What's the best voting system?

ONE MAN, one vote.
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It's a long-cherished principle in most democratic elections, and often seen to be the fairest way of crowning a winner in any popular contest.

But what if the one man, one vote system actually gives certain contestants an unfair advantage?

Take the Asian Idol competition held last month. The participating countries were India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore.

India has the biggest population of 1 billion. Singapore has the smallest at 4.5 million.

Assuming most voters in these countries will pick their home idols, surely there's no contest if every person can vote only once.

So, to eliminate the national bias, the organisers came up with the one man, two votes system. Both votes could not be for the same contestant.

When Singapore Idol Hady Mirza emerged as the surprise winner, the theory buzzed among netizens that he won by tactical voting.

That means voting for someone other than your sincere preference, to prevent an undesirable outcome.

So Asian Idol voters might have cast their first vote for their home idol, and the second vote for Hady, who might have been seen as the most unlikely winner as he was from the smallest country.

Dr Terence Chong, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said the one man, two votes system increases the chances of tactical voting.

'Assuming it's compulsory to use two votes and each vote must be for two different candidates, a voter may have one preferred vote and not know what to do with the other vote,' he said.

'Then tactics and psychology may come into play and heighten the chances of freak results. The voter could (cast the second) vote either for the weakest candidate or the second-best.'

Dr Gillian Koh, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said: 'With the second vote, people could choose contestants they really thought were good singers and had star appeal. Maybe that was how Hady won.'

Dr Chong said it's hard to prove tactical voting, unless one asks the voters how they reached their decision.

'Maybe he (Hady) won the most number of second votes because most of the voters were girls who wanted the cute guy to win? There are so many possible reasons.'

But there's no one perfect voting system. As shown by the Asian Idol example, the one man, one vote system also has its flaws.

And detractors of the system has long criticised it for assuming that every man will use his vote wisely.

Also, in political elections where there are more than two parties, there may not be a clear majority. This may lead to coalition governments, which can be weaker and more unstable than majority governments.

source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,153073,00.html

Taylor Hicks talks about Asian Idol' and plans for 2008

Taylor Hicks was at home - almost.

The familiar "Idol" set was behind him, and he was on stage singing "Do I Make You Proud."

But the Birmingham native was nearly 9,000 miles away from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, where he won the "American Idol" title in 2006. This was Jakarta, Indonesia, and the leader of the Soul Patrol was gyrating on stage during "Asian Idol."

"It was definitely an eye-opening experience having been to that part of the world," Hicks said last week, shortly after returning to the U.S. "The set was very similar, but the singers were sure different."

Hicks, 31, had never been to Asia, much less performed there, so he jumped at the chance to perform on "Asian Idol," followed by a concert in Manila.

"I've done two pretty extensive national tours in the past year, so we started looking for some interest overseas," Hicks says. "It was amazing the interest that was there."

Hicks says his reception in Asia was "warm and gracious."

"As soon as I hit Indonesian soil, they knew who I was, and it was a little nerve-wracking at first," he says.

Turns out "Do I Make You Proud," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart just after Hicks won "Idol," made its way around the world.

"`Do I Make You Proud' is a nice-sized hit in Asia," Hicks says. "People know me over there because of that. It's amazing that the song I didn't think was right for me has taken off over there."

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Showbiz > TV 2007: the Hot and the Not

IN the world of local television, the folk at the stations didn’t seem to offer anything groundbreaking in 2007.
Despite a few new channels made available to the Malaysian audience, bringing so many new programmes to choose from — from dramas to comedies, documentaries to talk shows and from local to international programmes, nothing really stood out and captivated the country like, maybe, Akademi Fantasia (AF) did when it first came out.

Incidentally, if there’s anything 2007 would be remembered as, it would be the year without Akademi Fantasia.

In fact, only a handful of reality talent search shows were offered this year, and many weren’t looking for singers.

While stations looked for the ultimate dance partners, comedians and hosts, it seems that 2007 is the year everyone has had too much of reality show singers and needed a break.

The singing talent reality show juggernaut began its slowdown after Aznil Hj Nawawi, the AF host who basically became the face of the show, finally resigned last year after five seasons.

We will miss him dearly when the new AF gets back on air some time next year, and we wonder, would the new host be able to get us all as teary-eyed when a contestant is eliminated every week? Only time will tell.

Anyhow, while we were unable to follow the drama, fights, love stories, struggle and finally, the coronation of an AF winner this year, fortunately, reality TV was still around, albeit in other shapes. Take for example, Sehati Berdansa on Astro Ria (channel 104).

This show took the concept of celebrity and turned it on its head, asking famous faces to do what they’ve never done on national television before, to dance with their spouses to get money for charity.

It has been really enjoyable seeing professionals taking baby steps, and having to start from scratch to get comfortable in an awkward situation. Many tuned in to catch these stars learn the steps to later perform in front of the live audience who may or may not like them.

With the format of SMS votes still determining who will go and who’s left to proceed to the finale, the drama inherent of reality TV is still there, captivating the audience.

Right now, based on SMS votes alone, it seems a safe bet that celebrity couple Vanidah Imran and Rashidi Ishak, both actors, is on route to win the first prize.

But then again, this is reality TV, where the end might not be what you’d expect.

Besides Sehati Berdansa, this year also sees Malaysians go beyond the comfort of home boundaries to represent the country in a number of ‘reality’ shows.

For the first time ever, Asian Idol was staged, and the competition was held in Jakarta and aired over 8TV, pitting the winners of the ‘Idol’ franchise from the different Asian countries against each other.

Our Malaysian Idol Jaclyn Victor sang her heart out, but sadly for her, Hady Mirza from Singapore won the coveted title.

Going off the stage, we also had not one, but four representatives from Malaysia competing in the reality treasure hunt/adventure show, The Amazing Race Asia, now in its season 2 on AXN (Astro channel 701).

Vanessa and Pamela Chong, sisters to singer Vince, as well as the dancing mothers, Ann Tan and Diane Douglas raced against Asia’s finest for US$100,000.

While these racers ended their adventure months ago, for TV audiences around Asia, the show will only reach its finale some time next year. Will Malaysian win again and repeat history like season 1’s Joe Jer Tee and Zabrina Fernandez?

Sorry, the four are tight-lipped when it comes to the results and even we in the media do not know. Besides that, the fraternal twins Asiah and Yusof Mohamad were chosen among thousands of applicants to venture on AXN original production the Ultimate Escape.

Separated shortly after birth to live in two different countries (Singapore and Malaysia, respectively), the twins used the ‘escape’ to bond and make up for lost time at a getaway of luxurious extravagance. But nothing comes free, as we came to expect from reality shows.

The one catch was that their happy holidaymaking could turn harrowing anytime with locationspecific adventure challenges.

While we talk about TV shows with some ‘reality’ format, here’s one achievement that just seemed more like a fiction. This year, a Malaysian was chosen as the first human to break into the anime world on Animax (Astro channel 715).

Our very own Hannah Tan, the petite TV personality and singer, became Animax’s ambassador, the first of its kind.

While AF might be THE reality show to beat, nothing, we think, can beat being the only human being to conquer anime — it’s out of this world.

However, for 2007, the ‘reality show’ that definitely took us all ‘out of this world’ would be Angkasa 1 (Astro Channel 588), a two-week-long channel dedicated to following the adventures of our first astronaut, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha on the space station MIR.

Malaysians got to witness history in the making, as our Angkasawan performed experiments, ate rendang and modeled a batik shirt in space.

So can 2008 top the kind of ‘reality’ we enjoyed this year? Let’s see what AF has in store for 2008 for a start.

source: http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/mm/Weekend/WeekBuzz/20071229134610/Article/index_html

Long road ahead

Breaking into the Malay music market is the way to go, but it will be tough for Asian Idol Hady Mirza to make it big in Malaysia and Indonesia.

NOW that he’s won the Asian Idol crown, Hady Mirza can bask in the glory and celebrate – but he’s got a lot of work waiting for him if he wants to be a regional singing star, say music industry players.

The Singaporean beat five other contestants from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam to win the televised singing contest held last weekend.

Hady Mirza, the newly-crowned Asian Idol.
But the win will not necessarily translate into popularity and album sales.

The pop music world is notoriously overcrowded and fickle, what more with new stars born from reality TV competitions that are a dime a dozen these days.

Hady, 27, has to quickly capitalise on the publicity that the win has brought him throughout the region before the public forgets about him.

Ken Lim, his boss at record label Hype, described the victory as a “big stepping stone” for the singer, who has performed in pubs and at corporate events.

“He has to be ready to compete with the other international acts as well.”

Paul Moss, general manager of Media Prima’s network media portal and one of the Asian Idol judges said: “This kind of popularity does translate into something valuable in the real commercial world.

“Any record company would value the feedback that’s been gained from it. The fact that he’s regionally popular... it’s been proven, so it would seem to be a bit of a no-brainer to at least try and capitalise on the win.”

Lim said that one of the most important things is to work on Hady carving out his identity in the regional market.

But it won’t be easy as he needs to compete with the local recording artistes in each territory he hopes to conquer.

“Hady has to start somewhere, so he has to focus on his target, his strength and how it works for him,” he said.

Lim believes Hady’s rendition of Taufik Batisah’s Berserah (Surrender), a Malay R&B ballad, went a long way in helping him garner votes.

Hence, it would be logical to steer him in that direction.

“He has to start off with a Malay album,” said Lim.

Hady released an eponymous debut album a few months after his Singapore Idol win last year.

The album, which had English songs except for two Malay ones, went platinum, which in Singapore, means it sold more than 16,000 copies.

The Malay music market in Singapore, however, is small compared to its neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Singaporean singer Imran Ajmain noted that the first Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah’s Malay album sold very well in Singapore, so Hady should be able to do the same.

The next most immediate Malay music market for Hady would probably be Malaysia, but it won’t be a cakewalk for him.

Adlin Rosli, editor of Junk, a music magazine based in Malaysia, said that it is generally tough for new artistes – even Malaysians – to break into that market.

“Local Malay acts seem to be battling Indonesian acts. So, for Hady to crack Malaysia’s Malay music market, he’s facing the same challenge as new local artistes,” he said.

Music veterans said, breaking into the Indonesian market will be an even harder task given the proliferation of talent there.

In any case, Hady’s win has certainly helped increase his visibility and fan base. His official website and forum has seen a surge in the number of new fans, from Indonesia, Malaysia and even India.

source: The Straits Times, Singapore/ Asia News Network

Hady steals the show

THE Jakarta Kemayaron Convention was packed with thousands of fans waiting for the results of the first Asian Idol on Sunday night.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a music fan himself, sat amongst the screaming crowd rooting for their own Indonesian Idol, Mike Mohede, to be crowned the first Asian Idol.

As the tension grew, Asian Idol judge Anu Malik from India cautioned the crowd that “upsets always happen” and there was always an unexpected person lurking behind the shadows to walk away with the crown.

So when host Daniel announced “And the winner is... Hady Mirza”, there was a moment of stunned silence before the crowds broke into loud cheers and applause.
Hady, the handsome, charming 27-year-old singer from Singapore, dropped to the floor and covered his face in disbelief. He had been the dark horse in a race featuring singers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and India.

Indonesia’s Mike, Malaysia’s Jaclyn Victor, and the Philippines’ Mau Marcello, three powerful singers, had been tipped as the favourites.

Even Singapore Idol judge, Ken Lim, who was on the Asian Idol panel, had not expected Hady to win. “I am very surprised but I guess it (the winning) was something which worked out very well.”

Hady’s balance in voice and looks stuck out differently from the rest, Lim added.

It was almost midnight by the time a beaming Hady strode into the press conference with a winning smile radiant enough to melt an iceberg.

He started off by thanking “God Almighty” for his win and all his fans who supported him. “I didn’t expect to be the winner. My aim was to be with the other contestants to show the outside world that Asia has talent,” he said. “I am glad to have met five beautiful people and so many others who worked very hard to put up this beautiful show.”

RCTI, the local TV station, produced a first-rate show with classy back-up singers who complemented each singer well, together with an experienced orchestra whose notes flowed seamlessly. The lighting and stage sets were trendy and funky.

The young Indonesian hosts, Daniel and Ata, were a delightful pair, full of fun and confidence. Malaysia’s Soo Kui Jien seemed nervous at the opening but recovered his composure to display his wit when he commented on Jac and Hady’s duet: “Malaysia and Singapore in perfect harmony, something you don’t get to see very often.” The crowd roared appreciatively.

Although Jac’s powerful rendition of Gemilang and the jazzy show-tune For Once In My Life did not win her the title, the competition was a good platform to showcase her amazing voice.

She clearly won the hearts of the judges. Anu Malik told her: “Let me tell you, and I say this as someone who knows his music, who knows the music industry, you are going to be one of the most famous singers the world has ever known to come out of Asia.”

Jac sang with so much passion, she completely forgot herself on stage. Her voice dipped and soared like waves on a sea, hitting the high notes effortlessly and beautifully. It was truly thrilling to hear her, moving even Mike’s supporters to leap to their feet in thunderous applause, reflecting Indonesian’s love and appreciation for music and talent.

Mike did Indonesia proud with his rendition of I Believe I Can Fly. He was all soul with his version of the song and brought a unique sound even though the song has been featured in every Idol performance throughout the world.

Mau Marcello of the Philippines used her big voice to good effect in her rendition of Gloria Estefan’s Reach, but lacked emotion.

Vietnam’s Idol, Phuong Vy, squandered her wonderful, powerful voice on a boring, mid tempo Vietnamese song Luc Moi Yeu that failed to display the full range of her vocal chord. But aged only 20, she has many years ahead to polish her skills. With a beautiful face and gorgeous figure, Phuong is the contestant with the most “commercial value”, said Lim.

Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant is a combination of talent and good looks. He has a smooth, pleasant voice with good control. His uptempo hit song Junoon delighted the crowd.

Malaysian Idol judge Paul Moss believes the Asian Idol quest can make Asian talents known outside the region.

“If it builds on this and gets bigger and bigger, then we can see it as being a serious platform for breaking Asian artist outside of the region,” said Moss.

source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Features/20071220134635/Article/indexF_html

One surprise after another in ‘Asian Idol’ finals

MANILA, Philippines - When we first heard that the “Asian Idol” regional singing tilt finals were instituting the “double country” voting scheme, we felt uneasy.

We knew that it was being imposed to prevent “country favoritism” (for example, Indonesians voting only for the Indonesian bet). But, we sensed that some voters could manipulate it by voting for their country’s representative and the perceived weakest finalist—and that the scheme could blew up in their faces, if that weakest bet received an inordinately huge number of “throwaway” votes!

Was this what indeed transpired during the voting phase of the recent “Asian Idol” finals? Only the official tabulators could say for sure. But, many viewers were thrown for a loop when one of the “weaker” bets, Singapore’s Hady Mirza, emerged as the first Asian Idol, beating the tilt’s more “favored” finalists.

Singapore being only a “small” country, it was deemed unlikely that its bet could garner enough votes to emerge a serious contender—unless enough viewers appreciated his talent and charisma enough to forget “country loyalty” and vote for him.

Cool yet dynamic

That, too, was possible, since Hady surprised many viewers, including us, with his impressively cool and yet dynamic performance in the finals.

Whenever we’re in Singapore, we make it a point to sample its local entertainment, both on TV and in clubs, and we’ve generally felt that Singaporean singers tend to sound a bit dated, both in singing style and repertoire.

But Hady was definitely notches above this desultory norm, and ended up as one of our own best bets. So, when he won, we weren’t as stunned as some other viewers must have been.

We were also surprised by the stellar quality of the performances turned in by Malaysia’s Jaclyn Victor and Vietnam’s Phuong Vy. To our mind, Mirza, Victor and Vy were standout “Idol” material because they sounded and looked good.

With some exceptions, this is the stellar combination that “makes” outstanding singing idols. Even more positively, these three young bets could also do well internationally.

Indonesia’s Mike Mohede and the Philippines’ Mau Marcelo also impressed viewers with their exceptional voices, but their girth made them look sluggish and dowdy compared to the younger, trimmer bets.

India’s Abhijeet Sawant was another voice-and-looks package, but his “balladeer” projection was less dynamic. Of course, with India’s huge potential “voting” population, he could still have come out on top—but that didn’t happen.

Despite the surprises and disappointments involved, the first “Asian Idol” regional tilt was a success, because it produced a number of relatively new singing stars who, like their US counterparts, could help energize the Asian and international music scene for many show biz seasons to come.

source: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20071223-108426/One_surprise_after_another_in_Asian_Idol_finals

Mike The Highest Actual Votes, Hady The Highest Percentage Votes

The official result of Asian Idol is revealed by Project Director of Asian Idol Daniel Hartono in the middle of the interview with Kompas newspaper today, December 23, 2007. Daniel Hartono said according to the ACTUAL legal voting, Mike Mohede gathered the highest votes which were approx. 1 million votes. But since the 50% votes goes to the second option country, then Mike only got 500,000 + total percentage of other 5 countries who voted for Mike. And apparently Hady Mirza got the highest second option votes from all countries. In total, Hady got 115%, Mike in 2nd place got 111% (4% lower than Hady), and Jaclyn Victor got the lowest vote of all contestants.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Indonesian Statistic Center said to get better result, there should have been judges score added to the voting result.

credit Furansizuka

HEY, ASIAN IDOL!

HADY Mirza is hot. And we're not talking about the fire drill that sent close to a hundred office workers down from their cubicles and onto the street yesterday.

We had chosen a casual, laidback setting for the interview - Fazil's cafeteria, opposite Blk221 Henderson Building where Hype Records is located, because Our Singapore Idol often drops by to buy drinks and order takeaway meals.

We thought it would be nice and quiet, especially at 3pm, the middle of a working day.

We were right - but then, there was a fire drill and, suddenly, Hady wasn't just Hady anymore - he was the Asian Idol. Our Asian Idol.

The office workers turned into gawking starstruck teenagers, yelling out: 'Hey, Asian Idol!'

GIFTS AND PICTURES

They whipped out camera phones for pictures with him and one female admirer even gave him a teddy bear.

Another, seated nearby, bought him a cup of teh tarik in the middle of our interview.

A Caucasian man dragged the overwhelmed crooner aside to meet his colleagues and engaged him in conversation for a few minutes.

Another offered him a cigarette. No thanks, Hady said. He has quit.

Winning the Asian Idol title appears to have moulded our Singapore Idol heartthrob into a new and more confident man.

Where he was once shy, reticent and prone to giving stock vanilla responses, he appears, seemingly overnight, to have loosened up, becoming cheeky, forthcoming and thankfully, quote-worthy.

He wasn't even afraid of coming across a little vain as he playfully 'negotiated' with photographer Kelvin Chng: 'Can you choose a good picture please? You want to DI (digital image) it, just do it man!'

Turning serious, Hady admitted to The New Paper: 'The Asian Idol experience has changed me, and I think you can see that.

'It was a really humbling experience and a revelation. Spiritually, God has shown me a way and so now all I have to do is keep on going.

'The responsibility that I have now is much more, but I'm relishing it.'

And if you thought he was emotional on stage after unexpectedly winning the regional singing competition over the weekend, you should have been backstage.

There, the 27-year-old singer openly wept 'like a baby' on his manager's shoulder for a good two minutes. People were crowding around the pair in a circle and staring.

Not that Hady cared.

He said: 'I was crying because I just couldn't believe it. I didn't know what was going on. Was this real? Actually, only 20 per cent has sunk in so far.

'Winning Singapore Idol at the Indoor Stadium was wonderful and I'll never forget that moment.

'But this was so much better - the second time in my life with confetti (falling on me).'

His manager, Hype Records Artiste Networks minder MsAlison Leong, has been by his side for a year.

Said Hady: 'Alison has been an amazing person, mum, stylist - she takes care of everything for me. If not for her, I'd be breaking down or something.'

They are so close that the other Asian Idol contestants even thought they were a couple.

'When they asked me if we were going out, I was like 'What? She's not my type!' he joked, exchanging teasing glances with Ms Leong, who was sitting in on the interview.

Equally memorable was Hady's triumphant homecoming on Monday evening.

Family members, who picked him up from Changi Airport, bought a buffet of food from the airport canteen, and the gang proceeded to his home for dinner.

He recalled: 'That was the best meal that I had after 10 days in Indonesia - nasi lemak, chicken rice, Indian rojak, yong tau fu.'

In fact, Hady left for Jakarta from his old home and returned to a new one.

The family rented out their five-room flat in Punggol and moved to a 'nice and much bigger' Yio Chu Kang apartment, where he lives with his parents, older sister, brother-in-law and 1-year-old nephew Imran.

For Hari Raya Haji, Hady will stick to the normal ritual of visiting both his grandmothers' houses, where he's looking forward to catching up with his extended family and observing kenduri doa syukur (a thanksgiving feast).

WATCH IT AGAIN

Naturally, they will all be watching the repeat telecast of Asian Idol together - which airs over Channel 5 today at 4.30pm - as Hady himself has not caught it since returning to Singapore.

The show will allow him to reminisce about fellow contestants who have become newfound friends.

He is closest to Indonesia's Mike Mohede, who kept persuading Hady to extend his stay in Jakarta.

'I'm thankful Mike was there with me. The rest of the contestants are really fun too, but they were a bit tense and nervous.

'But we sort of relaxed each other.'

He added: 'I clicked with Mike because the rest are girls. (Indian Idol) Abhijeet (Sawant) is also a guy, but he's married and his wife was with him in the hotel room. How to disturb?'

He revealed that Malaysian Idol Jaclyn Victor 'sometimes acts like a bimbo but is actually very smart', Philippines Idol Mau Marcello is the comedienne and icebreaker of the group, while Vietnam Idol Phuong Vy was the resident babe.

He said with a laugh: 'When my guy friends called me from Singapore, it wasn't 'How are you Hady?' but 'How is Phuong Vy?'

'They saw her on TV and thought she was hot.'

So what's his impression of the gorgeous singer then?

Said Hady, who's been single since breaking up with Malaysian actress-host Nur Fazura in July: 'She's quiet most of the time, sweet, a normal 20-year-old girl. But I won't say she's my type - more like my little sister.'

The Asian Idol experience has changed me, and I think you can see that. It was a really humbling experience and a revelation... The responsibility that I have now is much more, but I'm relishing it.

- Hady Mirza

source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,151227,00.html

GUY SEBASTIAN Menjagokan Mike

Jawara Australian Idol, Guy Sebastian ternyata menjagokan Mike Mohede, wakil Indonesian idol dalam ajang Asian Idol, beberapa hari lalu. Karena itu, Sebastian yang ditemui seusai melakukan kunjungan ke redaksi SINDO, kemarin mengungkapkan keterkejutannya dengan kekalahan Mike tersebut.

JAKARTA(SINDO) –Sebastian menyatakan, Mike punya kualitas suara yang mampu bersaing di industri musik internasional dibandingkan Hady Mirza dari Singapura. Menurut pemilik nama lengkap Guy Theodore Sebastian tersebut, Hady dapat menjadi jawara Asian Idol karena banyak mendapatkan dukungan dari wanita yang mengagumi penampilannya.

’’Saya tidak menyangka wakil Singapura akan memenangkan persaingan malam itu. Saya, melihat dia tidak memiliki karakter vokal yang cukup kuat. Kemungkinan banyak para wanita yang mengagumi ketampanannya,” ungkap pria yang baru saja merilis album ’’The Memphis’’ itu.

Sebastian menilai saat ini masyarakat mencari idola yang memiliki daya tarik tinggi dan bisa memuaskan hati mereka. ’’Kalau di ajang Australian Idol, mereka memilih idola yang mempunyai kemampuan menyanyi terbaik. Mungkin di sini sedikit berbeda. Namun, bagi saya, hal yang bagus dari acara Idol adalah mereka mencari orang yang memiliki imej populer.’’ (isfari)

source: Seputar Indonesia

Translation by Go Mike!
Guy said... Mike has better quality to compete in international music industry than Hady
He also said... I think Hady won bcoz of his female fans as i dont see any strong characteristic in Hadys voice.
He also said... In Australian Idol, people vote based on vocals so maybe its different here. What's good is that, here they vote based on popularity.

Singaporean is first ‘Asian Idol’

MANILA, Philippines—Singaporean Hady Mirza’s “Asian Idol” win on Sunday night has been described as a “surprise” or “upset” victory.

The 27-year-old bested five other “Idols” from around the region, including Filipina Mau Marcelo, in the singing tilt held in Jakarta.

Apart from bragging rights as the first Asian Idol, Mirza won a world tour.

He told Channel News Asia on Monday, “Winning was never on my mind … especially since I was up against contestants with better vocal [skills]. I just wanted to do Singapore proud.”

During performance night on Saturday, judge Paul Moss of Malaysia put Mirza to task for his strained performance. In contrast, Marcelo was praised by the judges—as were Indonesia’s Mike Mohede and Malaysia’s Jaclyn Victor.

Marcelo’s rendition of “Ako ang Nagwagi” even merited a standing ovation from judge Anu Malik, a leading Bollywood music director.

Marcelo, Vietnam’s Phuong Vy and Mohede were consistently in the top three of an online poll conducted in the competition’s official website. Mirza was often in the bottom two, along with India’s Abhijeet Sawant.

So why did Mirza win?

One explanation is offered by Perci Intalan, head of Creative and Entertainment Production of ABC 5, which aired the contest locally: “Hady must’ve gotten more of that crucial second vote outside his home country.”

As a rule, text senders were asked to choose two contestants, to level the playing field and prevent hometown votes from influencing the outcome.

Terra Daffon, ABC 5 senior vice president for Corporate Affairs, agreed: “Perhaps that was what happened. Voters paired strong candidates with weak ones like Singapore and India who were trailing in the online survey.”

Daffon further speculated: “It’s possible that the voting glitches we experienced here (Manila) happened everywhere except Singapore where the voting was processed.”

Text votes in Manila were delayed by eight hours and the delays continued until Sunday—night of the results show.

Intalan explained that the glitch was caused by “a clog in the telephone companies.”

On Saturday’s show, Singaporean judge Ken Lim asserted that the first “Asian Idol” should possess “commercial appeal.”

On Monday, Lim reiterated on Channel News Asia that “looks and voice” had won the title for Mirza.

As for Marcelo?

She seems unruffled.

She was more thrilled about working with “American Idol” champ Taylor Hicks, a guest on finals night. “He’s a Richard Gomez lookalike!”

source: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=107644

Taylor Hicks an Idol in Asia

Birmingham native and former American Idol winner Taylor Hicks is stealing the show overseas!

Taylor performed Sunday night on the Asian Idol finale in Jakarta, Indonesia, along with Australia Idol winner Guy Sebastian. Taylor's hit song "Do I Make You Proud" was used as a promotion throughout the competition.

After finishing that show, Taylor headed for the Philippines where he just performed a show in Glorietta and has three shows this week in Manila. At each show, Taylor is performing nine songs -- some of his originals and some Christmas tunes, offering him huge exposure in Asia.

source: http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5249921&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Asian Idol Hady Mirza receives hero's welcome home

SINGAPORE: Hady-mania swept through Changi Airport on Monday evening when the Asian Idol returned home.

Hundreds waited more than an hour to congratulate Hady Mirza and to see their idol in person.

It was the generous voting of many of the fans that had helped the Singapore Idol win the Asian crown.

One of his fans, Zahratul Asyeeqah Mohamed, said: "For my family, the combined cost (of sending text messages to vote for Hady) would definitely be more than S$700."

Basking in the attention of hundreds of supporters, Hady did not forget to attribute his success to his fans.

He said: "This is not my own... this is our win together. I'm so happy, look at them! This is all too overwhelming."

source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/317895/1/.html

A new era for local music, or just an idle dream

SINGAPORE : Some call it a triumph to silence the sceptics; others, an unexpected and lucky win.

But fluke or not, the crowning of Singapore's Hady Mirza as the first Asian Idol on Sunday is stirring the embers of hope among those who yearn nostalgically for the days when home-grown names like Anita Sarawak and Sweet Charity were top draws at the concert box office - locally and in South-east Asia.

Could Hady's win herald a revival of those glory days of the 1960s and '70s for Singapore's music scene?

Singapore Idol judge Florence Lian, for one, believes it has debunked the cynical perception that homegrown singers aren't any good.

"It just rubbishes the belief that Singapore only grooms Chinese singers. For me, the biggest hope will be that this win changes the buying patterns and thinking of music fans here," said Ms Lian, a senior vice-president at MediaCorp Enterprises.

"The win is something Singapore should be very proud of," said the first Singapore Idol, Taufik Batisah. "Hopefully, local listeners will open up their eyes and ears."

But some viewers were surprised that the 27-year-old winner of the second season of Singapore Idol could beat out strong singers such as Indonesia's Mike Mohede, 24, and Malaysia's Jaclyn Victor, 29.

"Truth be told, it wasn't Hady's best performance; even his rendition of U2's Beautiful Day seemed tepid when compared to his routines on Singapore Idol," said a viewer who declined to be named.

Even though he thought Hady redeemed himself with his poignant version of the ballad Berserah (Surrender), which Taufik wrote, another viewer wondered if the win was a case of chance over talent.

"Hady's performance wasn't as powerful as some of the more technically-gifted singers," said Ms Nurul Huda Ahmad, 27.

Mr Mohd Isa Talib, 32, however, argued that "what Hady lacks in singing ability, he makes up for in performance. He is good looking and has stage presence — that is a formidable combination in a contest like Idol".

But is Hady the man to lead a Singapore musical invasion of South-east Asia?

Consider his first commercial outing. Taufik's 2005 debut album, the Blessings, which contained mostly English songs, sold 36,000 copies. Hady's self-titled debut album — a mix of English and Malay songs — was released the following November and has sold just 12,000 copies.

Hady fan Mohd Ali, 24, put this down to flawed strategy.

"He was marketed more as a international product to appeal to an English audience, which limited him. He should have been targeted, instead, at the Malay market, both here and in Malaysian and Indonesia," he said.

This is why he thinks Hady should now ride on his Asian Idol success to capture the South-east Asian market — in much the same way that homegrown acts such as Tanya Chua found fame in the Mandarin market in Taiwan, after a disappointing start in the local English music scene.

But Singapore Idol judge Douglas Oliveiro, 50, remains sceptical.

"I think a lot of people will celebrate Hady's win but I don't it will make an impact on the local music landscape. We've been talking about such plans for 15 to 20 years, yet nothing constructive has come out of this, other than providing a little ray of hope," said Mr Oliveiro.

Hady himself remained typically modest.

"I don't think my being named Asian Idol will start a new chapter in the acceptance of Singaporean music," he told TODAY from Jakarta on Monday, minutes before boarding a plane home. "Winning this title is not about personal glory for me — the real honour was the chance to represent my country."

But Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC Baey Yam Keng reckons that Hady's win has given Singaporeans' sense of national pride a boost, and would be an inspiration for the many other talented artistes out there.

Mr Baey said: "Awards like these give people the confidence or the aspiration and motivation to break out of the domestic market."

source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/317984/1/.html

Singapore's Hady Mirza wins first Asian Idol contest

JAKARTA, Indonesia : Singapore's Hady Mirza has been crowned the region's first singing champion at the inaugural Asian Idol competition in Jakarta on Sunday.

Hady defeated five other Idol winners from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The show was hosted by RCTI - Indonesia's largest TV network.

Voting via text messaging began when it was televised simultaneously to all six participating countries, with an unprecedented millions of viewers.

Hady Mirza, Singapore Idol Season 2 winner, earlier said: "The pressure I think is that it's going to be shown across six countries. I started off being quite nervous. But then, as we went along, it was fine and I did pretty well. I think I did pretty well and I'm happy with my performance."

To ensure fairness, judges from all the six countries also took part.

Even a voting system to neutralise the numerical supremacy of big countries such as Indonesia and India was instituted.

Votes were not considered valid unless the sender picks two singers.

But above all, organisers said Asian Idol was more than just a competition.

Indriena Basarah, General Manager of Fremantle Asia, said: "What we would like to do is actually to showcase that Asia has incredible talent."

For the contestants, the Asian Idol competition gave them the exposure beyond their own national boundaries.

This may lead to better prospects to develop and promote their musical talents across the region.

source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/317748/1/.html

Result Show, Here We Come

Miscellaneous Feeling
The battle of the best idols in Asian region is stepping on the most important round: Result Show. Tonight we’re going to find out the talented singer who’s going to become the very first Asian Idol.

Nothing else could be thought of by Abhijeet Shawan (India), Hady Mirza (Singapore), Jaclyn Victor (Malaysia), Mau Marcelo (Philippines), Mike Mohede (Indonesia), and Phuong Vy (Vietnam), except giving up all the best decision in the hand of Asia viewers.

Mau Marcelo couldn’t conceal her anxiety for forth night show. “We’re all very nervous to face this night. But we still must show our last best performance for the Asian Idol show,” said Mau.

Hady Mirza said he didn’t think of the result and just surrender, because he didn’t want it bother his performance tonight.

Millions of feeling caught Jaclyn Victor’s mind. “I feel trembling and sad at the same time, because this is going to be the last night together, and we’ll separate and go home soon. So it’s just hard for me,” she said gloomily. The togetherness for the past seven days in Jakarta obviously has made a special bond between all six finalists.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Mike Mohede said being the country host for the Asian Idol doesn’t mean the lucky factor. “What’s inside my heart for this time is: just prepare for the best. I keep hoping the best of all God’s will. Just keep positive feeling that I have nothing to lose,” he said. “We’re all the champions already, because we’ve made our countries proud”.

Hady Mirza agreed with Mike. For him, whoever wins tonight, it’ll be a bonus. “Whatever happens, I will use this experience to keep forward in music industry,” said Hady.

Asian Idol Guest Stars
The first Asian Idol show will present at least seven guest stars including American Idol 2006 Taylor Hicks, Australian Idol 2003 Guys Sebastian, India singer Alisha Chinay, Rivermaya from Philippines, Agnes Monica and Peterpan from Indonesia, and Sui Black from Vietnam.

For tonight’s result show, Guy Sebastian will duet with Indonesian Idol Mike Mohede singing ‘Angels Brought Me Here’. The six finalists also have practiced with Taylor Hicks to sing ‘Do I Make You Proud’, and for the closing show all six finalists will sing Diana Ross ‘When You Tell Me That You Love Me’.

source; Seputar Indonesia

HTV9 airs Asian Idol to rally local support

HCM CITY—HCM Television’s HTV9 brings Asian Idol to the airwaves at 8pm last evening, enabling voters from across the country to help Viet Nam’s Phuong Vy in her rise to stardom.

Asian Idol began airing from Singapore on Monday, gathering amateur singers from six countries in the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Viet Nam, the Philippines and India, to go head to head in an effort to become the next regional pop star.

Vietnamese TV-viewers must vote for at least two candidates and send their choices to call centre 4365. I-pop, the network specialising in provision of mobile content, billing and marketing solutions to Asia and the world, is responsible for collecting and filtering the results from all six countries. Winners will be announced at an award ceremony held at 9pm on Sunday, broadcast live on HTV9.

Singer Siu Black is the only Vietnamese member on the contest’s jury board. — VNS

source: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02CUL151207

Mau gets a standing ovation

MANILA, Philippines - Mau Marcelo, the country’s representative in the first “Asian Idol” singing competition, got a standing ovation after her initial performance of “Ako ang Nagwagi” and “Reach.”

This was according to Lizza Nakpil, manager of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya, who’s guesting in the regional tilt ongoing in Jakarta, Indonesia, and which winds up tonight.

“She blew everyone away. They think she’s amazing,” Nakpil, who’s in Jakarta, told Inquirer Entertainment via SMS on Friday.

Leading the ovation was Indian judge, Anu Malik, a popular Bollywood musical director, said Sandra Chavez, Marcelo’s manager.

On the “Asian Idol” web site, Indonesian bet Mike Mohede said of Mau: “She’s extraordinary. She sings as if she’s … one of God’s masterpieces in heaven.”

The “Asian Idol” advertisements on Indonesian TV network RCTI dubbed Marcelo as the “Queen of Competitions,” alluding to the fact that she had previously topped countless amateur singing contests, “from Lucena to Batangas” when she was a teener.

Studious

Prior to her trip to Jakarta, Marcelo attended workshops under stage director Freddie Santos and voice teacher Zebedee Zuñiga for almost a month.

Santos recalled that Marcelo had been “studious.”

“She was totally committed to the [workshop program],” which combines the “best techniques for pop and stage singing,” Santos explained.

And although the program wasn’t meant as a weight-loss regimen, “Mau lost seven pounds in two weeks,” Santos quipped.

Zuñiga, who worked with Marcelo during the “Philippine Idol” run on ABC 5 last year, told the Inquirer that he had given the RP bet “basic skills” in classical and pop music.

“One is placement,” he said. “That would help her reach high notes effortlessly.”

Zuñiga described Marcelo “as painfully shy.”

‘A true mezzo-soprano’

Marcelo’s voice is her biggest asset, Santos and Zuñiga agreed.

Santos described Marcelo as “a true mezzo-soprano, with a wide range and powerful resonance. Very few singers have warm head tones—Mau doesn’t screech or wail.”

Santos said he gave Marcelo one tip: “Just sing for and not sing to the audience.”

The Rivermaya band, with its new vocalist Jayson Fernandez, is another Pinoy talent that’s raring to rock Jakarta on the “Asian Idol” finals tonight, to be aired via satellite on ABC 5, from 9 p.m. to 12 midnight.

Other guest performers include “American Idol” Taylor Hicks and “Australian Idol” Guy Sebastian.

source: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=107145

Guy tackles Asia

GUY Sebastian will kick off his career in Asia today, performing live on Asian Idol to an expected audience of more than 300 million.

Sebastian spent last week rehearsing at the show's production headquarters inJakarta.

He will perform a duet of his Australian Idol winner's single, Angels Brought Me Here, with current Indonesian Idol Mike Mohede.

Sebastian will also be performing a Memphis medley of songs from his current offering, The Memphis Album.

He will sing both songs with the in-house band and a 55-piece Asian Idol orchestra.

It will provide the perfect boost to Sebastian's career in Asia with his latest album to be released in India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

source: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22928941-5009160,00.html

Jac brings crowd to their feet

MALAYSIAN Idol winner Jaclyn Victor brought Indonesians to their feet with an emotion-charged Gemilang at the taping of the first Asian Idol competition in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The crowd, which had turned out to hear Indonesian Idol Mike, was surprised by Jac's singing.

Where they had given a standing ovation to Mike, they went beyond this to stand and shout Jac's name after her performance.

The audience also responded well to singers from Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines and India.

RCTI, the TV station responsible for hosting Asian Idol, produced a first-rate show with a world-class orchestra, dancers, lighting and sets.

The Asian Idol show will be aired simultaneously in six countries tomorrow at 10pm (Malaysian time).

Voting will start at 10pm and close on Sunday at 11.30pm.

source: The New Straits Times

Pilita in Jakarta

MANILA, Philippines―Pilita Corrales, the Filipino judge for “Asian Idol,” has arrived in Jakarta, where the first-ever regional version of the phenomenal reality talent search on worldwide television is ongoing.

This was relayed to Inquirer Entertainment via SMS on Tuesday from the Indonesian capital by Belay Chavez, who is escorting Philippine bet Mau Marcelo for the management company Artist House.

The “Asian Idol” finals will be aired 8-10 p.m. Dec. 15 and 9 p.m.-12 midnight Dec. 16, on RCTI―described by Marcelo as the “No. 1 TV station in Indonesia”―which is mounting the show with Fremantle Media, franchise holder. Locally, ABC 5 is airing the whole competition live via satellite.

On Saturday, Marcelo and the five other contenders―from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, India and Singapore―met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Chavez said Yudhoyono, whose entire Cabinet and family were present, sang his own composition, “Let’s Save Our Planet” and gave the Idols a copy of his CD.

Yudhoyono then asked the Idols to each render a song. Said Chavez, “Mau wasn’t feeling well, but she belted out Whitney Houston’s ‘Saving All My Love for You.’”

That same night, the “Road to Asian Idol” TV special was launched.

Thoroughly prepared

On Thursday, before leaving Manila, Marcelo told Inquirer Entertainment that she was thoroughly prepared for the tilt. She had rehearsed her competition pieces, “Ako ang Nagwagi” and “Reach” with stage director Freddie Santos and voice coach Zebedee Zuñiga. The musical arrangements arrived by e-mail two days before. (The contestants are expected to sing in English and in their native languages.)

Marcelo relayed her hectic Jakarta schedule to Inquirer via a text message on Saturday, which she ended in Bahasa: “Terima kasih. That’s thank you.”

source: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=106480