Idol Chatter

Your Showbiz Sista and Abang bring you the low down of the run down that was the Singapore Idol grand finale.

7.50pm. We arrive at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and we’re greeted by two people carrying boxes of light sticks. “Are you a Sylvia or Sezairi fan?” asks the lady, who tells me that if I’m a Sylvia supporter, I get a pink light stick, if I’m a Sezairi fan I get a cyan one. I haven’t decided, I tell her, can I get both? She looks at me, then says, “If you support Sylvia…” Score one for intransigence then.

Sezairi supporters (in cyan) and Sylvia fans (in pink)

Meanwhile, on stage, The Muttons from 987FM – Vernon and Justin – and some dude named Matt fluffing up the crowd, telling them to things like  “when the Idols come out don’t forget to SCREAM!” or “make some NOISE!” or words to that effect. Apparently, screaming, making some noise is a must for the night. Interestingly, all three of them seem to be screaming too. Did somebody tell them they already have mics?

8.00pm. Cue opening credits. And on cue, the crowd screams.

8.03pm. This year’s Idol contestants appear. And on cue, the crowd screams. They sing songs by The Black Eyed Peas. The crowd screams. They stop singing and point their fingers into the air. The crowd screams.

8.08pm. Idol host Gurmit Singh appears. The crowd screams. “Somebody SCREAM!” he says. They oblige.

He then goes into his opening banter, and asks Idol judge Ken Lim what he thinks of the two finalists. “I won’t deny that I prefer Tabitha (Nauser) for commercial reason,” replies the deadpan judge. Good one, Ken, way to give their confidence. Somebody shouts, “That’s bullshit!”

The Idol contestants make their point

Unperturbed, Ken carries on: “Sylvia is our very first female finalist. Many say females cannot beat the males. To get here, she had to beat thousands of males.” That same person shouts, “I love you Ken!”. Ah…

8.16pm. The fluffer aka the guy called Matt appears and gets the crowd to scream. Oh look! Someone is jumping when Malaque’s name is mentioned. There’s one Malaque fan!

8.22pm. Sylvia comes on to perform Mercy, backed by some dancers looking like they stepped straight out of Thank Your Lucky Stars.

The judges comment. “That’s a song that identifies you,” says Dick. Funny, I thought it identified Duffy. “You did it a million million times better, continues Dick. “You made my dream come true.” Ken says: “You will have to motivate your supporters to vote for you”. Uh-oh! Warning! Warning! Read: Sezairi will win.

Then we go to another commercial break and the Muttons come back on. They exhort the audience in very loud voices to make more noise. Really, someone should tell Vernon and Justin they don’t need to scream because they have mics.

Hady Mirza with Sezairi (left) and Stitch at the results show

Then Sezairi’s mum is given the chance to speak. In a quiet voice (note), she thanks her son’s fans for wearing green (although many wear what’s actually cyan, but hey, it’s the thought that counts).

8.32pm. It’s Sezairi’s turn. In the video prior to his set, his band gives him props. One of them says he’d predicted Sezairi would be in the finals. I must ask them to predict my 4-D numbers next week.

Looking dapper, he sings Virtual Insanity. Some guy, obviously a Sylvia fan, looks dumbstruck. Either he’s very into it or he’s very bored. Ken says, “You were not a copycat.” (Wait, is he implying what I think he’s implying?)

Girls of Idols past revisit

Then Sezairi’s dad is given a chance to speak. He too, thanks his son’s supporters and gives props. Doesn’t Sezairi look like him? “I’ve never heard him say so much!” jokes Gurmit, who then proceeds to forget to give the call-in numbers for Sezairi.

Then it’s commercial break again. Matt comes on to tell people to – wait for it – scream as loud as they can. They should, because the way Matt and the Muttons are screaming (and they have mics), nobody else can be heard.

8.43pm. Back from break, and Sylvia is up again, singing Yellow by Coldplay. In case you didn’t get it, she’s dressed in yellow, the lights are yellow. After her performance, her brother Timothy is asked to say something. We can’t hear what he says, but Sylvia looks choked up. Awww…..

8.53pm. Sezairi is  back on, singing Aerosmith’s Crazy, and playing his Gibson ES 335 semi-hollow electric guitar in cherry red. It’s a nice guitar. It’s the kind of guitar that I would like to have. Note to self: Ask Sezairi if he will lend the guitar to me. When he stops singing, the crowd … screams!

We go to commercial break. The Muttons come back on. And yes, they get people to scream.

9pm. Sylvia is singing Touched By An Angel, a song written especially for the finals by none other than Ken Lim. It’s a touching, emotional number. Who knew Ken the Gruffmeister had it in him? Sylvia pulls out all the stops and really blasts the song into the stratosphere. Dick says she’s a real diva (in a good way). Florence asks her why she should win. I can’t really hear her response because the guy behind me picks that time to use his clappers. The crowd screams!

Judge not, lest ye be caught yawning on camera

Then Sezairi comes on and does his version which doesn’t impress. Until he his that one note that seems to have come from the stratosphere. The crowd screams!  The judges give their comments. “Musically, both of you are very different.” Really? Wow. “Singapore should be happy with your or Sylvia.” Right. Florence asks him why he should win. Because I didn’t hear Sylvia’s reply, I elect not to listen to Sezairi’s reply too. Hey, fair’s fair.

9.30pm. Cut to news break. Tabitha comes on to sing Ain’t Nobody. Faizal comes on to sing I’m Yours. Somebody else does something else but by that time we’ve already gone off to the function room for drinks (Coca-Cola, Sprite, Ice Lemon Tea, Green Tea, Coke Light) and food (chocolate eclairs, mee siam, etc, etc, etc). Hey, reporters get hungry too okay?

There are some people but they all refuse to say who they want to win. Instead we get answers like “it’s a close fight” or “both are really good” or “Here’s your drink, sir”.

The Idols do a lot of pointing don’t they?

10pm. We’re back. Gurmit is telling the audience that it’s results show time, but first more performances. Like Duane, in a yellow cheerleading outfit, singing Mickey by Toni Basil. After seeing that, I can’t remember what the rest did. That’s an image that stays with you for quite a while.

Then, because there are apparently so many contestants who are musically gifted, they have formed an “Idol band”. With Sezairi and Charles Wong on guitar, they back Hady Mirza, erstwhile Idol winner, on his song I’ll Never Leave, taken from his new album. Then they’re joined by MJ Kuok and Duane on keyboards. I’m so surprised to see MJ that I don’t even know what song they’re singing. I’m even more surprised I remember him. No, seriously, what’s he doing here?

From the judges POV

Then they get previous Idol contestants Paul Towhill and Joakim Gomez to join Faizal and Farhan as they sing Back For Good. This is turning into retro night, as the girls come on to sing Free Your Mind.

10.33pm. As we go to break, they get this girl called Charice to come on. We know a couple of things about her: She’s from the Philippines, she’s smaller than any of the other people on stage, but she’s got a bigger voice and she’s appeared on Oprah and Ellen. The Muttons interview her, but before she can say two sentences, she gets cut off because we’re coming back from break in 5-4-3-2-. “Well that was quite short,” she says.

Little girl, big voice

Gurmit introduces Charice and she proceeds to blow everyone else away with her powerhouse vocals, singing two Whitney Houston numbers. I’d vote for her.

The crowd screams. Gurmit is screaming at the end of the performance too (someone forgot to tell him that he had a mic). She looks at him like, “dude, what are you on?” but still agrees to sing one more song, something about a note to God. I don’t know. I’m still too stunned.

Taufik Batisah groovin’ it

10.42pm. Taufik Batisah comes on singing his own tune, Addicted. Someone behind me goes, “Wah, lucky Taufik has got some dance moves, otherwise sure cannot beat that small girl.” I didn’t even know he was competing.

10.50pm. It’s time folks to announce the winner. But before that, a warning goes out to the audience to not stand so close to the confetti machines, otherwise you could get seriously hurt. By confetti. We’re not joking.

10.53pm. Gurmit is looking very serious. Or tired. We can’t tell. He says he will announce the winner, then looks off into space. Like dude, what are you on? Everybody goes into a hush. For once.

10.55pm. After what seems like an eternity, Gurmit finally announces the winner: It’s SEZAAIIIIRIII!!!!! SOMEBODY SCREEEEEAM!!!!! They oblige. I have tissue in my ears.

Sezairi looks flabbergasted. Sylvia looks like she’s about to cry. Awww….

Sezairi sings Touched By An Angel and is joined by the other contestants. There is much hugging and swaying. Sylvia’s dad and mum bring a bouquet for their daughter. Her dad is magnanimous in defeat. “It’s all right,” he says.

Sezairi’s dad is vocal in victory. “I believe they are both equal,” he says, and proceeds to thank the fans for their support, before saying that he’s very happy. “I’m proud of you, Sezairi!” he shouts.

And then it’s over. The show is over. We rush off to the function to prepare for the interviews – and sip some wine and masticate. Hey, don’t waste food, right?

11.40pm. Sezairi and Sylvia finally appear. What took them so long? They’re still wearing the same outfits, what! Incidentally, it makes them look like a wedding couple. Ooh, some vicious rumours could start from there… I make a note of it.

The Muttons go onstage. I put tissue in my ears. They talk a bit. They toast the winner. And then it’s time for press interviews… All that, and more in our next post!

The happy couple, er, Singapore Idol Seraizi (right) and runner-up Sylvia

Tags: Charles 'Stitch' Wong, Dick Lee, Duane Ho, Florence Lian, Gurmit Singh, Hady Mirza, Ken Lim, MJ Kuok, Sezairi Sezali, Singapore Idol, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Sylvia Ratonel, Taufik Batisah

IT WAS one heck of a night, not just for Sezairi Sezali, who was voted winner of this year’s Singapore Idol, but also for me, because I predicted that he’d win.

Yup, the 22—year—old, who is waiting to enlist for National Service, doesn’t just get the honour of being the latest Singapore Idol, but he’s also got an artiste management deal with MediaCorp, a cool Gibson guitar (a cherry red ES335 – his favourite guitar) and a record deal with Universal Music.

Which means you’ll get to hear more from the dude. If the army doesn’t keep him in its clutches, that is. “We’ll probably try to work around it somehow,” he said after the win.

If people were expecting a female Idol this year, they only had to watch the reaction from the 8,000-strong crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to realise it wasn’t going to happen. Sorry, Sylvia, I really do love your voice, but it was purty obvious it was going to be Sezairi’s night.

He still looked a little shell-shocked an hour after the news, but apparently, he didcelebrate with a Ribena. “Someone gave it to me, I think he saw the video you did,” he said. (See http://www.youtube.com/user/todayonlinesg#p/u/6/gf0Pl-U9uzM)

And what about Sylvia Ratonel, his competition?

Well, 2010 will be a year of learning. “I really want to learn how to play the piano,” she said, citing her idol Alicia Keys as an influence, and adding that she wouldn’t mind a career in music. She also would like to improve her Tagalog and visit The Philippines.

Well, we’ll be waiting to see what will come out of that!

Tags: Ribena, Sezairi Sezali, Singapore, Singapore Idol, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Sylvia Ratonel

IN THE world of singing competitions, one minute you’re in, the next minute you’re out.

And so it came to pass: The judges judged and the people voted and it seems that the food stall uncle may be right after all.

He thinks Sylvia Ratonel will win as she has the full package. I don’t guess. The law of averages says that Sylvia will win, but the fact three times’ the charm means that Sezairi Sezali will win because he’s a guy. No female has ever won Singapore Idol in all its glorious history

Oh yeah, this means we had to say “auf wiedersehen” to Tabitha Nauser, one of the hot favourites among my colleagues, who got booted off the show because she didn’t get enough votes. 

Which is a shame really, because she really is much better than what the voters say. Actually, they haven’t said very much, obviously, because they didn’t vote enough for her to get in to the finals. For shame, you guys, see lah – that’s what happens when you don’t vote!

But hey, Tabitha, you’re still young and you’re still better looking than Sezairi, so take heart, and get yourself a manager. The world is your oyster, there’s plenty of fish in the sea, the early bird gets the worm and if you just grit your teeth and bite the bullet and put your shoulder to the wheel, who knows what will happen?

Something, that’s for sure! Or my name is not Harry B Plunkett.

Tags: Sezairi Sezali, Singapore Idol, Sylvia Ratonel, Tabitha Nauser, voters

HEY there everyone,

This is the Abang stepping in once again for our Showbiz Sista, who’s taking a couple of weeks off, because she’s been working real hard, you know?

I’m not that hardworking.

They say fortune favours the brave, but Lady Luck also apparently likes to meddle in Father Fortune’s affairs.

Anyway, surprise, surprise, surprise! Or perhaps not.

Charles’ attempt at the dance songs was laudable, but it wasn’t enough to sway voters. And having already predicted (yes, yes, twice I know) that Charles Wong would be kicked out, Singapore voted in conjunction with my prediction this time round. And the law of averages also apparently agreed.

This means Tabitha Nauser, Sylvia Ratonel and Sezairi Sezali are in the TOP THREE!

This also means the Malay stall uncle and auntie and I still have our wager going as to who will win Singapore Idol. (They think it’s Sylvia, I think its… oh, I shouldn’t give the game away so soon.) But suffice it to say that one year’s supply of lontong goreng is on the line.

Sorry Charles. It may be the end of the road on Idol, but you’ve still got enough gumption to go do your own thing, and I’m pretty sure we haven’t heard the last from you.

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, Charles 'Stitch' Wong, Christopher Toh, final three, Sezairi Sezali, Showbiz Sista, Singapore Idol, Sylvia Ratonel, Tabitha Nauser

Last week, it was down to the final four, and this week, it’s down to the final four. What was with that surprise non-elimination?! I don’t know about you guys, but judging by the faces of the audience members and the Idols themselves, it was a major “What the…???” moment.

Well, what it comes down to is that happily, no one got kicked out this week, and our final four are still a merrie band of four. But there’s no doubt that the competition is getting more intense because we are getting closer to crowning a winner!

What does TODAY’s very own Christopher Toh, the executioner dude who predicts who will get eliminated in each round, think? We know who he thinks is not going to win, but who does he think is going to win?

“Sezairi will win because he’s Malay and he can play the guitar and he’s not a woman. And all you fans of Tabitha suck because you don’t support her enough!” he said.

Yeah, yeah, sure, but it doesn’t really matter what he thinks, because I’m pretty sure he isn’t making any votes, for Tabitha or otherwise. It’s about who Singapore wants as their Idol, right? So we asked the people who really count to say who they think should win: The canteen auntie.

The auntie and uncle at the chicken rice stall are staunch Tabitha fans. “She’s very natural, and her singing is really moving. She has great showmanship!” they said. “It’s about time a girl won! The guys aren’t so great. That Charles guy is really lucky he’s made it this far!

Chalk up a free chicken rice for Tabitha—but the uncle at the Malay food stall doesn’t agree. “Sylvia!” he said. “She’s got the full package. She has a better package than that other girl.”

Opinion was obviously divided, so we asked Glenn Ong what he thought—but he didn’t have many good things to say. “Frankly I haven’t been following the show. Snoozefest! Passe show with a bad host and judges talking too much, except Flo, wish she’d talk more! I heard from a few friends that all the contestants are crap, but they’re rooting for the gals ‘cos they don’t want another guy to win. So yeah, I’m cool with the prettiest gal of the lot!”

Oops… Do you agree with Glenn? Who do you think will win?

Tags: Channel 5, Charles 'Stitch' Wong, Sezairi Sezali, Singapore Idol, Sylvia Ratonel, Tabitha Nauser

This week, the Idols performed songs chosen for them by their parents. Last week it was Mambo Mania, and before that, there was the week of songs from Before They Were Born. Doesn’t it seem like retro is very big on Singapore Idol?

We yearbooked the Idols at www.yearbookyourself.com to try and see what they might have looked like in one of those bygone eras they’re always singing songs from. See if you can recognise them!

Tags: Channel 5, Charles 'Stitch' Wong, Duane Ho, Faizal Isa, Mae Sta Maria, Sezairi Sezali, Singapore Idol, Sylvia Ratonel, Tabitha Nauser

I WAS recently told that I now have to be the bearer of bad news. Yes, your Abang of the Airwaves has the unenviable task of predicting who will be kicked out of Singapore Idol week after week.

Why? Because my boss says so. And because I accurately predicted Kris Allen would win American Idol instead of Adam Lambert – but come on, even a blind person could see that coming.

So come Top 10 week, I have to predict which one will get the proverbial boot, the marching orders, the golden handshake.

Now, I’ve always liked those prediction tricks that magicians do (“Your card is the queen of hearts!”) but Singapore Idol is a bit tricky.

For one thing, the playing field is pretty tough. I caught last week’s ”The Year I Was Born” episode and really, aside from Sylvia Ratonel, Malaque Mahdaly, Tabitha Nauser, Duane Ho and Sezairi Sezali, the rest were – how do I put it - boring to watch and painful to listen to. As Simon Cowell would say, it sounded like dogs mewing.

Which is why I’m afraid. Very afraid. This picking-the-losers thing is a no-win situation for me. If I guess right, fans will send me hate mail or maybe even lie in wait to beat the crap out of me. (By the way, I bruise easily, so please be gentle.)

If I guess wrong, people will question my expert opinion (“he can’t even tell who’s bad enough to be kicked out of Singapore Idol”), start sending me hate mail, or maybe even lie in wait to beat the crap out of me.

All I can say is: Vote responsibly, folks. It’s your vote, use it wisely.

If you want Duane Ho to continue so you can watch him take on Mariah Carey, vote for him. If you can’t sleep on Wednesday nights without admiring the follicle features of Farhan Shah, vote for him. If you want to hear more of Tabitha Nauser just because she was the only one singing in key, vote for her.

Whatever it is, just vote. If you don’t, your fave will get kicked out. Use all your faculties, they were designed to help you discern good from bad.

But also know this: If we get a Singapore Idol winner who sounds like a dog mewing – it’s your fault, no one else’s.

Catch Singapore Idol every Wednesday, 8pm on Channel 5.

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, Adam Lambert, American Idol, Channel 5, Christopher Toh, Duane Ho, Farhan Shah, Kris Allen, Malaque Mahdaly, Mariah Carey, prediction, Sezairi Sezali, Singapore, Singapore Idol, Sylvia Ratonel, Tabitha Nauser, Top 10, vote