The great MJ Trailer shoot

Beat it! Beat it! No one wants to be defeated!

That is definitely the game plan for each of the Top 10 right now. But just 2 days short of a month ago, they were still in 'play' mode.

On Sept 12th, I was surrounded by 13 Michael Jackson impersonators. The Top 13 were dressed up in MJ garb for their trailer shoot to promote MJ Week.

Here are the behind-the-scenes pics from that part of the day (they shot 3 other trailers that day in various different outfits and themes, but I can't give those away yet :))

The first few collages are of the Idols sitting around the hallway chillin' and waitin' to go into the studio for the shoot. They also decided to practice some MJ-esque poses (cos the Director said, each one had to strike a pose for their individual close-ups) and their overall 'dance routine' for the shoot. The song du jour .... MJ's 'Beat It'. :)

Sigh...sorry peeps, I had tons of vids from that day, but its all gone now thanks to my phone's memory card that got corrupted last Wednesday - I think it was protesting being overworked what with the continuous twitpiccing and videos being recorded :P ....will just have to raid Iz's trove of vids now :( boo hoo!.

Here are shots of them in studio (finally, after lots of wait and rehearsal time out in the hallway) getting directions from the Director. Love the lighting in the studio - it makes everyone look good!

At any one time, only 10 Idols are in the shot. 1 in the spotlight (with close ups) and the other 9 in the back providing atmosphere. This is because at this point in the competition (ie now), its Top 10 only. But because we didn't know who would make it to the Top 10, every one of the Top 13 would be filmed.

Tedious, but so much fun! I can't wait to see the trailer!

More pics to come. In the meantime, check out my fave pic of the lot (below) - Malaque looking a lot like Michael Jackson's youngest child Blanket (a grown-up version). Its the hair la! LOL!

xoxo, s.

Singapore : What Have You Done?

What?!

*What to expect in this post - I rant and ramble a little, make an appeal, then calm down and post videos. But you gotta read the rant first*

I mean, seriously, Syltra's out?! ....What?!

If you think I've gone deaf, don't worry, I haven't. My incredulous tone refers to Syltra's shocking exit on last night's show.

In my opinion, she was one of the best voices and musicians on the show.

What is UP Singapore? Are you not interested in Idol anymore? Do you not care anymore? Why aren't you all picking up the phone and voting? How could you let THIS one go? tsk to you.

I'm not talking about your average tween girl here, we KNOW these girls are voting.

I'm talking about everyone else who watches the show.

Don't forget Singapore, Idol is not worth watching if WE don't contribute. WE are the ones who make the decisions - not the judges (they only get ONE measly save), not even the producers (they just select camera angles and assign voting numbers).

WE are the ones who DIRECTLY affect the musical quality of the show. WE, THE VOTERS are DIRECTLY responsible for keeping the TALENT on the show.

First season, Jeassea K. Thyidor. Need I say more?

I geddit, most people assumed she would get votes - she was the total package, and so everyone worked to save the others. I get it. Stupid mistake. New to the show bla bla bla.

Singapore,..... how come you never learn wan ah?

Syltra was already a Judges' Save. Which means the votes weren't enough to put her through. Doesn't that tell you something? She needed your votes.

At the rate this is going, we'll be down to just the boys in 6 weeks. I can't bear to watch. Mae, Tabby, Sylvia, Amira, Nurul and Malaque are just waiting to be cut. Not that the boys aren't talented, they are. Its just that, I want to see a fair fight. (Ok, I can hear some of you say, 'fair' doesn't figure in this kind of competition.)

I'm sure Idol's viewers aren't just 14 year olds with so much allowance money it puts my grocery budget to shame, right? If you're at home watching, please, please, please, if you enjoy the show or any of the performances, please vote to show them your support and help them achieve their dreams.

Singapore Idol is such an amazing platform for local music, but it will soon become a laughing stock and a farce if this wonky voting continues. Don't let that happen.

The Straits Times lambasted the show even before auditions began and now it looks like people are just following that sentiment blindly without giving it much thought. I took issue with that because I think those 'Idol-trashing' articles were driven more by media rivalry and politics, than based on the actual show.

For all the 'rigging' people think happens on the show (and there really isn't any, they sing, you vote, results are audited, how to rig?), no one can deny that the 'Idol' brand name and the nature of the show makes the winner (as well as most of the Top 13) household names within a very short period of time.

Say what you want about Taufik and Hady, at least people KNOW who they are. Unless you're a fan of the other singing reality shows, can you even remember the winners' names? Where are THEY?

I believe in this show. Yes I'm obviously a fan. But that aside, I genuinely feel that the kind of exposure this show gives these aspiring singers is just priceless.

If you love music, if you think that young people should pursue their dreams, and/or if you watch the show and enjoy it, please please vote and make a difference in these talented young people's lives.

We did it twice before with Taufik and Hady, we voted right, we churned out talent, we can do it again.

Say it with me...Girl Idol.

Say it. Believe it. VOTE FOR IT.

To Syltra, be seein' you soon k. I totally believe in your talent, go out there and do a 'Daughtry'! I know you can! Like Gurms says it may be the end of your journey here on Idol, but your musical journey still has a long way to go - make use of this platform while its still hot girl! :)

Here's Syltra singing her way off the show. On Channel 5 it got cut off, but I managed to film the entire song, a bit blur, but oh well....

Ok.

I've had my rant. Here's Syltra's exit interview. I was there when vlogger Matt recorded Iz and Jon interviewing her after the show. So I tumpang record.

All credits go to Matt at www.matt.sg (check out his site, loads of other interviews, including with SI 2's Paul Twohill and Jasmin Tye).

I also managed to catch Gurms for a quick chat on what he thought about last night's show - he was on the way to the gym (can you believe it? at like midnight!). Here's what he had to say....

Check out my next post, which will be a review of last night's show, followed by some vids I grabbed of the Idols at keycheck.

xoxo, s.

its IDOL DAY !!!

Happy Idol Day everyone!

After a 2 week break (not really a break for the Idols since they've been workin' hard every day since they were 'crowned Top 13') which felt like eternity for me (wasn't it weird that there was no Idol show last Idol Day/Wednesday? Weird rite? I almost didn't know what to do with myself!), the Top 13 have settled comfortably into their 'Spectacular' shoes and hopefully are ready to put on a 'Nothing-Less-Than-Spectacular' show for us tonight!

And just in time for the 'Spectaculars', comes a truly spectacular copy of 8days - the Idol issue. I LOVE IT! I luv it so much that I want to print that cover on a tee shirt and gift it to the Idols. But I'm broke from my 'princess party' expenditure, so we'll have to wait for the NEXT 8days cover.... *sorry LODIs*

Don't they all look so so so amazing? Every. Single. One of them!

Totally a must-have for every Idol (and non-Idol) fan out there because :

1. The Top 13 look fantabulouso!

2. Its jam-packed full of info even I didn't know ... Syltra, your chinese name is after Ann Kok?! (she told me her IC is registered only as Syltra Lee ..stupidly did not think of asking if she had an 'unregistered' chinese name - oi guitar goddess :), got malay or indian names or not?)

3. Each Idol has their own pin-up pic and profile (so you can simply tear out the page of your fave for your wall).

4. I have to say it again - the Top 13 look fantastic!

Here's my tribute to that amazing issue of 8Days (kow tow kow tow - you guys did such an amazing job). Top 13, you guys TOTALLY ROCKED DA SHOOT!

This is the vid I shot of them from my hiding place (on a mini balcony) at Que Pasa during the shoot. The directory and stylist of the shoot, Fong Fan, got them to jam :) very cool!

Lastly....

LEFT SIDEBAR : for a quick reminder of the songs they'll be performing,

RIGHT SIDEBAR : for brand new profiles for each of the Top 13.

(The new profiles were just uploaded, sorry they took a little longer to hatch, I re-did them after the 8days issue came out cos I was so 'inspired' :) - I totally chucked out the old ones, so it took a while to 'rehatch' amidst all my cupcake baking).

Ok, VOTE VOTE VOTE to keep your favourites in.

xoxo, s.

ps. Oh, almost forgot, must give kudos to 8days for squeezing in ALL the Top 13 on the cover instead of the 2-page foldout cover like season 1, :) sigh, am looking at the cover again, so niiiiiiice. I likey! Dammit, MUST STOP sounding like freakish obsessed 8Days stalker again.

Singapore Idol Top 13 : Justin Jap

Justin Jap, 21

10 February 1988

Single

Performing :

"Heartless" by Kris Allen/Kanye West

Vote for

Justin :

Call 1900 112 1208

or sms '8' to IDOLS (43657)

each call/sms costs 60cents.

lines are open tonight from 8pm.

Random facts about Justin :

• Justin is an only child.
• He hates Crocs and thinks they look grotesque, and every time he sees a pair, he has to fight the urge to plug up the holes! (LOL! so cute!)
• Justin is a gym rat - he loves gymming! (Girls, there are biceps worth ogling under those sleeves!)
• He is a big presence on Twitter .... he even tweets what he's about to eat for breakfast :)
• Can sing chinese songs very well because he is effectively bilingual - now that would be good for marketing purposes.
• He likes to mix it up by wearing bowties. (and also record Youtube videos topless :))

summerr thinks you'll love Justin because :

Justin is the rare Chinese Singaporean who can really sing R&B. Check out his vids on Youtube and you'll know what I mean.

He's also quirky and the kind of guy that really grows on you once you get to know him. On the one hand though, he's so quirky I'm not sure he'll be believable as a doctor (he's always cracking jokes). So he'd better to this Idol thing right.

Justin is also an entertainment junkie (like me) who knows as much as probably Perez Hilton because the info is all IV-ed to him via his iPhone thats always with him.

So will the Singing Doctor (he hates this reference btw) win your votes?

Here's the vid Izked got at key check two weeks ago.

And here's the vid I shot last week at choreo, giving you a sample of 'Heartless'.

Finally, here's Justin's performance clip from the Piano Show that won him public vote spot into the Top 13.

Want to know more about Justin, you can check out his Top 24 profile here.

Find Justin online :

Justin's facebook fanpage

Justin's youtube channel

Follow Justin on Twitter

xoxo, s.

Singapore Idol Top 13 : Syltra Lee

Syltra Lee, 18

12 June 1991

Single

Performing :

"Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson

Vote for

Syltra :

Call 1900 112 1203

or sms '3' to IDOLS (43657)

each call/sms costs 60cents.

lines are open tonight from 8pm.

Random facts about Syltra :

• She wears glasses (I was totally surprised by this one)
• She has a chinese name and its Shu Xian, she was named after Ann Kok!
• Apparently the alternative (as opposed to what is published in 8days) origin of her name could possibly have come from the fact that her mom liked 'Sylvester and Tweety bird' cartoons (hence the 'Syl')
• Can eat anything a LOTS of it and not gain a pound! Tsk! High metabolism <-- jealous!

summerr thinks you'll love Syltra because :

I labelled her the 'dark horse' from the very first day I saw her. Back when no one noticed her, not even producers really, at the theatre auditions, I said 'watch that one' and they said 'really? the alanis sound-a-like?'

And now, everyone's like...'oooohhh Syltra's the dark horse!'

...tsk hello!....for the record, I would like to say....I TOLDJA SO!

From the final day of Theatre Auditions where she sang her own take on the Fugees' classic 'Killin' Me Softly', people have started to take notice. At her first roadshow, she sang Michael Jackson's 'I Want You Back' and delighted the crowd. At her first radio interview she sampled Corinne Bailey Rae's 'Put Your Records On' and even Dan & Young were like...whoaaaa...

Piano Show 1 came, and our lil Shuxian (hehehe) closed the show with a rousing, foot-stomping, hands-over-head-clapping rendition of KT Tunstall's 'Blackhorse And A Cherry Tree'.

I say, remove 'Dark Horse' and replace with 'Frontrunner' already.

Here's a vid of her by Iz, shot right after she got into the Top 13.

And here's a sample of 'Breakaway' (not the best sample, mind you it was impromptu, so excuse the funky ending).

And last but not least, a look back her Idol journey so far from her Piano Show performance.

Want to keep her a 'frontrunner'? Then vote vote vote to keep her in the competition. As many are pointing out, the girls are at a disadvantage this season ....

If you wanna know more about Syltra, check out the Top24 profile I did for her here.

Find Syltra Online :

Syltra's facebook fanpage

Follow Syltra on Twitter

Syltra's YouTube Channel

Aurigami's YouTube Channel

sister Shermin's YouTube Channel

xoxo, s.

Idol Radio Interviews!

987FM is the Official Radio Station for Singapore Idol.

didja'll know that?

Daniel Ong said to the Idols once, "Come in, relax, make yourself at home, this will become like your second home during Idol, cos you'll be here every week...."

Which is pretty true, especially for the 2 that will be going to the finals in December. Because each week, 987FM will be carrying interviews with the Top XX on the days leading up to Idol Day and on Idol Day itself. Cool innit? Magic time - 9am.

Here's a look at what went down at Monday's interview with Mae, Charles, Syltra and Sylvia. You can check out more pics at my twitpic.

In case you didn't hear the interview, one thing you all must know - Charles is the sweetest- he actually picked all the girls up (plus Mae's hubby Mike) and drove them all to MediaCorp on Monday morning for the interview! How sweet is that?

And he's adorably blur too - he told Mae he'd pick her up at 7.30am to 'beat the traffic' and when they arrived at 7.45am (reporting time is 8.45am by the way), he was like, 'wow, we really DID beat the traffic...or....wait...maybe it's because today is a public holiday....' *face palm everyone :)* but still SO ADORABLE LOR!

This next vid features each of them plugging themselves and what they'll be singing for Chart Toppers tonight - woo hoo first Spectacular. They all look sleepy etc cos, well, its Monday morning.

Here are some pics from Izked's twitpics from yesterday's interview with Sezairi, Tabby, Amira and Justin.

Don't forget to tune in today at 9am to 987FM for the last five - Nurul, Farhan, Malaque, Duane and Faizal.

Plus, if you just can't get enough of them, Ria will also be carrying some interviews - check out Sezairi, Amira, Farhan, Faizal, Nurul and Malaque today at 8am on RIA.

Psst, follow Iz's tweets today from as early as 730am (thats right - that crazy boy is gonna be following the Idols from 730am! Siao, but good for us kaypohs!

Ok, am off to frost my cupcakes! Its my baby girl's actual birthday today, so its Princess Party Part Deux at school!

xoxo, s.

Congratulations Nurul, welcome to Singapore Idol's Top 13.

In the wake of MJ's departure, the 13th spot is now filled by Nurul Huda.

Remember folks, there is no Idol show this Wednesday, the show returns NEXT WEDNESDAY (23 Sept), 8pm, with the very first Spectacular episode (theme is Chart Toppers).

Is Nurul a good replacement for MJ? Who would you have rather seen in that spot?

summerr's take :

Aiya, to be honest, I would have been happy with Nurul, Jannah or Teddy taking that spot. From what I hear, Nurul had the most public votes after MJ, so she's the natural replacement, since MJ was also voted in by the public. I wonder what would have happened had it been a judges' choice that decided to pull out - who would the Judges put in?

*am also assuming you have to replace like for like, so only chose from Piano Show 1. If Piano Show 2 were to be included, I'd add in Gabby and Jon.

xoxo, s.

First Top 13 Media Conference TODAY!

Media Conference for the Top 13 today at 2pm. Thats just 10 minutes away!

here are some pics, courtesy of Izked who's been twitpiccing from Mediacorp. The Idols arrived early for hair and makeup.

follow him on twitter to get onsite updates about the media conference, I'll be heading there shortly (which means I'm gonna be late, but I'm still feeding my kids their lunch! Acks! and yes, I multitask a lot these days.... ), so you can follow my tweets too...

xoxo, s.