Dark Days for 'American Idol' (Fast Forward)

AJ Tabaldo need not prove his worth in American Idol. Despite being booted out of the competition, eventhough he gained good reviews from the Idol judges and several critics, Tabaldo is a sure winner in everybody's heart. AMERICAN IDOL WEBSITE PHOTO

NEW YORK - If there’s anything that has spurned debates in American entertainment news today it is the consistency of America’s selection as to who will be the next “American Idol.” What triggered the issue was the day Filipino-American AJ Tabaldo and Nicholas Pedro were booted out of the competition. The American tabloids and magazines kept the on-going issue on Anna Nicole Smith aside, even though Larry Birkhead has poured out another revelation in a one-on-one interview, to debate on the recent “American Idol” results. Even though the controversy hounding “Idol” contestant Antonella Barba, due to her well-publicized racy photos and retention to the competition two weeks ago despite her failure to deliver a good performance has not faded off, the “Idol” competition’s competence as a talent search is being questioned. I am left to discuss this point here mainly because “American Idol” has been a “standard talent search” that has spurned other talent contests in some countries, including the Philippines. But, of course, the Philippines has been rich in singing competitions before “Idol” surfaced. I am also proud of saying that we have better singers, not only because we had been winning various singing competitions abroad, but because Filipinos have a discriminating taste in music. We reject singers who are trying hard and cannot carry a tune no matter how they try. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. However, “American Idol” has become a world-wide phenomenon that most teenagers and young adults would troop to audition grounds to achieve that “to-die-for” American dream.

Let us be assured that Bothell, Washington’s bet, 25-year-old Blake Lewis will stay until the end because he is multi-talented and 22-year-old Chris Richardson, of Chesapeake, Virginia, will hold on because of his Justin Timberlake appeal. On the other hand, when Tabaldo, was booted out and Americans have chosen to retain 17-year-old Sanjaya Malakar, of Federal Way, Washington, a question was left hanging, considering that Malakar has held on until the final 12 selection, if Americans still have talents in selecting their next “Idol” winner. The 22-year-old Tabaldo, of California, in fact has won the praises of judges, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and the ever controversial, Simon Cowell. But this did not earn America’s approval. Malakar was also shocked of the result, more shocked than the audience. But before that revelation, Pedro, who quit the “Idol” competition last year because of pressure, was voted off. This is not to say that Malakar has no talent but “American Idol” is a singing competition. This is what the judges have reiterated. Who is to blame for choosing the Top 12 finalists? Certainly not the judges as they only serve as critics. However, bloggers have posted an imposing question, “Who’s to blame for choosing the contestants?”


Almost everybody was sneering at Cowell for making “nasty” remarks on Jennifer Hudson in Season 3 but Cowell snapped back that it was America who voted off the future Oscar winner from the competition. Oops, the voting public got stung. My American friends were asking me if there were more Indians in America than Filipinos. I don’t know the answer, of course, but I told them that there were a lot of Indian nationals in Bacolod. But that it not the point, the color of the contestants’ skins are not the issue here.

After Jasmine Trias’s triumph in Season 3, though she ended up in third place, Tabaldo could have been on the top spot if he were only given the chance. However, Tabaldo is in the better spot of other “Idol” contestants, such as Camile Velasco in Season 3 and Jose ‘Sway’ Penala in Season 5, who have shown the world what real talent is. Aside from Lewis and Richardson, the two contestants whom I foresee who will make it to the end are 29-year-old Melinda Doolittle, of Brentwood, Tennessee and 19-year-old Savanna, Georgia bet Stephanie Edwards.