Michael Sarver Bids American Idol Season 8 Goodbye

FINALLY!!!!! =)

And here is the order of the announcement of results:

• Adam Lambert - safe
• Matt Giraud - Bottom 3!
• Kris Allen - safe (weeeeee!)
• Lil Rounds - safe (really?)
• Michael Sarver - Bottom 3! (as expected)
• Allison Iraheta - safe
• Anoop Desai - safe
• Danny Gokey - safe
• Megan Joy - safe (lucky gal)
• Scott MacIntyre - Bottom 3! (weeeeee!)
• Scott MacIintyre - safe (awwwww =( )
• Matt Giraud - safe (he'd be saved by the judges anyway if he was the one left)
• Michael Sarver tried to sing to please the judges, but as expected, they had this realization of how come they even included this big (cute) guy on the Top 36!
• And finally, Michael Sarver is OUT!
  

Adam Lambert's New Look on the Idol's Top 10 Performance Night

It was a Motown Night for the Idol's Top 10 performance. OMG, who is that new Idol? Whhhat? You mean, this is actually Adam Lambert? Where did they hide him all along? This guy is set out to create some buzz. Oh boy, now I want to check out his video first before I dig into Kris Allen's. I am watching this as usual at Rickey's. Let's see how Mr. Twilight turned Taylor Hicks look-alike fared.

Adam Lambert chose Tracks of My Tears. The performance was okay, some people may even find something special in it, especially when Adam took pains at changing his look to stage this. But I am really not a fan. I don't like his voice. I cannot feel the kind of emotions that hooked me to Kris Allen.

Kris Allen chose the song How Sweet It Is. That was good. I think that this is enough to make him part of the finals.

On to Anoop Desai with Oooo Baby Baby. He has a good voice. This is the first time that I heard the song and I almost fell asleep. I'm still an Anoop fan. But sorry, I can't finish the song. It might take me to dreamland.

My next favorite, Alison Iraheta, sang Papa Was a Rolling Stone. Yey, as usual, she rocks. That was a good choice of song that highlighted once again her potential to be a rock star.

Danny Gokey has chosen the song Get Ready. The song doesn't fit his style that is why he sounded like he was only trying to finish and get it all done.

Megan Joy Corkrey sang For Once in My Life. The song was good, but why did she sing it the way she did? It was so hard to listen to it. Is she still sick? She sounds like it.

Matt Giraud sang Let's Get It On. He sounded good and he has already proven that he can do justice with just about any type of song. But still for me, he is lacking the X-factor that will make me want to buy his albums or check him out on paid concerts.

The piano, oh yeah, there was a man behind it, Scott McIntyre sang You Can't Hurry Love. It was a confused performance. The man doesn't know whether he wants to make it sound like a love song or a dance tune. As a result, it sounded like a dance tune that was too slow. It was boring. Next!

Michael Sarver sang Ain't Too Proud to Beg. I am not really expecting much from this performance. I bet that Sarver would be part of the bottom 3 for the rest of the season as long as he remains in the competition. He doesn't sound like a pro and it might be hard to teach him how to do so.

Lil Rounds chose the song Heatwave. Ouch, it is so hard to listen to with headphones on. This performance can really damage one's hearing. Bottom 3!

Aside from Lil Rounds, the two other spots for the bottom 3 based on performance belong to Scott McIntyre and a tough choice between Michael Sarver and Megan Joy.

(photo credits to Rickey.org)

Manny Pacquiao is a Big Business

Sadly, Manny Pacquiao himself doesn't know how to handle it on his own.

He shocked everybody last week when he appeared on ABS CBN to announce his decision to drop Solar Sports and GMA 7 and team up with the Kapamilya channel in airing his fights, including the one with Ricky Hatton on May 2.

Two of GMA 7's top executives as well as Solar Sports representatives immediately flew over to where the Pacman is training to see and talk things out with him. Maybe he saw it and he was talked to, because over the weekend, he is singing a different tune.

Now that Pacman has turned his back on ABS CBN, he has also made sure that he'd ruin the network's reputation by saying that what he said on TV was scripted and it was written by ABS CBN's lawyers. I am counting the days when he would retract such statement to say that it was also scripted and top executives of GMA 7 made him say those words.

He is a good boxer. I don't want to demean his intellectual capacity because I don't know the guy personally. What I see in him is someone who doesn't have pride, someone who doesn't know what integrity and loyalty mean.

He has gone up so high. He needs to be pulled back to remind him that he will not always be on top. He used to be hailed as someone who unites the Filipino people because of his intent to win on his fights. But now we're faced with the truth. For Manny, it's all about the money.

American Idol 8 Says Goodbye to Alexis Grace

It was okay with me that Alexis Grace got booted out from American Idol. I thought she had something. But I didn't see that since the real competition began. But Allison Iraheta being part of the bottom 3? C'mon, she's better than Lambert! And Mr. Goodie Looking Guy, Michael Sarver, got saved. And he had the same sentiments like I do after he learned he was safe. Sarver said, "I'm gonna cry like a frickin' baby."

Kris and Anoop Did Best on American Idol's Top 11 Performance Night

I wasn't able to watch the Top 11 performance yesterday. But I did catch how Kris Allen and Anoop Desai did over at Rickey's. And boy, they did great. I am sure that these two will go a long way on this competition. They will beat two of Paula Abdul's fave, Robert Downey look-alike, Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert. Danny is okay for me, sometimes he is astonishing and sometimes he's just being upstaged by Kris or Allen, haha! But I can't really take in Adam. He looks like a rock star and performs like a professional theater actor, a total confused package.

I am betting that either Michael Sarver or Lil Rounds will go home tonight. Whatever happens, I am happy and looking forward to more of Kris and Anoop up until the finals.

Sarah Geronimo Must Be Careful in Choosing Her Next Leading Man

With the success of A Very Special Love and its sequel, You Changed My Life, everybody seems to be in high spirits that a new Superstar was born. People are raving about Sarah Geronimo, how great she is and how she was able to achieve so much. Even Inquirer's entertainment columnist, Nestor Torre, weighed in on who is more deserving to sit on Sharon Cuneta's throne, should it be Sarah or KC Concepcion. But is Sarah the real reason why the said movies hit on the Box Office? I doubt it.

Personally, I went to see the first film because of John Lloyd. But I didn't get a chance to see the second one, although it's still on my plans. And yet again, I'll be watching it because of the male lead and the story. And I'll be interested to see the film even if it was Bea Alonzo playing the lead girl, or someone of Sarah's age like Kim Chiu.

I don't really have anything against Sarah. She is bubbly and she always seems to be happy. And that is what people love about her. She's fun to see. But that I think is not enough for people to see a movie just because she's in it.

There are talks that Viva and Star Cinema are planning to pair Sarah with Gerald Anderson. Now you don't want to touch something that is not broken, which is the Kimerald love team. How do these two companies think the fans would react? This is not the same case with the John Lloyd-Bea team-up. This pair has done lots of films and has graced many soap operas with the two of them as leads before they were paired off with anybody else.

As for Kim and Gerald fans, it is only normal that they will react violently about the issue of the latter being paired with Sarah. Yes, they have done a movie together, a launching movie that was like a music video stretched for more than an hour. It was a bad story, bad direction and a bad choice of launching material for a team-up that has a solid following. Now they are proving their worth by acting the best that they can give through the soap opera, Tayong Dalawa.

With TD's success, Star Cinema should be given a hint that it is high time to let this love team prove that they can do onscreen what they have achieved on TV. They should be given a good material and not a mediocre one like their first film. Their entry on the Manila Film Fest was also successful. It could have been more successful if only it was not of a horror genre and if Ms. Tadyang of the Kapuso network was not part of the trilogy.

Instead of thinking who should be paired with Sarah next, Star Cinema should focus more on who should they pair up with John Lloyd. Sarah may be popular, but she definitely is still not a Superstar. She has the makings to be one. But she still has a lot to prove and she has to do something with her voice. She no longer sounds as good as she used to when she was only starting (overexposure?).

As for the third installment of her team-up with John Lloyd, the creative team behind it should come up with something really unique but still fun. After that, Sarah should experiment on more serious roles, like how Sharon Cuneta did on Pasan Ko ang Daigdig. And she should be given a chance to shine without a known leading man. If she will be able to pull it off, then by all means, give her the crown and the title of being a genuine Superstar.

Jasmine and Jorge Eliminated on Idol 8

Wow, good riddance for the first elimination round of this season's Idol. A new twist was introduced as well. The judges can save one contestant whom the audience did not choose. But this will only happen one time throughout the season. So they really have to hold on to that power and use it if ever Kris or Anoop would be placed in such position! Haha!

Well anyway, goodbye and let's forget about these two –Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez.



And now we should all be looking forward to more powerful performances from the rest of the bunch (I hope).

I Fear for Anoop after the First Idol Top 13 Performance

Aw! I was only able to watch today's Top 13 Idol performance on Rickey's after the live feed.

I first clicked on Kris Allen's performance. He sang Remember the Time. I hope to forget his performance today. At this stage of the competition, you must focus more on singing than on pleasing the crowd, just so to make sure that you'll hit all the notes right. The use of guitar that served only as props didn't work either. But I am still hoping that you will be given the chance to show to the world that you can do better than that.

Anoop Desai sang Beat It. There, he sang that and let's forget about it. Gosh, what's happening with my two bets? They seemed to have gotten up at the wrong side of their beds. Or did they even get enough sleep at all? I am still not changing my bets, but I am really disappointed with them, hmp!

Danny Gokey sang PYT - Pretty Young Thing. He was so into it, I almost dropped Anoop from my faves and replace him with Danny. But really, it was a good performance.

Allison Iraheta chose Give In to Me. And she nailed it. It fits her voice as well as her personality. It sounded good, despite the too many HHH I heard on that performance. Hokay, Hh-I tHHHink tHHHat she'll make it through this round. She had her audience entertained.

Matt Giraud had a good choice of song. Human Nature fits his voice. It was okay. But I was bored. I don't know why. He lacks the X-factor to make it big. Let's see if his next performances, if ever he doesn't get eliminated, will prove me wrong.

Megan Joy Corkrey's performance of Rockin Robin was fun to watch because it looked like she was also having fun. But her usual pose and dance moves are starting to annoy me. It was a good decision that she finally held the mic and tried to move around the stage. She might as well resort to immediate choreography tips while she's still on the game.

Adam Lambert sang Black or White. He sounded like a pro. He actually sounded like the frontman of Aerosmith. There's no hint of nervousness. But I don't like him. Next!

Scott MacIntyre chose Keep the Faith. He has a nice voice. But the song is not a competition material. I got bored. And even Scott looked bored with what he was doing. Goodluck to him. I think he needs a lot of luck with such crappy performance.

I think that everybody knew that Alexis Grace could do what she had done with Dirty Diana. It was okay, but very predictable.

If only the competition is about who do you think looks the kindest among the bunch, Michael Sarver would win. I am not yet ready to hear anyone sing You Are Not Alone, but Jacko. It was boring. He needs to start working hard to remind people why is he part of the Top 13.

Lil Rounds did The Way You Make Me Feel. Why am I suddenly reminded of Fantasia? She's good but the performance is safe.

Jorge Nunez sang Never Can Say Goodbye and Jasmine Murray opted for I'll Be There. I don't think Jasmine is ready for this type of competition. Jorge is, but failed to impress even himself with his performance.

I don't want to guess who will be part of the bottom 3. I fear that Anoop would be included, aw!

A Promising Season 8 for the American Idol

If not for a client that made me write stuffs about American Idol Season 8, I wouldn't really be interested to follow the show. I am a big fan of the show since it started. I already have too many past-Idol favorites that I no longer want to add any more names on the list.

I love Carrie Underwood, pre and post Idol. She is one gem that will last in the industry if she continues to handle herself well. Bo Bice is unique and has a big talent. But he has to create good music that will have global appeal in order to advance with his seemingly quiet career. The list won't be complete without the recent two Davids, Archuleta and Cook, who both have won people's hearts around the globe.

This season already showed lots of drama. That is only expected with the emergence of Tatiana del Toro, the Saving All My Love for You diva. During the auditions, one woman came up in a bikini. She may have not gotten the judges' approval, but for sure, offers from men's magazines are lining up her door.

Out of the Top 36, one was immediately disqualified before the contestants were formally presented. Joanna Pacitti was replaced by Felicia Barton for the spot on the Top 36. Pacitti had a long list of achievement in terms of her professional music career. She was even able to release an album under Geffen Records. And aside from that, she was said to be once involved with someone who is an executive at 19 Entertainment, which was founded by Simon Fuller, the creator of the original Idol.

And so three rounds of eliminations were made and people had chosen their picks for what we all thought would be the Top 12. The first three who made it were Danny Gokey, Jeremy Michael Sarver and Alexis Grace. Of these three, Gokey had the saddest back story because his wife died seven months before he went into the Idol auditions. But regardless of such tragic detail, he seems to have the strongest potential among the three.

The second round paved the way for Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen to be part of the Top 12. Allison is also a strong candidate in this group. She is only 16, but she sang Alone with such heart and soul. But among the three, I am placing my bet on Kris Allen. I loved how he sang Man in the Mirror. I am looking forward to his next performances.

There were so many good performances on the third round. It was really hard to choose who would be part of the Top 12. All three who were selected deserved the spot. They were Lil Rounds, Scott McIntyre and Jorge Nunez.

After the top 9 spots were filled, it was the judges' time to choose the people whom they like to see on a Wildcard Round. It was an emotional night, because Tatiana was on it who belted her third rendition of Saving All My Love for You for this season's Idol. After it was announced that Jasmine Murray, Megan Joy Corkery and Matt Giraud will continue with their Idol quest, Simon shocked everyone by saying that they have decided to make it a Top 13 this season. And the 13th placer is Anoop Desai, my new favorite. Now I am torn between him and Kris.

Now that I know them all, I have got to continue with my addiction. And I can't help but wait along with the many spectators of the American Idol all around the world if it's going to be Kris or Anoop who is going to bag the grand prize this season. Haha! Seriously though, whoever wins the top spot eventually will surely be remarkable because the group is composed of talented and notable peeps. The people behind the show may have learned a lot from the batches where Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks came from. And now they are all set to create stars and not add to the mediocrity that the recording industry is already filled with.

Farewell to the Master Rapper

It was hard watching the usually jolly crew of the noontime show, Eat Bulaga, holding back their tears after the announcement was made that Francis Magalona, a former co-host of the show, has died.

But well, they made it through and it was announced that tomorrow's show will be a tribute to the Master Rapper. I wonder how this will affect tomorrow's reunion concert of the Eraserheads. Ely Buendia, its frontman, is a close friend of Francis and they have been collaborating on an album, the Sickos Project, which many fans are now awaiting its release. Francis used to update the status of the project on his Multiply site, where he also announced about his situation and asked for prayers from people.

To the family, friends and fans of the Master Rapper, condolences. And to Francis M., may you have a safe journey to our Father's home.

Annabelle Rama's Threats to GMA 7 that Most Kapamilyas are Dreading to Happen

I am not sure about what tactics GMA 7 has been implementing to develop and make their stars famous because obviously, most of their stars remain to be forgettable. This is aside from one, Richard Gutierrez, period. The fact is that GMA's lady exec, Wilma Galvante, is gaining juicier gossips that have been paving the way for people to remember her, but in a negative way. If only those gossips had been attributed to their nameless stars, they would get their chance to be put on a spotlight once and for all and be known to all those who watch TV, and not by a few who live in Mega Manila and happen to have the AGB meter installed on their antennas.

The Dingdong-Marian team-up is just hype. People love the shows that they've been featured on. But people would have same reaction no matter who were the actors playing the roles that these two had played. This can be proven by their flop movie. People won't bother to pay their hard earned money to see these two lousy acting on the big screen. And this is now a stronger claim due to the poor reception and low ratings that their current soap has been getting.

Before GMA 7 could work out what projects should they give these two in the future, they must first force Dingdong and Marian to undergo serious acting workshops. They are not getting any younger. And people have seen enough of their flesh, they are raring to see some serious acting from them (and well, from all GMA talents who were not previously managed by ABS CBN).

I really didn't care about the tirades being exchanged by Anabelle Rama and Wilma Galvante. That is until I heard in the news today that Rama is planning to pull out all her talents from GMA and move them all to ABS. Oh no, is this another Becky Aguila in the making? Until now, I can't force myself to watch Angel Locsin and Valerie Concepcion on TV. And with Rama's plans, and if ever ABS would agree with that, that will definitely be a disaster for most Kapamilya stars, especially those who are still waiting for projects. Most Kapamilya viewers wouldn't like it either. I don't know who this JC is and I don't have plans to know him either. Let him stay with GMA and soon enough, people will forget about him just like the other artists over at the Kapuso fence.

One important realization that came out during the peak of this Anabelle-Galvante word war is that Galvante said that Heart Evangelista was not the reason why Luna Mystica is getting good ratings (in Mega Manila). Galvante said that people love their fantasy series and they would watch it no matter who are included on the cast. In other words, people don't really care about their stars. Here is an excerpt from Ms. Rama's interview on PEP :::

"Parang nakakasakit na sinabi ni Wilma sa nanay ni Heart na kaya nag-number one
ang Luna Mystika dahil inaabangan ng masa ang fantaserye ng GMA. Sabi ng nanay,
'Ibig sabihin, yung pagod ni Heart na pagpapalit ng mukha dahil sa prosthetic,
na-hospital pa, hindi man lang nila na-appreciate? Wala man lang credits?' So,
matutuwa ka ba? Kaya ako nagwawala dahil sa mga alaga ko. Hindi ako nagwawala
dahil naiinis ako."

I don't really care about the people involved in this issue. I just want to express my concerns for ABS CBN who may later get the services of the stars that Ms. Rama is handling. That would be a very unwise move and for sure, most Kapamilyas are dreading for such event to transpire.