not. And obviously, as my title suggests, he’s more mainstream than Crystal. Problem is, is he any different from Kris Allen? Or David Cook? But we really never know, right? So just tune in for the whole 2-hour extravaganza and update me on who they’ll announce as winner. Blah.

New Idol Crowned

So unless you’re living under a rock, you might have come across the Idol Finale last Thursday or the breaking news of the crowned winner. Whichever way, I knew I just had to voice out my opinion – more like violent reaction. So, here’s how it went. Kris Allen won and I’m straight. Kidding. It just ain’t right you know? It didn’t feel right. I didn’t even bother to catch it myself. For the first time, I didn’t care having heard of who won before I even get to watch it. I just caught glimpses of the show towards the big reveal. I think it’s the first time for me personally, that I really felt disappointed. Cause I have had bets before that didn’t win but that was just fine for me because the other finalist was equally great. But this one… this one is different because it boils down to the question on why the people voted for the lesser talent. I’m sorry for those who think otherwise but it’s true. Kris knew it himself; I mean he was called the ‘underdog’ and it did felt like Adam Lambert was robbed of the title. I’m sure Kris could be a really nice guy, down-to-earth, humble but it’s not American Good Guy. The show is American Idol, created to find the best undiscovered talent. I’m starting to feel the show is becoming hugely subjective more than objective. I don’t know if I’m ever going to feel the same about the show.

You know what I think? Say what you want or even think that I’m taking this way seriously than others but Adam lost because he’s gay. Bottomline, people don’t want a ‘gay idol’. Did you know that a population in the vote – the conservative demographic, which actually voted for Kris or even encouraged voting for Kris not because they like him but rather because they don’t like Adam for what he is or for that matter, scared of what he stands for and the implications it will convey if he should win such a coveted title. I mean I’m talking about people who don’t even watch the show. So what does he stand for, you ask?  He stands for change. Adam Lambert doesn’t blend in the crowd, he stands out from it. He defies the conventional, shatters the norm and ultimately, stayed true to himself. I say this and I quote from Paula: there are only a few those who dared to walk in the path of greatness: Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler and Adam Lambert. This season claims that there are ‘No Boundaries’ but I beg to differ. Once again, America turned its back against innovation. This is bigger than the show. I’m not blaming Kris for anything because he just took what he was given. After all said, it’s just really sad that he got caught up in this and the victim had to be Adam. Remembering the show, I just feel a soft spot for that teary-eyed Adam side by side with his closest co-finalist, Allison.

Wrapping this up, we’ll just see how this turns out because it is after Idol that we find out the true markings of a star. And without any hint of sarcasm and I say this honestly I really wish both the best of luck, Kris Allen deserves a chance and he earned it. As for Adam, he’s a rock star and I’m sure he’s gonna do great things in the world of music and entertainment.