Contrasting fortunes for Fil-Am ‘AI’ bets
There's good news and bad news about the two FilAm hopefuls in Season 10 of "American Idol." On Friday, March 4, 11 of the top 24 finalists were eliminated in one blow. In previous years, "AI" eliminated the four singers who got the lowest votes each week for three weeks until the list was down to only 12. These were the lucky ones who toured the US in live concerts and became part of the "AI" CD assuring them of royalties from album sales.
This year, the ten singers with the highest votes from the home audience moved on to the next round. As expected, Ryan tried to create suspense by calling the contestants in groups of twos or threes. Scotty Mcreery, the guy who sounds like Johnny Cash and is an exceptional country singer, was the first to qualify. I wonder, though, how he'll perform when the group is asked to sing rock or jazz.
Our male bet, Clint Jun Gamboa, was visibly nervous when it was his turn to face Ryan Seacrest. Unfortunately, his competent interpretation of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" did not get him enough votes. However, Clint still had a chance to be in the top 13 if the judges chose him in the "Wild Card" round.
Thia Megia was with Naima Adedapo and Lauren Turner when her turn came. For once, I noticed that she looked quite anxious especially when Naima exited and Ryan said either Thia or Lauren was in the Top 10. When Ryan finally confirmed that Thia had made it, she looked stunned but relieved.
Thia had gone against the tide by not choosing a lung-busting song like many contestants did. She picked the relatively mellow "Out Here On My Own" from "Fame." This impressed Randy Jackson who said it was not a powerful voice but the quality of the voice that is the mark of a great singer. He even compared her to the late Michael Jackson. Fellow judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez agreed and joined in complimenting Thia's performance.
Two of my favorites, Jacob Lusk and Casey Abrams easily made it to the Top 10. The very emotional Jacob cried on Ryan's shoulders for a long time before he joined the other qualifiers. Casey looked more like a comedian (he reminds me of the bulky funnyman Seth Rogen) than a singer but his soothing voice is nothing to laugh about. Also in the top ten were Paul McDonald, James Durbin, Pia Toscano, Lauren Alaina, Karen Rodriguez and Haley Reinhart.
For the wild card round, Ashthon Jones, Stefano Langone, Kendra Chantelle, Jovany Barretto, Naima Adedapo and Robbie Rosen were given another chance to impress the judges and join the viewers' Top 10 choices. So that meant that Fil-Am contestant Clint and eight others were definitely out of the race.
Two of the three contestants who emerged victorious chose songs with lyrics that described how they felt about the do-or-die situation. Ashthon seemed to be aggressively pleading with the judges: "And I am telling you, I'm not going." She was so good that the judges asked her to stay. Stefano was more fatalistic when he sang "For all we know, we may never meet again." He definitely will meet the judges again next week. He's a favorite of J Lo, who told him, "I love you" in a previous show and got teased by her fellow judges. The last one to qualify was Naima who's not yet going back to her old job as a cleaning lady.
I really hope that Thia equals or even surpasses Jasmine Trias's third place finish in 2004. It's not going to be an easy task. She will face tough competition from the 12 finalists. She definitely has the voice but I still cannot imagine her electrifying her audience when she's onstage. She still doesn't have the X-factor that separates a star from ordinary performers. Improving her wardrobe will help. Though wearing a colorful outfit in Friday's show was a good start, Thia must also reexamine her repertoire and open herself up to other music genres because that's what the contestants will face in the next weeks.
Thia can learn a few things from Charice Pempengco who started out impressing Oprah Winfrey with her powerful voice. However, she lacked the oomph and stage presence required of a star. Well, Charice must have gotten a lot of advice from her American handlers because now, she has definitely improved. She also turned 18 last year and has developed into a more glamorous performer. She is a certified Star with a capital S. At 16, Thia has not yet outgrown her teeny bopper appearance. It's a tall order but she has one week to improve her persona and project herself as a strong and more mature contender for the coveted title of "American Idol."
Disclaimer: The views and observations of the author do not represent the position of Yahoo! Southeast Asia on the issue or topic being discussed.
