Idol Resolutions - The Videos & a bit more...

HAPPY 2010 everyone!

Here are your Top 12 Finalists' New Year resolutions!

These were recorded backstage at rehearsals for Celebrate 2010, held at The Float@Marina Bay. Its 2am right now, so the dance party should still be goin' on for another hour more! I wonder if the Idols are at the airport sending Justin off?

Oh, and apologies, I do not have 'resolutions' videos for Justin and Nurul. Justin cos he wasn't around, and Nurul, cos I ran out of time, but I did manage to interview her. Anyway, without further ado....

IDOL 2010 RESOLUTIONS

Farhan

What are his plans for 2010?

As blonde as this prawn-lover is...did I tell you guys that Farhan thought Taiwan was part of Korea? Something to do with Kimchi being available in Taiwan. Sigh. He was pretty shocked to learn that they are indeed se-pa-rate countries. Farhan Farhan....sigh. Still love ya though!

Anywaaaaay, Farhan has tons happening for him in 2010.

1. He's singin' with Tabby at RP's Open House next week (7th or 10th Jan?)

2. He's got some gigs with heregoesnothing! planned. AND, they will be releasing their very first EP this year, if you were at the Celebrate 2010 preshow, you would have heard their first single 'Make It Real'.

3. He'll be forming a boyband with Faizal. Now that I think about it, it shouldn't be called a 'boyband' it should be a 'duo' since there's only two of them. They plan to name it 'F-squared' (I couldn't put a small '2' in, so had to type it out), and btw, yours truly came up with that name sorta. I suggested F2, then we all went 'OMG F-Squared!'. Cool not?

They'll be doing covers on Youtube for a while to get things going. Thereafter they will focus on writing original material. The feel of their music is gonna be like 3-Oh-3..... but cleaner :) (Rated 'G' LOL!)

Tabby & Charlie

What are Tabby's plans for 2010?

Tabby hasn't got any super big hidden recording contract offers goin' on right now. She's hoping to get such offers - so people, if you loved her and would love to invest in her career - get in touch with her now!

In the meantime, she's heading back to school - Republic Poly. Catch her at Republic Poly's Open house on 7th or 10th Jan (someone confirm the date please?). She'll be singing a duet with Farhan Shah! Yes folks, adding more fuel to the rumour-mill fire :) The song they'll be singing is Chris Brown's 'Forever'.

What are Charlie's plans for 2010?

Charles wants to do an album, but it won't be that soon. Right now he's actually looking at going to schools to teach beatboxing! This hip hop trend has been gaining awareness this past year and there's a lot of demand for classes, so since Charlie's one of the pioneer beatboxers in Singapore, he's much sought after for classes.

He'll still continue to sing at pubs and cafes. His permanent gig is at Hong Kong cafe where he belts out a mix of English and Chinese songs, but now he also hopes to add DXO to that list to sing more of his accoustic English covers. I love hearing Charles sing with his guitar, must go and catch him gigging one of these days!

Duane

What are his plans for 2010?

Our Mr Pussycat Doll says he's got a coupla gigs lined up and charity events too. And he's also hoping for more to come his way. Keep tabs on Duane on his tumblr, fanpage and twitter.

Justin

I don't have a vid of him and I'm soooo missing Justin Jap right now! Will send him a tweet to get him to record a message about resolutions for us all once he touches down in San Francisco.

He's off to the U.S. to hit the books and be my family doctor in about 6 years time. :) For updates on Justin, you can check out his vids on youtube, or go to his blog.

Amira

What are her plans for 2010?

Already booked solid for performances with her show choir, you can catch Amira next at The Esplanade, performing with them, on Jan 19th and 20th! They'll be performing seven songs in all, Seasons of Love (from Rent! Love this song!), Bohemian Rhapsody (we all know this one!), two numbers from Grease and three numbers in tribute to Michael Jackson (Black Or White, Man In The Mirror and I'll Be There). She's also got a ton of school performances lined up :) Amira's our resident busy bee!

Faizal

What are his plans for 2010?

Faizal Monster says he hasn't got anything concrete planned for 2010 musically, but is looking forward to forming a boyband with fellow Idol Top12 Farhan Shah. Looks like he's heeding Uncle Ken's advice? Anyway, they'll be working together on their first single. He's very excited about performing at an event by Selebriti magazine this February (they put our Idols on their cover a few months back).

But the big news for Faizal will be the debut of his acting career! Suria's production people (Eaglevision) called, and they want him to be a part of an upcoming drama series that also features heartthrobs Syarif from Sleeq and ex-Idol contestant Haizad Imran (the hawt hawt male nurse from Season 1's Top 30, tell me you remember him!). The drama apparently centres around a guy who is liked by, count 'em, FIVE girls. Guess who's playin' the guy? ;) I think a new Suria heartthrob is about to be born.

Filming commences January to March, and hopefully the series will air late March or early April. Fingers crossed it all happens - you know how it is in entertainment, change is the only constant! Hope to hear more of this exciting project!

Nurul

What are her plans for 2010?

Like Faizal, she hasn't got anything planned. But I wouldn't be surprised if Suria gave her a call too - the girl is a natural actress (and she's got good comedic timing too!)

Right now, she's working on a new single for herself, its self-written but still untitled. She's planning to have a showcase at The Esplanade in August 2010, so she'll be aiming to do 5-6 English songs and 2 Malay songs for that performance. Can't wait to be there, am marking it on my calendar now.

Mae & Michael Sta

What are her plans for 2010?

Mae's got a couple of tracks, 6 actually, that she's already put together. So she's looking to put them out there for sale online - probably on iTunes and the Nokia store. She just wants to get her music out there.

Other than that, she's in the midst of writing a song about the Idol journey thats meant to be a duet for herself and Tabby (yay!).

Plus, she'll most likely be doing an accoustic set for Power98, but the dates for that aren't confirmed - let us know when Mae, it'll be awesome to hear you sing LIVE on radio!

Malaque & Sylvia

What are Malaque's plans for 2010?

She's still gonna sing when she can, but at the moment, she's headed back to culinary school to finish her course. After that, she's hoping to sing and cook on tv, possibly on the Asian Food Channel. Any takers?

Oh and I haven't told you guys, Malaque was(IS) the sweetest person, she actually cooked pasta for the Idols and crew for dinner on Christmas Day! How sweet is that? And the pasta was AWESOME. It was a tagliatelle tossed in olive oil with mushrooms and garlic and, I dunno what else cos it was so delicious I didn't pay any attention! AND she brought out the piece-de-resistance - this super hawt chilli padi/garlic/oil concoction <--super spicy and wicked delicious! I was deliriously numb from the chilli. I'm sorry I don't have pics cos I was busy eating. I swear if I had been just a minute later, I wouldn't have had any to eat - it was so good everyone was racing for seconds. Malaque actually 'jaga-ed' the tray so I could have at least one plate, again, sweetest girl right?! Someone hire her for tv cooking/singing show NOW!

What are Sylvia's plans for 2010?

At this point in time, SylSyl is just holding out for a recording contract to come her way. Uncle Ken are you hearing this? Record labels in Singapore - hello? Don't wait anymore la, someone snap her up already!

But seriously, she's hoping to record an album :)

Your Singapore Idol Sezairi Sezali

What are his plans for 2010?

Last year (2008), Airi's resolution was to have an album. It may be a few months late, but he's DEFINITELY gonna have an album! Slated for a May release, his single is already out there makin' the rounds on radio. 'Touched By An Angel' is such a beautiful song, what a great way to kick off the new year.

What else does Airi have planned for 2010? - N.S.

Ok thats all I've got from the idols for this year :)

I sincerely hope you'll stay with me and this blog despite Idol bein' over.

MY resolution is to keep this blog going and provide frequent updates on your Idol favourites. First order of business, tv show reviews..... first two shows on my review list - Cougar Town (premieres on Ch5 this Monday - can't wait - its Courteney Cox) and Glee (I've watched the entire season of Glee on mio TV, but I feel the need to talk about it - its just THAT good!). Not to forget American Idol Season 9 premieres in just TWO WEEKS folks! Victoria Beckham, Katy Perry and Ellen Degeneres as judges - need I say more? Oh wait, and Gossip Girl too, in anticipation of its return in March, we should do it justice and do a look back at whats been happening to Bluck (ok, ppl call it 'Chair', but don't you think 'Bluck' is just so much more scandalous than 'Chair'?), Serena, Lonely Boy and the awfulness of Tyra's guest role? (man, what happened to that one?). SO many tv shows, so little time!

Happy new year everyone, time for me to catch some Zzzzzsss....

It is now 2.15am on 1st January 2010. I'm takin' the day off today, so no more updates for 1st Jan, but do look out for an update from me and Izked - we got some plans we think you may be interested in ;)

xoxo, s.

ps. bonus Idol lovin' video....I will always remember this hug and the energy and love these people (who were mere strangers to each other just months before) had for each other. Thank you guys for a brilliant season!

What will summerr do now?

...a note from me...

The last time I was standing that close to a confetti blower was 1st December 2004. And the boy that took home the 'crown' that night made history, and even got a mention by the PM because he represented a Singapore that saw past racial lines. When Gurms shouted 'Taufik!', the feeling was just so overwhelming, and tears were free-flow for so many reasons. Pride, elation, sadness and exhaustion to name a few. I had invested so many hours of hard work, countless burned weekends and nights, and even a few days of my honeymoon for the show.

But it was worth it, the show topped ratings from its first episode to its last, beaten only by World Cup viewership. And I met and got to work with some of the nicest people ever (producers!) and befriended a very talented young man who's grown leaps and bounds since then. That was Singapore Idol Season 1.

Fast forward 5 years, unbelievably, I was standing in almost the same spot (just on the other side of the stage) when the confetti exploded, and the same emotion flooded my being. It was a combo of pride (I was so so proud of Airi and Syl), elation and a sadness that it had come to an 'end'. This time, I was privileged enough to really enjoy the journey WITH the Idols rather than working for the show, and if you've followed me from 6 months ago, I'm sure you'll agree its been an amazing vantage point.....all the fun and only a teeny tiny fraction of the stress. It has certainly been 'enter-dictive' (as matt.sg put it) blogging about it!

So anyway, I'd just like to take this opportunity to say a few thankyous.

Thank you Benny and Rahmat for opening the doors and letting me in. I would not be in this privileged position if not for the two of you. Rahmat, it was great working with you again, it was like London all over and extended! BennySoh, I love you la, nuff said!

Thank you to Idol host Gurmit and Idol judges DFK for never turning me away when I popped in for a question or a twitpic (and oftentimes that solid kopi-O at the Judges' room!) :) Uncle Ken, you da best, always free for a 'break'!

A special thank you to Supervising Executive Producer Steven Ong for your support and kind words each week. It still thrills me that you bother to read MY blog! LOL!

To Belle, Lene, Eugene, Gillian PoCh and Henri, Suresh and Byron, thank you so much for always keeping me in the loop and accommodating me on your shoots/buses/makans/etc. You guys are truly the legs behind this production! This was such an amazing journey for me, more so because I got to see it from the contestants' POV - can hardly call this 'work' right? (but that doesn't mean I didnt work hard k!), and it was because YOU guys let me follow you! I apologise now for any toes I may have stepped on these past 6 months, and the multiple times my phone/cam flashed while you were filming - sorriiieeee! Also thank you to all the other producers and APs whom I've crossed paths with at one time or another on the show! I had soooo much fun!

To the overworked and underpaid interns who also answer to photographers/facebook admins/runners/idol-minders/ticket-managers. You guys did SUCH an amazing job this season - the promo team is lucky to have you all - especially when you come with such high-tech cams and lenses *fish-eye envy*drool*. Syarif (miss ya!), Ben, Aisyah, James (you're such a sweetie!) & Ash (dude!) - thanks for the TONS of great photos and the random help. Look forward to crossing paths with you again in the future!

To Kak Ann and Indra (whose seat I warmed many Spectaculars in a row), thank you for always being so kind and allowing me to sit in on your keychecks/training sessions. And to Zaki who allowed me to draw a whip on your pic! ;) (or more like din whip me for drawing that whip!)

To the readers who have been reading and supporting the blog, I so so SO appreciate it and I hope you'll keep coming back. I now plan to do what I had initially planned for this blog - review tv shows, ....American Idol is premiering in just 2 weeks folks, and there are a myriad of shows available On Demand now on mioTV/cable, so much to watch! PLUS, I will definitely continue to stay in touch with the Idols from this season and provide updates on their upcoming projects.

And the final and BIGGEST thank you goes to the Idol contestants. Top 24, Top 13 and of course our very own Singapore Idol. Thank you so very much guys, for letting me 'share' your journey, and allowing me to 'share' it with the readers. You guys are the most talented bunch of people I've ever met and I hope you'll all keep pursuing your singing/musical dreams. It was a pleasure working & playing with you all!

Oh, and yes, to my buddy-in-blogging-crime Izked :) How could I forget you, you big teddy bear! Thanks for always sticking by me and sharing the 'intel'/pics/vids - I think we make a good team! We so totally rawked the online scene for Idol dint we? :) Triquetras for-evah!

xoxo, s.

ps. One last shout out to two very special people :

1. The sweetest format owner person I've ever met - Lisa. :) You are so cool!

2. Matt.sg - you are so young and so steady, I totally respect you for handling that crazy crowd week after week, you are the hardest working wubby/host I've ever met!

pps. If I left anyone out its not intentional. I'm just blur liddat.

ppps. Lene, I'm having LONG-DETAILED-SCHEDULE-EMAIL withdrawal LOL!