WTF

Originally posted on my Friendster blog on October 25, 2006.

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wtf is going on with philippine idol? this is the second non-elimination week, and it just doesn't seem right. i mean, the first time was understandable with milenyo and all, but this time, i just don't think i can buy the technical problem whathaveyou reason they came up with. i think the real reason has to do with better contestants getting voted off week after week, and they're trying to do damage control, since i suppose, another one of the better contestants would have gotten the boot this week too. oh well. whatever. i didn't really think that how much money a contestant has will factor so much in this competition, because it never seemed to be an issue in the other countries that have the idol franchise, but i guess it's different in the philippines. it's kind of sad, really, that the good singers are getting booted out simply because they don't have family and friends who can afford to call or text a gazillion times or buy boxes upon boxes of those philippine idol phone cards (or whatever that new voting thing they're having is called).

then again, the show's demographics is not really clear. since it's hard to tell who's watching, where they're coming from, and how huge a group they make, it's hard to judge and make generalizations about the voting results. it may be the case that those who watch the show don't really vote--unless they're related to the contestants in one way or another. as a case in point, i watch the show, but i'm hardly the type who'd vote. (and given where i am and that i see the show days later, i can't anyway.) it's also possible that since the show is on channel 5, it doesn't really get the kind of promotion and viewership that competing shows in other, more established networks get. maybe, not many people outside of the contestants' circles, e.g., family, friends, colleagues, kapitbahay, watch the show, which, i guess, means that even if these people do vote, their votes won't make much of a difference in light of the heavy voting some contestants are getting.

often, i ask myself why i even bother watching philippine idol. i mean, i just saw jeli mateo's performance of 'paglisan' and it was such a god awful mess. (it was especially hard for me to listen because 'paglisan' happens to be one of my most favorite songs ever, and i really like the rawness and vulnerability with which cookie chua sang it.) let me put this in perspective, i'm not exactly the type of person who can make judgments about singing ability, quality of voice, etc (i myself couldn't sing if my life depended on it--though i try, haha), but i knew, in this case, her rendition was really horrible. i mean, she was all over the place and didn't seem to know what to do with the song. i also didn't like how she kept closing her eyes and gesticulating with her free hand. it was probably her way of showing emotion, but to me, it was just awkward. it was the picture of someone trying very hard to reach the notes and failing miserably.

and i can't even begin to talk about ken dingle's version of 'ligaya.' somebody shoot this guy already and put him (and me) out of his (my) misery.