Paul's Mossy brain...

I'm 29 now and I got a BAD cold. Memorable birthday this year...simply memorable.

Look out! One In A Million is a...replacement of Malaysian Idol, different name, same show. While it doesn't say anyway in its ads, website, etc that it's a pop singing competition, it is.

Ok, here's the story in short: I went (with Nicole), sang for the judges, we didn't make the cut; I made a bunch friends, irritated Paul and humoured myself.

Paul Moss was a bully to many, Syafinaz has been, talking very little. He was on a roll in giving nonconstructive and unrelated remarks to some people, I trust Nicole will blog about her moment with him SOON. He asked me how do I plan to market a million ringgit album if what's on it it's Opera singing, so they turned away blues singers, jazz singers, theatre voices and other intelligent material -- to make room for yet another, pop superstar in the making.

Consolation is that I think one of the four who made it in the end (from the KIV list) has a lot of soul in her and she will fly, and shine. So maybe there's hope yet, in this (YET ANOTHER) pop singing competition...something safe for the mass public.

No where on its website does it say that this is a singing competition for pop singers, they have no room for people over 30 (then why did they set the age limit to 16-32?) and they are not accepting styles that maybe too foreign for our simple-minded TV viewers.

I went back yesterday for `second' audition because I got on the KIV list (btw KIV is short for Keep in View -- which I thought the whole world knew what it meant but now I know not everyone knows what is KIV because in two days I have about 3 persons asking me what KIV meant). I made the list because judges wanted me to go back with a proper pop song. After thinking long and hard I said, Fuck it, I will stay true to what I like...I picked His Eye Is On The Sparrow.

After I got out from the results announcement, Adam (who made it and btw, he is this tall, handsome, Il Divo-ish lad who sang a mean You Raise Me Up) consoled me and said I should have tried on a Celine Dion number. I suppose it's going to take more than one million ringgit to get me to grow a fancy for mainstream pop music.

With that said, I'm happy I took the chance at the competition and meet all those good, shiny happy singing people...

People I met from the KIV list include...

Zeqhty the master of giggle from PGL

Sue who sang as Mei Li in Flower Drum Song (with Peter Ong!!!!!!!!!!) in Operafest Choir when she was 8 -- a leading lady at 8!!!!!!! Sue can play a mean guitar and she is a song writer who sings, better than Jewel

Izham from Young KL Singers who was in all the YKLS concerts I been to and the two concerts I sang with!!!!!!!!!

Hot soul mama Ann who blew me off with her Ain't Nobody -- it's really their loss for not having her in the line up

Handsome Adam, can sing too!!

Nazim
Nazmi
Yana (yay -- the KL Christina Aquilela)
Shue, hot from East Malaysia
....

Mus who babysat us from 4pm till 10pm, I give my hat off to the man whose job was to create suspense in reading results to all the hopefuls.

"...now guys, the only person who made it to the level is no....1, 1, 3....0---------4. The rest of you, sorry, no hard feelings, try again next year."

"11296, 12045, ...448, 056, please step forward, only one of you will go to the next level, and the person iiiisss.....issss, sorry guys, I have to do this, it's my job to read the results like this ok? ok, the person issssss........"

Nicole and I would like that job.

At interview after we got results, I told the camera that I got bungkus (out) and it's ok because I'm too talented for this stage, don't know where that came from but I like the sound of that. Yes, to all the talented bunch (you know who you are) who didn't make Paul's list, we failed him in either

age -- welcome to an industry that celebrates youth, and slight the matured souls (like those who are 32, or 29)

looks & package -- this reconfirms that the marketeer feeds the market with lookers, I hope we find talent too

substance -- it's not what they want, they want something safe, easy to sell, easy to digest...sounds like local theatre audience too

So guys, though we didn't make the cut as one of the potentials to instant fame (read Shannon Shah's interview in April's Off The Edge), I hope we all continue the uphill climb to show business, the old fashion way, the hard way, the real way.

And for those who made it and you know you are GOOD, yay, will be watching you all on TV!!! --- time to get a TV la.

And I pray that Malaysians grow some substance in the next few months so that may the best talent wins, not best popularity. Malu la when your winner can't sing.

Think about it voters, vote for substance and talent, we have enough already posers in our show business -- the real thing please.