My Road to American Idol 2009 Part 6: Meeting the Idols - Day 1

Man! It's been a while since my last post on my American Idol experience. It's just that I've been finding a lot of other interesting stuff to post that I keep postponing putting my experience down into words.

Ok, better start again or else it's gonna get fuzzy and slip away...

After we left the Nokia Theater, we noticed a crowd building up at a big tent that was set up outside. So we decided to be a couple of busy bodies to check it out. And lucky thing we did! The Idols were scheduled to come out to talk to the press and meet the fans!

So after a short wait, the first of the Idols arrived! Here come the ladies!

Post-show Press Tent

The TV reporters from the bigger networks got first dibs at the Idols, and this was done most at the center of the tent. The other reporters from the smaller news stations were sandwiched between an inner barrier and an outer barrier, which was where all the fans were. So most of my photos from this all had either a reporter or TV camera in it, like this...

Lil Rounds

I have to admit that I wasn't really a big fan of Lil during Season 9. It was obvious she could sing but she never really blew any song out of the park, like Fantasia before her. But she'll always mean something special to me because when I won the ticket to see the finale, each contestant had to wear a t-shirt with a name of an Idol contestant on it, and mine was Lil Rounds. So - Thanks Lil for bringing me good luck! =)

Jasmine Murray

Jasmine Murray looked really great in the long evening gown she was wearing. But I felt really bad for her when a woman kept calling her Paris. Wrong season lady! Don't think she got an autograph...

After a while, the Idols started meeting the fans. We were located at the side and they kept going to the front where the majority of the fans were. But eventually, they started coming around the side and even came between the inner and outer barrier, so we got to get autographs and even some close up pictures, like this one:

Megan Joy

Megan is really pretty and was very friendly and kept signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a 1-to-1 photo as she was called away for an interview. Best shot I got was the one above. A bit blurred out, but you can still see the great tattoo on her arm.

Allison Iraheta

The above is the best picture that I got of Allison during the session. I don't know why Simon says that she has no personality because she was really bubbly and wacky through out the whole interview and meet the fan session. All her responses seemed very off the cuff and unscripted. She was really goofy, as you can see in the photo, and was wearing a pair of sneakers that had a hole in it. A stark contrast between her and the other more prim and proper Idol females!

My favourite photo of the entire session has to be this one...

Alexis Grace

Yes, you can tell from my smiley mug how happy I was to finally manage to get a photo with an Idol contestant, and a pretty one at that! Alexis spent a lot of time with the fans at the side and look really gorgeous in a purple spaghetti strap dress and jeans. Didn't realise how petite and fair she is until I saw her in person.

Ok... That's it for Day 1. Next up, Result Day! I'll probably do it in 3 posts - Red Carpet, Result Show and finally the post-show press conference. Stay tuned!

Fun Wedding March

All wedding marches should be this fun!

Now, if only they didn't choose a song by the girlfriend-beater Chris Brown...

Sweden's Got Talent

Well, I don't know if these Swedes got talent, but they've sure got balls... Literally!

New meaning to Going Postal

*GASP!* *SHOCK!* *HORRORS!*

Ok, now go HERE...

They sure don't make chairs like they used to...

RIP Study chair (2006-2009)

Ok, looks like it's time for me to hit the gym... I broke my study chair this morning as I was trying to do a quick peak-a-boo with my kids over the webcam...

Good thing Ikea's having a sale on now... =p

Stop giving me those guilt-inducing stares, chair! STOP IT!!!

Lucky and... Happy? Joi Chua duet with Jason Mraz in Singapore

Joi Chua was the lucky Singaporean singer who got to duet with Jason Mraz on the song Lucky during his recent concert in Singapore. Here's a video of their performance.

Now, is it just me or is Joi Chua just very happy to see Jason?

"I thought I was supposed to duet with a chick..."

I've no comment about how the duet sounds because I was just too mesmerized by the swaying 'dress dong' that I couldn't really pay attention to anything else.

Office 2010: Coming to a desktop near you!

My favourite scene?

Word! \/\/

What's yours?

I Miss Being A Little Boy

Ah... To be young again...



Kids have all the fun...

Japanese Spider-Man

Peter Parker's got nothing on this Japanese Spider-man!

Change Leopardon???

It's way back in the 70's and this Supaida-Man already has his own Transformer! Eat your heart out Shia LaBeouf!

I bet he could have even give Bruce Wayne a run for his money, but unfortunately he lost big in the Japanese stock market crash and has had to resort to this to make ends meet now...

Transformers 2

Ok, I just got back from watching the surprise (NOT!) blockbuster of this summer - Transformers 2, and before I continue with this post, I need to go take a cold shower... Why? This is why...

I'd wreck my bike just so The Fox can fix it...

..........

Wha---? Ok.... Able to focus again....

Man, if the reports of how Korean star Rain rejected her is true, the guy has got to be the gayest person on the face of the Earth!

Anyway, back to the movie. I must admit I wasn't really into the first Transformers, though most people were piling praise on it. I thought there was just way too much human and too little robots. If I wanted to watch Army folk and Shia LaBeouf jabber away, I'd go watch Indiana Jones 4 instead. And what was with that scene where the Autobots were trying to hide from Sam's family by going hide-and-seek all over the house? I mean, this is Optimus Prime we are talking about here! I wanted to see him and the other big robot kick major steel butt, and there just wasn't enough of that going on (except for that cool Optimus fight scene where he shows Bonecrusher who's boss).

Well, there's a whole lot more robot butt-whooping in the sequel! And a lot less human, or at least the scenes with the humans now were more tolerable, especially the ones with Agent Simmons (John Turturro). I think there's just the right balance now as most time is spent expanding on Sam's (Shia LaBeouf) and Mikaela's (Megan Fox) characters, with just serviceable screen time for the supporting cast.

Now back to the robot butt-whooping. There was this one scene in the movie where Optimus took on a team of Decepticons in the forest trying to protect Sam. This scene really reminded me of the 1987 animated movie's classic scene, using Stan Bush's The Touch as the background.

Man, that movie was the bomb... I still think it's a classic up until today. I remember my friends and I were just so shocked that the animated movie killed off Optimus that we were just numb.

Whoops! Perhaps some people didn't know that Optimus was killed off in the cartoon series back in 1987 to clear off some shelf-space for Hasbro to introduce new toy models... My bad, but don't worry... He was resurrected later, after the the producers got swamped with fan mail from people who protested killing off Prime.

Ok, so spoiler alert! I'm about to go into some rants about Transformers 2 next, so if you haven't watched it yet, come back after you have.....

OK... Ready? Good!

I really do like Transformers 2. Much more than I do the first movie as I think I'm getting more of what I paid for this time around. However, I do have a couple of gripes...

Firstly, what's with all the toilet humor? I mean, do we really need to look at Devastator's balls? This is even lower (pun not intended...) than when Bumblebee peed on Agent Simmons in the first movie. Wonder if Devastator's balls will be included in the new toy line. Gotta keep it real right?

Is that all you've got? I thought you were made of sterner stuff!

Second, last and biggest gripe of the movie - What an anti-climatic final fight scene between Optimus, Megatron and The Fallen!!! How long did it last? 5 minutes? After all the hype about how only a Prime can defeat The Fallen, it ends way, waaaaay too quickly. Ok, Prime might be jacked up on Jetfire's spare parts, but Megatron and The Fallen could have piled on some pain first before getting their asses handed to them. Really a let down after all the high-octane action throughout the movie.

Well, all in all, Transformers 2 was a good watch. And listen too! If there is ever a movie that proves that THX rocks in cinemas, it's Transformers 2! BOOM BOOM POW!

Go watch it if you haven't already. Or if it's still full at your favourite cinema, wait a couple more days until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is released. Should easily be able to get tickets then.

Save a Buck, Bang by Bike

Now, here's an interesting way of fighting the recession...

Berlin brothel offers discounts for cyclists

BERLIN (Reuters) – A Berlin brothel has come up with a novel way to negate the impact of the global economic crisis and target a new group of customers at the same time -- offering a discount to patrons who arrive on bicycles.

"The recession has hit our industry hard," said Thomas Goetz, owner of the "Maison d'envie" brothel.

"Obviously we hope that the discount will attract more people," he added. "It's good for business, it's good for the environment -- and it's good for the girls."

Customers who arrive on bicycle or who can prove they took public transportation get a 5-euro (4 pounds) discount from the usual 70-euro ($100) fee for 45 minute sessions, Goetz told Reuters. He said the environmentally friendly offer was working.

"We have around 3-5 new customers coming in daily to take advantage of the discount," he said, adding the green rebate has helped alleviate traffic and parking congestion in the neighbourhood.

Germany is one of the few countries in the world where prostitution is legal. It has about 400,000 prostitutes who, since 2002, have been allowed to enter formal labour contracts.

Not only are these lovely ladies helping to stimulate consumer spending (among other things), but they are also doing their bit to help ease Berlin's traffic AND also saving the environment by reducing the carbon footprint!

Bless their hearts...

(Article taken from Yahoo News)

1st encounter with snatch thieves

Today I had my first encounter with snatch thieves. At was about 3pm and I just finished lunch and was buying something from a road side stall in SS2 and suddenly I felt a tug on the gold chain that I wear around my neck.

I initially thought it a friend who had spotted me and was just fooling around. But when I turned around, there were these 2 people speeding off on a motorcycle. People around me there was a male and female and they were either Indonesian or Malay.

I was just shocked and the only thing I could do was curse and swear at them as they sped off.

I looked down and found that my chain had gotten caught to my shirt and so those 2 scumbags didn't get away with anything as well. The people around me were nice enough to ask if I was ok and thankfully I was. I only had some red marks at the back of my nice where the thieves tried to grab my chain.

Marks of a thief

It's just appalling how snatch thefts have become so rampant around Malaysia. They are so daring that they are brave enough to try their stunts in broad daylight along a crowded street, with total disregard to who they are stealing from, whether it is a man, woman or the elderly. Heck, I'm even surprised they tried to snatch something from me, considering that I'm a fairly big-sized guy. I guess these people are just desperate and willing to do anything now for a quick buck.

Snatch thieves are the bane of Malaysian society. Simple as that. They are the cause of so many injuries and even deaths here in Malaysia that any member of society should be allowed to go postal on their ass if they are caught in the act.

I'm just thankful that my encounter was not a major one and I didn't lose anything or get hurt. Perhaps I shouldn't wear my chain out anymore eh?

Even Obama likes some eye candy...

Hmmm... Looks like someone is gonna be sleeping on the presidential sofa when he gets back to the White House...

Baby Got Barack!

Looks like President Obama's an Ass Man and human after all! =)

I'd comment about French President Nicolas Sarkozy too, but he's French and expected to look at the booty.

(Picture taken from TMZ)

Cool Michael Jackson Tribute in Sweden!

Very cool MJ-themed flash mob!

Done in 3 places across Stockholm on July 8, 2009 - Kudos to all involved!

Goodbye Michael...

Though Michael Jackson's memorial was filled with great and moving performances by the likes of Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and Usher, it was the speeches that to me were the most powerful moments as it gave us a glimpse at Michael, not just as the greatest entertainer of our generation, but also as...

A Man

A Friend

A Father

Good bye Michael.
You will be remembered.

U2 and Madonna start the Michael Jackson concert tribute ball rolling!

Without a doubt, MJ tributes are going to be featured in most shows during this summer concert season. And two of the music's biggest names have kick it all off!

First U2 gets the ball going with having a bit of "Man In the Mirror" and "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" at the end of their concert in Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium as part of their 360 Tour.

And then Madonna does this bit on 4th July 2009 at the O2 stadium, which MJ was supposed to have run his 50+ This Is It! shows. Complete with an MJ impersonator dancing and moonwalking to "Don't Stop".

Man, I love that song, especially the "mama say mama sa" bit... Classic!

Let's see who else jumps on the MJ tribute bandwagon now...

My Road to American Idol 2009 Part 5: Finale Performances - Show Time! - Day 1

Ok! Here's Part 2 of what happened on the American Idol Finale Performance Day!

Let's pick up where I left off in my last post, which is when I took my seat inside the Nokia Theater just before the show.

A lot of people wonder what happens during the commercial breaks on Idol. Does Ryan Seacrest continue to work the crowd? Does the crowd get entertained by performances? Well... Neither actually... But it definitely was not dead silence as well...

Before the show starts and during intermissions, the Idol stage is manned by the American Idol warm-up guy Corey Almeida. You can see a little bit of what he does in the video below.



Before the show, Corey pumps up the crowd accompanied by a remixed version of Lady Gaga's Poker Face. He first gets a guy onto the stage and gets him to follow him do some moves. The ones that get the crowd going everytime is the butt shimmey and cowboy move. He then gets a couple of girls to flank him and do more dancing. And, of course, there has to be the mandatory shaking of some jelly by some well-chosen good-looking volunteers from the crowd before they are released back into the crowd.

Corey then basically lays down the laws of the land, which is basically to go ga-ga whenever the stage manager Debbie Williams counts down to indicate when Idol is live again. Stand, scream, shout, wave hands, anything goes. EXCEPT for the people in front of the judges table! Reason? Because if they do, they will block Ryan's view of the teleprompter and if that happens, show's over and it's their fault. =)

Corey then invites the judges to their seats one-by-one to the roar of the crowd. Paula and obviously Simon gets the biggest props from the crowd.

The crowd is then instructed to stay quiet until Ryan starts off the show with "This... is American Idol!". Debbie then begins the count down and AWAY WE GO!!!

The giant screens show the opening video segment and then pans to Ryan who says his trademark catchphrase "This... IS AMERICAN IDOL!!". And the crowd goes crackers and lights all flare up. What a rush!

The show then kicks off with the usual introduction of the judges by Ryan and then finalists - Kris and Adam. Cue screams and cheers. Everyone is informed that Adam will perform first and Kris won the coin toss and chose to go second.

Commercial break! Corey takes the stage again and chats up the crowd while going around giving Kris or Adam T-Shirts. He does this during every commercial break and keeps the vibe going.

Back to the show and the finalists were going to kick off with a song choice from the season. Adam takes the stage to perform Mad World again, this time with long black trench coat and lots of mist on stage.

All the smoke reminds me of the entrance for the Undertaker in the WWE

I thought the performance rocked, but Simon thought it was a bit over theatrical. But isn't that Adam's style in the first place? Anyways... The judge's comments were all a bit hard to hear due to the crowd cheering and also because they didn't amp up the judges mics as much as they do the people on stage. Wonder why...

Ok, next up Kris with Ain't No Sunshine!

I was seated waaaaay at the back to the right of the Idol sign. See me waving???

What a performance it was! Definitely rocked the house and was much better than when he did it the first time. Simon was right on the money this time when he said that the first round went to Kris. Fantastic!

Next up was Simon Fuller's song choices. He chose a couple of classics in the form of A Change is Gonna Come for Adam and What's Going On for Kris.

Kradam!

I think he was trying to put a message out regarding the state of the world today with these song choices. Nice intention, but I think it might have been lost to many as it was too subtle.

I think this round was pretty much a tie because both Kris and Adam really did well in their respective takes on the songs. Adam showcased his incredible vocals on the Sam Cooke classic, while Kris did a fantastic folk-pop jam of the Marvin Gaye anthem. I didn't think the latter's rendition was too light for the competition at all as it was exactly the kind of music that we expect from Kris and he delivered it superbly.

Now, the third round was just a mess... The finalists both sang this year's coronation song No Boundaries written by the New-Judge-On-The-Block Kara DioGuardi.

"Can't you tell from our faces that it was as painful for us to sing this song as it was for you hearing it?"

The song is just horrible! Kris and Adam did what they could with the song but even Adam couldn't save it with his polished vocals, and Kris was totally massacred as the song was too high for him (which Kara also admitted fault to during her critique).

The judges rightly decided to save comment on the song itself and comment on the finalists instead. What do you think though? Have a listen to both songs in the following blogpost that I did earlier and have your say: No Boundaries Face-Off!

And that ends performance night!

After the camera's stop rolling, the crew brought Adam and Kris out again to do the 'rotating pan' shot that was shown at the beginning of the results show the next day. Here's a pic that I took while they were doing the shoot.

Can you see the tiny-weeny Idols on stage?

After we got out of the theater, we saw a big crowd at a nearby tent that was set up outside the theater, so we decided to be busy body and check it out. And good thing that we did! It was the TV station interview area where the Idols would come and give their TV interviews and also meet the fans! So we stuck around and got to meet and greet some of the Idols!

As this post is getting too long, I'll blog about meeting some of the Idols in my next post!

The big grins were as bright as the neon lights. Yes, we were having the time of our lifes!

What Michael Jackson's comeback concert might have been like...

A video of Michael Jackson's rehearsal for his "This Is It!" tour in London has hit the Internet!

In the video, MJ can be seen rocking out to "They Don't Really Care About Us" from the HIStory album. Some bits of it reminded me of when he performed the song in Adelaide in 1996, the interlude and salute bit in particular.

MJ looks in good spirits throughout the song and looked like it would have rocked the house. Such a pity, the closest fans will ever get to this is now over the Internet and the live DVD of MJ's rehearsals that concert organizers, AEG, is planning on releasing.

I'm of two minds about this DVD, as it seems like just an attempt by AEG to milk money out of MJ's death. But then again, I'm sure many of MJ's fans would like to see the King of Pop's last performance even if it was only a recording of a rehearsal. We'll just have to wait and see...

Chris Daughtry reveals his Poker Face

Damn, when you are good, you are just GOOD!

Chris Daughtry was at a Germany radio station when they wanted him to perform a cover for them live. So he chose a song that no one would have thought he would do. Have a listen!

I even like his acoustic version of Poker Face better than the stripped down piano driven version by Lady GaGa herself, which she performed a bit at Idol last season.

In the words of Randy Jackson, "DAWG, THAT WAS HOT!!!".

Joe Jackson - Model Father... NOT!

I am sure that everyone has heard how the 2009 BET Awards was revamped at the last minute to become a tribute to Michael Jackson. And how truly fitting that it was done, as everyone who was there that night, from host Jamie Foxx to Beyonce to even, I dare say, LeBron James, would not be there if it wasn't for MJ. Everyone there was celebrating MJ's life and mourning his death.

All except MJ's own father, Joseph (Joe) Jackson.

"Great! I can now milk this for publicity!"

While the rest of the world mourns the passing of a legend, Joe Jackson turns up at the BET Awards unexpectedly and uses it as a platform to plug his own upcoming project!

Watch his red carpet interview by CNN...

The guy was totally dazed and confused when the interviewer asked him questions and even SMILED FOR THE CAMERA (!!!) when the PR person came up to read his statement on how he and the Jackson family are holding up!

At 2:52 into the video, he actually took the opportunity to bring up his business partner to plug his new record label! He just brushes off the interviewer's questions about funeral plans and the state and well-being of Katherine Jackson, Janet and the other siblings to make his "real good statement" about his new hip-hop record company.

C'MON Mr Jackson!!! Have you no shame?! Michael is not even buried yet and you are already using his death as a vehicle to peddle your next project!

If I was any self-respecting music artiste with any respect for MJ, I would boycott Ranch Records and see it flop!

You can tell even the interviewer was struggling to find something else to talk about.

I have no doubt that all the reports of the abuse that Michael and his brothers endured from their father during their childhood is totally true. Who can blame Michael for turning out like the man-child that he was when he was constantly physically, emotionally and verbally abused as a child by this cold heartless patriarch of the Jackson clan.

No wonder Michael left Joe out of his will.

So much for "handling his memory and legacy with dignity"! Hrmph!

WTF!


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