Post by Skip on Jul 16, 2004 16:23:14 GMT 10
The Malaysian Idol minds
Will Malaysian Idol, our very own version of the world-wide Idol phenomenon, yield Fantasia Barrino types ... or William Hung clones? NIGEL THO sits through the talent quest auditions to deliver his verdict.
THEY came and queued (for hours and hours) and sang ... most of them badly. In their quest to become the next Kelly Clarkson/Fantasia Barrino/Guy Sebastian, thousands of young people turned up for the Malaysian Idol auditions. And in store for them was potential fame, success ... or public humiliation.
In this age of reality TV, the Idol phenomenon, whereby television viewers have a hand in determining the winner, doesn’t seem to have faded. The recent American Idol which saw the triumph of Fantasia was a huge success ratings-wise when shown on 8TV. Hence it seemed timely to search for, and crown, our very own Malaysian idol.
Opened to those aged 16 to 26, Malaysian Idol held auditions at four venues across the country: Penang, Kuching, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur. Unlike the other talent shows on TV, it was refreshing to see that Malaysian Idol attracted all sort of races, making it truly Malaysian in context. And they came from all walks of life; there were hairstylists, dancers, chefs, a radio deejay and even a fisherman.
IDOL SURVIVORS: Some of the contestants who made it through to the final 33 after the Theatre Eliminations last week.
The pilot episode, recorded during the Penang audition, kicked things off nicely. The show’s hosts Jien and Sharifah Aleeya are excellent in their interaction with each other and the contestants.
The three judges Roslan Aziz, Fauziah Latif and Paul Moss took a bit of time adjusting to their pivotal roles, but once they got accustomed to the duties at hand, the barbs and one-liners came naturally. It needs to be said that the show’s hosts and judges are as important and celebrated as the contestants but that’s another story for another day. For now, let’s concentrate on the Idol-wannabes.
As we all know, the audition episodes are the most fun to watch, as the sadist in all of us loves watching people perform badly. It’s like when you pass by an accident site; it’s tragic but you can’t take your eyes off it. True to expectation, there were several moments throughout the four audition episodes that made me laugh as well as cringe.
So, was there a William Hung uncovered amongst the Malaysians? Well, yes in the sense that there were many, many people who sang out of tune and no in that none of them will go on to achieve infamy and a recording deal.
Not surprisingly, there were the sore losers. While no one resorted to splashing water at the judges (like what happened to Cowell), there were vague physical threats. One rejected contestant warned Roslan (via camera) that “Beware, I will jumpa (meet) you!” Not one to shy away from confrontation, Roslan met up with the chap to give him some advice, including the challenge to prove him wrong the following year. Another one stormed into the judges’ room and plopped his helmet on the table to voice his objections. A bespectacled dance instructor, whose quivering nose became the source of amusement for the not-so-kind judges, actually flew all the way to Kuching for his second audition after he lost out at the Penang round. He became known as the longest distance auditioner.
The most disturbing (and probably disturbed) “reject” to me was the East Malaysian girl who declared herself a true American Idol fan and knew every Kelly Clarkson song. After she was booted out, she ranted to the camera and cursed the judges, asking them to go to “the place down there”.
But on the other end of this matter were those who received their defeat with dignity and grace, such as a couple of disabled contestants at the Kuala Lumpur audition who wowed the judges with their determination and confidence. And they were more articulate and better behaved than their able-bodied counterparts. Bravo, bravo!
Also, the judges were puzzled more than once when they couldn’t figure out a contestant’s gender. (Is this a Malaysian peculiarity?) In one instance, Moss commented to an androgynous-looking contestant: “You look like a guy but you sound like a girl.”
Anyway, after the 100-odd contestants were short-listed from the auditions, they were all gathered in Kuala Lumpur. Here, the judges further whittled down the number to 30 (which ultimately became 33) semi-finalists. Shown last week, the two-hour Theatre Eliminations episode was by far the most dramatic – thus the most exciting – to watch. Public meltdowns came into full force as the contestants went all-out to ensure that they had a place in the semi finals.
A tubby male contestant – whom Moss had earlier disapproved of for his non-Idol looks – fainted (yes, fainted!) after failing to make the cut. It was not a mere faint, mind you, it was crashing to the ground along with the camera equipment; with host Aleeya frantically running to tend to him. And that’s not all. An ambulance was summoned, after which the poor guy was put on a stretcher and transported to the hospital. What drama!
In last week’s episode, the guys had a rougher time. Split into groups of three, they had to perform the English or Malay version of Son By Four’s Vida in front of the judges. But when the big moment came, most of them forgot their lyrics and fumbled so badly, the incensed judges gave them a harsh scolding! In the boys’ defense, their number was harder to master than the girls’ song, Sheila Majid’s Sinaran.
In this contest, the guys seemed to break into waterworks more than the girls. They cried when they didn’t make it through to the next round; they broke into tears (of happiness) when they did. It was a virtual sob fest throughout.
Among the noteworthy semi-finalists is Syima, a spunky Penang lass who went for the audition without parental support; she wants to prove to her family that she can sing. Despite forgetting the lyrics during her performance, the judges liked Shima enough to deem her a place in the semi finals.
Another likeable contestant is Vic (though I wish he’d lose those ridiculous sunglasses), a 19 year-old hairdresser from Ipoh who attributed his success to his single mom in a poignant interview.
Thus far, it’s good to see that quite a few of the contestants are entertaining and come with a sense of humour. One girl joked: “If I get into a mental hospital, you guys have to pay my bills!” in reference to the breaking-point stress she was under. Indeed, you can literally feel the craziness and excitement that scours through Malaysian Idol, making it instantly, undeniably addictive.
Beginning tonight, TV viewers will get a chance to vote for whom they feel should be in the Top 10. You can trust that I will be one of those SMS-ing in my choice. I feel it is my duty as a couch potato to ensure that the ultimate Malaysian Idol is someone whom we can all be proud of, and not a running lifetime joke. No offense, Mr Hung.
www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2004/7/16/tvnradio/8419969&sec=tvnradio
Will Malaysian Idol, our very own version of the world-wide Idol phenomenon, yield Fantasia Barrino types ... or William Hung clones? NIGEL THO sits through the talent quest auditions to deliver his verdict.
THEY came and queued (for hours and hours) and sang ... most of them badly. In their quest to become the next Kelly Clarkson/Fantasia Barrino/Guy Sebastian, thousands of young people turned up for the Malaysian Idol auditions. And in store for them was potential fame, success ... or public humiliation.
In this age of reality TV, the Idol phenomenon, whereby television viewers have a hand in determining the winner, doesn’t seem to have faded. The recent American Idol which saw the triumph of Fantasia was a huge success ratings-wise when shown on 8TV. Hence it seemed timely to search for, and crown, our very own Malaysian idol.
Opened to those aged 16 to 26, Malaysian Idol held auditions at four venues across the country: Penang, Kuching, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur. Unlike the other talent shows on TV, it was refreshing to see that Malaysian Idol attracted all sort of races, making it truly Malaysian in context. And they came from all walks of life; there were hairstylists, dancers, chefs, a radio deejay and even a fisherman.
IDOL SURVIVORS: Some of the contestants who made it through to the final 33 after the Theatre Eliminations last week.
The pilot episode, recorded during the Penang audition, kicked things off nicely. The show’s hosts Jien and Sharifah Aleeya are excellent in their interaction with each other and the contestants.
The three judges Roslan Aziz, Fauziah Latif and Paul Moss took a bit of time adjusting to their pivotal roles, but once they got accustomed to the duties at hand, the barbs and one-liners came naturally. It needs to be said that the show’s hosts and judges are as important and celebrated as the contestants but that’s another story for another day. For now, let’s concentrate on the Idol-wannabes.
As we all know, the audition episodes are the most fun to watch, as the sadist in all of us loves watching people perform badly. It’s like when you pass by an accident site; it’s tragic but you can’t take your eyes off it. True to expectation, there were several moments throughout the four audition episodes that made me laugh as well as cringe.
So, was there a William Hung uncovered amongst the Malaysians? Well, yes in the sense that there were many, many people who sang out of tune and no in that none of them will go on to achieve infamy and a recording deal.
Not surprisingly, there were the sore losers. While no one resorted to splashing water at the judges (like what happened to Cowell), there were vague physical threats. One rejected contestant warned Roslan (via camera) that “Beware, I will jumpa (meet) you!” Not one to shy away from confrontation, Roslan met up with the chap to give him some advice, including the challenge to prove him wrong the following year. Another one stormed into the judges’ room and plopped his helmet on the table to voice his objections. A bespectacled dance instructor, whose quivering nose became the source of amusement for the not-so-kind judges, actually flew all the way to Kuching for his second audition after he lost out at the Penang round. He became known as the longest distance auditioner.
The most disturbing (and probably disturbed) “reject” to me was the East Malaysian girl who declared herself a true American Idol fan and knew every Kelly Clarkson song. After she was booted out, she ranted to the camera and cursed the judges, asking them to go to “the place down there”.
But on the other end of this matter were those who received their defeat with dignity and grace, such as a couple of disabled contestants at the Kuala Lumpur audition who wowed the judges with their determination and confidence. And they were more articulate and better behaved than their able-bodied counterparts. Bravo, bravo!
Also, the judges were puzzled more than once when they couldn’t figure out a contestant’s gender. (Is this a Malaysian peculiarity?) In one instance, Moss commented to an androgynous-looking contestant: “You look like a guy but you sound like a girl.”
Anyway, after the 100-odd contestants were short-listed from the auditions, they were all gathered in Kuala Lumpur. Here, the judges further whittled down the number to 30 (which ultimately became 33) semi-finalists. Shown last week, the two-hour Theatre Eliminations episode was by far the most dramatic – thus the most exciting – to watch. Public meltdowns came into full force as the contestants went all-out to ensure that they had a place in the semi finals.
A tubby male contestant – whom Moss had earlier disapproved of for his non-Idol looks – fainted (yes, fainted!) after failing to make the cut. It was not a mere faint, mind you, it was crashing to the ground along with the camera equipment; with host Aleeya frantically running to tend to him. And that’s not all. An ambulance was summoned, after which the poor guy was put on a stretcher and transported to the hospital. What drama!
In last week’s episode, the guys had a rougher time. Split into groups of three, they had to perform the English or Malay version of Son By Four’s Vida in front of the judges. But when the big moment came, most of them forgot their lyrics and fumbled so badly, the incensed judges gave them a harsh scolding! In the boys’ defense, their number was harder to master than the girls’ song, Sheila Majid’s Sinaran.
In this contest, the guys seemed to break into waterworks more than the girls. They cried when they didn’t make it through to the next round; they broke into tears (of happiness) when they did. It was a virtual sob fest throughout.
Among the noteworthy semi-finalists is Syima, a spunky Penang lass who went for the audition without parental support; she wants to prove to her family that she can sing. Despite forgetting the lyrics during her performance, the judges liked Shima enough to deem her a place in the semi finals.
Another likeable contestant is Vic (though I wish he’d lose those ridiculous sunglasses), a 19 year-old hairdresser from Ipoh who attributed his success to his single mom in a poignant interview.
Thus far, it’s good to see that quite a few of the contestants are entertaining and come with a sense of humour. One girl joked: “If I get into a mental hospital, you guys have to pay my bills!” in reference to the breaking-point stress she was under. Indeed, you can literally feel the craziness and excitement that scours through Malaysian Idol, making it instantly, undeniably addictive.
Beginning tonight, TV viewers will get a chance to vote for whom they feel should be in the Top 10. You can trust that I will be one of those SMS-ing in my choice. I feel it is my duty as a couch potato to ensure that the ultimate Malaysian Idol is someone whom we can all be proud of, and not a running lifetime joke. No offense, Mr Hung.
www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2004/7/16/tvnradio/8419969&sec=tvnradio
