Episode 2 has come and gone, and I haven’t said a word. Unusual? Perhaps. But the message couldn’t be clearer – there’s nothing really worth writing about. I must say I totally didn’t know what to expect. On the one hand, it’s the Idol franchise, done by 8TV – who’s trying everything and anything it can to stand out among the crowd and be different (ya, try getting a decent receptionist for a start, and by that I mean one who is both polite and understands English).
But on the other hand, it’s, well, Malaysia. Can we even begin to try and achieve a semblance of Idol predecessor – American Idol? Well, some might argue we shouldn’t. After all, as 1/3 of the judges – Mr Roslan, said, we’re Malaysian Idol, we should just be ourselves and not copy others. Right. So please tell me why we’re buying the franchise in the first place again?
We have 3 judges – 1 white male (Mr Paul Moss), 1 non-white male (Mr Roslan Aziz), 1 nice female (Ms Fauziah Latiff). Surprise surprise. But here’s the interesting part: the programme is conducted in both Malay and English. And so we have both Malay songs and English songs, (as well as a few Chinese songs and one Tamil song, but you don’t want to know about those). Judges’ feedback is given in both Malay and English, and as a result of this wonderful multi-culturality, we have *drumroll* two hosts instead of one *cymbal clash*. Yep, we have one talking in Malay and the other responding in English. It must get quite confusing for them.
But speaking of hosts, that is where we fall terribly, sorely, short. Forget Ryan Seacrest, our hosts are far-from-smooth, barely-interesting, and how shall I put this subtly, not-as-aesthetically-blessed. Though Jon did say the more irritating of the two is actually the nicer person in real life. Knowing that helps when you watch the show.
But lest you get discouraged, do not despair. Malaysian Idol is not all lacking. Someone mentioned wanting to audition next year with the aim of being so bad they’ll get their 10 seconds on TV. I tell you this now: you’re in for some very, very stiff competition. We have some really, really untalented people in this country. And I know William Hung made it big, but seriously, how many William Hungs do you expect the world to love? In this aspect, Malaysian Idol shines. I really do think they’re on par, if not better, than the worst auditions America/Australia had to offer. As for the talent, it’s too early to tell. Maybe next week. If I decide to sit through all the advertisements that is. Now that’s another long, long story. Literally. Like, every 10 minutes.
