Xanax

Mmm... where do I start on Akademi Fantasia tonight?

Went for the show with low expectations, but kept a clear mind on without bias of the ridiculous runnings of programming (soal Diari time Maghrib, soal pecahan Konsert ke dua bahagian ke Konsert dan Debaran), as well as some other reservations I had (like Brands being the main sponsor instead of Hotlink - which is crap).

Thought maybe the kids could prove me wrong.

Especially since production janji musim ni takde yang tone deaf, everyone has individuality that will shine out etc.

So erased any harapan I had, and pretended I was going for a show that I never ever watched in my life (and not one where I have dedicated seven years following).

And so... where do I start.

Masuk je, greeted by the stage. Aku took some time to ponder over what I thought about it.

For some reason, kalao korang umur 30 ke atas, maybe korang penah nampak something like this. It looks like some retro-futuristic set. You know like watching the 70s version of Star Trek and having a console panel with blinking lights and believing those doodads worked.

It wasn't horrifyingly scary. In fact, I have to say in a way, this was better than Planetarium Negara yang menjadi set tahun lepas. You know.. with the hanging ions and stuff.

Tapi kan... I don't know. It just looked kind of gimmicky and cheap. Not to mention the circular stage and seating positions are very Idol derived - again, I don't want to see any references o Idol, especially memandangkan Akademi Fantasia skang banyak 'pinjam' idea daripada siri Idol and aku rasa Akademi Fantasia patut mempunyai imej sendiri, seperti tika mulanya dulu in 2003.

It looked very Xanadu inspired (it was a musical film in 1980 with Olivia Newton John having a it with the theme song, thank you - for those yang tatau their music). Watch below for the video.

The lights... the feel... I don't know. This is like a jazzed up, reworked version of Xanadu 1980 in 2010.

Either that or rupa cam hiasan lampu taman tema memana, with those light towers looking a lot like the Solaris Shot (tatau la nama skang.. kowser nak gi Genting)

So anyway the show... erm.. what did I think of it?

Jimmy was a nervous wreck, which I understand. And he didn't do as bad as I thought, though it was painfully obvious dia terlalu tertekan sampai aku tengok Sarimah pon tertekan nak berlumba sebab Jimmy seolah baca skrip tanpa intonasi atau perasaan.

Sarimah did well under the conditions... but even she found it hard to make the show any better.

Thans to the kids.

Erm.. daripada rupa, aku da kata awal-awal. Takde sorang pon yang ada aura star langsung.

Harus faham ye.. semua orang mampu nyanyi. Dan kebanyakan mampu nyanyi dengan baik. Tapi untuk menjadi seorang penyanyi in all essence of the word - it's not something you learn. A performer, an artiste, a singer - whether recording or live - is born, not made.

You just have to find that diamond, that's lurking under the facade of a diamond, and work your way into uncovering the beauty of it.

These kids?

Ada tiga orang je kalao ikutkan show malam tadi yang ada potential to be marketable (tak kisah la kalao ada peminat karat skang ke pas ni nak kata apa). Hakikatnya in this business, kalao da takleh jual, ko tolak camna pon, paling kuat you can make it, is to be a one off hit.

You can rely on gimmicks or outer presentation, but that will only get you so far if you don't have the substance.

And most of these kids nan hado bila perform. Kebanyakan mereka tahap penyanyi karaoke yang bersepah kat Red Box, Green Box dan Warong Pak Su kat Bentong, ok!

Even the best vocal work, choreography onstage and the best outfits (which you'll never see on the Akademi Fantasia stage), won't help them become stars in all essence of the word. Flash in the pan wit a shelf life of six months perhaps.

Am I being too harsh? Perhaps....

You see, Akademi Fantasia da lapan tahun. Evolution is inescapable. Tapi kan, perubahan itu bukan dari segi kosmetik saja. Yang perlu memang seleksi pelajar yang betul. Ramai bakat kat luar tu yang mempunyai that natural talent to be deserving to be onstage.

Instead, semalam, I saw a lot of wannabes and posuers yang cuba nak tiru gaya artis jerk.

Aku nak review performance semalam cam kejam lak kan... sebab bebudak ni kira not even first concert. So takyah la nak uar berus jamban ke apa nak bagi rating.

Kira aku bagi peluang one concert to see what they're made of. But untuk aku setakat ini, hanya tiga orang saja yang nampak kemampuan dari dalam diri mereka untuk be stars. Potential ada.

Pilihan aku? Farina dari Bintulu, Sarawak. Ema dari Ranau, Sabah. Dan Ain dari Sandakan, Sabah. Bebudak pompuan lain? Erm... not even a hope nak jadik the next tier one superstar. They just don't have it inside them. The three girls aku rasa yang stand out in competition have a lot of work to do to improve themselves, but I see something inside them that tells me they will make it big.

The boys? Shah? Too many handicaps stand in his way, and his gift is not enough. That's the harsh reality. He doesn't have a package - and missing an outstanding voice or personality to offset it all walaopon kira ok antara bebudak lelaki yang lain yang haus (Haus macam Daus tuh - azab! Mintak mintak minggu pertama bebetul Bye Bye Bye)

Iwan? Nice tone, tapi takde range langsung. Aku da agak masuk je chorus mesti da start shaky. By the bridge, tajuk albumnya nan hado. Shahir yang paling ada pakej antara bebudak laki - but seriously nampak wannabe sangat.

Kalao musim-musim sebelom ni we've seen these type of contestants... doesn't the production want to break the mold?

Every musim, kita nampak.. bebudak camni... masuk.. memang stakat program ada la peminat, tapi realitinya lepas enam bulan - HAUS!

I'm sure the kids are all nice and all... and it's nothing personal. But I think production shouldn't have given them false hope in selecting them to make them think they had a hope in chance to make it in the real business.

Most of them will go the way of Adam and Dafi. You tell me if that's genuinely a good thing.

I prefer artistes yang leh tahan apa saja yang mai - ups and downs. Think quality acts like Ning, Ziana, Siti... Anuar... you know what I mean.

And generasi skang, dengan stok cam Yuna, Najwa, Aizat, Bunkface, Lan and the Typewriter and so many more new talents yang AMAZING and non conventional from the traditional manufactured molds - peserta camnih.. erm.. entahlah...

Like I said. Nothing is concrete right now. I may change my mind. One more concert and another song before I can see clearer.

But stakat ni da at least enam tujuh yang aku memang bajet nan hado da.

But in case any of you still want to know what I thought of the show by the kids... I will say it in pictures. Korang pepandai la decipher these pictures to get an image of what I felt when I saw them performing.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... so here's your lengthy entry.

Jangan salah tafsir ek... but sesapa leh teka maksud aku sebalik these pics tahniah. Some are pretty straightforward.. some are more complex and some ada double meaning. And orang cam Alif tuh aku bagi dua pic... heh!

Now that we're done with that.. dah.. malas nak ulas panjang agik pasal Tirai Akademi Fantasia! Letih!

Pada kengkawan yang seberang laut ke takde Astro, korang layan la sendiri. Your opinions may differ from mine - tapi kalao tak suka apa cakap sini, senang je... jangan baca ek!

Apapon just hit play and all 14 parts of the Tirai will play. Thanks Crystle!

Ok.. so else do I have to share on this Sunday morning. Owh... ada benda ni. Masa nak gi stadium aku perasan this signboard.

Ladies and gentleman - this is what happens when you cut back on advertising costs and get a very bad copywriter. Hasilnya - English marvellous!

Yes, I think people would desire me as a baby, thank you. Sapa yang tak paham salah ayat di atas ni 'Are You Desired For A Baby' - no komen. Very the salah translation ok!

And one more pic to share. Baru kuar kat Twitter from Umie Aida. She just tweeted about a minute or two ago.

TAHNIAH!!! Dah selamat menikah di Tanah Suci. Syukur. Congratulations gal! Looking forward meeting up with you bila balik kang. Hugs.

Ah... now for a lazy Sunday. Rasa cam nak usha keta baru ari ni... da sampai masa.

PS - Thanks everyone for tweeting with me live masa konsert. Tak sakit ati sangat layan ngan borak ngan korang. Heh... sapa tak add, cepat ek. My ID is klubbkiddkl or hit the Twitter link above!