David...
Thank you for adding the [Enter] function. Much easier! Did we have to do away with 'bold' and 'italics' though?

Sammo...
I agree to a certain extent with you on the talent comments. All round entertainers are the best but just because people are put to the test doesn't mean they are up to it - as you know - and I don't really think many of the Idol contestants ARE up to it. A few I've seen at karaoke over the years however could be - and that's just in MY travels let alone the talent that is out there throughout the entire country!

Regarding Chatswood RSL Grand Final last week...
The comp was very well judged. The judge's decisions tallied with my own - including the placement from 1st to 4th after the final round. Congrats to Slater for winning. Mate, you did SO well.
Actually, there was one hard core contestant in the final four that I was biased against as it tends to irk me when someone gets on stage, confident in their abilities but not in themselves - effectively, hiding behind their talents instead of letting the personality shine through and SUPPORTING it with that talent. Guess that's why I'm not an Idol fan and thought Bo Bice got ripped off in the American Idol final a couple of months ago - which I did tune into towards the end as, for once, some people WITH personalities had made it through.
Anyway, this girl struck me as a probable comp-chaser given her wardrobe, stylized vocals, choreography and the 'do or die' attitude she had on stage. Loads of talent, no personality showing through. It's like seeing reanimated corpses perform sometimes - gruesome.
I find it far easier to get behind someone's efforts when you actually LIKE them - and that only happens when they give you a reason to, right?
McEnroe on the tennis courts was liked not only for his talent but his sheer brattiness and unwavering SELF-belief, likewise Muhammad Ali in the boxing ring, Tommy Cooper in his comedy show, Elvis on stage.
Actually Elvis is a great example of what happens when you just go through the motions and how it robs the audience of getting the full entertainment experience. On stage, this guy was AWESOME. He had the audience in the palm of his hand to the extent that if he just burped, he could make the women scream with ecstasy - no exaggeration, he DID it deliberately at least once. In his first few movies, he was quite good too but as he began to get jaded with where the movies were going (commercialism) and as the prescription drugs took hold of him in his later stage years, just before the end when he lost the opportunity of performing in Barbra Streisand's movie 'A Star Is Born' (at her personal request) thanks to his commercialist manager, he chose to just 'go through the motions.' He was still respected for his talent but really, who prefers the 'fat Elvis' to the shining star who shook up the world? So, I think these comp-chasers and Idol contestants and the like who just go through the motions of vocal gymnastics, flashy wardrobes and flawless choreography should take a look at themselves and say, 'Am I the fat Elvis or the shining star?' before they next get on stage.
End of rant...

Submitted by Johnny B on 19-09-2005

Meet karaoke hosts and singers in the Where2sing.com forums . . .

Where2sing.com