Malaysian Idol 2 – Results of Finals

And the next Malaysian Idol is …DANIEL!

Of course, I wasn’t surprised since I had already predicted he would win. He got 68% of the votes I think(1.2 million votes). The teenybopper brigade of girls were passionate in their support. I know I called him Baby-faced Elf, and Giraffe Genes called him the “King of Falsetto”, but the under-fifteen girls love him. The total number of votes this year for the WHOLE season has increased from 5 million to 6 million votes.

For the Results show, I liked the outfit that Cheryl wore…low cut jeans with a white shirt. Kak Jee wore something that totally defies decent description. I remember that my mum used to do patchwork with coloured pieces of unwanted cloth cuttings. The result was a multicoloured item similar to what Kak Jee wore. I’m going to have to ask mum if she gave that indescribable piece to any singing judge lately.

Did you see Trish come out to sing a number and then her blouse sort of slipped over her left shoulder and she had to quickly yank it back in place before her left tit fell out? The shocked expression on her face was priceless!

Whatever Daniel does after this, I hope he does not record “Mimpi”. That song should be shelved and forgotten like a bad memory. You people heard the song and you know what I mean.

I made a bet with Hot Babe. She said that Nita would win and I betted on Daniel. The winner gets a lunch from the loser tomorrow. Muahahahah! I gotta find a good and expensive place to eat tomorrow! Yeah! But knowing Hot Babe, she would want me to spend her a movie later. I should have betted BOTH lunch and movie.

Cannot decide betul

It’s 7:30 p.m. and I’m still undecided whom to vote for. If you have been following my postings, you would know that I was a Farah supporter. I had been only lukewarm to both Nita and Daniel for the last two months. During last night’s finals, neither Daniel nor Nita blew away each other to allow me to make an easy decision.

A number of you people implied that the song “Mimpi” sucked. It sucked big time ass! Tuneless and unworthy, that’s what I think. My vacuum cleaner sucks too, but at least its ten times more tuneful. The composers must have been doing a rushed job. What I want to know is whether the composers were appointed only at the very last moment only.

I’m going to have to remove hate comments from the comment board. Even those that sound remotely hateful. And also anonymous comments. Hey! Everybody has to use a nick, okay? Otherwise it gets really confusing. So please don’t give me more work that I wish to do. Not on a weekend.

I turned to both TV3 and 8TV yesterday to compare broadcasts. The broadcast over TV3 was much louder than on 8TV. Don’t know why Paul was making such a big fuss over the cameraman and Daniel. Everything looked okay on my 29 inch TV. Kak Jee had to persuade Paul to return to serious business. Whoever loses this one will still get a recording contract. Is it my imagination, or are last year’s contestants Jamil and Rydee an item now? They appeared together lurvy durvy last night.

Back to Daniel and Nita. I still can’t decide. Well, maybe not to decide is to decide.

Malaysian Idol 2 - Finals in Genting

It was nice to see the voted-out contestants tonight singing a medley of songs. Xerra did not have her red hair anymore and I almost did not recognise her.

Now for the singing of top two finalists, Daniel and Nita. One short one tall. One girl one boy. Different styles. But both from Penang.

Daniel started singing first. I was not impressed by his first song, “Mimpi”, the Malaysian Idol song for this year. To be fair, I think that the song was definitely not as impressively composed as “Gemilang”, last year. It definitely won’t sell, no matter who sang it.

The second song, his own choice, was “Heaven knows”. It was good. He brought his falsetto notes out into play effectively.

The third song, “Angin Malam”, was to my mind, the best song of the night. It was beautifully delivered in his own style.

Nita started out with a song picked out for her by the jury. It was nothing spectacular.

Her second song, “Big Spender” was her best song for the night. However, I think that her Spectaculars version was better than tonight.

Nita’s version of “Mimpi” was ordinary. It was better than Daniel’s rendition of the same song, but did not bring the house down. Frankly, I think that this newly composed song “Mimpi’ was a lost cause. Even Jac wouldn’t be able to do anything for it.

The judges tonight were in “diplomatic” mode. They did not make any unflattering remarks about the singing. Maybe it was the party atmosphere, and they did not want to dampen the spirit.

Who did better? I think both were not all that spectacular, but Daniel has a slight edge. His song “Angin Malam” was better than Nita’s “Big Spender”. Nita needed a spectacular performance to pick up the loose votes to overcome Daniel’s fan base, but she did not deliver enough. Compare that to Jac last year after her rendition of Gemilang and the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

The camera interviewed both Nita and Daniel’s fans. Nita’s fans were mostly male and Daniel’s fans were mostly female. This is the huge difference. Male fans will vote up to their budgeted limit. Female fans will also vote to their limit, then after that, they will borrow their boyfriends’ phones to vote as well. Which is why I think that Daniel will win.

Spectaculars 8 - Results

On Sunday, when Daniel, Farah and Nita stood there, I noticed one thing; none of the three had black hair.

The judges were asked about their predictions.

Roslan and Kak Jee predictied that Daniel would be out.

Paul predicted that Farah would be out.

Only Paul was accurate.

Roslan and Kak Jee have been wrong so many times in the past that I wonder if they are in touch with the music audience. Daniel took the highest number of votes, leaving Nita and Farah to fight it out. When the results were announced, Farah lost, but did not seemed too upset.

Oh, this time there was no voting preview. I wonder why.

Farah has a better chance of finding commercial CD success than Nita later. Her voice quality is better and her pitching problems are not so pronounced. If she were to record in a studio, most of the other faults can be ironed out. But she does have a sort of dumb bimbo look. And unlike Nita, she does not do so well on stage.

Why does Daniel have so many votes? Simple. Each time the judges, especially Roslan, said something unflattering about Daniel, the people voted for him in reaction. It’s like they are voting against Roslan. Daniel’s rendition of Oooo Lah Lah last Friday wasn’t bad. It looked very spontaneous and it reminded me of Dina’s “Hit Em Up Style” last year. It was thus a surprise to me that he attracted that kind of bad comments from the judges. And of course, the listeners rebelled and voted for Baby faced Elf.

I did not vote last week because I could not decide among those three. The situation this year was not like last year when Jac was a clear winner halfway in the competition.

Who will win in Genting? I think Daniel has more fans than Nita. But Farah’s fans are more likely to migrate to Nita than Daniel. It’s going to be a tough call.

Malaysian Idol 2 - Spectaculars 8

"Songs from the movies".....that was the theme of the night.

The guest judge was Macik Warong Ogy, also known as Fauziah Ahmad Daud. She can talk a lot without really saying anything. You know how Kak Jee likes to parrot what Abang Roslan says? Well, Macik Warong Ogy likes to parrot what both Abang Roslan and Kak Jee said. That makes her a super parrot. The producers should give us guest judges who talk good sense, or at least look good.

Enough about the judges.

Jien made a lame joke about how Paul's favourite movie is the Titanic. Yup, Jien is still not out of the Paul fetish yet. He needs a new shrink.

So let's see what Daniel, Nita, and Farah came up with.

Daniel: The first song "Ooh! La! La!" was quite fun to listen to. Very boy band like. Nothing that fantastic in the vocals department, but he had fun. Daniel has that ability to rock on stage and make everything fun. The second song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" was a disaster. His voice just does not suit that kind of song. I would call that the worst performance for the night.

Nita: The first song "Love is a crime" was well done. I would rate that the best performance for the evening. The second song "Asmaradana" was normal, not entirely boring, but simply not outstanding. Nita does not shine with Malay songs.

Farah: I don't know the title of her first song, but it was an Ogy song, and was definitely a bad song choice for her. It sounded school girlish. The second song "All By Myself" wasn't bad, and I liked it. It showed off her vocals as easily the best among the three contestants. The performance was not as soulful as I would have liked, but of course, her young age was a factor.

I can't decide whom to vote for in this round. Many weeks ago, I said that Nita had the best chance of winning and that only Farah could challenge her. I had not expected Daniel to come this far. But Daniel is able to CONNECT with the most important group of people, that is, girls under the age of twenty with their own cell phone. As far as the music industry is concerned, teenagers are the VIPs. They are the ones who think nothing about buying a new original CD using their parents’ money. If you are not a teenager, then you definitely are persona non grata. Sorry, but that's how it works.

If there is another shitty voting preview again this Sunday, then definitely I will not bother to shift my ass to vote in the Genting finals. Those of you visiting the forums can quote me on this one.

Here it is again

“If there is another shitty voting preview again this Sunday, then definitely I will not bother to shift my ass to vote in the Genting finals.”

That stooopid preview of voting results

Last Sunday, the Malaysian Idol producers gave us a sneak preview of the bottom two in the results. And then they announced that we could still change the results. That, to me is clearly unethical.

I can only think of two theories why they would do such a thing.

The first theory was that Nita was at the bottom of the pack, and they did it to shake things up a bit to prevent Nita from getting booted out. That would imply favouritism. Is favouritism unethical for the producers? You tell me!

The second theory is that there was no favouritism and they did not much care who the fuck got booted out. But the revenue from SMSes were way below target. So they showed us the bottom two group of Nita and Faizull in the avaricious hope that it will spur their fans to send in some last minute voting to boost the coffers. That's not unethical, is that?

Whoa, hold on. Last minute voting is not an easy thing to do. The phone facilities may not be in the same shitty best for all parts of the country. If Faizull's fans in the Felda estates have to queue up in one zinc-roofed house with a working phone to vote, they will not be able to alter the results very much in the last few minutes. Nita's fans in Penang would be able to send in their votes faster than Faizull could change his underwear. You think that this is still ethical? It's more like downright despicable.

Whichever theory is true, it would still be ethically questionable to provide viewers with a preview of the voting results.

Malaysian Idol producers are in serious need of a good therapist. They have got their brains so badly screwed up that I wonder how long they have been eating shit and shitting rice.

Good grief, we know that a little greed is good. Greed keeps our economy humming. But we NEED NOT BE THAT DESPERATE! They're acting like drowning asses grasping anything that will float. There is NO FUCKING NEED to give us a preview of the voting results! If the show is floundering, and we know it is, then find some other way to rescue it!

If they carry on with this stupid preview thingy, then the more calculative ones, will just wait for the voting preview before voting.
And others, will be so pissed off that they might just stop voting altogether.

Can the show still remain viable after that?

NOTHING TURNS PEOPLE OFF LIKE DESPERATION!

Spectaculars 7 - Results

Yeah, Faizull's out.

That was not the surprise.

What surprised me was that Malaysian Idol producers allowed viewers to know that Nita and Faizull were at the bottom two and then challenged the voters to try to change the results. That was a move of sheer desperation. Most unworthy and most unethical.

I am not in the right frame of mind right now to bitchfuck them up the ass properly yet. Gimme time.

Malaysian Idol 2 - Spectaculars 7

Tonight, the guest judge was Awie. Now he was really giving good comments, and not trying to appear to be polite. Kak Jee looked stunning, seated among 3 guys.

All the finalists sang in both English and Bahasa except Faizull. He’s appearing more and more one-dimensional day by day.

Daniel:
I didn’t think his performance today was that great. The same problems of diction were still there. However, he always comes to the stage as if he is having fun. Like boy band material. Awie told him to “buka mulut”. This guest judge does not mince words, does he?

Farah:
Tonight was not great for her. She’s having an off-day so close to the final stretch. Great voice but it’s like her confidence has taken a shaking. Paul even said, “I think it’ too late for you.” Farah is inconsistent in her performance within the same song. Some parts are promising, some parts are a letdown. I hope she makes it through this round.

Faizull:
Two words; “screechy” and “scratchy”. This guy is clearly a niche singer. Meaning Bahasa rock only. Like Paul said, he is in danger of becoming a national joke. Mercifully, tonight he did not try to sing in English. One-dimensional screecher, that’s him.

Nita:
For the first time, her song in Bahasa was good. The English song(‘Hand in my pocket’) was safe, ordinary and boring. It does look like she’s staying the course. Her biggest problem will be to try to sing in tune. Kak Jee said, “You’re back.”

Frankly, I think this is a pretty weak field. Farah and Nita are not even in the same league as Nikki of last season. I won’t compare Daniel and Faizull to last year’s guys because last year’s guys were not that hot either.

But that’s not the point. If we are interested in taking part in the voting, then we will have to choose among the four. If we do not take part in the voting, and then we gripe about how other people voted, that would be really really pathetic.

Sure, voting costs money. But this is a business. Buying CDs also costs money. The logic behind the multiple voting system is that the fan who is ready to spend good money on voting is also the type to spend on CDs. A one-man one-vote democratic system will kill the business. This isn’t about catering to the rights of the common man. It’s about catering to the rights of the people who can spend, geddit? This is a business first and last. It’s a tough world. And then you die. The system has its drawbacks, but it generally works.

Feeling kinda sorry

I feel kinda sorry for us all.

The Malaysian Idol competition is down to the last four and we are nowhere near the standard of last year. I think all those record company executives watching the show may be on the verge of giving up.

Tell you what I’ll do. I’ll take a pic from my other inane bullshit blog and post it here.

This one is for the guys.



There, I hope it made you feel better.

Spectaculars 6 - Results

Kak Jee was back in tonight’s show. So I guess that her period, or whatever that was troubling her, had disappeared. It's all very mysterious. She looked kind of girlish and radiant tonight. Maybe it’s the hairstyle.

What did the judges thought of Friday’s performance?

Roslan liked Daniel’s malay song. Personally, I think that one is good enough to be recorded. Kak Jee liked Nita’s “Hey Big Spender”. And Paul liked both second songs of Daniel and Nita.

Then the judges gave their predictions.

Roslan felt that Faizull should be out this round because the competition was doing him more harm than good. Faizull has not been able to improve on his versatility so far, being able to handle only malay rock. Compare that with rocker Bo Bice or Constantine of American Idol who had much wider ranges.

Kak Jee thought that it would be either Faizull or Ash.

Paul was worried for Farah, because even if she sang okay, she would still be in the bottom group.

Jien and Cheryl announced the results. The two top vote-getters were Giraffe Genes and Baby-faced Elf. Ah, finally Malaysians voted based on performance!

The bottom three were Farah(as usual), Ash and Fat Kampung Rocker.

Farah was then told that she was safe. She seemed a bit lost after the announcement. She said something to Ash, and shook his hand. Maybe she sensed that Ash would be going off the show. It took her awhile to join Daniel and Nita on the bench.

Ash and Fat Kampung Rocker stood together arm in arm. Both of them had been rather chummy throughout the whole competition. Just like Adam was chummy with Nita.

And leaving us after this round is……….Ash.

My kungfu novel

This is a short notification to those of you who are interested in reading a kungfu story in English. I have just written the first episode ot the "Twin Dragons of Li Daifu". This short novel(roughly 10 episodes) should be interesting enough and full of wuxia action. I wouldn't post it up if it is unable to match the standards of a few of the English translated wuxia fiction available on the web.

But you be the judge. And tell me what you think.

Here is the story link.

Malaysian Idol 2 – Spectaculars 6

Tonight, the theme was classic songs. Each contestant had to sing two songs, one in English and one in Bahasa. And the guest judge is Sharifah Aini. Kak Jee was absent because she was not feeling well, we were told. Is it that awkward time of the month already?

Okay, the first song.

Faizull came on and sang, “I feel good”. It was a disaster. I heard, “I feel nai, sugar and spy.” Instead of “I feel nice, sugar and spice”.
Roslan: “Can sing malay rock only. Lain hancur”
Sharifah: “I think you’re good.”
Paul: “Like a robot singing. Didn’t work.”

Farah came next and sang Getaran Jiwa. It was like she sang it withut warming up her voice.
Roslan: “Tiada keistimewaan.”
Sharifah: “Concentrate on pitching.”
Paul: “Pitchy, unconvincing”

Daniel sang Save The Last Dance for me. Teruk nya. I didn’t hear the words he was singing. But he has a great stage personality.
Roslan: “Saya suka.”
Sharifah: “Overall you did well.”
Paul: “That song is way too old for you.”

Nitya came next. She sang okay, but it was boring. I almost slept.
Roslan: “Disappointed”
Sharifah: Can’t remember what she said. But she’s seldom critical.
Paul: “Boring, pitchy, insipid.”

Ash sang an English song which I have not heard before. I think it worked for him.
Roslan: “You have improved”
Sharifah: “You impressed me”
Paul: “Didn’t work.”

After that, the contestants presented their second song.

Faizull sang a malay classic. I didn’t think he nailed it as his voice is not suitable for classis. But it was better than his first song.
Roslan: No comments
Sharifah: “Good try”
Paul: “Vocals lack intensity.”

Farah sang “Ain’t no mountain high enough.” It was good. She has the best voice o the whole bunch with clear diction.
Roslan: “Bagus”
Sharifah: “Use the stage well”
Paul: “You’re too young, too sweet, too nice for that song.”
Daniel sang a malay song next, which I thought was a lot better than his first song. He does better with malay songs than english songs.
Roslan: “Saya suka.”
Sharifah: “Very good.”
Paul: “That was beautiful”

Nita sang “Hey big spender”. It was good but lacked the great power in the vocals to be able to carry it off as a cabaret singer.
Roslan: “Muka cantik, badan cantik, nyanyi cantik”
Beats me how that botak blind bat can call it ‘badan cantik’ when her figure is straight like a pencil. Every week I try to spot where her tits are with great effort.
Sharifah: “Fantastic”
Paul: “I loved that.”

Ash sang a malay song next and it sounded mechanical to me. It was like he did not understand what he was singing.
Roslan: “Awful”
Sharifah: “You must know that singing is about conviction”
Paul: “While you were singing, the audience was talking.”