Adding on to : After The Show : Sittin' with the first 6

Sorry Syltra!

Can't believe I didn't add your video - *bang head on wall* so blur.

Here's Syltra's Thank You vid that Iz filmed (but by now you'll all probably seen it somewhere :P) - better late than never?

btw Iz! love the yellow background - makes everyone seem so chirpy. The rest of the room is dead boring white! hahaha!

Syltra blew the audience away with her Black Horse & Cherry Tree. As you can see from this vid, she's bursting with energy, and her performance was exactly that, bursting at the seams with energy and personality.

Ken mentioned she shouldn't keep using her 'agression'. I didn't think she was aggressive, but I kinda understand what he's saying (and so did Syltra btw). I think he's saying that she has to be versatile, that she can't always do this type of full-on, in-your-face, energiser-bunny performances. She will have to be tone it down or colour it up depending on the genre for the week, and not interpret the songs only the Syltra-way (as per what we've seen on Wed night).

I'm sure as she grows with the show, the 'Syltra-way' will evolve (well at least I'm hoping it will).

At the moment, my money's been on this dark horse since theatre auditions, am watching to see if I should need to move my bets (LOL!). Still early to tell, since the other 12 haven't performed - I have a few other bets goin' on there - Gabby, Mae, Airi and this may surprise you.....Jonathan.

Ok, thats the add-on for my post. Syltra, sorry again that I missed you out. My bad.

Oh, and before I go, check out this cool post from Gabrielle. Loved the whole post from the loony (slightly) lipsyncing at the start to the very very profound poem in the middle (it spoke to me too!). And I love how she's still 'playing ball' with her ADD (ay-dee-dee) dog while recording this message - hilarious and so classic Gabby. How can you not love this girl?

Here's the poem for those of you who couldn't catch it...its called Risk....and this is how the cookie crumbles <-- :) this makes me smile...

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to others is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas, your dreams,
before a crowd is to risk their loss. (like talking to the Idols rite?)
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the
greatest hazard in life is to do nothing.
The people who risk nothing, does nothing,
has nothing, and is nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change,
grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes they are a slave;
and they've forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.

Wahlao Gabby read this so fast (ok for listening, difficult to follow type)...I replayed it at least 8 times! hahahha!

"Wait i put the music off cos its very serious..." <-- sorry I know you're being serious, but every time I heard this I LOL, so cute la you!"

Good pep talk Gabs, are you all listening Top 24 (yes all of you!).

Joining Idol is a big personal risk. The risk of self exposure is so great. I personally cannot do that, why do you think I hide behind this laptop (ok, I can't really sing either). I applaud everyone who had the courage to expose themselves by being on Idol. You put yourself out there to be judged by the public, AND the judges on National TV (and some say Batam and JB).

*Clap clap clap*

Have a great roadshow tomorrow Group 2 and an uneventful choreo session on Monday (read : no scolding and diva moments from Zaki).

Much love to muh LODIs and all the readers, thanks for following this blog! :)

xoxo, s.

ps. feeling all emo now after Gabby's poem ... *sniff* need to go hug the kids NOW.

After The Show : Sittin' With The First 6

After the Show....

The Results Show was such a roller coaster ride. Thanks mostly to Gurmit who kept everyone in suspense at every point. "We'll find out....right after the break!" <-- oldest trick in the book but we, the audience, can't do anything about it right??

Everyone was emotionally spent right after. Amidst goodbye hugs, tears and promises to keep in touch, I managed to track down Uncle Ken (ok, more like I tailed him til I got a semblance of a quote).

All night our beloved Uncle Ken spouted what seemed to me to be some pretty cryptic comments at practically everyone. (I can't quote verbatim right now, I gotta watch the show back! I too excited Twitpiccing all the way to write his comments down, but I do remember thinking, gotta file his comments under 'Things that make you go hmmm?').

When I finally caught up with him, I asked him point blank, "Why so cryptic tonight?"

To which he simply replied, "Where got?"

After a little more nudging, he said, "Whatever I say makes sense, I'm trying to teach them something and I hope they listen."

So contestants, especially those that are through to the Top12, I hope you were listening and absorbing what Uncle Ken said.

One comment I kinda remember, was him telling Syltra that she can't keep using her agression. First thought was : "She aggressive meh?"

And he mentioned somewhere that Nurul resembled a cashier at (his new favourite store) 7-Eleven. To which the quick-on-her-feet-funny-one replied she used to work at a 7-Eleven, the Thomson Rd branch! (thats comedic timing you can't buy guys!)

Anyway....

Once the goombyes were done, the newly minted Idol finalists, went straight back to work. Call time was now. Estimated end time : 4am. (I left waaaaay before midnight, thats crazy long hours to be singing! Welcome to Idol Land guys!)

Producers ushered Tabby, Syltra, Malaque, Charles, MJ and Farhan were ushered right back to work at (not haunted by now, so late even the ghosts are asleep) Training School to prep for the upcoming Spectacular #1 Show, aired live on Wed, Sept 16.

The theme is Chart Toppers (which is like a free-for-all really, but when you have such a vast genre, its very very hard to pick the right song, and we all know how important song choice is right?!)

While taking turns to go in for key check and song selection, Izked the Official Blogger recorded some 'Thank You' vids..... thank you to Iz for filming (and sharing) while I was stoning in the corner bemoaning the loss of my Lumix (which my son broke earlier in the day!)....

Farhan, Farhan, Farhair. I cannot believe Jeric actually cut off a huge chunk of his hair last Friday - its like it all grew back (and more!) in the last few days. One of the producers commented "amazing, it grows back by the minute!"

Apparently when Farhan called his Mom to tell her that he'd made it through, the first thing she said was "Must go cut hair ah!" Way to go Mom!

He was actually still qute affected by Ken's comment that he shouldn't be in the Top 12 and that the spot should have gone to either Jannah or Nurul. He's determined to prove Uncle Ken wrong.

I love how he ends his video message with 'Lets go to McDonald's for shaker fries". So random, so Farhan, so sweet :) Just goes to show the friendships forged in Idol don't end when the journey does. Awwww....

Helllooooooo.....I am so attributing the blurness and sloooowwww speech to the late hour at which this was recorded and the fact that she has been on the go since god-only-knows what time that morning.

Tabby is classic Tabby in this video, a little random, but a lot sweet - who can resist that megawatt smile? That thank you speech is Academy Awards worthy :)

Anyway, the first thing I saw when I went back to Studio 1 (after chasing after Ken) was Farhan and Tabby coming off stage together and my first thought was, "Hah, the "couple" made it through!"

I said as much to them, to which they both scoffed nervously.

Much has been said in the media about these two pairing up. Are they or aren't they? I suggest you guys keep us guessing, its just so much more fun that way. Plus, who knows, some teeth whitening company may want you to endorse their products - both of you have whiter (and nicer) teeth than Sly!

The beatboxer is through and a little shell-shocked. He kept to himself mostly while Malaque, Syltra, Tabby and Farhan chatted amongst themselves (with Iz and I).

I asked him how he was feeling, whether he was happy. And he said, if he hadn't gotten through tonight, he would have been happy too because the Idol journey has been so stressful for him so far. But now that he's through, he's super happy, but is just so aware that the stress is going to be even worse after this.

He said of his performance, "Usually once I get on stage and start singing, the (scared) feeling goes away; tonight is the first time I've had the feeling throughout the whole performance."

I asked him what he was 'scared' of and what stressed him out. His reply, "The whole enormity of Idol. The whole Idol thing la."<-- I guess with the Idol brand name comes the pressure to live up to it.

Malaque was the last one the judges put through. It was down to her and Theodore in the final minutes of the Results show which Gurmit stretched into an excruciatingly suspenseful wait.

"My knees were soft!" <-- I wanted to say MY knees were soft!

One of the promo team's photographers had a still camera pointed at her during that moment and was chanting, "I believe in you, Malaque!" (obviously a fan), while Izked's face was white with anticipation, eyes transfixed on Gurmit.

I was pretty sure the judges would put her through if she didn't get the votes, but what I did not expect was for it to be down to her and another deserving contestant (imo) Theodore.

"I still cannot believe it, I'm here!, " says Malaque who's still reeling from making it through, which you can tell from her thank you speech!

Way to go MJ! Clever boy plugged his myspace page :)

Apparently it was an extremely tearful separation for MJ and his BFF Theodore (seen here, prepping together right before the show started) after the Results were announced. An eye witness recounts that the sobbing was way more than when brothers Jon and Gabe Cheok were separated (the latter already quite teruk, I think my heart would have broken if I'da seen that....*sob*)

How'd I miss this moment? I was off chasing after the elusive Uncle Ken for that 'quote'.

MJ's off back to the US as of this morning to sort out immigration and travel stuff. We'll see you soon buddy!

Lastly, good job to the six who've made it through. You're here because you deserve to be....voters put you through because they love you, and the Judges put you through because they think you deserve it too. So don't doubt that.

Work hard and give us a great show at Spectacular #1 on September 16th!

xoxo, s.

ps. Ep5 review will be done once someone (hint!hint!) uploads it to Youtube...

pps. Check out this awesome rendition of Craig David's 7Days by Syarif (sleeq), with Ben (Muthusalam <-- LOL) on guitar. NICE ONE! Thanks Iz again for the vids! Go to the Official Blogger's blog for more vids.