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.