Bad timing that American Idol Season 8 and One in a Million Season 3 are being aired at the same time. The differences between the two productions are oceans wide in terms of talent, scale and professionalism. Though you are aware of the disparity, if you watch the two shows, say six months apart, you don’t get so rankled. Last Friday’s (27 March) OIAM episode was particularly bad. Usually when the camera zooms in on the host, you don’t see the other background activities. Last week we saw contestants creeping on stage and slinking back stage again. One guy brought the mic stand with him to the back, then someone else brought it back out. At one juncture, the contestant (I think it was Rizu) walked right past Marion as she was introducing him! What a distraction. Totally amateurish. OIAM needs to buck up.
One in a Million
It seems like the top three contenders are Esther, Tomo and Amylea. I’m hoping that Esther will win – she’s really talented and dynamic, but if history is anything to go by, I’d rather she take second spot. Look at the past two seasons’ winners : Suki won over Faizal but the way I see it, Faizal is the one who’s going places. He’s everywhere : on tv, in the newspapers, concerts etc. Last year Shila lost to Ayu but where is Ayu? I hardly hear news of her but I’ve seen Shila on tv and in commercials. ‘Packaging’ in entertainment is as important as the ‘product’ itself and I think Shila has an edge over Ayu in terms of packaging.
American Idol
I didn’t watch some of the earlier rounds as the scheduling was erratic and some shows were screened at 11.45 pm! Maybe it’s a deliberate move by 8tv so that viewers will see less of American Idol. OIAM on the other hand gets primetime slot at 9.30 pm on Fridays. (In case you’re wondering, I don’t have Astro. Gasp!)
Some of the more memorable contestants are Adam Lambert, Danny Goke and Lil Rounds. I like Alexis Grace but she didn’t make it to top 10, boo-hoo. Adam comes across as a white Michael Jackson. Danny received a lot of airtime in previous rounds as the AI producers highlighted the loss of his wife. Lil Rounds is a powerhouse but she’s not very different from other black singers with big voices. One contestant to watch is Matt Giraud. I only saw him in action in Top 13. Simon Cowell is right (as he usually is) : the judges haven’t been giving him enough credit for his talent. They’d been singing the praises of Danny too much and neglecting Matt. If Matt keeps on performing the way he did for the past few rounds, I think he can make it to the top 2. His singing is impeccable. I admit I wasn’t bowled over by him initially but he kind of grows on me. I think he and Danny might well be this season’s finalists. Oh, one more person : Anoop Desai. The fact that he was pulled in as the first ever 13th contestant has to mean something. he could turn out to be the dark horse or the slumdog that wins..
A word about Kara DioGuardi. In one word, she is DISPENSABLE. My kids and I are unanimous on this. She doesn’t bring anything to AI at all. The only good thing about her inclusion is that Paula Abdul seems to be making more sensible remarks nowadays.


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