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!!!

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?)