Showing posts with label David Lin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Lin. Show all posts

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A Message From David

From David With Love - A Shout Out to OMGers!
Straight From Taiwan, David Lin via Youtube :)


Looks like David misses us as much as we miss him, he's recorded a little video message for all the OMG crew. Check it out!


David is currently just waiting to get enlisted to do his national service in Taiwan. Want to know what he's up to, just follow him on Twitter @thecottonisland.

Thank you David for the message and thank you for following the blog. We miss you tons and will definitely have to check in with you if we ever get to Taiwan!

Keep watchin' the show wherever you can - by the way, I think you'd like new singer-boy Sean Harrison, he's cool :) 

xoxo, s.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Happy OMG Day!

Debbie Gibson In Da House!
I still can't believe she's gonna be a guest judge on the show. I know she's here for Retrolicious and all but man! Soooo excited. For those of you who've been following this blog since Idol, you'll know @siproducer. And he's coming down to the studio tonight to 'groupie' with me. Still don't get why I love her - y'see, she is like the Taylor Swift of my generation - she wrote her own songs, had a great image, was a young teen pop sensation (granted Taylor is Country, but you know what I mean right?)


Don't know about you guys, but I'm curious to see what she's gonna say for each Contender and how she's gonna judge - I mean, what is she going to base her comments on - I'm guessing entertainment factor?


psst... don't you think she looks like Heather Locklear in this pic? Very Melrose Place type look right? So hawt!

Two go home...
Based on last week's judges ranking JMT and the Capoeiristas are in big trouble. Did viewer votes change their fate? Next in line for the chopping block are the Baos! 

The only one I can predict might be going home would be the Capoeiristas, and thats not because they didn't perform well - they were awesome. My guess is based on the fact that they haven't had enough time to build a fan base unlike the other contenders who have been on the show longer. 

We Say Bye Bye to David's "Singapore Dream"..... for now...
Monday night, the OMG! crew hung out together at Haji Lane to bid a fond farewell to one of their own. David Lin left the show last week. If you've read 8days you probably know what happened to him. If you didn't, well he lost his job as a funeral director's assistant at the funeral home (his boss wasn't happy he was taking so much time off to be on OMG!). Without a job, his employment pass would expire. And once that expires, he can no longer stay in the country. Plus he had less than 6 months validity left on his passport, and he couldn't get that renewed by the Taiwanese Embassy because he has yet to go back to Taiwan to do his National Service. Yes, they have NS there too. 

So this morning at 7am, David got on a plane and headed back to Taiwan. 

The OMG! gang had a great time hangin' out. For those of you who kept saying David shoulda been given a chance to perform one last time, the following video is for you guys. Here's David singing 'I Want It That Way' by the Backstreet Boys. This is what he would have performed for the 'Come On Baby Light My Fire' theme. He says it fits cos the lyrics go "you are...my fire..."


While David carried on entertaining the crowd at Going Om with his session (you can hear him singing in the background of this vid), here's a side of Danny you don't get to see very often on OMG! - Danny the Magician. He really entertained us with his street magic (literally, cos we were standing in the street), check it out...



Here are some pics from that night ...





























  

David says he hopes to come back in a year's time when his NS is done. Apparently he was approached by Channel U yesterday to act in a Chinese drama serial, but had to turn it out down cos it was too late - there just wouldn't be enough time to get the necessary paperwork done - NS is a-callin'!

Apparently David had spoken to Judge Irene about a possible stint with Fly but I guess nothing came of that. 

Anyway let's focus - its OMG Day!
Once two Contenders are eliminated, only 6 will remain. They will be joined by tonight's Challenger - Jigri Yaar Bhangra Academy. 7 will perform, and you will get a chance to vote once the lines are open. Vote to keep your favourites going for their $50,000 dream. 

I'll be headed down to the studio at about 6pm, so follow my tweets/twitpics k! Once elimination is done, I'll post up the voting numbers for tonight's Contenders + Challenger.

xoxo, s.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Bye Bye David :(

OMG's First Solo Elimination - David Lin
Somehow, during the Survival Rounds, when someone got eliminated from the show, it didn't feel as brutal. Tonight, it felt really brutal. Some more the spotlight for the eliminated person was red versus the green spots on the other two who were safe. Fwah - brutal k!


Ok, C-Murda's exit was painful for many, but by and large, I guess because a few people were sent packing every week, it didn't seem so brutal. Tonight, David Lin was the only one going home, and to do it at the start of the show, as opposed to the end of the show, just made it all the more painful to watch - he would have prepared all week to perform, but wouldn't get to at all. Ouch.


Then again, its David. He's chill. So we should chill too. Thats why we love David, he's just chill. Check out the exit video I recorded with him after he left the stage.



David was in the bottom 3 based on Judges' ranking last week. Fair enough that his vocals weren't stellar last week, totally overwhelmed by Jack & Rai and their band. But I had thought his fans would have voted enough to keep him safe. Perhaps everyone thought the same and didn't pick up the phone to vote. That's what happened to Jeassea Thyidor from Idol 1. Everyone thought she was so good and pretty that everyone else would vote for her, so people concentrated on 'saving' the ones perceived to be less popular. And lo and behold, poor Jeassea, arguably the best vocals on the show at that time, was sent home.

So next week, folks, if you support someone, don't get complacent. Put your vote in, even if its just one, every single vote counts!


As for David, we wish you all the best in whatever you decide to do after this - don't be a stranger and keep at your music, the OMG family will always be behind you! Ganbatte!


Next week's theme is 'My Singapore Dream'. Like this week, the title is open to interpretation, so it need not necessarily be patriotic songs or flag bearing routines. I can't wait to see what the Contenders will come up with next - I thoroughly enjoyed tonight's show, quite a few of them took me by surprise. More in my review tomorrow. Plus! There's guest judge Debbie Gibson to look forward to! Woooooot!


xoxo, s.


ps. We got some feedback from the audience and viewers that David should have been given a chance to sing one more time. That would have been a nice touch. But so far on the show, contestants who exit the show haven't been given an exit performance. Also, tonight's show was just an hour - I doubt producers could have fit him into that hour - it was quite chop chop already. Next episode maybe? 


What do you think?  Should those getting eliminated be given a chance to sing/perform one last time?

Monday, September 20, 2010

David Lin + Jack & Rai

3 Guys + 3 Accoustic Guitars = Great Moving Music 
That's my prediction anyway. When David first told me his collaborators were Jack & Rai, I thought what a perfect match! I've always enjoyed listening to Jack & Rai, I've seen them perform here and there, and once spent quite some time sat on the floor at ion Orchard listening to them do covers of various favourites just cos it was so nice. My kind of music, really.

David, Jack and Rai will be singing Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends". Awesome song that is sure to get everyone's feet tapping and singing along. Still no clue about the song? Check out this video...



A little about Jack & Rai ...
Taken from their facebook info page, it says, "Starting off as solo acoustic musicians more than a decade ago, Jack & Rai came together in 2002 to form an acoustic duo with a chemistry that borders telepathic. Their easy-going and engaging natures makes any audience feel right at home when watching them." Very true that, they have a laid-back, welcoming charm about them, like they could be your mates, just chillin' and singin' songs. But don't be fooled, these guys are busy and well-respected singer-songwriters/producers/composers. They are on radio, got original songs out, do corporate events, and perform nightly at various locations (check out their facebook page here for deets). The last time I saw them on tv, they were doing idol-related stuff. They guested last year on Singapore Idol 3's Spectacular 10 "Songs For A Cause" singing their own song 'Pixelated'. The Top 4 (Charles, Sezairi, Tabitha and Sylvia) later sang one of their compositions called 'As I Am', which is also the theme song for the Channel 5 drama series Red Thread. Later on, Rai and Idol runner-up Sylvia Ratonel sang a duet written by Jack & Rai called 'You And I' for the Channel 5 telemovie 'Seven Days'. Its a great song, click here to go to the show's facebook page for a listen (I couldn't find it on youtube).


So far, based on the following video, it looks like David is gettin' along jes' fine with the guys. David told me today that Jack's a real funny guy and full of ideas while Rai's a lot more laidback like himself. Well, we hope the chemistry translates to the singing part too...




Catch David with Jack & Rai on Wednesday's episode of One Moment of Glory!, 8pm only on Channel 5. Or come down to Mediacorp and watch them live, the recording today at 7.15pm, just grab a ticket at reception on the way in!


xoxo, s.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

OMG Ep 7 Recording Next Monday! COME!

Congratulations to the Top 8!
Desert Roses, Danny Koh, David Lin, Singapore Char Siew Baos!, Rhythm & Moves, Jill-Marie Thomas, Luminiq Crew and Vertical Dancers have survived the 6 weeks of Survival Rounds. Its now time to move into the Elimination Rounds.















From here on, each week will see the Contenders compete within a theme.

Each week, a Mystery Challenger will be introduced.

And each week, as the name of this stage of the show implies, people WILL be going home.

YOU HAVE A SAY!
From here on in, the judges' votes account for just 50% of the result. The other 50% is left to public voting - so YOU get to vote, YOU have a say!

First theme : Collaborations
Next week, the first theme for Elimination Rounds is called 'Collaborations' and each Contender will have to work with a local artiste for their act. They have to incorporate this artiste seamlessly into their routine whatever it may be. Some guest star names to look out for - Nat Ho *swoon/drool/stare*, Elaine Daly, Adele Wong and Eunice Olsen. And psst, a little birdie told me to look out for one of the Idol alums ;) - who? They wouldn't say. Well, Nat's covered, so its not Nat. Whatever it is, I'm excited to see what Nat Ho's gonna be up to - sing? He hasn't sung since Idol I think....

Intrigued?
So much to look forward to right? Come on down to the recording for Ep 7, next Monday, 20 Sept at 7.15pm. Just come to reception and pick up tickets on the day itself.

Congrats again to the Top 8 who've made it through - time to buckle down and give 1000% to put on a kick-a** show! G'nite all, look out for the review tomorrow!

xoxo, s.

ps. Oooh, Jonathan Leong! Or, maybe um, Joakim Gomez? Paul Twohill?

Thursday, September 9, 2010

OMG Episode 5 : The Review

Survival Round 5 Rawked!
I don't know about you peeps, but I quite enjoyed watching Ep 5 of One Moment Of Glory last night. Firstly I'm happy that Judge B is back. Secondly, everything about the was entertaining from performances to judges' comments to the banter backstage and the clips shown before performances. I was most impressed by Rhythm & Moves' clip, they looked quite formidable in their black long tailed suits, add a pair of sunglasses and they'd be from The Matrix. Those looked waaay better than the shiny white satin mini vests they wore for their actual performance - but I guess that outfit was in line with their choreo.

Survival Round 5 had fire, dance, singers, sand art, close fights and a big upset. Quite a variety and quite the drama, so on to the review! Oh and have you noticed, as the weeks go by, the Contenders come up with weirder and fiercer expressions for when the camera zooms in on them for a 'challenge' - they're gettin' comfortable on that podium....

Challenger #1 : Rhythm & Moves
Contender : C-Murda























Fen from Rhythm & Moves said they chose to challenge C-Murda because he looked 'cute', like Super Mario brothers. Ok la, a bit. :) Cute but the guy is skilled - the camera turned to the R&M guys a few times backstage during C-Murda's performance, and they were so riveted to the tv, they didn't comment at all.

What did the judges say?
Beatrice :
R&M, I think you guys are great movers, but you did everything I expected you to do. Having that wow factor is to be unexpected, and that's what was missing for me. C-Murda, with a name like that, you never know what to expect, and I think thats what you're successful in achieving - I never wknow what you're gonna do next.

Tay Ping Hui :
(To R&M) Between dance and martial arts you guys have a good mix. C-Murda I saw your first performance but today I felt you had too much of the miming, and should have shown more of the body popping.

Irene :
(To R&M) You are the most graceful male chinese dancers I've ever seen. Graceful without being sissy. (To C-Murda) I have always enjoyed your performances, I understood your mime. You moved me.

Flying Dutchman :
(To R&M) I loved your opening. It came alive when you used the ribbons. C murda, it was almost like the puppet strings were missing, and if they were mising, then I wished I saw a puppet.

Result : Rhythm & Moves
Irene : We agree that C-Murda is a very polished craftsman and artiste, therefore we expected more from you. But tonight (your performance) did not go up, you remained the same.

summerr says :
Rhythm & Moves was like Beatrice said, predictable. The minute I saw their costumes and props, I as prepared to see what they brought. They are good dancers, especially Derek whose moves are sharp and tight. But again, like Beatrice, what I preferred about C-Murda was the surprise element. I always looked forward to his performances because I never knew what he would do - every move is a surprise, and not something you would have seen on local tv before.

In hindsight, I guess in terms of energy, C-Murda's choice of song and choreo may not be able to match up to something as high-energy as a martial arts infused routine. It was a tough decision to make I think, and although I understood the Judges' decision, I was surprised by it, I thought they would give Charles another chance after some constructive advice, just cos his talent is quite rare. I mean, even his fellow contenders were genuinely shocked!

But oh well. I think C-Murda has plenty more places to go after this one moment of glory. Producers - WILD CARD PLEEEASE!


Challenger #2 : Robert Tan
Contender : David Lin
Robert chose to challenge David because he feels their talents are similar. Robert sees himself as a singer/musician, and so is David. Robert's story is such an inspiration, self-taught musician despite being visually challenged - truly inspiring..













What did the judges say?
B : Robert you have a great air about you, its very nice and very easy, you're very very watchable, but was that performance at the piano extraordinary? For me, no. David, this was the performance I have been waiting for from you.

TPH : I think OMG! is a testament that talent is without demarction. I think you (Robert) play the piano really really well, you hit every note on the dot, but i feel that you were actually let down by your singing. Whether or not you move on, I think you've already won. David, in terms of the feel and the emotions, you've got it right on, I felt a lot of the emotions of the song.

I : Both of you have great stories, both of you have great packaging but my boyfriend (she means David), darling, dearest, baby, you sang the song, you convinced us, you were very "feeling"!

FD : David you nailed the song. And Robert, if anybody remembers anything from OMG!, they will remember you as the one true inspiring moment.

Result : David Lin
TPH : Robert, you're an inspiration for us. And we really admire you for coming out here. Honestly, personally I don't think even I have the courage to go on stage and put myself out there. David you have everything, packaging, the looks, etc. You have to work on your technical notes and not be so nervous and you'll be perfect.

summerr says :
I think Robert is like this big smiley teddybear ;) He's always got a smile on, and he's always so gracious. Just when David got challenged, he said to a roving camera, "I can't make you rock, but I'm gonna make you cry". Ok, so he didn't make me cry, but the hairs on my arm did stand when he sang - Hallelujah indeed - the song fit him to a tee, lucky for David.





Challenger #3 : Erika Chen
Contender : Jill-Marie Thomas
Erika chose to challenge Jill-Marie cos she's a solo female contender, and Erika is also a solo female performer. So in her mind it was a fair fight.



















What did the judges say?
B : I think what Erika does is some sort of gentle seductive performance art. Jill is always very exciting, I love the rockin' out and the connection that was made.

FD : Erika I think you're excellent. I think the whole concept that you brought to the show was totally different. And that is what OMG! is all about we're looking for unique talent like that. Jill as always you got up there, you enjoyed yourself and you're a bundle of energy. At the start you said you were gonna bring and you brought it.

TPH : I think the sand art was really nice, it was like a soft breeze on my face, I liked it. But I was distracted by your singing. I think if you focused on one thing it would be much better for you. Jill it's always dangerous to take someone else's song and do your own rendition. It can either be great or you could fall flat on your face. Today, you rocked. I think you are so far the best singer I've heard tonight.

I : I think you're the most beautiful contestant on OMG!. I like your sand art but I've seen better sand art. Jill you always win people over - you're a people winner..

Result : Jill-Marie Thomas
B : We went for the performer that came on stage and gave 10 upon 10. Both are very unconventional performers. Erika you bring two things together in a most unexpected way. Move forward with that, keep improving your sand art and the singing as well.

summerr says :
When I watched Erika in studio, I wasn't too impressed with her act. But watching it on tv, I was better able to appreciate her talent. Her sand art story and the song together spoke to me more when I wasn't distracted trying to watch the her on stage and her sand art on a the big screen in the theatre. But that said, Jill's ability to either draw you into a song or make your feet thump along are undeniable, both live and on tv. Tough fight imo, because I would have loved to see what else Erika could do. But I'm not really ready to let Jill go either, especially not after the fight she put up to stay - Gaga go grilled man!


Challenger #4 : Nadia (Akiko)
Contender : Danny Koh
She chose Danny to avenge her friend Fatima's exit. She also said it was because he was cute and 'hot'. But she also said she was gonna be 'hotter'. You gotta love that kinda sass right?





























What did the judges say?
I : I think you're very brave to choose Danny Koh. But you do have a very compelling reason to choose him cos he beat your friend, sisterhood rocks! Danny you took the judges' advice very seriously, you changed your hairstyle, you also upped your skills and your act. I saw that you burnt your hands, but I applaud you for continuing on.

TPH : (To Akiko) I loved your choreography, but there wasn't enough belly dancing. Its a pity you stayed on stage, because FD has told us that belly dancing is all about getting up close. But otherwise great performance. Danny, the fire whip, great performance.

FD : Your second half was better than your first. Are the words 'no room for error' gonna haunt you tonight? I don't know, we'll see. Nadia, you're very intense when you dance.

B : Nadia, there's something very unselfconscious about you that makes you very compelling to watch, and downright sexy. Danny, I thought that your choreo was very difficult, I don't really care about mistakes, for me its more in the what you give off at the end of the performance that matters.













Result : Danny Koh
FD : I have got to say this was not a unanimous decision but Danny consistently has to deal with a very high degree of difficulty and he successfully pulls it off. We now want to see how you can top what you did tonight. Bt Nadia, we take nothing away from you, you are excellent, you really are.
summerr says :
Akiko was definitely intense and riveting. Her routine was very interesting, and kept me riveted all the way through because of the many transitions in costume/props/tricks. Very clever. She definitely brought it. Danny on the other hand, upped his game even more. Did you see that crazy jump he did with the fire goin' round his legs? See pic above. Definitely riveting. In fact, I think at this stage, only another fire artiste (a better one) is gonna be able to upstage him.
I'm kinda sad to see Akiko go, cos I really thought she was a very cool character. She just has such a cheeky sense of humour. But I'm real glad Danny stayed. Did you see him in the video clip with those glasses? SO CUTE! *I want those glasses*

Overall a pretty good episode, each 'battle' was well-matched and everyone went in fighting. Biggest shame of the night was seeing C-Murda go. I really liked the guy and his talent. I'm not saying I don't like Rhythm & Moves, not at all in fact, I think they bring something else to the show. I'm just sad C-Murda's not on the show anymore - again I say...producers....WILDCARD PLEASSSEEE!

This weekend, check out the profiles of the final four Challengers from next week's show. Its the last Survival round before our final Top 8 move into the Elimination Rounds.

The four Challengers are Razlyna, Junkyard Percussion Unit, Jamila and Dan Thompson. And these four won't be spoilt for choice because there are four of them, and only five contenders to choose from - Luminiq Crew, Vertical Dancers, Singapore Char Siew Baos!, Desert Roses and Rhythm & Moves. (David, Jill and Danny are immune).

Look out for the Challenger profiles coming to the blog this weekend!
in the meantime, if you know anyone you think would be perfect for OMG! (cos their talent is so awesome they can only compare with the awesomeness that is Barney Stinson), please help shine the spotlight on them by emailing yours and their deets to omg@mediacorp.com.sg NOW!

xoxo, s.

:: pics courtesy of Shawn Pang, Channel 5 marketing team ::

Monday, September 6, 2010

OMG at AMK Hub

"I'm part of the crew! Reallyyyyy..."
Producers, I need a crew pass man. Wait. That doesn't work. Cos a Channel 5 staffer next to me was also told to move away from the stage area- we were at the side, not blocking anyone's view, hiding beneath a large speaker. Even the official camera woman who was filming stuff for tv was told not to go near the stage too. Me and the camera woman looked at each other like, "huh?"

Oh well, you give some people a little power ....

Ok, so here are the vids I managed to get yesterday at the AMK roadshow. Before you watch what they actually did on stage, here are some backstage vids of the contenders just hangin' out and kinda rehearsing a little...



Now on to the actual performances onstage :
First up, the very flexible popper-locker C-Murda :) Btw, I hitched a ride with Charles to AMK, and found out that this guy, has a double degree in Finance AND Law. Phwoar - he was giving me property investment advice k! Respect ah!


Here's David singing Coldplay's "Yellow".


After a break where the cast of Silver Lining took the stage, it was Luminiq's turn to strut their stuff.


Jill-Marie was up next with "Nobody".


And after another break where the cast of Fighting Spiders came on stage, Singapore Char Siew Baos! and Desert Roses were up to close the roadshow.




Fail moments...
I haven't included the vid of Irene from Vertical Dancers doing her pole thing yet. For some reason, the vid's a little corrupted, so I'm trying to fix that. Aside from that, its a pity fire artiste Danny Koh wasn't able to join us on Sunday - he had work commitments.

Sorry to everyone for jerky bits here and there, they were due to interruptions caused by AMK Hub staff asking me to move. I tried to continue filming while moving back but its not easy mah.

Big sorry to Jill-Marie for the jerky vid and abrupt cut off while you were mid-sentence. Again, please go find big lady bouncer person at AMK Hub for that. Wait. Forget her, lets do another vid of you singing somewhere where there are no bouncers. :)

Well, thats was Sunday with the OMG crew. Its just 2 days away from OMG Day - don't forget to tune in on Wednesday at 8pm to see how the four challenged contenders will fair up against the four new Challengers - Robert, Erika, Akiko and Rhythm & Moves.

Plus, Judge B is back in the house ;) woot!! We've missed her...

xoxo, s.

ps. So tempted to rant about the whole bounder incident (cos I feel very wronged) but aiya, that would be petty right? So in all ohmness, .... moving on.