Post by uptowndragon on Apr 26, 2006 16:30:12 GMT 7
A DAY AT THE AUDITIONS
By the time I arrived at Level 6 of Berjaya Times Square where the auditions were taking place, there were already 200 plus hopefuls seated in 3 columns while waiting in line. Registrations hadn't started as yet, and the crew could be seen handing out entry forms to the arriving contestants.
I decided to talk to a couple of guys who were taking a break from the line. One of them was Joshua Ambrose, a 30 year old operations manager from Old Klang Road, who was there as early as 5.45am. He was accompanied by his buddy Adrian. Not being a professional singer Joshua wasn't sure about his chances but was going to give it his best shot. According to his buddy, Joshua has been singing his whole life, and horned his skills in the church choir.
Also waiting in line outside, were the cutest couple in Section 1 High?according to their friends. I certainly have to agree with that, as I spoke to both Freddie (Md Farid) & Aween (Nor Mazuina), who hail from Wangsa Maju and were both just 18.
(Freddie & Aween)
There were also some familiar faces in the lines, with some, doing their level best to conceal their identities, Mr Muscleman was back and so was the guy with the yellow shorts who was well disguised behind dark glasses. But no sign of Michael Jackson, Britney Boy or Ping Pong, though. Perhaps, they have decided it was one audition too many and they have already had their 15 minutes of fame. Well, there's still another 4 more days to go. So you will never know.
The most familiar face of all there, was that of Atilia Sarani, top 12 finalist of MI2, which indeed, was a pleasant and welcome surprise. (Read more about that in the ATILIA IS BACK thread)
It was close to 11.00am by the time, the doors to the waiting hall opened for entry. Before being allowed in. the producers prepped the contestants for their cameras. After some obligatory screams, cheers and form waving, they were ushered in 3 groups of ten into the hall to the computerized counters for registration.
Inside the waiting hall, counters had been set up by the sponsors, related radio stations & 8TV. Among them were TMNet, Western Digital, HotFM, FlyFM and 8TV itself. TMNet gave out fans to all the contestants, while One In A Million & 8TV merchandise were available for sale, with T-shirts going at only RM 19.00.
As the hall started to fill up, I spoke to a few more contestants, among which were 2 very attractive ladies, who were also close friends. Having been denied a chance to participate in the previous idol shows due to age restrictions, both 31 year olds Sheela Ann Li Su Mei & Jessy Koh, were quite pleased to be given a chance at fame and fortune. Confident of their abilities and with encouragement from their friends, they were both there with serious intentions. Can't tell you how well they sing but they certainly looked like stars.
(Sheela & Jessy)
Sitting quietly in one corner, with her pals, was 16 year old Hidayah, who had already pre-qualified during a road show carnival in Seremban. Sources told me that she surprised everyone when she belted out her own R&B composition "Someday" when they were expecting her to sing a Siti Nurhaliza number, as she is a big fan of the singer, at the carnival. Wonders never cease.
(Hidayah)
Also in the hall was Vincent Lee, a 32 year old marketing manager from Microsoft, with opera singer looks. This Negeri Sembilan lad was a top 7 finalist in Juara 90an RTM?in 1992, when he was just 17. He was also a finalist in NTV7's Boys have You Got It? Chatting with him was 24 year old event executive, Sofian, the former lead vocalist for a now defunct indie band called "Lost Boys in The Photograph" who were college Battle of the Bands top 12 finalists.
(Vincent)
(Sofian)
There were plenty of contestants who came with their guitars, including electric ones. The most noticeable one was a blue folk guitar. Most of the guitar wielding guys looked like rockers, but, there was a very demure Pinkies' looking girl with one, too. I was wondering whether anyone was going to play the keyboard that was provided for the auditions.
I was on the look out for some professional singers, the likes of Jaclyn Victor, but it seemed like they were not going to turn up, until I met stunning Ozie of Take 5. This 31 year old lass, who is a friend of Jac, has been singing for 13 years, and was the monthly winner and the yearly finalist in Asia Bagus when she was just 18. The eventual winner that year was Kris Dayanti. Looking glamorous with her blondish locks and stylish togs, she seems set to make it through. She was accompanied by her lead guitarist Izat, who was a little too mature to compete in this competition, and will be vying for a place in a veteran idol program.
(Ozie)
Pre judging hadn't started by lunch time, but the contestants were still in great spirits as Marion & Awal, the hosts of the show, were there to boost their moral. Earlier the team from FlyFM entertained them with some light banter, contests, and gifts. They also managed to get some of the attendees to sing for everyone. One heavy set guy did his rendition of Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You". Although, not in the same league as Jaclyn Victor, the crowd who were happy for the boredom releasing entertainment gave him a rousing cheer. Of course waiting did take its toll on some, as they looked visibly drained. But many managed to keep their spirits up by making new friends and rehearsing together. Many were seen rehearsing with the accompaniment of their mobile phones, which were playing back minus-one music. Even our very own Priest (of Jacsville) & Kuaciman (of Farahnatics) were there prepping themselves. In fact Priest was there soaking in the atmosphere and warming up, 3 days in advance, as he was only planning to audition on Saturday.
(Keegan)
(Priest)
(Kuaciman)
Paul Moss & Syafinaz were introduced to the waiting flock just after lunch. They gave the contestants a lot of advice and fielded questions from the floor, just before the pre judging started. The re-energised contestants, were slowly escorted one level up to the pre judging area in tens. Pre-judging weeded out the best from the lot, and many sad & dejected faces could be seen leaving the prejudging area. Many sprinted straight into the nearby lifts and vanished immediately while some still lingered on with tears in their eyes and looks of disbelief. Of course, a few "interesting" ones would have qualified for the actual judging due to their TV value, which of course, is to be expected. Otherwise we will never see the funny bits which we love so much on TV.
(Paul, Dragon & Syafinaz)
The qualifiers were then ushered to the actual judging area where they were expected to face the mercy of the very strict judges. By the time the first qualifiers arrived here it was almost 4.30pm. And the first casualty came immediately.
At 6.00pm, I was allowed to enter the actual judging studio, with Marina from BH & a media rep from TV3, to witness first hand, the actual judging process and the live taping. We were huddled in a tight corner, as we watched Syafinaz & Paul hack down the weaker ones to size. Both judges were definitely not in a compromising mood and were quite happy to end many a journeys, granted that the talents have to be really great to have a chance to win such a big prize. We spent about 40 minutes in there before the judges decided to take a break, and end our short preview. During that period not a single contestant made it through.
www.rentaksejuta.com/1mkl-web/1mkl-38.jpg
(Peter Lum & Sis, Marina of BH & Michael Voon)
www.rentaksejuta.com/1mkl-web/1mkl-39.jpg (Izham & Dragon)
(Michael Simon)
(Sunil)
(Marion & Dragon)
(Awal & Dragon)
While waiting outside for the judging to resume I had a chance to speak to Sunil the producer, Michael the director, Izham who is CEO of 8TV and of course our Paul, about the show and such. I also met and spoke to the Peter Lum, the fashion stylist & image consultant, who had many interesting things to say. And of course, Michael Xavier Voon, the performance coach, who hung around with me most of the day, and gave me a lot of insights.
Just before I decided to call it a day, I noticed Joshua Ambrose, the very first contestant I spoke to, being ushered into the judging room. So I decided to stay and see whether he makes it. This was close to 7.30pm and the poor guy, who resembled a gladiator, still had a big smile on his face as he charged in to battle the lions. You didn't have to guess what the outcome was when he came out with a grin bigger than a Cheshire cat. Well done bro. After the 14 hour ordeal the results couldn't have been sweeter.
Later, we found out from him that he had to sing two songs to convince the judges. The first was "Walking On Memphis" followed by "Earth Angel". Apparently Paul liked his singing but didn't like his simple attire.
(Joshua)
As both of my legs where already throbbing, it was definitely time to head home. All in all it was an amazing experience. Thank you 8TV, especially to Nnn (pronounced Ann) & Azwar, of course Sunil & Izham, for making this happen.
(Azwar)
By the time I left, I think there were at least 200 people still waiting in the hall downstairs, and believe the auditions on the 1st day may only end in the early hours of the morning. All in all I guess there must have been about 400 plus people who tried out on the first day. I will have the exact figures shortly. As I was making my way out, I met Kuaciman who said he had managed to get through pre judging.
By the time I arrived at Level 6 of Berjaya Times Square where the auditions were taking place, there were already 200 plus hopefuls seated in 3 columns while waiting in line. Registrations hadn't started as yet, and the crew could be seen handing out entry forms to the arriving contestants.
I decided to talk to a couple of guys who were taking a break from the line. One of them was Joshua Ambrose, a 30 year old operations manager from Old Klang Road, who was there as early as 5.45am. He was accompanied by his buddy Adrian. Not being a professional singer Joshua wasn't sure about his chances but was going to give it his best shot. According to his buddy, Joshua has been singing his whole life, and horned his skills in the church choir.
Also waiting in line outside, were the cutest couple in Section 1 High?according to their friends. I certainly have to agree with that, as I spoke to both Freddie (Md Farid) & Aween (Nor Mazuina), who hail from Wangsa Maju and were both just 18.
(Freddie & Aween)
There were also some familiar faces in the lines, with some, doing their level best to conceal their identities, Mr Muscleman was back and so was the guy with the yellow shorts who was well disguised behind dark glasses. But no sign of Michael Jackson, Britney Boy or Ping Pong, though. Perhaps, they have decided it was one audition too many and they have already had their 15 minutes of fame. Well, there's still another 4 more days to go. So you will never know.
The most familiar face of all there, was that of Atilia Sarani, top 12 finalist of MI2, which indeed, was a pleasant and welcome surprise. (Read more about that in the ATILIA IS BACK thread)
It was close to 11.00am by the time, the doors to the waiting hall opened for entry. Before being allowed in. the producers prepped the contestants for their cameras. After some obligatory screams, cheers and form waving, they were ushered in 3 groups of ten into the hall to the computerized counters for registration.
Inside the waiting hall, counters had been set up by the sponsors, related radio stations & 8TV. Among them were TMNet, Western Digital, HotFM, FlyFM and 8TV itself. TMNet gave out fans to all the contestants, while One In A Million & 8TV merchandise were available for sale, with T-shirts going at only RM 19.00.
As the hall started to fill up, I spoke to a few more contestants, among which were 2 very attractive ladies, who were also close friends. Having been denied a chance to participate in the previous idol shows due to age restrictions, both 31 year olds Sheela Ann Li Su Mei & Jessy Koh, were quite pleased to be given a chance at fame and fortune. Confident of their abilities and with encouragement from their friends, they were both there with serious intentions. Can't tell you how well they sing but they certainly looked like stars.
(Sheela & Jessy)
Sitting quietly in one corner, with her pals, was 16 year old Hidayah, who had already pre-qualified during a road show carnival in Seremban. Sources told me that she surprised everyone when she belted out her own R&B composition "Someday" when they were expecting her to sing a Siti Nurhaliza number, as she is a big fan of the singer, at the carnival. Wonders never cease.
(Hidayah)
Also in the hall was Vincent Lee, a 32 year old marketing manager from Microsoft, with opera singer looks. This Negeri Sembilan lad was a top 7 finalist in Juara 90an RTM?in 1992, when he was just 17. He was also a finalist in NTV7's Boys have You Got It? Chatting with him was 24 year old event executive, Sofian, the former lead vocalist for a now defunct indie band called "Lost Boys in The Photograph" who were college Battle of the Bands top 12 finalists.
(Vincent)
(Sofian)
There were plenty of contestants who came with their guitars, including electric ones. The most noticeable one was a blue folk guitar. Most of the guitar wielding guys looked like rockers, but, there was a very demure Pinkies' looking girl with one, too. I was wondering whether anyone was going to play the keyboard that was provided for the auditions.
I was on the look out for some professional singers, the likes of Jaclyn Victor, but it seemed like they were not going to turn up, until I met stunning Ozie of Take 5. This 31 year old lass, who is a friend of Jac, has been singing for 13 years, and was the monthly winner and the yearly finalist in Asia Bagus when she was just 18. The eventual winner that year was Kris Dayanti. Looking glamorous with her blondish locks and stylish togs, she seems set to make it through. She was accompanied by her lead guitarist Izat, who was a little too mature to compete in this competition, and will be vying for a place in a veteran idol program.
(Ozie)
Pre judging hadn't started by lunch time, but the contestants were still in great spirits as Marion & Awal, the hosts of the show, were there to boost their moral. Earlier the team from FlyFM entertained them with some light banter, contests, and gifts. They also managed to get some of the attendees to sing for everyone. One heavy set guy did his rendition of Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You". Although, not in the same league as Jaclyn Victor, the crowd who were happy for the boredom releasing entertainment gave him a rousing cheer. Of course waiting did take its toll on some, as they looked visibly drained. But many managed to keep their spirits up by making new friends and rehearsing together. Many were seen rehearsing with the accompaniment of their mobile phones, which were playing back minus-one music. Even our very own Priest (of Jacsville) & Kuaciman (of Farahnatics) were there prepping themselves. In fact Priest was there soaking in the atmosphere and warming up, 3 days in advance, as he was only planning to audition on Saturday.
(Keegan)
(Priest)
(Kuaciman)
Paul Moss & Syafinaz were introduced to the waiting flock just after lunch. They gave the contestants a lot of advice and fielded questions from the floor, just before the pre judging started. The re-energised contestants, were slowly escorted one level up to the pre judging area in tens. Pre-judging weeded out the best from the lot, and many sad & dejected faces could be seen leaving the prejudging area. Many sprinted straight into the nearby lifts and vanished immediately while some still lingered on with tears in their eyes and looks of disbelief. Of course, a few "interesting" ones would have qualified for the actual judging due to their TV value, which of course, is to be expected. Otherwise we will never see the funny bits which we love so much on TV.
(Paul, Dragon & Syafinaz)
The qualifiers were then ushered to the actual judging area where they were expected to face the mercy of the very strict judges. By the time the first qualifiers arrived here it was almost 4.30pm. And the first casualty came immediately.
At 6.00pm, I was allowed to enter the actual judging studio, with Marina from BH & a media rep from TV3, to witness first hand, the actual judging process and the live taping. We were huddled in a tight corner, as we watched Syafinaz & Paul hack down the weaker ones to size. Both judges were definitely not in a compromising mood and were quite happy to end many a journeys, granted that the talents have to be really great to have a chance to win such a big prize. We spent about 40 minutes in there before the judges decided to take a break, and end our short preview. During that period not a single contestant made it through.
www.rentaksejuta.com/1mkl-web/1mkl-38.jpg
(Peter Lum & Sis, Marina of BH & Michael Voon)
www.rentaksejuta.com/1mkl-web/1mkl-39.jpg (Izham & Dragon)
(Michael Simon)
(Sunil)
(Marion & Dragon)
(Awal & Dragon)
While waiting outside for the judging to resume I had a chance to speak to Sunil the producer, Michael the director, Izham who is CEO of 8TV and of course our Paul, about the show and such. I also met and spoke to the Peter Lum, the fashion stylist & image consultant, who had many interesting things to say. And of course, Michael Xavier Voon, the performance coach, who hung around with me most of the day, and gave me a lot of insights.
Just before I decided to call it a day, I noticed Joshua Ambrose, the very first contestant I spoke to, being ushered into the judging room. So I decided to stay and see whether he makes it. This was close to 7.30pm and the poor guy, who resembled a gladiator, still had a big smile on his face as he charged in to battle the lions. You didn't have to guess what the outcome was when he came out with a grin bigger than a Cheshire cat. Well done bro. After the 14 hour ordeal the results couldn't have been sweeter.
Later, we found out from him that he had to sing two songs to convince the judges. The first was "Walking On Memphis" followed by "Earth Angel". Apparently Paul liked his singing but didn't like his simple attire.
(Joshua)
As both of my legs where already throbbing, it was definitely time to head home. All in all it was an amazing experience. Thank you 8TV, especially to Nnn (pronounced Ann) & Azwar, of course Sunil & Izham, for making this happen.
(Azwar)
By the time I left, I think there were at least 200 people still waiting in the hall downstairs, and believe the auditions on the 1st day may only end in the early hours of the morning. All in all I guess there must have been about 400 plus people who tried out on the first day. I will have the exact figures shortly. As I was making my way out, I met Kuaciman who said he had managed to get through pre judging.