But first... if only our own set of Idol judges deliberated like this (although, these judges below have two-four years experience doing this):
And this is the perfomance they were judging: WATCH VIDEO
Anyhow... over here please. Presenting, Philippine Idol's Top 12:
MAU - Here's something I noticed when Mau began to sing during the Wildcard round: the moment she opened her mouth, the audience remained sullen. She made the crowd sit up, sit quietly... watching and listening. Her moment was, to some degree, short of being magical. There's no doubt she has the best voice. She has good control of her instrument (her vocals) and she knows what to do with it. When the song calls for her to sing something high, she adjusts the key to her range. Appearance wise, I don't care that she has black features, or that she's on the heavy side. She carries herself well, it suits her perfectly. And because of that, she's beautiful to me. Video from: owl4ever
POW - I instantly liked her the first time she appeared at the audition round. Pow's voice is a breath of fresh air. She is no diva, but she can deliver powerful songs. Her ability to connect with the audience is what makes her a good singer. She sings from the heart (she made me emotional twice!) The fact that she's a lesbian does not sit too well with some Pinoys. She's of the third sex, one with the possibility of being crowned the first Philippine Idol. But then again, the first Idol ever, UK's Will Young, is gay. In my book, gender is no big deal.Video from: empressmaruja
(Not in order)
DRAE - From the looks of it, Drae is overflowing with personality. He's Mr. Nice Guy, I suppose (from the way his video feeds are edited). There's also no doubt, Drae is an educated gentleman (read his profile on the official site). But based on singing, Drae has a long way to go. Sure, his voice is good. But like many of the Top 12 contestants, it's nowhere near recording-quality good. He has pitch problems (could be corrected with voice lessons, and many of them need it, not just him). Also, based on his performance for the semi-finals, Drae seems comfortable on stage. So I give him props for that.Video from: empressmaruja
GIAN - Gian can sing. He has a voice. His rendition during the Wildcard Round was fair. But it was nothing spectacular. Gian could be, in the words of Simon Cowell, "Forgettable." So he has make an effort to leave a mark with each and every performance. I understand he's trained in theater (?), but pop singing is different. People (like me!) will find his movements cheesy, choreographed and lacking in sincerity. It also is a distraction, I cannot watch Gian well because I'm too distracted by his movements/acting. He has to stop hanging around Armarie, hehe.Video from: owl4ever
RAYMOND - Alright, I have to give him credit for stepping up when his first performance failed (through no fault of his). The dancing is bad. It's awkward, it's funny. Props to him for making me laugh though. The singing - okay. His voice is actually good for ballads. There's clarity in it (watching on Youtube, with earphone). Whatever possessed him to choose an upbeat number for his first live performance, I wouldn't know the reason. (He's probably trying to show versatility?) But upbeat songs ain't his forte. His voice is made for love songs. Video from: shadowhide
KEN - His Wildcard performance was the worst of all. Understandably, Ken was sick at that time and failed to perform well. From Ken's last two song choices, it seems that he chooses songs released before he was even born (is he channeling Anwar or John Stevens of AI?). However, Ken's voice is not fit for songs like that. Does he not know that? Someone should tell him that. It wouldn't hurt to try and sing something more contemporary. I think he'll do better then. Video from: starmometerdotcom
JAN KURT - Clay Aiken did this on AI, if I'm not mistaken. Jan Kurt is no Clay Aiken. His impact is not even a fraction of what Clay Aiken's audition meant. Of Jan Kurt's performance, Simon Cowell would have said something like: (in thick British accet) It sowndid like someone singing at an office puhrty... Although, it would be someone singing really well, but it's still singing at an office party, and not a singing competition. Video from: PhilippineIdol3
MIGUEL - Based on what he did for semi-finals --- a 17 year old singing falsetto? Not easy! So I will give him a liiiiiittttle credit. Having said that, I think Miguel should steer clear of songs he cannot do (yet!.... again two words: voice lessons). His last performance was of him "thinking" and not singing. He might have been too conscious of hitting the high notes. He needs to take confidence points from Drae and just enjoy the moment.Video from: PhilippineIdol3
ARMARIE - She makes an..."extemporaneous" effort to carry a tune. Haha. Seriously, she can sing alright. Only, she sings as if she's always mad or nagdadabog. She enunciates too much, she growls too much, she moves her arm with too much force. And that's my problem with her, she is The Overkill (my first Idol nickname, yey!). She would win me over if, in one of her performances, she just stands still, with her hands on the sides and delivers a powerful song. I also hope she refrains from crying. Because I cannot call her The Crying Lady, since that nickname is already taken. :DVideo from: empressmaruja
APPLE - I know, I know, some other contestant deserve to be where she is right now. But frankly, I don't have a problem with Apple's voice. It's not nearly as good as Mau's (I think they have the same range and type.) Again, voice lessons should help her. I don't have a problem with her image/look. She knows how to dress her age. She knows her style. Oh, and yes, she reminds me of a young Ali Sotto (looks + voice). I have a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge problem with her song choice, in that, she doesn't know how to choose. Buki si Neneng! Whether her voice is good enough or not, it cannot be gauged at the moment since her bad song choices is what people are focusing on. And if you look at it, it's quite unfair for her to be judged based on song choice and not on her talent. Video from: shadowhide
And because I had to watch this ^ video again... LSS!!!!!
JELLI - Using the pretty to get points? Maybe. Her audition was a lot better than what we have seen from her during the semi-finals. She is very, very, very pitchy. She makes no connection with the audience, too. And this is what she does for a living?? Jelli has to prove she's a pro at singing because from everything I've seen so far, if I'm the owner of the bar where she's performing, I will have to start wondering if it's worth keeping her. Video from: idolfanatic
STEF - I have no love for her, sorry. She can sing, yes... but again, like many of them, she's not exceptional. I can't even find her Wildcard video on Youtube!!! That's how much of an impact she's made.So, there they are....the passengers of what looks like a possible trainwreck. Hopefully, it gets better in the next episodes.
Who goes next? Beats me. The way we Pinoys vote, I should not be surprised if my first two choices leave real soon. (WAG NAMAN!!)
