Week 4 - Results Night: An Easy-pick

Funny thing, when I categorized TakeOff in the "Definitely Safe" group after their stellar performance of "Dreaming of You", it turned out to be another unlucky night as they landed in the bottom two tier.

Mang Modesto really has the vocal chops but his weakness on faster tempo song did not make him last. But is he the weakest singer in the show? Definitely no. But his weak performance last night really hurt him.

So how did the survival songs fair? Here's my take **anyone who will upload videos in youtube will be much appreciated :)** 

Modesto Taran - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine by Lou Rawls - I am not familiar with the song but Mang Modesto did it good but it was 'meh'. I mean for your last chance performance, you should put your all into it and should pick a song that would showcase what you have in the bag. Perhaps, he already accepted his defeat after learning that he is in the bottom two. Rating: B

TakeOff - Flying Without Wings by Westlife - I grew up listening to Westlife and I can say that TakeOff's performance was not as great as the original but their harmony was good. There were a couple of missed notes but nevertheless, this performance was way better than the previous one. Rating: A-

These two are growing on me as they progress during the contest. Honestly, I did not like them at first because I believe that there are people who deserve it more. But they had proven me wrong. :)

It was a unanimous decision to eliminate Mang Modesto. If I were to choose who to eliminate, I would also pick Mang Modesto. On his last chance performance, he did not give me the chills that I would go crazy about.

Many say that it was an easy-pick for the judges. I totally agree with that. I was already expecting Mang Modesto to go home. What surprised me is that Ms. Pilita did not "support" her act and chose to eliminate Modesto instead. Like, whoa! Is she being too objective? I don't get it. If she thinks that Modesto would not withstand the competition, she should not have chosen him to go further to the Top 12.

I am guessing that perhaps, there is already an "internal arrangement" between Ms. Pilita and Mang Modesto that in case he would land in the bottom two spot, he would rather go home. Maybe, he treated it as a sign since he totally missed his family during the run of the contest. You see, the happiness on Mang Modesto's face was so genuine. He surely loves his family. Hats off to you Mang Modesto!

Was I satisfied with the result? 50-50. I really believe that Kedebon should be the one sent packing because Mang Modesto can blow the competition further than Kedebon. More, he surely is the statement of "Age doesn't matter". Sounds cliche but his singing would agree with me 100%.

Also, TakeOff is DEFINITELY improving and they are picking up their pace, so what the heck happened there? Complacency at its best? Not again.

Share your thoughts on the elimination! Feel free to comment below.

Week 4 - Live Performance - Who Has The Best Tribute?

Last night was, so far, the best night of the show. And when I say 'best night', I am referring to the totality of the performances. Most of the contestants were spectacular. Perhaps they were a little bit afraid not to show the complete respect to the late artists they were paying tribute to.

'Tribute' is defined as An act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration. So who showed the gratitude, respect and admiration to the late icons? Here's my take on each performance:

Modesto Taran - Pure Imagination by Lou Rawls - The performance was good. But was I jumping up and down? No. His performance tonight was a little weaker compared to the previous two. I sensed that he lost the beat on the last part of the song. That is my problem with Mang Modesto, his versatility. No doubt, he can give me chills everytime he sings big ballads but cannot work his magic on songs with faster tempo. Rating: B+

Daddy's Home - All At Once by Whitney Houston - It is definitely a big risk to "male-ify" Whitney songs. But Daddy's Home definitely lived at par and delivered a spectacular performance. Their blending was oh so good and so were their vocal chops. Rating: A+

Allen Jane Sta. Maria - Waterfall by TLC (tribute for Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes) -It was definitely a comeback for Allen after her weak performance last week. But the song was not vocally challenging for her. However, the swag and the rap was right on the spot, so the performance was still good. Eventhough she was not able to show her complete vocal techniques, she was able to put enough character. Swaggernaut! Rating: A-

Jeric Medina - Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley - It was his best performance so far and I totally agree with Gary V and Charice that he should have stuck with his guitar to have more appeal. I think this is what Jeric should learn, to play on his strength and be that 'romantic crooner' that girls and gays would go gaga over. Rating: A-

Joan Da - Let Me Know by Aaliyah - The magic that she had brought when she sang Chasing Pavements was relived after her great rendition of this Aaliyah classic. Gary V and Charice, seriously? You do not know the song? MYMP has popularized it here in the Philippines. Moving forward, I am definitely a fan of Joan's unique voice. It was the type of voice that I would love to hear in my gadgets and in my car. Rating: A 

Kedebon Colim -  Yugyugan Na by Karl Roy - Ms. Pilita underlined that she would like Kedebon to sing a more serious song. Funny. You can't expect him to sing 'the more serious songs' because it is not his forte. Kedebon's expertise lies on his comedic act and his character. And serious songs would not showcase these. His performance was the weakest of the night - too many flats and lost words. I laughed hard when Martin said this: "The voice can be fixed". LOL. Is he admitting that Kedebon is indeed, the weakest singer in the competition? Rating: C

TakeOff - Dreaming of You by Selena - Like in the case of Daddy's Home, it is indeed a big risk to "male-ify" female classics. But to my surprise, TakeOff was able to deliver it that good! It was their best performance so far in the show. I loved the harmony and ad libs. Further, Jeric should learn from these guys. They know how to work on their charm. Although there were a few noticeable flats and sharps, they definitely left this to the viewers: "Do not count us out". Rating: A

KZ Tandingan - Rehab by Amy Winehouse - What can I say? Her performance might raise Amy Winehouse from the grave just to shout: "KZ, you are so damn good". This is character+swag+vocal chops. The performance was flawless. Rating: A+

Gabriel Maturan - Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross - I completely disagree with the judges. Was I moved by his performance? No, I was not. It was a very emotional song but his rendition did not make me cry. Perhaps, it was a wrong move to sing this song since this has been interpreted by most people in a reality singing show for like, gazillion times? So you cannot help but to compare his performance to the ones that you have seen on other shows.Though the performance was good, but he was not able to relieve himself from his last week's messy performance. Rating: B

So who will land on the bottom two spot? My thoughts on elimination, AGAIN, depend on how I perceive the Filipinos would vote not on how well/bad the contestants performed.

Definitely Safe: KZ, TakeOff, Jeric

Most Likely Safe: Joan, Daddy's Home

Probably Safe: Allen, Modesto

Bottom 2: Kedebon, Gab

KZ still leads the pack. Her fan base is very huge and it is growing exponentially because of her consistency. She makes her fan love her even more. Complacency is the only enemy of KZ. Her fans should not give up on voting. TakeOff and Jeric also has this growing fanbase mostly composed of girls and gays.(teeny boppers rule? LOL)

Kedebon might end up in the bottom two. Perhaps it is the time that his fans would get tired of his tricks. X Factor is still a singing contest.

Moving forward, Gary V is the only one doing his job as a judge. Burr. What about the others? He is the only one who can definitely pinpoint where the contestant should focus on, and even gave constructive criticisms not only to the others but also to his acts. Bravo, Gary! And as a mentor, he surely knows how his mentees would shine on the show by giving them the right song choices - risky but still doable.

Is Mark Mabasa Gay?

I really like Mark's rendition of "There's No Easy Way" by James Ingram that is why I did not content myself in watching the video and I opted to post it in my personal FB profile. I was flabbergasted by the comment posted by my friend on the vid. Here's the screenshot:

I thought those were only rumors. But my friend has this "credibility" so out of curiosity, I visited the original Facebook profile of Mark (we have one mutual friend! *gasp*) and I scanned his photos. These are what I found out. 

Is he gay? My answer is...

I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!

Gender preference is not my basis to adore a singer or a celebrity. I love Adam Lambert for his vocal chops and I do not freakin' care if he has pictures all over the internet smooching a guy and being flamboyant. For the record, I am also a fan of Neil Patrick Harris, Matt Bomer and Clay Aiken.

As long as they master their craft and deliver superb performances/acting, I would not stop being a fan of them. As for Mark, I am excited to see him more  in ABS-CBN shows and *crossing-my-fingers* his debut album. This guy can definitely sing the phonebook and a total performer so he is really worth-watching and worth-listening. 

For those people who would hate and bash Mark, please... GET A LIFE!!!

Week 3 - Results Night: Another upset!

I am still appalled by last night's elimination that it made me speechless, making me blog my reaction this late.

I just noticed that everytime I try to put someone to be a frontrunner against KZ, they end up in the bottom two. Perhaps, it was a curse? LOL. I don't believe in supernatural things. It was pretty coincidental.

A.K.A. JAM and Daddy's Home are definitely not the weakest performers in the show. Both of them are groups of powerhouse vocals who can deliver harmony that sounds heavenly. Indeed, they were among the contestants who delivered outstanding performances last Saturday.

That is why, I cannot settle to the fact that they were both in the bottom two spots.  Here's my take on their survival performances:

Daddy's Home - Maging Sino Ka Man by Rey Valera - It was the first time that I heard this song sang by a group and it was good. It was not as great as their previous performances because I noticed some unsure notes. Perhaps, it was because they were nervous and disappointed at the same time after learning that they were part of the bottom 2. Nevertheless, they surely know how to harmonize. Rating: A-

A.K.A. JAM - "Missing You" by Brandy, Tamia, Chaka Kahn And Gladys Knight - I loved every bit of their performance. The growl, the harmony, the ad libs and the high notes were superb! It was another defining moment for them. I surely love this group because they never fail to impress me. Rating: A+ 

It surely broke my heart after hearing the two groups with their last chance performances. They are way way better than some other contestants. They are the creme of the crop in Gary V's category. And it was very sad to know that one of them would be leaving.

I feel for Gary V. It was very hard to decide on his part because like what he had said, it was like choosing who among your children should be sent home. Based on the final performances, Daddy's Home should be sent home. But if I were on his shoes, I would do the same thing. I would make sure that there would be a deadlock. None of these groups should go home and the judges knew it for sure. The people had chosen them to be their bottom two, thus, let the people decide as well who should be eliminated.

Sadly, the people chose to eliminate A.K.A. JAM. I was upset. But if Daddy's Home was sent home instead, I would still be upset. The result is an upset. I am upset. Many people are upset. :( 

 
The votes were really unpredictable. Not like other singing contests, this show does not usually have contestants who flirted with the bottom spot. So how did this happen? Was the show rigged? Let me share my insights on this.

I totally disagree that they were manipulated by ABS-CBN. Again, there is a third party tabulator, SGV and co., who verifies the text and online voting outcome. So how did the two groups ended up in the bottom two spot?

I think this is what usually happens: After one contestant paid a visit to the bottom two and survived the elimination, their fans make sure to vote their a**es off to save their idol. Just take a look at Joan Da and TakeOff. They never became part of the Bottom Two again. 

As for Kedebon and Modesto, Pinoys have this love for the underdogs. Modesto is surely the dark horse to win this contest. Further, I am guessing that many are enjoying Kedebon's funny performances and personality. But I believe that these "many" will surely get tired of his tricks. I just hope they'd realize soon that there are more acts who deserve to stay.

I am excited to see A.K.A. JAM gracing Kapamilya shows. I am also hoping that ASAP will sign them in because they will be a great addition to the show. I will just hold Gary V accountable to his words, thus, I am expecting a bright future for these ladies.

How about you? I want to hear your thoughts on another shocking elimination. Feel free to comment below.