What a lackluster show tonight. With the theme, "tribute to great artists that have passed away", the Top 9 took the PAGCOR Grand Theater stage for their fourth performance night. It makes me cringe at the thought that it's already Week 4, and most of the performances were still blah. What makes me cringe more is that some of the more talented acts have gone home already. And those who mostly rely on personality are still in the competition. This is a singing competition, right? Why are the good singers going home? This show needs to get a grip so the P4 million worth of prizes would not go to waste.
Anyway, here are the rankings of last night's performances:
WTF?! That was my main reaction for this night. The bottom two was so wrong. Eliminating A.K.A. JAM was more wrong. I mean, is the voting public insane? Kedebon is still in, really? Hell.
Anyway, the results show started with the Top 10 paying tribute to Ms. Pilita Corrales because it was her birthday. The finalists were joined by the first Pinoy Dream Academy Grand Star Dreamer, Yeng Constantino and the first Pilipinas Got Talent winner, Jovit Baldivino. I don't know what the first song was but they belted out "I Saw Her Standing There" second. It was blah, of course.
Afterwards, the voting lines were closed. The revelation of the safe acts then followed. The saved acts were: Takeoff, KZ Tandingan, Modesto Taran, Jeric Medina, Gabriel Maturan, Joan Da, Kedebon Colim,and Allen Sta. Maria.
I was dumbfounded to see Daddy's Home and A.K.A. JAM in the bottom. What was that, Philippines? These two groups are among the best in this competition. I was wowed by their Final Showdown performances. Daddy's Home sang "Maging Sino Ka Man" and it was amazing and flawless. I didn't know what A.K.A. JAM sang, but according to Wikipedia, it was "Officially Missing You". Again, another solid performance. I did not expect a deadlock though because I think A.K.A. JAM is more marketable. But surprise, I was wrong, Gary V., their mentor forced a deadlock. In the end, A.K.A. JAM's 4.42% of votes was not enough to beat Daddy's Home 5.53%.
It was a sad and awful night. I thought these girls could make it to the end. It seems that we are not voting for talent here. This show is starting to become so disappointing
My post is a little late today for we don't have a mouse, not the pest one, the computer hardware one. Anyway, the X Factor Philippines was back in the PAGCOR Grand Theater for its third week of the live shows. The theme for the week was "Rock". At first, I was like "Yay, for the theme! But some of the song choices made me WTH? That's not even rock. But some of my favorites really did deliver, so I slightly didn't care. Hahaha. The judges were critical tonight, to my surprise. But the production, once again, or maybe forever will disappoint me.
It was very hard to rank the contestants this week because it seems that they were all at the same boat, giving so-so performances. But anyway, this is what I come up with.
10. Kedebon Colim - "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins
Well, what do you expect? Once again, he went back to his antics which irritate me. His voice, of course, was not up to par with the competition. His dancing was awkward. The beginning of the song was all over the place. Surprisingly, the judges were smoking crack again, saying they loved it. I was like, really? Really, now?
9. Allen Sta. Maria - "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks
She was so good last week that her performance last night was doubly disappointing. She failed to hit all the high notes. It was an unfamiliar song, that people may not recognize, thus, hindering the votes. But I don't know, maybe she has a big enough fanbase, so she might be saved.
8. Gabriel Maturan - "Breakeven" by The Script
I love The Script big time! I love Gabriel's voice. But not this performance. It was awkward, somewhat lacking, and he seemed unsure. His falsetto was beautiful though. I fear that he might land in the bottom two and ultimately go home as per the trend in this competition where the best voices go home first.
7. Modesto Taran - "To Love Somebody" by Bee Gees
He's hanging in there. Compared to his last week's performance, this was a letdown. It was an ok performance that can probably sail him through to the next round with ease. His voice is definitely one of the best. And how sweet it was when his wife and son came up to stage. Fishing some pity votes? I won't mind though.
6. Joan Da - "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morisette
Haley Reinhart killed this on American Idol and no one can compare to that. While she did well, I just don't see her taking it all. But the judges drool over her. I find her showmanship lacking but since Day 1, I loved her voice. I hope she stays for next week because another bottom two appearance can send her home.
5. Jeric Medina - "Lips of an Angel" by Hinder
His song choice was probably one of the true rock songs tonight. I absolutely love his voice, and Gary was right when he said that his singing was more in tune now. The long note he held was beautiful and made up for his trainwreck long note last week. While I don't like Charice, she was right when she said that Jeric needs more because I think he can offer more variety.
4. Takeoff - "Makita Kang Muli" by Sugarfree
This song is probably one of my all-time favorites. And I am a sucker for contestants who sing Filipino songs in a Philippine-based singing contest. After murdering Larger Than Life last week, this was a great comeback. I hope they get the votes this week.
3. A.K.A. JAM - "Survivor" by Destiny's Child
They are dethroned this week by two acts that were more amazing. But once again, these ladies are contenders for the title. It was another solid and superb performance.
2. Daddy's Home - "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
Now that was rock! Their harmony is always the best. And who would have thought that they could reach those notes. Amazing, truly wonderful performance from them.
1. KZ Tandingan - "In The End" by Linkin Park
Her performance was what I was waiting for the whole night. I've been wanting to see them re-interpret rock songs, not arrange non-rock songs. Hands down, it was the best of the night! And this performance further solidified her frontrunner status. Martin was truly on point, saying that if this was the finals, KZ would be the champion.
Predicted Bottom Two:
Gabriel Maturan
Joan Da
Predicted Eliminated Act:
Joan Da
It's particularly tricky this week. While I may be way off, if Joan lands in the bottom two, she needs to go. But I do wish that Kedebon goes home. Philippines, please make my wish come true.
X Factor is live again tonight for its second round of eliminations. Only ten acts will continue on in the hopes of becoming the first X Factor Grand Winner, taking home P4 million worth of prizes.
The show began with the Top 11 paying tribute to one of OPM's greatest bands of all time, Eraserheads. They sang a medley of "Overdrive" and "Pare Ko". I really am not liking their group performances so far. It seems too pedestrian. But again, who am I to say. They did ok, though.
The voting lines were quickly closed just before the first commercial break. Results were announced afterwards. The first six acts to be called were: Joan Da, KZ Tandingan, Kedebon Colim, Jeric Medina, Daddy's Home, and Modesto Taran. After another break, Allen Sta. Maria, Gabriel Maturan, and A.K.A. JAM were sent to safety as well, leaving Mark Mabasa from the Over 25s and Takeoff from the Groups in the bottom two.
Color me shocked! I named Mark and Takeoff as the bottom two in my rankings. But I thought they have enough fans to back them up so I predicted Joan and Daddy's Home to land in the bottom. I never knew I could be in agreement with the voting public until tonight.
In the final showdown, Mark sang "There's No Easy Way" by James Ingram. He did well, although I think he overkilled the song. Takeoff took on Secondhand Serenade's "Fall For You" and I think they sounded great when they weren't moving too much.
Come voting time, Pilita and Gary backed their own acts, of course. Martin chose to eliminate the boy group, while Charice, unable to make a decision quickly chose to send Mark home forcing a Deadlock. Percentages of votes were revealed and Takeoff with 3.90% against Mark's 3.72% of votes prevailed.
While I am not a big fan of Mark, I definitely think he went home too early. If judging on last night's performances alone, Takeoff should have gone home. If only Charice was able to do her duties, which is to judge, and not keep repeatedly saying "I can't decide", Mark could have been saved.
Anyway, goodbye Mark. I hope you do well in the future.
The X Factor Philippines was back in the PAGCOR Grand Theater for their second round of performances last Saturday. The theme for the week was songs with "life" or "buhay" in the title. I kind of find it lame as a theme. However, it gave a couple of good performances. Last week's bottom acts in my rankings quite surprised me tonight while others disappointed. I'm still annoyed by how crappy the spotlighting is compared to international versions. Haha. And the judges, as always, only have positive remarks. I think they should give constructive criticisms or cite areas to improve on, otherwise, these contestants would be stagnant, giving sub-par performances week after week.
11. Takeoff - "Larger Than Life" by the Backstreet Boys
They did so well last time that I set high expectations for them. Unfortunately, they disappointed this week. While most of the judges were amazed, I was not. The end note was a fail and I think they were focusing more in the dancing rather than sounding good. But still, I don't think they are going anywhere because there seem to have many fans.
10. Mark Mabasa - "Got to Get You Into My Life" by The Beatles
Once again, I don't know what the judges were smoking because they find his performance great. It was not bad per se, I just didn't quite connect with him this week. Last week, I believed he killed it with that Seal song, but this week, he was killed by the Beatles' song. He's not, however, going to be near the bottom, I think.
9. Daddy's Home - "The Best Things in Life are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janette Jackson
First of all, it sucks for me to put them this low. But they really disappointed me this week. For one, I could not understand what they were singing in the beginning. I had to Google the song they sang. Despite their good individual voices, I missed the harmonizing with this performance and I felt that they were out of their element. Maybe Gary wanted to show the people that they are a versatile group.
8. Joan Da - "Gusto Ko Lamang sa Buhay" by Itchyworms
Sporting a new hairdo with bangs, Joan opened the show this week. Once again, I love love love her voice. However, I find her performance awkward and forgettable. At the end of the night, if not for the recap, I wouldn't have remembered what she did. But I do think, it's really nice for her to break out of her comfort zone and rocked out tonight. Taking into consideration last week's results, I think she could be in danger again.
7. Gabriel Maturan - "One Day in Your Life" by Michael Jackson
I was surprised to know that he has been to Denmark and won a competition there. He must be really, really good. His crooner voice is really fit for a subdued performance like he did. I do think it was a good performance. Charice even noted that he was probably one of the only few who can give justice to the song. Personally, it was too mellow for my liking.
6. Jeric Medina - "The Time of my Life" by David Cook
Perfect song choice for him. I love his voice and he is my favorite in the Boys' category. It was all going smoothly until he cracked in the end. Charice said he was really consistent and I agree. He has not been bad but not been very good either. I am still waiting for that wow moment for him that I know he can give. His performance tonight can easily sail him through the next round.
5. Kedebon Colim - "I Live My Life for You" by Fire House
I know! Even I, hate myself for ranking him this high. But he deserves it. He's ok when he is serious rather than when he is frantic and creating a mess out of himself. He does not have the best voice in the competition but his performance last night was better than the two boys in his category. If he continues to sing like that, I think he can go far. But I don't think he is the most deserving to stay. I am still bitter that he stayed over Jerrianne with his crappy performance last week.
4. KZ Tandingan - "For Once in my Life" by Stevie Wonder
The fan favorite delivers this week! I do think the song was perfect for her and we saw what we were missing last week. It was sassy, vocally good, and entertaining. While I really adore her, I think she over-embellishes songs sometimes. She's definitely in for the long haul but she needs to give better performances because this night, she was outshone by the other girl in their category.
3. Modesto Taran - "Habang May Buhay" by Wency Cornejo
He surprised me this week. I think the song was perfect because it showcased his big, beautiful voice. His lower register was to die for and when he went up, it was flawless. My sister commented that he sounded like Mr. Basil Valdez in his performance and she was right. He was really in his element and I love him a lot when he sings ballads. It definitely was worthy of a standing ovation.
2. Allen Sta. Maria - "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence
After last week's lackluster performance, I was ready to write her off. But lo and behold, she amazed me this week. It was powerful and her swag was full-on. She definitely was a star last night and she could really take it from early fan favorites as long as she keeps performing like that.
1. A.K.A. JAM - "This is My Life" by Shirley Bassey
Once again, the girl group took the number 1 spot this week. They managed to turn out a performance completely in contrast to what they shown last week. Their performance showcased each member's beautiful voice. And it was really sweet when they belted out together. Standouts for me were Monique, Katrina, and Jhelsea.
Predicted Bottom Two:
Joan Da
Daddy's Home
Predicted Eliminated Act:
Joan Da
Though I think both should not be in the bottom two, I just don't see Takeoff or Mark Mabasa being there. I will be surprised if Joan gets saved again if she will land in the bottom for the second week in a row.
The first results night of the X Factor Philippines aired live last night at the PAGCOR Grand Theater wherein one of the Top 12 acts unfortunately bid goodbye to the competition.
The show started with all the twelve acts singing the viral Carly Rae Jepsen song, "Call Me Maybe" together with Sam Milby.
It was then followed by a birthday tribute to Mr. Gary Valenciano from his children, Paolo and Kiana. Also joining the performance were two acts who auditioned for the show, the Westrack Boys and Mang Rodrigo. They sang the hits of Mr. Pure Energy: "Sana Maulit Muli", "Di Bale na Lang", and "H
KC Concepcion then announced the ten acts with the highest number of votes. They were the following: A.K.A. JAM, Mark Mabasa, Gabriel Maturan, Daddy's Home, Jeric Medina, Modesto Taran, Allen Sta. Maria, KZ Tandingan, Takeoff, and Kedebon Colim.
That left Joan Da from the Over 25s category and Jerrianne Templo from the Girls' category to battle it out in the Final Showdown. Joan performed "Chasing Pavements" by Adele while Jerrianne belted out "At Last" by Etta James.
When it was time for the judges to vote who to eliminate, only Charice voted to eliminate Joan while the rest, unfortunately, sent Jerrianne home.
I mean, come on! The fact that Kedebon is still there puzzles me. I just don't think the voting public know what they were doing. Both Joan and Jerrianne were way, way more talented than him. I can accept Mang Modesto was staying, but Kedebon? Why, Philippines, why?
The Top 12 took the stage Saturday night for the first live show of the X Factor Philippines. The theme of the night was "Song from the Movies". Overall, I thought the night was good but far from great. The mentors did a good job in song selections (although I am always hating on Charice). The stage was disappointing. I was missing the spotlights from the UK and US versions. KC Concepcion looked gorgeous, but seems robotic at times. The judges were all so nice, it was annoying. Hahaha.
Anyway, the following is my ranking of the performances last night.
12. Kedebon Colim - "First Day High" by Kamikazee (First Day High)
While I admire his energy and enthusiasm, I find his singing lacking. Of the boys, he is the weakest, in my opinion. He was visibly tired from all the jumping and looked lost in the choreography. As much as I want him off the show, I think the voters like him because of his antics.
11. Modesto Taran - "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry (Back to the Future)
I want him to succeed but I think he suffered from a wrong song choice. He holds his microphone a little far from his mouth, therefore, I can't hear him most of the time. I know that Ms. Pilita wanted to prove that he can hang with the young ones, and, yes, he probably can. But he was really awkward to watch when he's out of his element.
10. Allen Sta. Maria - "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne (Eragon)
I don't think it was bad. But I think it was forgettable. She has a very distinct voice and as the judges say, she has swag for days. However, I think the song restrained her and did not fully showcase what she's all about.
9. Joan Da - "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5 (Cheaper by the Dozen 2)
My sister probably won't agree that I put her this low in the ranking. But as much as I love her voice, her performance was blah. I was hoping for a moment for her. However, I do think she'll still be around for next week. And I would be looking forward to what she's going to do next.
8. KZ Tandingan - "The Show" by Lenka (Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging)
Oh, the frontrunner disappoints! While I don't think it was bad, it lacks her signature KZ sass. I loved her every performance since the auditions but this one fell short of my expectations. But I do not worry for her, she'll stick around due to her obviously huge fanbase. Heck, she may be in the finals. I'm looking forward to her better performances.
7. Jeric Medina - "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers (Ghost)
If his throat was fine, I think he was going to rank higher in this list. He was a bit off in some parts, but who am I to say. It helps that he looks the best among the boys so he'll hang around for more weeks. I do hope he gets better.
6. Gabriel Maturan - "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I)
I almost didn't recognize what he was singing until the chorus. However, I enjoyed his performance. It somehow sounded like it was his own song. The different feel of the arrangement was great. It pains me a bit to rank him higher than my Boys' Category favorite, Jeric. But I do think he did better than Jeric vocally.
5. Jerrianne Templo - "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack (Play Misty for Me)
Some may disagree that she was this high in my list but I think it was one of the best performances that night. Her vocal control and the emotions she showed through the song was amazing. I hope she stays long in the competition and win it, maybe.
4. Takeoff - "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley (Jailhouse Rock)
The groups did really brought it last night. Maybe because their mentor was great. While I don't particularly like Takeoff (I prefer Sweet Bliss), I find their performance energetic and entertaining. Since the Philippines lacks relevant boy groups who sing and dance, I think they have a great chance to take it all.
3. Mark Mabasa - "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal (Batman Forever)
Like Takeoff, I am not in the Mark Mabasa bandwagon yet. However, I must say, he did well last night. The thing is, I love the original version of this song so much that it pales in comparison. But when he held that long note and did all his drama with the rose petals, I was amazed. It was really a good performance.
2. Daddy's Home - "Till My Heartaches End" by Ella Mae Saison (Till My Heartaches End)
Daddy's Home is one of my favorites in the Top 12, so no wonder why they are in the Top 2. What I always find amazing in their performances is the way they harmonize. It's always so beautiful. Their solo parts were all done amazingly. I wish to see them longer in the competition. Hopefully, they have the fanbase to back them up.
1. A.K.A. JAM - "Got to be Real" by Cherry Lynn (The Pink Panther)
A-MA-ZING! Their voices, the way they dance, the whole production was totally the best of the night. If someone only saw them the first time, they will not believe that they were only recently formed. They were totally in sync with one another. Although I love Monique and Jhelsea the most, and maybe Auriette and Katrina too. Hell, I love them all.
Predicted Bottom Two:
Kedebon Colim
Modesto Taran
Predicted Eliminated Act:
Kedebon Colim
Not that he can't sing, but his performance compared with the rest is underwhelming and he relied mostly on his personality instead of his talent.