Culturally Preconditioned

Okay, now I finally get why there’s no group performance. Just looking at their short short dance routine at the beginning of the show was enough to make me cringe. Just imagine what the group would be like dancing AND singing together. Yes, I finally see the reason for the lack of a group performance.

This week’s theme was Rhythm and Blues which sounded promising. After all, I would say that probably 75% of the audition process involved the genre one way or another. Ahmad Izham as the guest judge was a very welcome change. Paul’s short rant about Jien calling him ‘unprofessional’ was funny. It’s a known fact that Paul visits the message boards where people (or shall I say, kids) were calling him names (’unprofessional’ being one of the more famous ones). That short stint just proves that he’s a good sport and is able to laugh at himself. Onto the show!

Jac - Lady Marmalade (Patti LaBelle)
Jac sold me when she came on stage with the pink feather boa. I admit that that’s one of my weaknesses. Riiiiight. Jac’s performance was good. But, I don’t know, ever since her performance last week, I just can’t get it out of my head that she remind me of any other band singers singing in pubs and clubs. It’s a compliment, but I also keep asking myself, HOW is she different from those people? I still haven’t found the answer yet. It wasn’t her best but it was certainly an enjoyable performance. An 8.

Vick - You Don’t Miss Your Water (Craid David)
Well, someone slap me and call me a monkey’s uncle, but Vick surpassed my expectations with his performance. After he wrecked my favourite Craig David song, Walking Away, a few weeks ago, his performance tonight was really really good. There were no theatrics and he didn’t overdo his vocals. It was just nice. Very very nice. I liked it a lot. An 8.

Saiful - Tekad (Hazami)
Saiful is smart. I’m sure by now the audience knows that he probably can’t sing English songs very good, so why bother showing off his weakness. To be fair, Saiful’s got a nice voice. Granted that he can’t really pull the high notes, I did not for a single second think he fucked up this song. This song is not easy but it was well delivered. Again, how I wished Saiful had gone into Akademi Fantasia instead. He would’ve fared very very well there, but whatever it is, I’m pretty sure he’ll become one of the more famous Malaysian Idol contestant after all this is over. His performance, a 6 and a half. And can I just add a trivia fact here : The one single most over used word in the history of Malaysian Idol - “terkucil”. Can someone throw these monkeys a thesaurus for a change?

Nikki - Emotions (Bee Gees)
Nikki started off a bit funky but she carried the song well midway through the song till the end. Ahmad Izham knows what he’s talking about. Nikki’s got a great voice but she should learn how and when to use her ‘Nikki-ness’ into these songs. Personally, I thought she overdid her modulations in certain parts, but it’s not half bad. The girl can hit her high octaves, but I hope she’ll deliver a more solid performance in the weeks to come. A 7.

Andrew - I Wanna Know (Joe)
Damn, this song brings back good memories. But probably not any more. Not after last night’s show. Andrew’s got a really pleasant mellow voice. But it’s been.. how many weeks now? But still.. his stage presence : zero. It is definitely his number one weakness. He’s got the looks that makes all the girls go ga-ga over him and he’s got a decent voice. If only he’s able to work up enough confidence to shine on stage, he would so be golden. But in the mean time, he just doesn’t. A 5. (On listening to the recap, he somehow reminds me of the Roman brothers, which is definitely not a good thing)

Dina - Hit ‘Em Up Style (Blu Cantrell)
Whoa. Homegirl brings down the house yeah yeah yeah! For the first time in the competition, I felt that I would be pleased if Dina was crowned the Idol and not Jac. Before this I was content if Dina ended up in the Final Two. But, in my mind, there is no doubt, that Dina is slowly becoming a serious contender for Jac. It was a strong performance. At first I thought she was dangerously imitating Blu Cantrell to every single note, but fortunately, there were some touch of Dina scattered towards the end of the song. Bravo Dina. I am so proud of you. Easily the performance of the night. A 9.

So that’s it folks. Again, I thought Vick was good and was ready to let him share the “Performance of the Week” with Jac, but Dina swept the rug beneath their feet. Do I think Vick, Jac and Dina will be in the Top 3 on Sunday night? They might, but don’t count on it. Strange things have happened in this show, which I’m sure you’re all pretty aware of. Speaking of strange, the Malaysian Airlines ad reminds me that Carnivale will be showing on HBO next month. Yay! We’re finally getting all the good shows next month. The Apprentice, Carnivale, Survivor.. and of course, the Malaysian Idol finale.

Izad - Out