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.

On Gary V's Thoughts Regarding the Shocking Elimination

 For your reference, you may read the full text here: Gary V's Post

Let me share my insights on Gary V's reaction on the never-ending battle of good and bad comments in the cyberspace after the unexpected exit of Mark Mabasa from the competition.

By deconstructing Gary V's statement, it is a clear-cut view that Mark is one of his favorites in the competition. He was his very first choice when they chose auditionees for the Over 25's Category to qualify for the Judge's Home Round. I guess, if TakeOff wasn't in his team, he would choose Mark to be saved instead.

Gary V knows who "is in it to win it". However, I still cannot reconcile myself to the thought that the judges are playing it too nice for the contestant. The reason of "technical difficulties" is a little bit lame for me because I witnessed many contestants that delivered their stellar performances despite the glitches. Take Reema Lucida for example from Born Diva, a defunct singing show of ABS-CBN. I had no idea what happened but it was only the drums that continued accompanying her on the middle part of the song when she interpreted "Run To You" by Whitney Houston. Did that affect her? Nope. Because her performance was still powerful. As the Queen song says, 'The show must go on'.

Further, last Saturday was not a lone case where the judges were too pleasant. Indeed, there were disastrous performances on the first Live Performance night. They lambasted KZ and Charice for the poor song choice and yet, liked the poor performances of some contestants (I will be posting my review on their first live performance soon).

 But let me get this it straight. I am not blaming the judges for Mark's exit. I am just irritated to the fact that their comments are way too poor than what I am expecting.

Was it Charice's fault that Mark left the game so early? I don't think so. If the fans were not complacent, Mark should not be in the bottom spot and would not face elimination if they had done their part in voting wildly. This might sound cliche but still, "nasa huli ang pagsisisi".

I understand where Mr. Pure Energy is coming from. Posting negative comments, bashing and name-calling would not add up to the total votes to save a contestant nor these would change the fact that Mark was already eliminated. Haters can keep on hating and sour-graping but in the end, these do not have any bearing on the final results.

Remember, this is still a contest determined by the votes that we do or do not cast. So in the end, whoever wins this competition, deserving or not, it is us to be blamed.

Week 2 - Results Night: Surprise, surprise!

The disappointment that I felt upon learning that Mark was part of the bottom two was the same disappointment that I felt after the upset that had happened during the Brazil-Russia Men's Volleyball match. Brazil had it on the bag after winning the first two sets but Russia staged a comeback and won the gold medal. Burr. As the old saying goes, "bilog ang bola" - contests and games alike.

I knew Mark had it on the bag as well - looks, vocal chops. So what went wrong? I seriously do not know. As for TakeOff, after their final disastrous note that surely left a bad taste to the mouths of the viewers, it did not surprise me at all that they were not lucky to avoid the bottom 2.

So here's my review on the last chance performances:

Mark Mabasa - "There's No Easy Way" by James Ingram - This performance proved that the viewers made a wrong move on putting him in the bottom spot. His range was superb, the emotions were clearly depicted and the notes were right on the spot. Rating: A+

TakeOff - "Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade - After hearing their great harmony that was full of emotions on the first part of the song, I told myself that they were putting up a good fight against the fantastic performance of Mark. However, first impression surely does not last. They went ballistic on the chorus where they oversang the rock part and lost their harmony. Rating: B+

If I were one of the judge, I would surely base my vote on their last chance performance and it was clearly a knockout round in favor of Mark. But Charice played it safe and instead of relying to the performance, proceeded to the "deadlock". I thought it would be payback time for Charice's team after Gary cast the decisive vote and chose to eliminate Jerianne over Joan last week. But that did not happen. Seniority? Maybe.

But it was not only Charice who played it safe last night. Sadly, Mark's fans were also complacent. Like how Jessica Sanchez was almost booted out after her stellar performance of Stuttering, the fans did not bother to vote presuming that many people would panic to grab their phones after hearing a great rendition of Gotta Get You Into My Life.

My jaw dropped after learning that TakeOff edged Mark by a matter of 0.18% of votes (3.90-3.72) hence, eliminating Mark on the early stage of the competition.  

Surprise, surprise! Was it staged? I don't think so. A third party tabulator is always there to verify the results. Was it because Mark is rumored gay that's why voters turned their back? I don't know. But if that would be the case, it would be a disheartening news because Filipinos chose gender preference instead of talent as their bases.

Nevertheless, Mark is a heck of a talented guy. With his looks and talents, given the right break, this guy would surely go far.


Indeed, we have learned a very important thing for this week's competition:
Vote! It can be anybody's game if we do not do our part to vote. And this might sound cliche but please, vote wisely. 

Week 2 - Live Performance Recap: Who Brought 'Life' to their Performance?

For this week's theme, each contestant should sing a song that carries "Life" or "Buhay" in its title. I was still hoping that they can adapt the American Idol themes where they feature the songs of a famous artist for a week. Well, I guess, AI is AI and XF is XF.

This night is a smorgasbord of sorts. There were performances that were surprising; some were 'meh'; some were 'WTF'. You could easily identify which would you like and which would you not. So here's my take on each performance:

Joan Da - "Gusto Ko Lamang Sa Buhay" by Itchyworms - It was a nice way of opening the show, much better than the opener of last week. Nice transformation too! (Though I am still wondering if the bangs were real or fake). However, the performance was plain nice. I am a fan of her unique voice but I was looking forward to the magic that she had brought when she sang Chasing Pavements last week. Also, I caught the moment where she was like counting 5,6,7,8, studying her blocking, when her backup dancers lined up. Rating: B+

Gabriel Maturan - "One Day In Your Life" by Michael Jackson - Any of Michael Jackson's song is a big shoe to fill in and as for Gab's performance, I didn't feel 'that moment' I was waiting for. Also, was it my TV or the show's sound system? I did not understand  the parts that he had to sing softly. The judges loved it but I totally disagree. Let me quote Jimmy Iovine on this (altering the names) 'No Martin. No Pilita. No Gary. No Charice.' LOL. Rating: B-

TakeOff - "Larger Than Life" by Backstreet Boys - For a Boy Band, this is a perfect song for them though I would still be not a big fan of them because of the "corny impression" that most pinoy boy bands gave me. This was the first time that I heard the harmony that I was waiting for last week. However, their vocal ability still could not live at par with those of the other groups. And that last note was WTF! A screechy 'LIIIIFFFFFFEE' that destroyed my eardrums. Rating: D-

Allen Jane Sta. Maria - Bring Me To Life by Evanescence - Displaying that she could sing any song genre was a great move though I desperately waited for the 'rap'. It was the cherry of the ice cream for that song but they removed it. Like, burr. It was a good performance but it was a little weaker compared to last week's. Nonetheless, Allen really has the vocal chops. Rating: A-

Modesto Taran - Habang May Buhay by Wency Cornejo - With this performance, I would not argue with the judges. That standing ovation was well-deserved. I felt goosebumps especially when the choir came out. It was indeed the surprise of the night. I totally believe that he should stick to his strength to win this competition and that would be to sing slow Filipino songs. Rating: A+

Daddy's Home - The Best things in Life are Free by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson - It was a breathe of fresh air for them to sing a song that has a faster tempo. But, this did not live at par with their last week's superb performance. Vocally, they did good. Rating: A- 

Kedebon Colim - I Live My Life For You by Firehouse - It was the type of performance that you would not remember 5 years from now. It was a complete 'meh'. Also, there were too many flat notes. I still believe that Michael Pangilinan would put up a good fight than him, sadly, Martin chose Kedebon over him. Rating: C

Mark Mabasa - Got To Get You Into My Life by Earth, Wind and Fire/The Beatles - Let me quote Randy Jackson on this: 'This guy can sing the phonebook!' He really is the definition of X Factor. It's like the show was made for him. Rating: A+

KZ Tandingan - For Once In My Life by Stevie Wonder - Two great performances in a row! What more could I ask for? If there would be one person who threatens to steal the X Factor crown from Mark, that would be KZ. She showed the world what she can do. Her songs are the ones that I would play on the car over and over again. I love her voice and her attack on a song. Rating: A+

Jeric Medina - Time of My Life by David Cook - I am a fan of this great song but Jeric did not live with its 'greatness'. It was a smooth sail from the first stanza up to the chorus but when it was on the moment when he had to sing his lungs out for the high notes, he.... failed it. And the judges all seem to agree that it was good. Like, what?? For him to be the 'next Martin' as what Ms. Pilita emphasized, 'marami pa siyang kakaining bigas' Rating: B-

A.K.A. JAM - This Is My Life by Shirley Bassey - The danger of having many talented female singers in a group is the tendency to overshadow each other and this was displayed last night. They lost their harmony when they hit the high notes. Though, each of them sounded great on their individual parts but as a group, it was not as good as last week. Rating: A-

So who would be eliminated tonight? My judgment on this would be based on how Filipinos often vote, not on their performance.

Definitely Safe: Mark, KZ, Jeric

Most Likely Safe: Modesto, Allen, A.K.A. Jam, Daddy's Home

Probably Safe: TakeOff, Gab

Bottom 2: Kedebon, Joan

I totally believe that Jeric and Mark already built their huge fan groups, mostly composed of teeny boppers, females of different age range and gays. So they are surely saved for tonight. KZ still delivered the magic that many people have seen on her viral video of her audition. These three are the frontrunners of this competition.

Joan failed to deliver another magical performance so I am guessing that most people would forget it. TakeOff and Gab might avoid the bottom spot despite their lack-luster performance, thanks to the female viewers again.

As how the judges would vote, I do not know. I cannot comment on that as I am starting to unlike them with their poor comments.

I do not know what the hell is wrong with the judges. No drama. No negative feedback. Are they afraid to lose their careers if they would be too harsh against a contestant? But these contestants need constructive criticisms. Seriously. You cannot expect someone to deliver more if you end up with sugar-coated words. Where is Gerard Salonga when you need him? (Still remember that controversial score in Star In A Million?)