Nora Elena

Well, after reading countless reviews/recaps/blogs about the current sensation sweeping the nation (depending on which nation you’re in – well, whichever that nation it is, consider it err, swept), Nora Elena, I’m tempted to do my own write up about it. I had wanted to wait until the series ended to write an overall review of it but like many others I feel compelled to blog this all consuming virus out of my system.

I can’t recall the last Malay series that I’ve watched in its entirety. The reason I started watching this was quite simply the intriguing storyline piqued by my interest in Mr. Aaron Aziz. Hehe. I can’t exactly remember how I came across the promo for the series, but I think it was through FB, the source of all modern day info nowadays. Being a fan of Aaron Aziz, i thought I’d check out what new series he will be in and since it will be on TV3, reminded me that my mom will be watching it as she is a fan of the Akasia slot on TV3. Since disowning her stepchild, Astro, a few years ago, TV3’s Akasia slot has been my mom’s source of entertainment as she watches at least 2 Malay series 4 days a week (another is on TV2 at 4.30PM). That from someone who watches mostly HKTVB dramas. You know, come to think of it, I think my Chinese mother watches more Malay dramas than my Malay mother-in-law. LOL.

Ok, so the story of Nora Elena, can essentially be divided into 2 parts. Pre-Cameron Highlands and Post Cameron Highlands hehehe. I loved the first 12 episodes of the series. I have to say it started off really really well. The momentum was there. We see how Nora Elena survived an attack 10 years ago and is now engaged to Saiful Idham and working in KL. All is well til she meets Seth Tan. Hence starts the “love triangle” although there was never a doubt that Elena’s heart always belonged to Eid.

Admittedly I had not read the novel in which the drama is loosely based on. So I can’t do any fair comparisons between the two. I did manage to flip through an online version of the novel (with pages missing and only half of the novel) out of curiosity as I have heard from some that the Seth Tan in the drama is more timid compared to the scheming Seth Tan in the novel. I mean, looking at Aaron Aziz’s cute innocent face, how can that be the face of a schemer? :p So I think they were trying to make the drama Seth more passive in the sense that he loved Elena, but he would not intentionally plot to steal Elena from Eid. But because of circumstances beyond his control, he somehow managed to get her through no fault of his own. I’m sure this is to make it seem like the main protagonist is a good person through and through, so that viewers would root for him. As if we needed the extra incentives.

The first 12 episodes was about how Seth kept making cute puppy eyes at Elena while her relationship with Eid unravels through a series of misunderstandings. With an impending wedding, and the groom throwing in the towel at the last second, the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself to Seth. The sexual tension in these episodes was unbearable. The scenes between Seth and Elena were so cute and sweet, you can’t help but fall for them as Seth tries to declare his feelings to Elena. It is his patience and persistence that we love. So, the premise was set with viewers rooting for Elena to forget about Eid and accept Seth’s proposal. Every episode was rife with questions of when is the wedding gonna happen? And when it finally did (phew!), it was onto the next question of when is Elena gonna start falling for Seth? Or when is the “honeymoon” gonna happen?!

So, that was all Pre-Cameron Highlands. Because we all know that after Cameron Highlands is where Elena has “accepted” Seth . Ironically, this is where the show started losing it's momentum. Scenes with Seth and Elena are of course the core attraction for many watching the drama. After Elena has accepted Seth, I was hoping for more intimate scenes of them together – well nothing major since this is afterall a MALAY drama, but seeing them actually in 1 bed would have helped. Or at least more body contact which he is now allowed but instead we hardly see anymore of the scenes which made the drama the talk of the town and Seth the new Casanova. I’ve seen many Malay dramas with more risqué scenes (male lead topless lying in bed with female (clothed), male lead kissing female lead (on the forehead)), so I don’t know why none of these scenes were included here. It’s as if the writers were toeing some kind of invisible lines which in the end actually made the scenes between the two leads seemed very awkward. Many complained there was a lack of chemistry between Aaron Aziz and Siti Saleha as husband and wife (some speculated due to the age gap (?!)) but in my opinion, it was due to this “awkwardness”. It was if they were worried that Aaron’s real wife, Diyana, was gonna jump out of nowhere and say, “AHAH!”. I think they could have let loose a little on that to achieve a better effect and capitalize on all the chemistry that they’ve built up in all the prior episodes. Hey, a peck on the head, if not a hug etc. I mean, the guy has waited 10 years for this, so you’d think he would make use of every chance he got. But the closest we got (thus far) was him smelling her headscarf after he took it off (okay, that was cute). I’m starting to wonder how she even managed to get pregnant!

See, it doesn’t even take long for mundane married life to set in and our beloved couple to be besieged by one problem after another. Well, a drama is nothing without the endless conflict, right? We slowly see Seth now morphing into Eid. No longer the unsuspecting, loyal, love sick Seth waiting patiently trying hard to win Elena’s heart, but the jealous, irrational, hot tempered Eid, waiting to pounce on every mistake. All thanks to Yvonne, of course. Yeah, that woman needs to be shot. Are you blind, Seth? Really, your “best friend”?!

And now I can see since Eid is out of the picture, they are trying to pull Amir into another love triangle with Seth and Elina. I think they should have stuck with Eid at this stage in the show, I mean no point in dragging in a new angle since you can’t develop it further because the show’s about to end already. However, this really has been a well acted drama from all of the actors & actresses involved. The cute and funny DIla, the adorable Malik especially when he is with Zira, even Kak Pah, Makcik Jijah, Pakcik Nordin & Pak Ali who manages to act so “sempoi”. They could all have their own spin off series. I can see it now “Malik and Zira take Penang”. LOL.

The drama has also left many questioning whether a man like the charismatic Seth really does exist in real life (not to be confused with the equally charismatic Aaron Aziz), with many wishing that they can meet/marry someone like him. Well, I’ll tell you the answer once and for all. YES. Someone like that does exist. And yes, we have all met/dated/and even married someone like Seth. Remember the guy that was so sweet to you when you first met? The guy that would blow off his friends just to spend time with you when you were dating? The guy who told you he loved you? The guy who held your hand and comforted you when you cried? The guy who took care of you when you were sick? The guy who bought you flowers for Valentine’s Day, your birthday or for no reason at all just to make you happy? The guy who proposed and said he will be the best husband you can ever have? <--- ok, i just added that one in cuz I actually fell for that line.

Yes, that was the guy that we all know early on in our relationship. He may not be that same romantic person now, many many years later, after 10 or so years of marriage and a dozen or so kids, but I think we should be glad to know that and remember that we did indeed experience something of the sort in our lifetime. For the singletons, there is hope for you yet. Well, especially after this drama, I’m sure many men would try to emulate Seth’s persona, let’s hope, for the betterment of their own selves and people around them.

The madness will be over by next week. I can’t help feeling that the ending will be a bit rushed after the slower pace of the beginning. I have been downloading the show online to watch because I don’t get TV3 (and countless other channels) included in my Astro package in this region. But next week, I’ll be watching the ending LIVE with my mom when we go back to my hometown for a holiday. Wonder what it will be like watching it live and with subtitles. But for now, I’m gonna go rewatch the earlier episodes and relive the glory days gone by :p

13/6/11 1.47AM

Oh, the pain and hurt in their faces. Sobs sobs...



Ok, just watched episode 21 and felt compelled to RANT. First of all, thank you to whatever powers that control the internet for the unbelievably speedy connection tonight, something unseen since the dawn of mankind. Downloaded in a mere 30 minutes? My, my, what did I do to deserve this? Well apparently, nothing. So I get punished by this episode.

Of course this is deemed the "revelation" episode in which Nora found out that the person that actually raped her all those years ago was her own husband, Seth. Ok, a few things wrong/I don't like in this episode:

1. The rapist tore the necklace from her and threw it onto the ground. The purpose being? If Nora is basing her suspiciouns based on the necklace itself, since it was thrown on the grown, Seth could have found it and kept it since he was in love with her. What they could have done was have the rapist purposely tore off the necklace and put it in his pocket as a memento. That way there would be no question of a doubt that the person who has possesion of the necklace is the rapist, as Nora would remember him taking that from her and keeping it.

2. Nora Elena returning to the scene of the crime to look for the necklace! Helloooo. For someone who had just been raped, they would be too traumatized to even face going back to the crime scene, let alone go wandering there all alone looking for her necklace again. As many would know, the perpetrator will also always go back to the scene of the crime (either to cover his tracks, to relive the moment, or re-commit the crime). So under no circumstances is it logic for a young girl who had just gone through a traumatizing experience to go back to the scene of the crime, ALONE, unperturbed, for whatever reasons.

3. Seth confessing that he did it because he felt horny after watching some dirty movies with his friends and Nora just happened to be there at the right time at the right place. This takes away the nobility that they built Seth up to be. Not to mention the essence of what Nora truly meant to him. I mean, they took pains to paint Seth as a through and through good guy that would not even think of stealing someone else's fiancee, to a sex maniac? I admit, I had not read the book, but I think diehard book fans are jumping all over this. Now I know why they had to retitle the drama to Nora Elena instead of using the novel's title of Kasih Yang Suci. Because, I think (I think lah, cuz I didn't read the book) in the book, the reason Seth raped Nora was because he wanted to "booking" her. So in a sense it means that Seth was already in love with Nora and clearly wanted her for himself and he did what he did because of his "pure love" for her hence the title, which is now tarnised and hence unusable.

Ok, I can understand why the writers would choose to change point No. 3 lah. This is probably to avoid people imitating what will then be perceived as acceptable behavior – to rape someone as a way of “booking” someone you love and because you love them anyway, then that makes it ok. Which of course, is not. Hence inspiring a host of “noble rapists”. So they of course had to modify it to be something that was born out of lust and hence is a very wrong act to commit. But couldn’t they have done it in a different way? This truly tarnished the noble nature of the story. Ok, I think I’ve overused the word noble here. Forgive me. It’s 2AM and the effects of the cough syrup is just kicking in.

What I like though:
1. The superb acting from my man Aaron Aziz. He can really make you feel his pain and the suffering he has gone through all those years. You can't help but feel for him and want Nora to forgive him because he truly makes you believe that he has repented - even the moment after he had just committed the crime. The one mistake that marred his entire existence. That tarnished the pureness of his love for the one person he cared most about. (Wahh man, this drama's making me sound corny. Note to self: slap yourself hard, woman!). But I heard they cut his close up. Maybe it was for the health of the nation that we didn't get to see his teary eyes. Otherwise, I think the ER in every hospital would be very busy.

2. Siti Saleha was awesome as Nora. Her hurt and pain. The betrayal she felt.

3. I liked that Seth refused to let Nora out of the room when she asked him to move. I like it when Seth is all persistent and especially when he refuse to relent. In a sense he is forcing Nora to face the situation instead of running away from it. Forcing Nora to forgive him. Yes, you CAN force someone to forgive you. Especially if you're Seth Tan. Forceful. Me likey.

And the winner is...

Raise your hands anyone that didn't think Kris Allen was going to win American Idol? Yeah, me too. I mean, he is good and cute as a button, but who had bigger star power than Adam Lambert? Ok, I did want him to win, but now that he has, I'm not sure it's such a good thing. It's a case of getting what you want may not necessarily be good for you. Now he has to make a record that the execs at AI wants him to make whereas Adam can go all out and make the album that he wants.

Kris looking as stunned as the rest of the world when Ryan announced he was the winner

Best men for the job

There was also news that Kris won by a wide margin. And one of the reason was, according to reports, because Danny Gokey's fans started voting for Kris after their man went home. Well, both Adam and Kris have different styles on extreme ends of the scale and appeal to different audiences. But I'm sure both of them will find equal success. Well, I certainly hope to see more of them in the future and hope that they don't suffer the Idols curse and fade from oblivion before the next Idol is crowned.

Singing a different tune

Ok, so I do give a shit who wins Idols this year. C'mon when you have someone as cute as Kris Allen, you'd care to tune in every week just to watch that puppy sing. Admittedly, the guys are just so much better this year. Ok, the guys are just butchering the girls. I mean, they don't even need the girls this year, they can just scrape the girls now and it would just make for a more entertaining show. Other notables are Matt Giraud. Man, that guy can emote behind a piano, which is more than I can say for blind guy.

And I still think Gokey is hokey. Hehe bet you never heard that one before. There's just something a little David-Cook-pretentious-like about him. He does have a good voice but it's just the whole charade of poor me, my wife died, but I have such a good up-bringing and I'm the director of a CHURCH CHOIR, so I'm gonna use all that inspirational shit to get through the shit that happened to me - that just screams LAME-O. And speaking of Cook, he's just started the Idols tour and he's already showing attitude. Asking fans to back off? Hello, I don't see you complaining when you wanted all those fans to call in and vote for you on the show. Now that you've won, they've suddenly become a pain in the ass? See, I knew the kid had attitude problems from the begining. And he's on the tour, he's off the tour, he's on the tour, he's off the tour. I question his true commitment.

Digressing. I think the most anticipated performance every night must be from Adam Lambert. Everyone is just dying to see what he'll get up to. He can sing but he would rather entertain with flamboyance. Not that it's a bad thing. At least someone is spicing up the show other than Simon and Paula's ass grabbing under the table (which we never get to see).

Let's see, who else, oh Bollywood boy. He'll make it big in India once Idols is over. And of course have marriage proposals lined up from Mumbai to Kolkata (I have no idea of the distance between the two cities, for all I know they could be like 2 metres apart, but they are the only names of Indian cities that I know. Yeah, geography was never my strong point.) But I doubt he is strong enough to be in the running.

So who would I like to see in the finals? Kris, Matt & Adam. Only 2? Ok, it'll have to be Kris & Matt although I doubt either will be there.

Saw V

Ok, I just realised that the last Saw I watched was Saw 3 back in 2007. Wow, time really flies. Cuz it felt like yesterday that I just saw it but then again it would explain the fuzzy memory regarding it as I struggle to recall the plotline as I'm watching Saw 5, which I had thought was Saw 4. No wonder it makes no sense and I don't know who the two idiots, I mean detectives, playing the cat and mouse game were. Or why any of the backstory doesn't make any sense because the last thing I recalled was whatever transpired on Saw 3.

How did I manage to skip Saw 4? Was it not released to critical acclaim? Hehe. Well, now I'm torn between going to imdb and reading the synopsis there first for immediate gratification or to hold off and get a copy of the film to watch. Arrgh...decisions, decisions. I choose, door number 1. Phew, luckily Jigsaw's not waiting behind the door to hack me to pieces. But then again he's dead. And he has been dead 2 films ago, so why are they still churning out Saw after Saw? Will there be a Saw 6?

Well, to its credit, Saw 5 was at least wayyyy better than Saw 3. I mean in Saw 3, it was as if no one brought their creativity cells to work. What with the lame contraption and games. At least in Saw 5, there was a bit of forethought into the games played on a group of 5 people. Even the gore was a bit more gorifying. And I have to say, I was a little impressed. Only a little. But enough to give it a 4/5 compared to 0.5/5 for Saw 3.

Georgia Rule

I've never been a huge fan of Lindsay Lohan, well, maybe only during her Freaky Friday and Mean Girls days, but certainly not since her personal life started making bigger headlines than her films. But it seems having her in this role seemed to have paid off because I'm not sure the character would have been as effective if it had been someone else in the role. And that's saying a lot.

I didn't set out to watch this movie, which i initially thought was a road trip movie. I can't recall why. Maybe from the trailer it looked like there was a lot of dirt road hehe. Maybe because the best way for people to do any bonding is on a road trip. Anyway, I thought this would be one of those chick flicks about mothers and daughters that make you cringe at all the cliches. Well, in a way, it was, but it also has another dimension to it. And I don't know why all of the sudden I'm liking pensive, slow paced shows like these. Usually I'm into those blow 'em up summer blockbusters. But I think watching something like this, something that you don't really know what the actual story is about (well, I had dismissed it as the churn of the mill chick flick fare), is like eating an artichoke, where you peel off one leave at a time as you get to the centre. Ok, maybe that was not even close to a good analogy to use, just cuz I'm craving some artichokes right now.

But this film actually makes me care about the people. It gives me a glimpse into their lives, sort of how I like to peep into the windows of people's houses as I drive by them at night to see the lit up rooms and who lives there and wonder what their lives are like. Ok, that sounded a little psycho. Anyhoo...it was better than the usual standard fare. It's set in a small town and I do get the feel of that from the people inhabiting there. Their simple little lives and view on things. And Jane Fonda, as a supposedly scary grandma, but still babysitting 2 boys and caring for them, it just goes to show that people are not as simple as they seem. And every person there has their own little role and quirky yet never contrived story that makes them who they are. In a way, they are believable because the script writers don't go out of the way to make them over the top caricatures.

And you feel like you've lived in a little town like that before once upon a time and now if you were to go back there again you've become a big city gal. Yet, it just feels like coming home, as familiar as an old pair of shoes. And long when the show is over, I'm still wondering about the people and what they are doing now and how they have progressed and moved on. Can't someone make a reality show to cater for that yearning?

Idols 8 and AF 7

Ok, one year on and we're on Idols season 8. Hmm...who won season 7 then? Ohhhh....David Cook, right? The poser "rocker". Well, ok, admittedly he's not THAT bad. In fact, he even had a few original moments.

So the people at Idols think that this year, they need to spice things up a little. And by spicing things up, they mean make it even more yawn inducing. Their idea of better means volume. So instead of 3 judges, now we have 4. And instead of the last 24, now it's 36. And instead of a top 12 we now have a top 13. Great, one more dull contestant to sit thru.

By adding another judge they've just totally erased the relevance of Paula. I mean, previously we have Simon - the mean one, Paula - the good one and Randy - the in between one. There was a sort of ying yang balance to things. With the arrival of Kara, she just sums up everything and say all there is to say. So whatever Paula has to say after that...is just redundant. I mean Kara talks and talks and talks, not that she doesn't make any sense (unless it comes to hot girls in bikinis hehe) but she's like the female version of Simon. Do we really need 2 mean judges on a show? Heck, come to think of it Kara can replace both Paula AND Simon. So I fail to see the relevance or contribution she has on the show. And I'm not even sure she is likeable.

Don't even get me started on the contestants they put thru this year. I think after 7 season of choosing the best looking people with the best voices, that has just become too boring for them. So this year, they are letting all the freaks get in. I mean, c'mon, the blind guy?! Ok, he can sing but he's not THAT good. I mean it is sort of creepy how there are no emotions in his eyes when he tries to ermm...emote. Can you really see him as winning season 8? And what about that nerdy looking guy with the shorts. Ok, I wasn't really paying attention this year. How did HE made it that far? And Nathaniel? He would have been kicked out the door before he finished his audition if he had been in any of the earlier seasons. So, they just want freaks that people would wanna tune in to watch as the underdog? Why not let bikini girl into the top 13 then? At least that would have captured a sizeable viewing audience in itself. Ughh....like i give a shit who wins this year.

And what is with everyone trying to do a David Cook with the song arrangements? They were so awfully bad. What's wrong with singing a song the way it was sung by the original singers? Why must they try to make it their own? If you're a really good singer, you don't have to resort to any such gimmicks. And the judges just don't like people that they can't classify. They always go, "I don't know who you are. Are you rock? Are you R&B?". People can't be versatile? Why must they fit into a certain stereotype? So what if they decide to explore a different side? When people do a too cheerful song, they say it's too safe. When people do a serious song, they say it's so gloomy and they just wish the person would lighten up. There's just no pleasing them!

And on to Akademi Fantasia. It's not the contestants that are over the top and attention seeking. It's the so called "mentors". Was Ida Nerina flicking her hair in the promo? The point being? And presumably she will impart her invaluable "acting skills" to the contestants? Great, we'll have a bunch of overacting drama kings and queens in the making.

And shouldn't they impose an age limit on the contestants? There was like a 40 year old guy and even some woman who was already a grandma (at first I thought it was bring your mom to work day)! I thought the purpose of having a show like that is to try to discover and develop raw talents to become profitable idols. Not develop someone who will retire or has already retired and has a foot in the coffin. He/she might need an oxygen tank while holding a concert for fear of collapsing and dying there on the spot. So what if the uncle next door can sing like a canary? His time has come and gone. If Astro is so keen on developing these senior citizens, they can have another show called Akademi Warga Emas. Not lump everyone in together on one show. That's just taking the rojak concept too far.

Idols

2 things always reminds me when it's January again (and Chinese New Year) - American Idols and the Australian Open. So watching these 2 programs on TV always gives me a sense of renewal, beginings and a ringding of Chinese New Year tunes. Idols is in its 7th season now, can you believe it? Has it been that many years of our lives wasted? Well, I only started watching from Idols 3 which is when they started showing it on the screens here.

Let's see if I can name all the 6 previous Idols, Kelly Clarkson, the original Idol, Reuben Studdard, Fantasia Barino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks. Did I get the order right? And their respective runner ups who have now but become a distant memory hehe. Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Bo Bice, Katherine McPhee and Blake Lewis. Wow, can't believe I named all those people without having to look them up on the net first, well, except Blake, for the life of me I can't recall his name even though he was only last season. Maybe he was just better known as Mr. Beatboxing.

Most of these so called Idols winners didn't really go on to a huge success. In fact, some are even upstaged by their runner ups or in the case of Taylor Hicks was upstaged by both Katherine McPhee and Chris Daughtry. In fact, I think Taylor must have been the worst person to be picked as the winner. And Chris the best voice and album to have come out from there, even though most would pick Carrie but I think she is just too overrated. Kelly's success took time to build up steam before reaching the pinacle. Reuben and Fantasia aren't even heard from anymore, although I was kinda anticipating Fantasia's album before, but now I really can't be bothered. So I guess winning it doesn't really guarantee you'll be an overnight sensation eh.

Oh, don't even get me started on Jennifer Hudson, that ungrateful bitch. She thinks she's so huge now that she's won an Oscar, and didn't even wanna give any credit to Idols. If it wasn't because of Idols giving her the exposure she needed, she wouldn't have been cast in that Beyonce flick (yeah, I forgot what it's called cuz I didn't bother to watch it nor am I even remotely interested to).

Anyway, the first Idols auditions was shown in a 2 hour premiere last night. It was the city of Philly and as usual there were the bunch of weirdos and the talented singers. None more creepy than that guy who said he wrote a song for Paula, the stalking song and the way he sang it as he got closer and closer to her. I'm surprised Paula wasn't as creeped out as Simon.

Then there was the guy wearing the Princess Leia outfit and was asked to get a waxing job. Was it worth it, man? They didn't even let you finish the first verse of your song. And then there was the girl with Princess Leia's hair. She's a hit this year, innit? Princess Leia, I mean.

There were a few promising ones as well, one which I did notice was this good looking guy in dreadlock. Even Simon said he was good and he'll be a hit with the chicks and the said that's what I'm here for. His post interview showed him saying that he has a good feeling about this and he is sure that he will go far with this. You, know, I kinda liked him from the first impression, but I just know he's gonna be one of those people that's gonna bomb at the Hollywood auditions. He's gonna be the one who you can't rely on in a group, the one who forgot his lyrics or overall just the one you thought had so much potentials at the original auditions but then again became so terrible just when it matters. Oh well. Let's just wait and see. I just hope that this season is not as dull and forgettable as the last. C'mon guys, give us a lively bunch!