Spectacular 2 : A little review

wait ah, lemme get my coffee....

Aaahhh...much better... Starbucks Vanilla Latte always always does it for me... ;)

Ok, so people what have we learned from Spectacular 2? The Year I Was Born? Don't worry, I have coffee, won't be emo-ranting tonight hehehe. That kicked up a bit of a fuss didn't it? :) Nice to know the online community aren't sleep-reading my posts.

So last Wednesday's show saw the Idols singing songs from the year they were born - I loved seeing all the baby pics - especially the Judges' baby pics, no wait, ALL the baby pics! So darn cute cute cute - I was tweeting like crazy - didja all see my tweets/twitpics? Must go see k!

Eh did you notice that Gurmit's and Uncle Ken's baby pics were in the same 'pose'? That was HILARIOUS! :) Pity I don't have a screen shot of it pfft....no one has uploaded the whole show yet :(

nevermind, we all sit and wait patiently k.

In the meantime, lets do a quick review!

Nurul : Walk Like An Egyptian by The Bangles

I guess the most common feedback I heard was that maybe she shoulda renamed her act 'Walk Like A Gypsy'. The tambourine did not help. I personally thought she looked great - flowy hair, flowy dress, kid boots - nice look overall. My only gripe was I couldn''t really hear what she was singing - words were muffled. But all in all, a pretty fun start to the evening no?

Judges said :

Dick – Worst performance so far, it was flat and I think the audience sang more in tune.

Flo – You sang like an Egyptian. You mumbled through the song however it was an energetic performance.

Ken – You sounded pretty bad and your persona is so forgettable.

Agree or disagree? I think it was a little harsh, but in general, we've seen Nurul really 'perform', so this wasn't her best la.

Justin - Together Forever by Rick Astley

When I was at the studio and I heard him sing LIVE, I thought, 'Oh no, coulda picked a better song maybe?', but then today, I watched it on Ch5 (the repeat) and I thought 'Eh, not bad wat, sounded ok, and he looked pretty good too - the jacket was shiny in all the right places!'. So how'd he end up getting the boot? No idea. Voter complacency perhaps? He definitely has good vocals. Perhaps it wasn't showcased very well with that song :(

Judges said :

Dick – You move awkwardly and you chose a song that needed you to move. You need to know what your best assets are and use them.

Flo – Rick Astley was geeky, awkward looking but sounded great. You are everything he was, but the voice.

Ken – You lack presentation and your voice is ordinary. You need to pick songs that are more challenging.

Agree or disagree? I disagree that Justin has an 'ordinary' voice. I think he has a great voice and he definitely can sing well. But I agree the song choice wasn't the best la. Then again, compared to the other song choices he listed, this one seemed the best pick :P

Tabitha - Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

OMG I LOVED THIS! My fave part was when she friggin' tossed her hair! phwoar! loved the whole performance, vocals were strong, stage presence was there, loved how she sang to her Daddy. Only thing was hair was quite messy after the flip, but aiya small matter - awesome song choice, great performance - totally killed my buzz when she was in the 'unsafe' group - almost had a heart attack when she stepped forward - but phew! safe!

Judges said :

Dick – You see me smiling? That was just great! You sang it really well. You know I’m your fan!

Flo – You have put the Idol in Singapore Idol!

Ken – You have all the qualities to be in the final 2 but you need to be more competitive.

Agree or disagree? Did you see ME smiling (like an idiot? LOL!) Don't know what Ken was talking about here - Bohemian Rhapsody is SO a competition song. How'd she end up 'unsafe' again?! *scroll below for the story about how the Executive Producer of the show sent me on a roller coaster ride below*

Charles 'Stitch' Wong - You Give Love A Bad Name' by Bon Jovi

I truly enjoyed the start of the performance for this song. Charles did something very interesting - he sang the song to a Bossa Nova beat! It was really nice. Then, it kinda went a bit awry. The whole 'rock' bit looked a bit strenuous for Charles - probably because its not his personality to scowl and screech, both of which he tried to do with much 'garangness' but er, tak jadi la (cannot make it), but kudos to him for trying - really, the whole carrying the mic stand thing, good effort!

I would have preferred to hear the entire song in the laidback, 'quiet'-er bossa nova style though.

Judges said :

Dick – You give rock a bad name; that was just another gimmicky performance. Your voice does not suit rock.

Flo – That was a very confused performance. You looked confused and awkward.

Ken – Don’t do too much, let the audience know who you are through your performance. Don’t pick songs that need power.

Agree or disagree? Agree with most of what the judges said, especially Ken.

Sylvia Ratonel - Sweet Child O Mine by Guns & Roses

Wah, this is another performance I totally enjoyed. I thought Sylvia really became a rock chick for her song - and I liked the way she used to mic - very er, Bo Bice/David Cook/Chris Daughtry. She needs a little work with that 'stunt' still, but it looked goode! Keep up the good work Syl!

Judges said :

Dick – As always you look hot, but the performance was lukewarm. This genre is not for you.

Flo – That was not comfortable but it was an energetic performance. You will make it to the next round.

Ken – There was no improvement to build supporters. You need to be good every week, so don’t get complacent.

Agree or disagree? Disagree, I thought Sylvia did well. She handled the song competently, had a bit of a rock thing going, looked awesome, covered the stage. It was good.

Faizal Isa - End of the Road by Boyz II Men

I enjoyed this song very much. He was smooth and easy and confident. Faizal has a certain 'presence' and performing style on stage thats very accessible. Maybe its his cute face. His vocals, imo, aren't too bad either. Plus this was a great song choice on his part. For a 17 yr old, he's proving to be real competition for everyone else.

Judges said :

Dick – You are the most stylish contestant. Though your singing is good, it’s not getting better.

Flo – Another clever song choice, you glided through your performance.

Ken – Don’t pick songs that highlight your bad diction.

Agree or disagree? I have to agree a little with Ken here on the diction. I think he's got everything going for him - stage presence, style, vocals - except for the diction which could be better.

Fathin Amira - I Love Your Smile by Shanice

The way Amira ended this song - by going up to Uncle Ken and telling him that she 'loved his smile' .....waaaaaaah ....awesome awesome stuff! Couldn't have planned it better! Good job Amira :) that was a real crowd-pleaser move. Plus, you did the song well too. I heard some buzz on the grapevine that Shanice's (yes hello, the actual singer Shanice!) people sent an email to MediaCorp featuring a link to your performance (on youtube!).....HOLLYWOOD IS WATCHING! WOOT! Lets see if that turns into anything....

Judges said :

Dick – Why were you so flat in your performance?

Flo – That was a good enough performance, it was better than last week.

Ken – Today you look comfortable, but unfortunately didn’t sound as good. You should sing from the heart, and could do better.

Agree or disagree? I disagree with Ken and Dick, I thought she did sing from the heart. She looked like she was enjoying herself and it was a fun song. I prefer seeing Amira happy instead of emo (Hurt) or a bit ya-ya (Karmastition). Smiling suits her cos she has a great smile and when does smile she appears so much more approachable. And hello...Shanice called (emailed)!

Mae Sta Maria - 'Lately' by Stevie Wonder

I found (and always do find) Mae's performances to be very controlled. Its good, no doubt technically sound too, but sometimes I wish I could see Mae let it all go and just be freer. Saying that I did thoroughly enjoy her performance of 'Lately', its one of those songs everyone knows and loves. And she did it pretty well...

Judges said :

Dick – It was a very elegant performance, and it’s one of your better performances.

Flo – The girls are thrashing the guys!

Ken – You have to curb your anxiety to gain your composure; learn to control your song.

Agree or disagree? :) agree. nice one.

Malaque Mahdaly - 'Right Here Waiting' by Richard Marx

I thought Malaque did a great job on this song. She presented the right emotions throughout the song and I like (have always liked) the tone of her voice. It was a good song choice for her because it suited her voice and allowed her to showcase herself. But somehow, she landed in the unsafe group again, musta been stressful for the poor girl tsk.

Judges said :

Dick – You are very beautiful to look at and sing beautifully too, but need to put in different moods and levels to your songs.

Flo – You came back with a vengeance and I think it’s your personal best so far.

Ken – One of your better performances.

Agree or disagree? Agree, yay, good comments from the judges for Malaque!

Duane Ho - 'I Have Nothing' by Whitney Houston.

Imho, I think this song was a bit too big for our Duane. I liked what he did previously with Pokerface and also his audition song Mercy. But this Whitney song really is a big power vocal song, and Duane doesn't have that yet I think. But good try. Hey did he look rather tan to you guys? I thought he looked tanned, like he went for Sports Day or something. Or spray-tanned himself <---- doubt it! :p

Judges said :

Dick – What possessed you to sing that song? Songs written for women just don’t suit men’s different vocal range.

Flo – That was plain and boring. There was nothing I liked about it.

Ken – You have to try to be unique every week, because that’s your best bet.

Agree or disagree? I disagree with Dick because some women's songs work for guys, like last week's Pokerface and his audition song Mercy. Flo's just stating her opinion. Did Ken mean to be 'unique' like Gaga? *shiver* Be yourself Duane, we love ya just the way you are!

Farhan Shah - 'Love Will Lead You Back' by Taylor Dayne

I was looking forward to Farhan's rendition of this song because 1. I love this song, and 2. I heard him sing a little bit of it at keycheck and it was really good! Perhaps the screaming fans were too loud or he couldn't hear himself over the music, the live performance wasn't as steady. Havent gotten a chance to watch it back on TV/youtube yet, so will save my comments for later.

Judges said :

Dick – You are looking good but you are not a strong singer. The performance did not work for me.

Flo – I found the performance too whiny and you dragged out the song.

Ken – You need to be on par with the standard other contestants thus choose a simpler song you can handle.

Agree or disagree? Kinda agree based on what I saw. Complicated songs give everyone ample space to criticise and nitpick. A simpler song could be easier to 'perfect' and present without revealing any flaws.

Sezairi Sezali - 'Faith' by George Michael

When Airi said he was gonna be doing 'Faith' I had my doubts, but once he took to the stage and started singing, I realised hey actually not a bad song choice (I musta been blinded by my love for that U2 song!). I enjoyed his funky 'dance' moves and slo-mo walk to the music. Vocally he was competent. Good close to the show.

Judges said :

Dick – Your singing was really good.

Flo – You were comedic cool tonight. I did not know whether to laugh or enjoy the performance. Seems like you were trying too hard.

Ken – You need to have a bigger ego. You need to start listening to songs that make you shine. You have a decent voice, one of my favorites

Agree or disagree? Kanye West look out, Airi's growin' an ego here. LOL. I agree his vocals were good. I thought performance wise he was good too, but not really stand out.

*sorry about Farhan and Airi's pics y'all, I was snappin' backstage and had to stop cos they were running around here and there to get ready for their performance, so I didn't manage to snap any 'baby' pics with the two of them - so here are their 'wacky faces' instead (taken early to the request of someone on twitter).

For me, overall, the stand out for the night was Tabitha. Apparently her other song choice was a Whitney song, which would have been so predictable. I'm so glad she went for Bohemian Rhapsody and brought out all that attitude! Hail the hair flip!

My other favourite for the night was actually Faizal, I really enjoyed the way he sang End Of The Road.

What did you all think of the show? Who were your favourites?

The Results : My mini rollercoaster ride

Just when the lines closed, the Supervising Executive Producer of the show decided to have some fun with me. He told me to 'get ready to blog about this', its a 'shocker' of a results show.

I was frozen. I thought, oh no, another talented one bites the dust.

As Gurmit systematically sent contestants to safety, I was counting down who were left. He'd already sent Justin to one of the 'unsafe' chairs. I had assumed Justin would be safe, he was, after all, voted in by the public. So when Malaque and Tabitha made up the other 2 'unsafe' contestants, I gulped back my anxiety.

No way, can't be Tabby, not after that wicked performance earlier.

Gurms then made her step forward, and I swear I left nail imprints in Intern Syarif's arm cos I was clutching it so tight (didn't realise I had reached out to grab his arm until after cos I was so riveted on the monitor). Sorry Syarif :P

All this while the Exec Producer kept telling me things like, 'See, perform well doesn't mean you get to stay in the show', all this while leading me to think it was bye bye Tabby.

Wahlao when she was safe I was ready to brandish a parang at the cheeky producer! Wah almost heart attack k! His reply. "Hahaha, thought it would be nice to have some fun with you mah!" *kok*

Not that I want Malaque or Justin to be out, just that I think Tabitha's really talented and it would really have been such a waste to see her go out at the 2nd Spectacular!

Saying all that though, it was really sad to see Justin go. Really, really sad. He's become a friend, and we had loads of great chats. Plus I've gotten so accustomed to his quirky sense of humour, his Apple products and his random song bursts.

We will miss you Justin (see you at PSC rehearsals etc soon!)....

End of Spectacular 2 review.... would love to hear your comments about the show. Was it Justin's time to go? Is Singapore finally 'voting for the girls'?

xoxo, s.

ps. If Singapore is voting for talent - they just let one immensely talented young man go. I was surprised by his exit because I thought he had a lot of support. I guess so did everyone else.

pps. Catch the Top 13 Idols on The President's Star Charity show, LIVE on Channel 5 next Sunday, 11th October, at 7.30pm.