Legs...
Glad you found it helpful but I'm not saying my way of scoring is quite like others but I'll get into that in a moment with this...

Jason...
Don't fret, mate. From what you've said, it's clear you didn't quite get that there are different categories to score on. So, yes, enjoyment of a song / giving it their all is a big part of the deal. Incidentally, in my book, those are mutually exclusive. Enjoying a song can just be standing there with their eyes shut and the odd smile passing across their lips as they continue singing in their own private little heaven. I'll actually mark that down because like it or not, if you are on stage, you have an audience to entertain and I don't find THAT entertainment value at all. Someone who makes eye contact with everyone they can and tries to connect emotionally with their audience, will get higher marks from me even if their voice is only average or below. They won't get FULL marks but they will get credit where due, y'know?
All of that goes under 'Performance' for which there is a mark out of whatever. In the case of Chatty, it was a score out of 60 for 'Vocals + Performance.' There were also the categories of 'Song Choice / Versatility' and 'Dress / Presentation' - each out of 20. From that you see 60% + 20% + 20% = 100%. Who decided that? Me don't know. However, other comps have similar criteria. So, yes, I will award someone full points in the dress / presentation category for their having groomed themselves and dressed up whether in Vegas style or more smart casual a la Ronan Keating or more typical pop star style as one of the singers did on the night with some sort of sports t-shirt, a zip up jacket, trendy pants and boots and he was wearing the accoutrements of all the bling too. Think: the New Radicals (You Only Get What You Give).
I'm familiar with the Vegas style acts from footage of concerts and the like and the modern pop stars from that as well as music video clips so I am fair in that respect. el barto was dressed up very nicely. Smart casual and very suitable.
Like I said in my previous post, when there's a lot of money to be had, if someone can't be bothered to look as if they deserve it, then they don't. I don't see that as unfair in any respect.
As for costume changes, are you saying that if someone DOESN'T make a change, they should be marked just as highly as someone who DOES (and thus makes the extra effort to win)? I find THAT alarming. It's a case of credit given where due in my book. The person who dresses up with all the bling looks smarter no matter their build and it especially helps when all they have is an ordinary looking set of shirt / blouse, pants / skirt / dress and shoes as their wardrobe. Those little additions can make a fairly ordinary outfit look terrific - especially when compared with the same outfit MINUS those extras and there were a couple of those on the night also.
I think you can see already that yes, I am a strict judge but I am consistent. However, I mark each category as required. They are SEPARATE and should be seen as such. So by that respect, someone may indeed win over someone with a better voice if they have made the effort where the good singer has not. Remember too, that the singer may have a great voice but make zero connection with the audience so again, they will not be getting full marks on my scoresheet.
Not to hammer the point home or anything but just to show the fairness of this, think of high school where the majority of a student's marks comes from assignments and homework and the minority from final exams. The person who does great on final exams but poorly on the assignments / homework front, could potentially receive lower marks than the person who does average or poorly on the assignment / homework but tremendously well with the exams. Right? Karaoke comp judging is no different. Marks are accredited where due.
In one of the first comps I saw, there was a guy with a voice that blew everyone away (and the other contestants' voices out of the water) but he turned up in a very casual t-shirt overhanging his footy shorts and a pair of thongs - and just stood there rather than perform for the audience. He lost to a girl who had a good voice and who had dressed up. He was upset. Sorry but Norm from the Life Be In It ads with a great voice does not deserve to be paid top dollar for entertainment as much as someone else with perhaps a voice not as good but other saving graces such as costume and dancing / connecting with the audience.
One more point, I am often complimented for my dancing and David himself has written how he admires the time I put into my choreographed moves but no, I'm an instinctive and self taught dancer. I've only ever once used a choreographed piece and even then only for a portion of a song (the musical break in Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel using Britney Spears' moves from the chorus of You Drive Me Crazy! lol). But what I wanted to say was that because I have a natural affinity for (and some knowledge of) dance, I can also tell when someone is using very robotic moves rather than actually trying to entertain. It's difficult to explain but basically, you can just tell when someone looks sincere or not when they dance, just as many can tell if someone sounds sincere or not when they sing. So, just cos someone uses dance moves in their act doesn't necessarily mean I'll score them particularly highly. I'll give them at least one point for using moves but if they are false, that's all they'll get. Like I said, it's difficult to explain but it's there as clear as crystal.
I don't know what your beef with a professional looking entertainer is. I was no pro - and still am not - but I make the effort to appear as one if in a comp. When people fantasize about being a singer or in a band as they grow up (or at karaoke even), I'm sure the majority are thinking of being of the rich and famous variety rather than the struggling local pub band with their muffled / distorted sound system or the busker(s) on the street.
In case I was mistaken in your understanding of the criteria, I think it should be clear to you now that when I said 'full marks' in that previous post, I meant of course, for the relevant category and not my subtotal of their overall score.
Finally, I do agree that contestants should be aware of what they are being judged on. Costume changes are not strictly necessary but they help. Just as signs advertising karaoke at a venue are not necessary (there's word of mouth advertising after all) but as we all know, they HELP. The contestant who goes the extra distance to win stands a better chance of doing so than the one who does not.
Submitted by Johnny B on 23-07-2006

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