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Standards and Big Band Night

Old standards for the Big Band Era. What a refreshing change and a delight for us oldies (err over 40 years old). All the Top 4 Philippine Idol Finalist gave their stellar performances. At this stage of the competition, it is expected that they excel with their singing style and performance. Most Philippine Idol bloggers would agree that Gian and Mau are the more superior performers but Jan Nieto and Miguel Mendoza did an excellent job tonight. Philippine Idol has gone a long way when it first started out with the Top 12 Finalists Performance Night. You can see the results through the number of commercials, the number of celebrity guests, the number of hits in our blogs.

The popularity of the Philippine Idol has finally arrived. Aside from the loyal Philippine Idol fans, celebrity guests present were Lucy Torres, Loren Legarda, Gretchen Baretto , Tony Boy Cojuangco , Dominic Ochoa, Judy Ann and of course, Philippine Idol bloggers who created the Philippine Idol buzz. Here are a few Philippine Idol bloggers :

(ME,Jove Francisco, Bridget, Jher, Patty and Pamy who took the photo)

This time, I was able to get my 10 tickets. In the past two weeks, my usual reserved seats were given away due to the high demand of people clamoring to get inside Philippine Idol Theater. But where were these people during the early episodes? It ticked me off that my tickets were given away just like that. Fortunately, that has been settled now and I will be able to blog more Inside Philippine Idol highlights during the TOP 3 and Finale Night.

Anyway, I still need to rank the Top 4 Philippine Idol Finalists’ performance. Like the die-hard Philippine Idol fan, I made sure I had photos with my Top 3 Philippine Idol finalists because it might get extremely difficult to get photos taken with them after this week.

Here are my Top 3 Philippine Idol Finalists:

1. Gian Carlo Magdangal

They Can’t Take That Away From Me
The Very Thought Of You

Gian is my number one choice because he sang so smoothly and went with the flow of his music. He brought the meaning of Big Band Night through the rendition of his song and body movements. Perhaps his theater experience gave him an edge over the other Finalists. He’s truly a great performer who gave elegance to this Big Band night.

Me and Gian, the Total Performer after the show

2. Mau Marcelo

My Funny Valentine
Waray Waray
Mau showed so much energy in “waray-waray” that she brought the house down. You should have seen the audience cheering endlessly at the end of her “waray-waray” song. Gretchen Baretto gave Mau a standing ovation. The standing ovation and the encouraging cheers continued on for several minutes. Even if her first song,My Funny Valentine was a bit dragging, it showed her capability to sing in various vocal ranges. So why did I just rank her no. 2?

Gian and Mau are almost the same ranking for me but there can’t be a tie so I chose Mau for second place. I cannot fault her singing style and her gorgeous look these days but I thought her outfit was not a winning piece. The gown made her look fatter than usual. Ugh what happened to her fashion stylist? The fit was all wrong. Mau wore a more flattering dress last week when she sang “Diamonds are Forever.” Mau ranked 0.5 lower than Gian for tonight, just a teeny tiny notch lower than Gian.

World Class Singer, Mau and me after the show

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Aside from Bong Austero’s analysis of the Philippine Idol voting results,Business World Weekender (November 24, 2006) reports on the Talent vs. Popularity of singing contests in the Philippines. The singing contests featured Philippine Idol and Pinoy Dream Academy. The report interviewed University of the Philippines Professor Emeritus, and former Department of Anthropology chair Prospero R. Coviar who said “these singing contest seem to choose winners base on popularity , rather than talent.” Here are some highlights of the article:

He said the choice of popularity over ability is best exemplified with how actors and celebrities could easily win in elections despite minimal governance skills. We know popularity mean ‘winnability’ in our elections.

Mr. Coviar said the voting procedure through texting leads less popular contestants to be eliminated. “It’s like pitting Cordillera and Zamboanga against each other on which province could gather enough votes to support their kababayan. …

Mr Covia said audiences could also not be blamed by favoring popular contestants over talented ones.

The audiences are not trained to determine what good singing talent is. So people would have to rely on the contestants’ looks or acting for their vote”

Mr. Coviar does not see an end to the prevalence of popularity over talent in contests such as as Philippine Idol and Pinoy Dream Academy. There is a survival element to this phenomenon. Meaning it remains functional in the context of Philippine culture and behavior. For as long as audiences do not know any better, such situations would persist”, he said

Source : Talent vs. Popularity, Business World, Weekender November 24-25 , 2006 (reported by Jeffery O. Valisno.)

I believe by now Philippine Idol audiences know whom to vote for the title, Philippine Idol. Loyal Philippine Idol fans are well-informed and can identify the talented singers in the competition but there are not that many of them yet. The Philippine Idol show has risen in popularity halfway during the competition. There are more and more Philippine Idol blogs cropping up , a sign that Philippine Idol’s popularity is getting there. Text voting is indeed a quantifiable measure of popularity although it is not perfect. In the final round of only two Philippine Idol finalists, Philippine Idol audiences need to make a stand.

In my opinion, it is a Mau-Gian finale. It could also be a Jan-Gian or Jan-Mau competition. Mau and Gian are the more talented singers even though Jan is slowly getting there even if he is still awkward with his moves.

These are the 3 possible scenarios for the Top 2 Philippine Idol Finalists

Mau-Gian Finale

Gian-Jan Finale

Mau-Jan Finale

Since the unexpected always happens, I would rather see Jan Nieto make it to the top 2 than Miguel Mendoza. I am rooting for a Mau-Gian fight. Let us show that both talent and popularity will shine in the first Philippine Idol.

Please vote wisely, fans.

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Bong Austero, a columnist of Manila Standard could not believe last Monday’s verdict on “Philippine Idol.” I am not alone in this belief after all. It’s not a matter of a fan’s opinion that one of her favorites, Pow, was booted out. Bong analyzes the state of the Philippine Idol results. Like most of us have blogged about…. “how is it possible for someone with the least talent to outstay the better performers in a competition? Are we really such poor judges of talent that we seem to be voting for the wrong candidates—even in singing contests?” The Philippine Idol is not just another quirk of the times we live in. Bong adds that “But I think that it is actually symptomatic of the state of our democracy. This is the Philippines, and this is our version of democracy. It’s a system built on certain myths.” Bong provides an interesting and comprehensive perspective of Philippine Idol reflective of the country’s political climate.

The first myth is that the playing field is level—that everyone has equal chances of winning. Unfortunately, that is an illusion. In our country, economic power is absolute power and he who has more money, or at least the support of the people with money, wins hands down. To win popularity contests such as elections and yes, Philippine Idol, it is not enough that one has the talent or the qualification or the willingness and determination. One has to have the resources as well.

And so, we have a sorry situation where certain people run away with titles and the positions mainly because they have more resources than their competitors do. So yes, I believe that despite the dismal performance of its candidates in the surveys for the 2007 elections, the Arroyo administration might still be able to pull off an upset if it is able to muster enough resources (do not ask me where they will most likely get the money, your guess is as good as mine). It is an appalling thought, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles in our so-called democracy.

It is not about who is more qualified, it is about who has more money to spend. Forget about winning popularity contests or elective posts if you do not have the resources. Mau and Gian may be the better performers among the remaining four contestants of Philippine Idol, but their talent is not enough guarantee that they will get into the finals.

continue reading Bong Austero’s column and Lea rocks ‘Philippine Idol;’ Pow bows out of the competition

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Disappointment and anger is a perfectly normal reaction for the sad Pow fans. Anger does not equate to hatred. Anger is a normal process of grieving over the loss of a favorite Idol finalist from staying on in the Philippine Idol competition. Fans choose to express their anger through blog comments and forum posts. The devil advocates who think that the slanderous criticisms of inferior candidates are also entitled to their own opinions. (NOTE: except criticisms that attack an Idol’s gender orientation, color, personality or character is unacceptable criticisms). Criticisms are after all constructive if one is open-minded about it. Look at how the block voting was eliminated and the number of voting hours reduced. Look at how Philippine Idol spiced up the show by moving it to sunday and inviting guest judges. All of these new developments came about because of constructive criticisms from loyal Idol fans. Idol finalist should also know that criticisms are part of show business and should be ready to accept good and bad critiques. Idol fans who think Jan and Miguel have well oiled voting bloc didn’t conjure that speculation. I can easily post here what I hear inside the Philippine Idol live shows but I’d rather not out because it doesn’t sound nice.

This is just what I have to say…if only the families of a few Idol finalists had been more discreet at the start of the competition, then none of this so-called “critical backlash” would have happened. I believe even Jove Francisco blogged about it once. When he wrote that particular controversial entry I had never met Jove but I witnessed it too. Philippine Idol will surely learn from all of these and produce a much better season in the future.

After all the hurt and the anger has been said and done, it’s time to move on and make a stand.

Only four idols remain:

To all the Pow, Apple, Ken, Reymond, Drae, Arms, Stef, Jelli fans, it’s time to make a stand and ensure that a deserving Philippine Idol wins this title. Maybe your Idol didn’t make it but it would be to the best interest of the reality tv program to come up with a credible Philippine Idol. You have to make your votes count in the next 4 shows.

My Top 2 Philippine Idol finalists are Gian and Mau. I envision a Mau-Gian Finale.

Since there can only be one winner, I have to make a stand . My choice is Gian Carlo Magdangal

Why do I think Gian Carlo should be the first Philippine Idol?

Ever since I saw Gian Carlo Magdangal at the Cebu auditions, I immediately noticed his looks, voice and stance. I thought, “Gian is a Philippine Idol contender” After watching Gian live for many shows and actually having small talk with him, these are my reasons:

1. He is entertaining and has great eye contact with the audience when singing live. One can feel his passion.
2. He is charming to his fans and willing to have photos or autographs. Patty, a Gian fan can definitely vouch for this. Read Patty’s encounter with Gian and how Gian treats a fan.
3. He sings well.
4. He has the looks and the stage presence. He carries himself well.
5. He shows flexibility in various music genre.

From Manila Bulletin Entertainment (November 22, 2006)

It had been said by Mr. C that talent-wise, the “Philippine Idol” title should be a toss between Mau Marcelo and Gian Magdangal. It was the first time the two were the safest two during the results show as Pow was joined by Miguel Mendoza and Jan Nieto in the bottom three.

Lea Salonga also named Mau and Gian the best performers Sunday night but like Idol history shows, no one is safe in the competition.

Gian with his adoring fans

Vote Gian for Philippine Idol

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Pow Chavez journey in Philippine Idol ends tonight. I am so sad I cried. I knew it. My prediction in yesterday’s entry was right. This is what I posted.

Realistically, either Miguel Mendoza or Jan Nieto should be booted out. But since life is unfair and not every finalist has the money, Pow could be out since her performance did not shine out tonight.

My prediction was right! LIFE IS SO UNFAIR. I sound so redundant because I can’t believe the injustice of Pow’s elimination. Booohooo

Now how do the less talented Idol finalist like Jan Nieto or Miguel Mendoza feel? Are they happy they are still in the Finals? Are they happy that a much talented and amazing performer like Pow is booted out before them? At the end of the show, are those tears , tears of sadness or tears of guilt?

Jan and Miguel and to the families of Jan Nieto and Miguel Mendoza, you know that you don’t have the same adoring fans that crowd Pow, Mau and Gian at the end of the show? Both of you are there because your families have a very strong voting bloc that unfortunately Pow didn’t have. I am just reeling from disappointment that these two weaker and inferior Idol Finalists continue to stay yet have not really shown any progress in their act.

To Pow, you still have your supportive and loving fans. Your fan base is solid. The text votes are not an indication of the number of fans.

I only got to like you recently only because my daughters rooted for you. You grew on me. Continue on with your singing, My two daughters are devastated over tonight’s result. There is no point in watching Philippine Idol according to my two girls. Life can be unfair but we can turn this loss into something much bigger than winning the title of Philippine Idol. You could be the Kellie Pickler of Philippine Idol Season 1. Kellie Pickler lost the American Idol title, but she is turning out to be one of season five’s biggest winners. Keep going Pow. Though you might not have won the Philippine Idol, your fans are confident that you are a star.

We love your voice. More POWer to you . Remember us, your fans…

You and me

My daughters and nephew who love you…You have fans from the young crowd , like my children.

And if you missed Pow’s last performance here are youtube video links of:

So Far So Good
I’ll Give my Life for You

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View Movie Themes and Musical Performance Night Photos of the Top 5 Philippine Idol Finalists

it’s Movie Themes and Musical Night for the Top 5 Philippine Idol Finalist and the guest judge is Tony-awardee and Broadway singer , Lea Salonga. Though Francis M is back, I’m glad that Philippine Idol continued with the guest judge to add excitement to the show. Each Finalist gets to sing two songs, one from a movie theme and the second from a musical

The first part of the show was the Movie Theme Songs. Each finalist had a short movie clip produced by “Philippine Idol Films”. The movies added spark to the songs being sung by each Finalist. My ranking for this round are:(Thanks to starmometer.com for the youtube videos)

1. Mau Marcelo sang Diamonds are Forever (View YouTube Video)

What a brillant performance. I think Mau felt really beautiful inside because she exuded so much confidence. It showed in her delivery, her facial expression and her solid vocals. I loved her. Kudos to her fashion stylist for making Mau appear slim and gorgeous. The audience couldn’t stop clapping. Even Lea Salong was truly amazed.

2. Jan Nieto sang Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang (View YouTube Video)

The movie skit involving a triangle with Jellie and Suey exuded so much drama that I could almost feel Jan’s dilemma as he sang. Jan had the perfect vocals but had lackluster performance in his moves. I think Jan isn’t too comfortable in moving around the stage.

3. Pow Chavez sang So Far So Good (View YouTube Video)

The movie clip where she’s given an array of ladies clothes was so amusing. She finally gets to wear a dress just for the movies. Aww, isn’t she just adorable? Pow’s performance is just alright. If you compare her performance with Mau, Pow just didn’t deliver tonight. I like how Pow ’s fashion style is evolving. See, she doesn’t need to wear manly jackets all the time.

4. Gian Carlo Magdangal sang Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga (view YouTube Video)

I just didn’t feel anything with Gian’s performance. I might call it boring but with his good looks , it makes up for his average performance. Happy birthday Gian!

5. Miguel Mendoza sang Growing Up

I used to like Miguel because his voice was quite impressive for a young man. I first noticed him during the top 12 male finalist but he hasn’t improved in his stage presence. He’s become predictable and boring.

So Mau Marcelo wins hands down during this first round of the show.

The next part was musicals. The Philippine Idol prepared props suitable for the song in the musical. My ranking as follows

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I am looking forward to this sunday’s theme, Movie Themes and Musicals. Each of the 5 Philippine Idol Finalists will sing two songs. Broadway songs in musicals or movie themes will definitely show a singer’s vocal flexibility. Gian Magdangal is known to exhibit this talent . I am also looking forward to Pow’s lilting singing voice. This sunday ’s show is one episode I shouldn’t miss. I hope ABC does not give our assigned/reserved seats. Last Sunday, I got so pissed that our tickets were not at the ticket counter as we usually get them by the gate on the night itself. It’s a good thing the girl at the gate recognized me and allowed me to go inside with my family. Apparently, there was a miscommunication. I can’t believe that though. We were told that we had reserved seats before we went to the venue.

Anyway, here are the songs that the 5 Idol finalists will sing:

1. Mau - Diamonds are Forever from James Bond and I’m Telling You from Dreamgirls
2. Pow - So Far So Good and I’d Give My Life For Youfrom Ms. Saigon
3. Gian Magdangal - Sana Ikaw na Nga and Grease-lightning from Grease
4. Miguel mendoza - Growing Up from Bagets and Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Lion King
5. Jan Nieto - Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang and Corner of the Sky from Pippin

I don’t know if you can still get tickets if you buy the Philippine Idol CD , their first album which is now available in all music stores. When I went there last sunday, I saw a few Philippine Idol fans handing out their receipts and receiving tickets to get inside the SM Cinema 3.

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