FEATURE STORY 5

American Idol Syndrome
(Written on 15 April 2004)

So, what’s the most talked about TV show now? Some might say CSI. Some others might suggest Friends. Or maybe it’s Gerak Khas? Well, I am not sure anymore but I guessed the show that everybody seemed to be watching now is American Idol. Even my 4-year old is willing to sacrifice his Cartoon Network for this and Explorace, too.

When we mention American Idol, I couldn’t help but to fall back on Akademi Fantasia the first season. I remembered when my cousins were all into the show starting from week one and I was left in awe, what is it with the show that they liked it so much? It must be quite interesting then especially when they gave up Coffee Bean, Starbucks or even the movies on each Saturday night just to be home to watch the weekly concert. Then, my turn came. I started becoming addicted to the show. I was truly mesmerised by Burn before he was voted out. Afterwards, it shifted to Vince and I could recall the fact that I used up RM198 on the final concert night simply because I desperately wanted Vince to get the Champion title. Something to laugh about? Yeah, I should think so.

Now, it’s American Idol. Almost everyone at work talks about William Hung. Hung this, Hung that, here Hung, there Hung. Again, I was left to marvel alone. Who the heck is this William Hung guy? Is he a new singer? They were associating him with the song “She Bangs” and so I said to myself that maybe he’s just as sexy, hot and good looking as Ricky Martin.

One night, while I was browsing through the TV channels from RTM 1 to RTM 2 to TV3 and to NTV7, there was nothing interesting to settle with. Next, I pressed number 6 on my remote control, and there it was – an ad where clips of contestants were shown on this singing contest. There was this plain looking Chinese guy who was shaking his way through a song that sounded like “She Bangs.” After that the TV said, don’t forget every Friday at 9.45 pm on 8TV and the results at 3 pm every Saturday – American Idol. Ah ha! This is it! Yes! I found it. The TV show that Malaysians are watching now.

Honestly speaking, in my truest opinion, the best part of the show is the segment on the judges’ comments. I really love Simon Cowell. I think he is truthful. He is honest. He doesn’t lie. He says what he thinks is right for the sake of a singing career. And I believe that is the
best practise and exposure a star could ever get because once they become a star, there are more than just Simon Cowell they have to face out there. So many challenges. So many obstacles. Infinite barriers.

And yesterday, I saw the ad on Malaysian Idol coming to town. You might think it’s great but I beg to differ. There are already a few in the market – Akademi Fantasia, Bintang RTM, Who Will Win and etc. What happened to the winners anyway? As it is, only Siti became popular and rich. She is the only one worth mentioning. Next, is Vince. He just released his debut album. Do you think he’ll sell like Siti did? Even Enrique Iglesias couldn’t sell his concert tickets in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and also Manila. What would make Vince different, then? What about the others? Where have they gone to?

Many of our young, new singers became recording artistes not because they’re rightly talented but most of them are chasing the glitters and glimmers of show business. Which I think is not permanent. Neither does it warrant a better living. A huge number of them didn’t even complete high school with commendable results or maybe didn’t finish high school at all! Some of them just disappeared after one album. Is this the kind of future generation we’re creating for our beloved country?

Don’t compare us with the US. It’s undoubtedly beyond comparison. In the states, one can definitely make a living with singing. Not just that. One can make a living with dancing, acting, playing musical instruments, sports – in short, one can make money by doing just about anything! And mind you, some even get filthy rich because of that. But is that possible here in Malaysia? Maybe not now. Maybe in 30 years time. Or maybe not ever. Do you dream of your child becoming the next Malaysian Idol? Will you allow him to be in showbiz one day? Does it make you proud if he is on every magazine cover in Malaysia? Tell me about it.

The more I watch American Idol, the more I couldn’t imagine how it is going to be like in Malaysia. It is so much fun running through the audition tapes over and over again. It is funny when we see how people in the states would do whatever it takes just to get to the audition stage. Now, the show is almost reaching its finale. There were 12 finalists at the beginning, all of whom, none of the 12 finalists of AF was anywhere near their standards. As it goes by, one will be voted out each week. It’s only left with 8 finalists now, excluding the pretty Leah La Belle, the macho Matthew Rogers, the funky Amy Adams and the sexy Camile Velasco. Who will be going home next? We’ll wait and see.

In the meantime, let’s ponder over the coming Malaysian Idol and see whether another Siti Nurhaliza will be created. Or maybe another Kelly Clarkson or Gareth Gates or even Guy Sebastian. Hopefully, one day, Malaysians will be able to make a great living out of a singing career, who knows?