Week 3 - Live Performance Recap - Who 'Rocked' the Night Out

Before anything else, I would like to give a standing ovation for the judges. At last! They had made some sense everytime they gave their comments. These are what the contestants need - constructive criticisms.

"Rock" is the theme for this week. I was thrilled by the theme because I was looking forward to the interpretation of some contestants. And this night had lived up to my expectation. Bravo! Again, there were performances that you would easily like and dislike. So here's my review:

Kedebon Colim - Footloose by Kenny Loggins - Right on the spot Gary! Though I would disagree that he was able to retrieve himself on the latter parts of the song. The performance was completely shaky. It was indeed entertaining but would those be the type of interpretations that I would buy in record stores? I don't think so. Rating: C

A.K.A. JAM - Survivor by Destiny' Child - What did the judges eat tonight? They surely delivered comments that would be beneficial to the contestants. Although there were a few noticeable flats and sharps, these are the types of renditions that are not only entertaining but I would put in my playlist. They showcased the swag that the song is requiring and their vocal prowess was still at its best. Rating: A

Modesto Taran - To Love Somebody by Bee Gees/Michael Bolton - He is surely growing on me. Honestly, at first, I was upset that Pilita chose him over Paulo Castro but his performances tonight and last week left me at awe. He played thru his strengths by singing a slow song and I was surprise that his diction improved. He worked his magic together with the choir! Rating: A

Allen Jane Sta. Maria - Bitch by Meredith Brooks - This song, seriously? Poor song choice. I agree with Martin, Gary and Pilita that for a 16-year old girl to sing this song was not a good move. The song was too mature and racy. A teenager delivering this song was way too vulgar. She flanked on her high notes too. Not a good week for her. Rating: B-

Jeric Medina - Lips of an Angel by Hinder - I am still looking forward to "that moment" he might give during performances night. I think that was what the judges are looking for, deconstructing Charice's statement that she knew Jeric can deliver more. Because, they hadn't felt that magic yet. I agree that he was becoming more in tune (Gary admitted it! Finally) compared to his previous performances but it is still not at par compared to the other contestants'. Rating: B

Daddy's Home - Superstition by Stevie Wonder - They definitely rock the night out! Their high notes were crazy and their harmony, as always, was superb! The guitar tricks were amazing as well! They deserve a standing ovation but the judges were a reluctant to give it. Burr. Rating: A+

Gabriel Maturan - Breakeven by Script - Gary V was correct. Perhaps, rock is not Gab's thing. Indeed, there were unsure notes that fell flat. Also, he should learn not to put the microphone too close to his mouth because it made his song incomprehensible. Rating: B-

Joan Da - You Oughta Know by Alanis Morisette - Many, even Haley Reinhart of American Idol, stumbled into the tongue-twisting parts of the song, but she pronounced it very well. The words were very clear and she was pitch-perfect. Her only problem was the connection. If she had put enough emotions to her performance, it could have been perfect. Rating: A-

TakeOff - Makita Kang Muli by Sugarfree - I was glad that Martin pinpointed what I had noticed. Their harmony was a rollercoaster ride for me. Sometimes it was good, sometimes it was bad. As a group, they should learn to listen to each other because there were parts that they oversang, overshadowing one another. It was my favorite OPM song and I was disappointed that it was not delivered well. Rating: C

KZ Tandingan - In the End by Linkin Park - So, where was the standing ovation? I am definitely sure that Linkin Park would love her rendition. She made the song fresh from the usual metal version that we hear to a decreased tempo that was full of emotions. Wow. It was a clear definition of artistry and I was expecting for a standing ovation but it did not come AGAIN. Burr. Rating: A+

My thoughts on elimination, AGAIN, depend on how I perceive the Filipinos would vote not on how well/bad the contestants performed. KZ leads the number of likes in Facebook while Mang Modesto has the least likes.

Definitely Safe: KZ, Jeric, Daddy's Home

Most Likely Safe: Modesto, A.K.A. JAM, Joan

Probably Safe: TakeOff, Gab

Bottom 2: Kedebon, Allen

KZ is definitely the frontrunner of the competition. Now that Mark left the X Factor, Daddy's Home might be the one to threaten the crown from her. If her fans would not be as complacent as Mark's fans were, she might bring home the bacon.

I still believe that teeny boppers and gays will go on frenzy to vote for the "good-looking" male contestants so Jeric is surely safe and, TakeOff and Gab might avoid the bottom two spot. Mang Modesto had pulled off another wow performance so I am quite sure he would be safe eventhough he has the least likes in Facebook.

It was not a good week for Allen. As for Kedebon, I do not have any idea how he managed to survive the contest without delivering a great performance. Personality? Maybe.

As how the judges would vote if that would be the bottom two, I am clueless. Would they go for vocal chops or personality?

But then again, the power lies to the public. If we do not partake in the voting process, we would end up being disappointed and shocked just like what had happened last week.

(By the way, I am still hoping that Gerard Salonga would drop by X Factor. Ryan C would be a nice addition too)

Charice VS. The Cyber Community

WIKIPEDIA:

Cyberbullying is defined in legal glossaries as

• actions that use information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm another or others.
• use of communication technologies for the intention of harming another person
• use of internet service and mobile technologies such as web pages and discussion groups as well as instant messaging or SMS text messaging with the intention of harming another person.

Throughout this week, my Facebook feeds were flooded by pictures castigating Charice after sporting "horrendous" hairstyles during the 2nd Performance and Results Night of X Factor Philippines; one photo compared her to the bride of Chuckie; another to the boy in the label of Alaska; another to a plate of pancit canton.

I opt not to post these pictures here anymore because I was not happy at all. This is cyberbullying and from the term itself, it is BULLYING. I am not a fan of bullying because I experienced it firsthand. I know how it feels to be bullied. I feel for Charice.

Honestly, I used to be a die-hard fan of Charice. Who would not be? She represented the Filipino talents to a higher level by being the first Asian solo act to enter the US Billboards. She graced Glee Season 2 for 3 episodes. She surely made noise in the international scene and had many international achievements that would make every Filipino proud.

However, after her drastic transformation, my love for her started to fade. Did I like it? No. I still prefer her sweet image of a lady with long wavy hair who can belt out notes that are out of this world. However, I commend her brave efforts in showing who she really is.

Despite the fact that I do not like her new look, I still respect her. And that is the bottomline of this issue. We should learn how to respect a person. If we do not like ones' hairstyle or image, we can express our own opinion but we should NEVER bully a person. As per Bekimon, "Iba ang nagbibigay ng opinyon sa nanlalait" Anyone, especially a girl who had brought honor to this country, does not deserve this kind of treatment.

If you can't stand to see her, then do not watch the show. If you do not like her at all, then do not buy her albums. But please, do NOT bully her.

As for me, I will still watch X Factor because I am a big fan of singing contests. Let Charice's hair be that way. It is not her solo show anyway. Also, the essence of X Factor is to showcase talents and find those that can be considered world-class, not Charice's hair. Furthermore, I will still buy Charice's albums because I still love her voice eventhough she had changed her looks. Her vocal chops are still magnificent and undeniably, world-class.

 

P.S.
Just so you know, sooner or later, cyberbullying will be considered as a crime. Some lawmakers are pushing a bill to penalize it. If this will be enacted as a law, "posting online or sending digitally altered photos of the victim to others whether the images were taken with or without consent intended to humiliate and embarass the victim" is considered as cyberbullying. Penalty would be Php50,000-100,000 and imprisonment would be 6 months to 6 years. You may read the full text of this House Bill here: HB 6116

So for the cyberbullies out there, your days are numbered.

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.