Baru sampai Putrajaya nih... cam tak happening lak sebab kurang orang. Dewan about two thirds je terisi, unlike semifinal yang sampai melimpah kuar jumlah orang yang menghadiri. Erm... takkan takde Mawi, ramai yang tak sanggup datang sokong bakat senegara. Hish... tapi nak wat camna lak.
Anyway, Dollah Cantik briefing pelbagai before si Sarimah muncul onstage.
Erm...tak minat Dominic tuh... tapi ada yang suka. Prefer kalao Sairmah with someone else, but whatever la.
Opening tetap Citrawarna Malaysia, showing the world we're colour blind.
And then it's one with the show.
Kjwan - One Look (Philippines)
I love them! Memang dari performance meka hari tuh kat Planet Hollywood aku da suka. They musicianship is awesome! Tight! Rarely I have seen bands that have the level of skill they have and yet, don't appear so contrived. Meka ni memang besh abih
And proven by their past record, and their performance, Kjwan is leading the pack for the winners of the group category.
I only hope, OAG will go all out dan buktikan meka ni bukan calang calang.
Verdict : They're the favourites all right for the Ikon group.
Judika - Malaikat (Indonesia)
Erm...tak minat dia sangat but I have to admit he did quite well. While I think he's still hardly on par to be in competition with Jac, he foes have a good set of windpipes on him. Tapi pelik sikit sora dia, memula kepit ayu, then rock jantan lak. Heh... not bad, but I would have preferred kalao Mike Prabawa yang tewaskan Judika masa Idol bertanding.
Verdict : Not good enough to beat Jac, but a good fight.
Tahta - Dasar Pengecut (Indonesia)
Why do they remind me of New Boyz? Erm.. bosan sikit ler. Pretty boy rock doesn't work for me, but I suppose some people liked it.
Have to admit musically they were quite ok, but it was standard pop fare jer, not even close to what Kjwan did.
Definitely out of the champions race as predicted if they keep this standard up. No freat shakes.
Verdict - Tight pants and platform boots like worn by the lead is so wrong!
Jaclyn Victor - Kau Laksana Bulan, Tunggu Sekejap & Getaran Jiwa (medley),(Malaysia)
What else can you say about Jac, Dia sorang je berani nak wat medley tribut to the late and great Tan Dri P. Ramlee tuk competition. Picking such understated songs to maximise through no other reason but using her superb vocals.
I kept my eye on Hety Koes Endang, and aku leh kata she was blown away.
Inilah Jac...
Verdict : Winner!!!! Pariotism aside, they should just give her the trophy and cash.
OAG - Nowhy2 (Malaysia)
Awmigawd!!! I thought Radhi was going to remain calm, and he did for most of the song to maintain his vocals, tapi sampai bab break tuh yang dia naik psycho pusing pusing tuh, I thought he was freaking out and losing it.
But pas dia drop, leh teruskan lagik aku da...haiyoo...on your feet heathens! Rcok stars in the house!
Tahta is out for sure, and OAG has just climed a point higher to pit themselves against Kjwan.
By the way, time si Radi terjun tergolek tuh, kalao ada yang terkejut... aku pun sama. Masa tu kan dia pakai sunglasses kan? Pastu cabut. Guess what I found near my seat...
Heh...amik ko. Yang pentingnya, mula mula aku ingat spek dari rehearsal ke haper, tapi bebudak kata Radhi ada campak ke audience. Matilah...ni dia hasil keganasan jiwa rock Radhi!
Verdict : Bye bye Tahta.
Vina Morales - All That I Want (Philippines(
Eh...kenapa Sharifah Zarina pakai baju diperbuat dari tisu? Erm... heh. Tak tahan aku tengok imeh dia sebijik tuh.
But to be fair, she went all out an pulled out the stops and did quite well. More than I would give her credit for before.
And she did look radiant. Like how OAG closed the gap with Kjwan, Vina came close to Jac. The favourites remain just that though.
Verdict : Indonesian who had 100% SMS sent the wrong people to represent their country.
Judika - Bukan Rayuan Gombal (Indonesia)
Looks like Judika is hard pressed to follow Jac and Vina. But I think he realises it is a little too late now. And it is... good effort but a little too late.
Verdict : Next!
Kjwan - Shal (Philippines)
What the hell happened? They sounded great tapi cam kurang semangat saja. I hope it's not a case of getting too comfortable sebab they don't have that much of a lead after OAG's great performance.
Dunno... it's a tough one and depends on OAG's next performance.
Verdict : Too laid back and wrong for the competition.
Jaclyn Victor - Gemilang (Malaysia)
WOW! Malas nak komen persembahan dia, but I have to say that Hetty Koes Endang's reaction was enough to basically sum up what the other judges thought of it as well.
"Pak Iskandar... bagus kan..!!!". Yeap... Hetty pas Jac abih excited gila ok, aku she was gushing. Iskandar dok terdiam. Only mamat yang Filpina tuh cam tak puas ati je muka. Heh... No komen. Yang penting, kita tunggu dan lihat. Tapi for me, Jac's as good as won!
Verdict : Ladies and gentleman..the winner, rregardless of the jury decision!
Tahta - Tempat Yang Paling Indah & Aku Masih DiSini (medley) (Indonesia)
Bak kata someone with me, "terus boring je masuk band ni". And that was a reflection of what everyone seemed to think of Tahta after the excellent performances of Kjwan and OAG. They were just nowhere on the scale of greatness when it came to band power.
Honestly... just go home. Could we have Samsons, Garasi or Seurieus please.
Verdict : Go home already!
Vina Morales - Feels So Nice (Philippines)
She's smart. She planned her performance well, first going for the classic weepie then a fast number to rock the house. And she did quite well too.
Mesmerising, Vina clawed her way back to the competition with Jac.
It's going to be tough.
Veridct : Judika dan Tahta da balik ke lom?
OAG - Dayang & Beautifool (medley) (Malaysia)
Like Vina caught up with Jac, OAG have caught up with Dayang, and it's turning the tables on the possible favourites.
It's a photo finish all right and it'll be interesting to see who the judges pick though I wouldn't hold my breath for an Indonesian winner.
Verdict : Jac vs Vina and OAG vc Kjwan
So it's over, and like I said, it's right down to the finish line. We'll just have to wait and see. Erm... why the hell did they get Ella? Takde orang lain nak wat show ke. Tak sesuai la. No matter what her status is here at home as rock queen. Hardly something I'd be proud to show off regionally.
Don't know rationale behind the choice, but I think it's a little shabby for her to be the sole guest performer.
Oh well, we always seem to pick 'the best' kan.
Anyways, the results?
Kjwan emerged the winner of the group category, which was no surprise really sebab their musicianship is above par. OAG gave them a good run for their money, but hey... competition kan?
The surprise of the night, for me perhaps, was Vina Morales winning the solo category. While admittedly she did put on a good show, I still think Jac had the edge.
Oh well... I don't blame anyone, after all, each competition has its criteria.
Wish we knew what this one was.
The competition was undetermined from the start.
Contoh... pemilihan final by jury, was already a question mark for a lot of people. Four people picking icons of the region? I admit they're professionals, but in all meaning of the word, someone of iconic stature should be determined by a wider base.
Not that I'm for SMS, as you can see Indonesia which picked its representatives by 100% did not send their best.
Malaysia had 30% SMS votes determining while Philippines had 40%, which meant a different degree of choice involved.
So why not standardised? The question was raised early on.
Then there was the minor argument at the PC. Hetty revealed it was a no no for medleys during a competition, something which contestants were not told. Dan mangsa yang wat medley...ramai. tengok senarai. Erm..kalao takleh bagitau awal awal kan? Kalau tuh bukan apa meka nak tengok...cakap je.
But at the end of the day, aku tak salahkan Hetty or the jury, sebab meka wat tugas based on their scope of judgement they were briefed (if they were briefed)
And the artistes did what they could toput up the best show. Tapi tuh lah pasal. Wat competition tamau lak make it clear.
Judika questioned why they were not told they had a choice beyond their own albums, as he would have picked something more competition based, because Jac did too.
Erm... I don't blame the jury or the artistes, but maybe, the organisers should have ironed out more of the conflicting understanding of the event's rules and regulations early on and not let it affect the final.
Lain kali, make the criteria clear of what it takes to be an 'Ikon', apart from being branded something with bad spelling.
Oh whatever...
Anyway... kudos to those who entertained me in Jac, OAG, Kjwan and Vina.
Congrats to Kjwan especially for more than deserving their title. Nothing against Vina, but I think somehow... while she put up a good fight through her performances, she won more by default than anything else.
Dan walaopon ramai suka lau Pang Ako Sayo tuh, aku rasa ramai buta pada kesilapan dia hanya kerana suka lagu tuh It was a package, dan kerana rupa, lagu yang memang besh dan lain cukup, orang tak beri perhatian sepenuhnya kot kat sora dia.
At the end of the day, we have to wonder... what actually makes an icon. And how Indonesia, one of the region's superpowers can just die out in the competiton because of organisational values. Makes you think kan?
Oh well...
Before I forget, congrats to Sarimah and Dominic for the good job, depite the couple of glitches. Walaopon aku terpaksa korban tempat duduk at one point sebab Sarimah dok seat aku masa nak perkenalkan next performance, takper. Heh!
You guys rocked! More than Ella...ela ela...(merasalah Abu Bakar Elah!)
After the event had a chat with the folks involved, including ibu Hetty and Ramli M.S., who I must commend for the great work with the orchestra. Good one maestro!
Apapon, I suppose it's hard to cater to the masses, as well as maintaining quality... and I suppose in the case of Ikon, is win some, lose some.
Kjwan - rock gods in the making!
Sarimah and Dominic - what a pair!
The maestro and the legend!
Spoke to Kjwan, who is the only good thing to come out of Ikon, awareness of a great band, with OAG who did Malaysian rock proud, and with Jac, who whould have won. Que sera sera...
PS - More pics of Ikon tomorrow selain ga,bar dari persembahan Samsons.
