Group III: Men to Boyz
Picture used courtesty of
M-Net / Freemantle
Well. That was a disappointment.
I've been trying to think of a way to sum up last night's events but, man, am I at a loss. I was really looking forward to this group - I really thought that the few men in the competition were really talented and would give the girls a decent run for their money, despite being vastly outnumbered. However, it was hard to pick my top 2 from this group.
So, here's my thoughts on last night...
Bottom 3:
Romie - Strike one, he picked a Michael Bolton song (from the early 90s!). Strike two, he sang it like one of the New Kids on the Block might have. Strike three, his singing carries no emotional weight whatsoever. Mara nailed it - he is boy singing a man's song. This will do nothing to silence those who were rallying against the decision to keep Romie but let Jarrid go - and even I have to admit that Jarrid would have done better than Romie did. He has the look, and he showed some signs of talent during the Top 70s, but he completely lost it in last night's show. if he goes any further in this competition, I will eat my keyboard.
Callan - He has the cute baby face, and showed definite promise during the Top 70 auditions. I have to say though, he broke that promise last night. While on a technical level, his singing wasn't atrocious, it was flat, emotionless, and the Idols sign has more stage presence than he does. And while the effeminate mannerisms work really well for some performers, I found it annoying and off-putting. If he had delivered a great performance otherwise, it wouldn't have bothered me, but I was so bored by his singing that I just couldn't help but notice that dainty thing he does with his left hand. Tough luck, too, at least the other guys at least had some sex appeal going for them.
Bjorn - Of the three, Bjorn delivered the best performance. I did enjoy his fun (if slightly goofy) little dance number during the bridge of Maroon 5's "Sunday Morning" and he definitely has the look of an Idol. All in all, though, (and I hate to sound repetitive) there just wasn't enough sincerity in his performance. Everything felt a little too-well rehearsed, a little show-offy, and all that dancing can't disguise the fact that his singing voice is only "good", and not good enough.
Top 3:
Mthawelanga - Good looking, stylish, fun to watch. He didn't impress me enough to garner a vote from me, but I will bet he makes a wild card. (I feel fairly confident he won't be one of tonight's Top 2.) His voice is nice and clean, and he has that whole Usher vibe going on. Unfortunately, I always thought Usher was far more style than substance, and I think he could have done a little better. I'm a big John Mayer fan, so I was able to easily pick out spots where he fell a little flat on some of the notes, and that "Yeah" appended on to every. line. of the song. was just annoying. Not too bad though, but not good enough for the Top 2, I don't think. I am, however, confident he will be one of the Top 3 for the evening.
Gift - I liked this guy from the start. He's attractive, way too cool for his own shoes, and he has talent. It's a tough call, and before last night's show, I was pretty sure he'd be my number one pick. I thought he could have given Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years" a little bit more of an edge, a stronger taste of that mournful sadness that makes the original song so good, but all in all he delivered two great performances (including a beautifully executed treatment of the Ladies verse in Senorita). He definitely looked like he was having fun up there, and he was a lot of fun to watch. Without a doubt, going on to the Top 12.
Nhlanhla - My surprise for the night. I really enjoyed his group performance during the Top 70s - he pulled off that song like it was written for him. And from what I've seen on the forums, he definitely has a following. But I really didn't expect to be blown away by him. Thankfully, however, that's exactly what happened. Nhlanhla single-handedly made a mediocre episode into a memorable one, and I'm certain that he'll make it into tonight's Top 2. He just looks so right on that stage, and delivers flawless renditions of anything that is thrown at him. OK, I think Mara's teary response was a little... odd... but he really did nail "Hello" and his "This Love" was absoutely excellent. I might be a little biased by really liking the song in the first place, but damn, he rocked the house with it. Record a cover of this song, Nhlanhla, and I will be first in line to buy it.
So, to sum up:
Tonight's top 3 circle will be Nhlanhla, Gift and Mthawelanga. Mthawelanga will get edged out, but will likely be back as a wild card to round out the Top 12. The other 3 will soon be forgotten - where with many of the girls, I saw futures for those who didn't make it further, for these boys, I think it's the end of the road, unless you count bar acts on Saturday nights as a career.
Now that that's out of the way, 2 orders of business...
Please, please, PLEASE do something about Colin. I've mentioned before that I haven't watched in years past, but I simply can't believe he was this bad before and still got this year's gig. He reminds me of that annoying guy (and we all know one) who insists on telling the stupidest jokes, and then nudging you and saying "Get it? Get it?" when you fail to laugh. Like the geeky kid trying way too hard to fit in with the cool kids, Colin is just painful to watch, and far from entertaining. His awkwardness is far from endearing, and the only thing he has going for him in this show is his looks. Unfunny, unentertaining, unacceptable. Next year, please, get somebody with some natural charm and personality.
And the band. You know, I criticize all these people for not being lively or energetic enough, but I do have to give them this: it's pretty damn hard to be energetic when you've got the Muzak band playing your music. There's a reason you never see a live band in pop concerts - they can't deliver the sound that pop requires. Pop is all about synthesizers, artful mixing and snazzy beats. Those are things you just don't get from a band - especially a band whose average age is higher than my waist size. C'mon, guys, just bring back backing tracks. Having a band there does absolutely nothing to improve the show, and does everything to make bad performances even worse. Pop Idols, not Polka Idols!
That wraps up today's sum-up. I'll be back with my thoughts on the results show (which probably means more criticism of Colin, unfortunately).
M-Net / Freemantle
Well. That was a disappointment.
I've been trying to think of a way to sum up last night's events but, man, am I at a loss. I was really looking forward to this group - I really thought that the few men in the competition were really talented and would give the girls a decent run for their money, despite being vastly outnumbered. However, it was hard to pick my top 2 from this group.
So, here's my thoughts on last night...
Bottom 3:
Romie - Strike one, he picked a Michael Bolton song (from the early 90s!). Strike two, he sang it like one of the New Kids on the Block might have. Strike three, his singing carries no emotional weight whatsoever. Mara nailed it - he is boy singing a man's song. This will do nothing to silence those who were rallying against the decision to keep Romie but let Jarrid go - and even I have to admit that Jarrid would have done better than Romie did. He has the look, and he showed some signs of talent during the Top 70s, but he completely lost it in last night's show. if he goes any further in this competition, I will eat my keyboard.
Callan - He has the cute baby face, and showed definite promise during the Top 70 auditions. I have to say though, he broke that promise last night. While on a technical level, his singing wasn't atrocious, it was flat, emotionless, and the Idols sign has more stage presence than he does. And while the effeminate mannerisms work really well for some performers, I found it annoying and off-putting. If he had delivered a great performance otherwise, it wouldn't have bothered me, but I was so bored by his singing that I just couldn't help but notice that dainty thing he does with his left hand. Tough luck, too, at least the other guys at least had some sex appeal going for them.
Bjorn - Of the three, Bjorn delivered the best performance. I did enjoy his fun (if slightly goofy) little dance number during the bridge of Maroon 5's "Sunday Morning" and he definitely has the look of an Idol. All in all, though, (and I hate to sound repetitive) there just wasn't enough sincerity in his performance. Everything felt a little too-well rehearsed, a little show-offy, and all that dancing can't disguise the fact that his singing voice is only "good", and not good enough.
Top 3:
Mthawelanga - Good looking, stylish, fun to watch. He didn't impress me enough to garner a vote from me, but I will bet he makes a wild card. (I feel fairly confident he won't be one of tonight's Top 2.) His voice is nice and clean, and he has that whole Usher vibe going on. Unfortunately, I always thought Usher was far more style than substance, and I think he could have done a little better. I'm a big John Mayer fan, so I was able to easily pick out spots where he fell a little flat on some of the notes, and that "Yeah" appended on to every. line. of the song. was just annoying. Not too bad though, but not good enough for the Top 2, I don't think. I am, however, confident he will be one of the Top 3 for the evening.
Gift - I liked this guy from the start. He's attractive, way too cool for his own shoes, and he has talent. It's a tough call, and before last night's show, I was pretty sure he'd be my number one pick. I thought he could have given Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years" a little bit more of an edge, a stronger taste of that mournful sadness that makes the original song so good, but all in all he delivered two great performances (including a beautifully executed treatment of the Ladies verse in Senorita). He definitely looked like he was having fun up there, and he was a lot of fun to watch. Without a doubt, going on to the Top 12.
Nhlanhla - My surprise for the night. I really enjoyed his group performance during the Top 70s - he pulled off that song like it was written for him. And from what I've seen on the forums, he definitely has a following. But I really didn't expect to be blown away by him. Thankfully, however, that's exactly what happened. Nhlanhla single-handedly made a mediocre episode into a memorable one, and I'm certain that he'll make it into tonight's Top 2. He just looks so right on that stage, and delivers flawless renditions of anything that is thrown at him. OK, I think Mara's teary response was a little... odd... but he really did nail "Hello" and his "This Love" was absoutely excellent. I might be a little biased by really liking the song in the first place, but damn, he rocked the house with it. Record a cover of this song, Nhlanhla, and I will be first in line to buy it.
So, to sum up:
Tonight's top 3 circle will be Nhlanhla, Gift and Mthawelanga. Mthawelanga will get edged out, but will likely be back as a wild card to round out the Top 12. The other 3 will soon be forgotten - where with many of the girls, I saw futures for those who didn't make it further, for these boys, I think it's the end of the road, unless you count bar acts on Saturday nights as a career.
Now that that's out of the way, 2 orders of business...
Please, please, PLEASE do something about Colin. I've mentioned before that I haven't watched in years past, but I simply can't believe he was this bad before and still got this year's gig. He reminds me of that annoying guy (and we all know one) who insists on telling the stupidest jokes, and then nudging you and saying "Get it? Get it?" when you fail to laugh. Like the geeky kid trying way too hard to fit in with the cool kids, Colin is just painful to watch, and far from entertaining. His awkwardness is far from endearing, and the only thing he has going for him in this show is his looks. Unfunny, unentertaining, unacceptable. Next year, please, get somebody with some natural charm and personality.
And the band. You know, I criticize all these people for not being lively or energetic enough, but I do have to give them this: it's pretty damn hard to be energetic when you've got the Muzak band playing your music. There's a reason you never see a live band in pop concerts - they can't deliver the sound that pop requires. Pop is all about synthesizers, artful mixing and snazzy beats. Those are things you just don't get from a band - especially a band whose average age is higher than my waist size. C'mon, guys, just bring back backing tracks. Having a band there does absolutely nothing to improve the show, and does everything to make bad performances even worse. Pop Idols, not Polka Idols!
That wraps up today's sum-up. I'll be back with my thoughts on the results show (which probably means more criticism of Colin, unfortunately).
posted by Julie at
12:00 PM
