A dull start to the season…

After all the hype about the principal and the two co-hosts, the Konsert Tirai Akademi Fantasia 8 was a huge let down. I could not see potential in any of the students, except maybe Shah and Iwan. But, even then, I consider them not outstanding but just slightly better than the rest of them.

Their choice of songs were, in my opinion, bad or a big mistake, to say the least, especially ‘Pelisit Kota’ sang by Anum. I wondered if this girl actually understood what it meant, but, going by the way she dropped herself on the floor and prowled the stage on all four, it meant like she understood it very well and it could even be a depiction of herself! If she’s not, she had me fooled. I simply can’t erase that image of her prowling on the stage floor, but I tell you, it isn’t a good impression that she left of herself on me.

What can I say, none of the kids this season so far has left any good lasting impression on me. Unlike last season where the minute I saw Aril in the first episode, I already told myself that I am going to be keeping a lookout for that guy. So was it too two seasons ago when Nubhan, Riz and Stacy caught my attention at the first sight. Though I didn’t think that Nubhan could sing that season, but he was cute enough that I actually wanted to watch the diary just to catch him. It looks like he is now one of the more successful graduates from Season 6, besides Stacy, of course, and Riz.

I caught the 1st concert last Saturday, hoping to see some improvements in the kids’ performance now that they have gone through a week of proper training. Unfortunately, I was still just as disappointed when I watched the Tirai as when I watched the first concert. None of the students were actually outstanding. I have even forgotten what songs they sang!

I simply can’t understand why Astro has to have the results show on Sunday night instead of finishing off everything on Saturday night itself like it did for 7 seasons. Why are they trying to copy Americal Idol and Sejati Berdansa? AF is unique the way it was. But, now, it is just like any other reality shows.

Even my hubby (yup! He has an opinion on this as I took away the TV remote control from him that Sunday night! LOL!) was in the opinion that having the Debaran the next day is simply too taxing and stressful for the kids, having to spend another day of waiting to see who gets kicked out instead of having the Sunday to relax and take it easy, though they may be sad to have one of their friends booted out.

Shhhh…I think it is also stressful for my hubby as now he has to give up the TV remote control on 2 nights a week instead of only one night as in previous seasons. LOL! *wink*

Don’t worry, hubby. After watching the first Debaran last Sunday, I doubt it if I will want to watch the Debaran every Sunday night. I think I’d rather watch CSI instead. It is more intriguing, interesting and suspense filled! LOL!

I pity Sarimah who had to use all her imagination to try to fill in the 30 minutes. Sarimah is known to be very talkative, but last Sunday, I thought I saw her several times at a lost for words as to what to say. It is also not in her to get all emotional, or rather, she was controlling her emotions too much that her emotions looked faked.

She hasn’t got it in her, yet, or rather, she needs to build up the skill to pull at people’s heart string to make us feel the emotions with her. I even cringed as I hear her try to control her emotions, even half expecting her to fumble and laugh instead of cry.

And then, after the results were announced, she had to rush Shah to quickly finish off his thank you speech as it was almost time. We did not even get to see Shah go down stage to say goodbye to his teachers. It was a pity. It was either Sarimah had failed to work within her time, or, Astro had failed to plan the whole Debaran.

It was a pity too that Sarimah had to get all dressed up, I am sure many hours in advance, only to appear for 30 minutes! The dress she wore that night was even better looking than the one she wore on the 1st concert night itself, which was a pity because we only get to see it for a mere 20 minutes when you take away all those commercial breaks.

Oh! Another thing….all those tears while singing the bonus song which I have forgotten what the song was, was simply too much and over dramatic. It was overly dramatic to the extent of even being sickening.

It was understandable how their emotions were in that night as one of them will be booted out that night. But, it was a way bit too much. This was what my hubby meant when he said that having the Debaran on Sunday was too taxing and stressful for the kids, and I must say that I agree. Their emotions were on high after performing the night before and having to wait a whole day before knowing the results as to who gets to stay and who gets the axe is simply too much to handle for some of them who might already be suffering from the emotional turmoil of being separated from their families.

One girl (I have forgotten her name) was so stressed out that she threw out after the concert and was so sick that she had to be admitted. What does that say about Astro’s new format on the AF?

I wish that Astro would revert back to the way it was where the results would be announced the very same night of the concert. But, I guess Astro had already signed a contract with Sarimah to host the Debaran for the whole season. I am sure that they would have to compensate Sarimah if they were to pull out from that contract, not to mention the compensation to the sponsors during the 30 minutes of Debaran.

Looks like we will just have to bear with this format for this season, but, don’t expect me to sit in front of the TV to watch the Debaran every Sunday. I’d rather be intrigued with a case over at CSI rather than put my emotions on high with over dramatic kids and host.

Note - photo taken from Akademi Fantasia's official website

Getting feverish!

Heheh……not the kind that has a temperature of above 38 degrees Celsius though it could get up to that high should I get all excited! LOL! *blush*

What in the world could I be talking about? LOL!

Akademi Fantasia fever that is! LOL! *blush*

Yup! It is back! This time, I am more excited about the principal and the two hosts and the person taking over Trek Selebriti from Jimmy that is getting me all feverish and excited as opposed to being excited about the students themselves1 LOL! *grin*

The minute I heard that Norman KRU is going to head the Akademi, I got all excited already and could not wait for when the Diary is going to start. I have always been a `fan’ of KRU, but not so much for the songs, although I do like most of their songs, but more for their business sense and what they have become from when they first started out some 15 odd years ago.

They are a few of our local artists who have managed to stay in the industry after all these years and be successful by being versatile and able to expand and diversify from their original status of just being a group of boys rapping to successful business men in almost all fields of the entertainment. I have noted that almost every singer that goes under their label has tasted success. Just look at where Adam AF2 is now, just to name one example.

I was in fact hoping that KRU would some day sign up Aril of AF7 as I would like to see him go far in the industry and that can only happen when one is under a strong label. Maybe someday that will happen when Aril is no longer attached to AEIB and Enfiniti.

Another reason why I am getting feverish and can’t wait for this Saturday when they will be introducing the new set of students is because of the two hosts who will be helming the concerts for the next 10 weeks! Yup! Sarimah Ibrahim and Jimmy Shanly might just get the weekly concerts hot and exciting again after 2 seasons of freezing cold concerts in the hands of AC Mizal. Finally he is out! *grin*

Both Sarimah and Jimmy are known to be very talkative, especially Sarimah who can talk non-stop. I just hope that she remembers to give Jimmy a chance to talk! LOL! Putting them together is like putting two balls of fire together hoping for them to make fireworks, and they just might succeed!

The 3rd reason why I am getting all excited and feverish is because I have heard that Aril might be temporarily taking over hosting the Trek Selebriti during the time that Jimmy is busy hosting the weekly AF concerts!

If this is true, than looks like for the next 10 weeks, I am going to be glued to the TV starting from Friday nights when Trek Selebriti comes on air, to the Concert on Saturdays, and to Sundays, when the results will be revealed as to who will be eliminated for that week!

I have told my hubby that I am already feeling the fever and `warned’ him that I will be ‘taking over’ the remote control starting from this Friday for the next 10 weeks! LOL! He said that he has gotten immunity from the AF fever already which he has developed over the last 7 years! LOL! *grin*

A final comment…….

I know that I have already lowered the curtains on Akademi Fntasia in my last entry, but I promised a friend who is currently overseas and had missed the final concert that I will put in an update on the concert. She only reads my blog to get updates on Akademi Fantasia. Thanks, Sabariah!

So, Sabariah, this is specially for you, and to all fans of Akademi Fantasia who follows my blog....

The opening for the concert promised a highly charged night when Hardstyle Republic, a shuffler group, did the opening act with a highly charged dance routine, followed by a well delivered “Revolusi” by the five finalists. But, unfortunately, the rest of the night was a flop. The heat only started and stopped there. To say the least, the rest of the night was kind of bland and cold, and did not pick up, even right up to the announcement of the winners.

Hafiz was the first to come on stage, but before he performed, he had to go through this boring joke which was not the least bit funny when AC Mizal asked him to choose a card to determine what he has to do as he faces the real world as an artist.

I find the whole gimmick boring and a waste of time. In fact, I find all the gimmicks slotted in between the performances boring and dull. Din Bramboi did nothing to lift up the spirits for the night. I have never found him funny when I hear him on Radio Era in the morning on my drive to work.

Hafiz’s vocals, as usual, were great, but I couldn’t help feeling that he wasn’t comfortable with the dance steps. It wasn’t naturally him to dance with backup dancers. He would have faired better dancing alone, as he went a little bit off in one of the steps.

Let’s just put it this way – Hafiz is no dancer when it comes to choreographed dancing. He needs a lot of brushing up to get to the level where Akim is now as both of them started out as someone who can’t really dance.

Please, fans of Hafiz, don’t get all emotional with my comments. I am just saying how I see things. I am not asking you to agree with me. This is my personal opinion and observations only.

Next to perform was Akim with his new song, “Bengang”. This is one of the better new songs this year. The other one being Hafiz’s new song. The rest of the new songs this year were just horribly bad, to say the least. Even Isma’s new song penned by her hubby was nothing to shout about.

I like Akim’s delivery of this song. The song suited him well. It definitely was the right song for him. However, I think Akim did not fully utilize the huge stage. He remained in the center of the stage most of the time. He has performed better than this in previous concerts, the 9th concert being his best. But, still, it was one of the better performances of the night.

Yazid came in next with “Kasidah Cinta”. A lovely song to me, and Yazid sang it quite well vocally, but, unfortunately, I couldn’t feel his emotions.

His interaction with the dancers was disconnected and lacks emotion. Had he injected some emotion in it, it would have been one of the best performances of the night as the drama was already set up for him, but he failed in the acting department. Dare I say that had the song been given to Aril, he would have nailed it? Oopps! Lariiiiiiii! Runnnnnn! *grin*

I expected a better performance from Isma with her new song, “Bisikan Godaan” as it was a song that she had heard before as it was penned by her hubby. Was I expecting too much?

This song will only stick in your mind if you listen to it over and over again. Isma’s vocals showed no improvement from the first concert as she already has good vocals from the start. She has one of the better vocals among the five finalists, coming in second after Hafiz in terms of vocals.

Like Edrie said, this being the finals, more was expected out of her. Unfortunately, she performed like she did in any of the weekly concerts. It lacks ummphh and superstar quality.

I am not being biased when I say that Aril’s rendition of Padi’s “Kasih Tak Sampai” was one of the better performances of the night. Adlin would have agreed. He injected the feel that was required for the song. I could feel his emotions. I wished that song was sung last instead of first between his two songs. It would have left more impact to the huge stadium and the excited crowd.

Again, was I expecting too much? It was, after all, the final concert, and we can only expect the best in the finals.

I must comment that the crowd went crazy the minute Aril walked on stage. It was hard to distinguish which fans were the loudest – Hafiz or Aril, as both fans went wild each time they both went on stage.

To say that Aril had no strong fans was definitely an understatement. They just failed to keep voting him to get him straight into the finals, resulting in him being booted out in the 7th concert, thus creating a huge controversy when the AFMASUK was announced.

After the final round, the audience was entertained by the kids who made it into the top 20, but could not make it into the top 12. To say the least, it was a forgettable performance. It was self explained why they didn’t not make it into the top 12. I need not comment further.

The second round started off with Hafiz again, this time with his new song, “Masih Jelas”.

As I said earlier, this song was one of the better new songs for this season. It’ll definitely top the charts in no time at all. With Hafiz strong vocals, it’s a winner right from the start.

I have always liked Faizal Tahir’s song, and this new song from Faizal is no exception. I knew the minute that Akim got the song that he was going to nail it, and he did. It suited his vocals to a T.

If you ask me to compare him with Hafiz in terms of showmanship, I’d choose Akim any time. I love his drama when he rendered “Bencinta”. I could feel his emotions, and he managed to pull off the drama effortlessly. I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of him in the music industry.

Yazid’s new song, “Ya Pa Pa” is actually quite catchy, and I think Yazid managed to deliver it almost effortlessly. He did better for this song than he did for his cover version, which was good, as this is the song that will be playing in the radios. He seems to be enjoying this song, and that is another plus point for him.

I find his response to Kathy’s comment if be becomes the champion amusing, when he said that if he wins, the world will turn upside down (maka hancurlah dunia ini). LOL! This boy really needs to build up his confidence if he wants to make it in this entertainment industry. His joke was far better than AC Mizal's. LOL! *wink*

Isma was up next wearing a flowing green dress and my first thought was why they can’t give her a more glamorous outfit befitting a final concert.

Then, when Isma performed with winds blowing; I understood why she was wearing that flowy dress. It was to give impact to the song, and I think it did. Her delivery of the song? The best that it could be with her already good vocals, but Misha Omar need not worry as Isma is no competition to her.

I had already put in my comments on Aril’s rendition of his new song in my earlier entry. However, I still feel that he should have been given a song that suited him, instead of just any song. I had hoped that Acis would do his magic for this song, but I was disappointed when the ending to the song was like very abrupt and hanging. I felt like there should have been more. It was like an anti-climax when it ended.

The fact that Aril got the lyrics to his song too late in the week affected his feel for the song, and thus his overall performance. The song will remain “Toksik” to him for a very long time to come unless he gets a new song quickly. I was, to say the least, very very disappointed and ‘terkilan’ with his song and his performance.

I know he tried to inject some impact into his performance with his showmanship, but, like I said, the song was simply too weak and horrible, it was near impossible to make the song big. I really pity him for getting such a lousy song not worthy of a final song that was to be his debut single. *sigh* I wish him luck!

Performances by the ex-students were just passable, with only Zizi and Qhoud making an impact. The rest, at best, were just another forgettable performance. However, I must say that Stacy's performance injected some fire into an almost cold night.

When it was time to announce the winners, the crowd went wild. I could not differentiate whether they were shouting for Aril, Akim or Hafiz as they all sounded almost the same, but, Aril and Hafiz’s names sounded the loudest. It was almost unpredictable who was going to be announced champion at that point. But, I knew that Hafiz will win (for his vocals), though deep inside, I would have wanted Aril to win (for his showmanship).

Like I said in my earlier posting, the results threw no impact on me as it was already to be expected. A result any other way would have only created a huge controversy that will be hard to die down and I think Astro has gone through enough controversies this season. I am sure they have had enough.

I believe it was a result fans of Hafiz will agree in unison, and fans of Aril will agree that it was the best way to keep Aril from being further lambasted and criticized. Aril needs to enter the real world with less criticism and hatred, so that he can get on with the real task of being a star icon. I hope that he will be given the opportunity to prove himself. I hope that some big producers will sign him up, and soon.

I must add that I agree with what Adlin said that Aril's potential is greater than winning the champion title. Let's just hope that Aril can prove him right.

Overall, I think many will agree with me that this year’s final concert was one of the worst and most forgettable concerts in the history of Akademi Fantasia. But, I will remember Aril's and Akim's performances for a long time to come.

To me, only Akim fits the tagline "Transformasi" to a T as you can see him transform from someone nerdy to someone with style. Coming in close is Yazid, followed by Aril, but Aril was already born cute. *wink* He just got cuter! LOL! *wink*

Isma shedded a few kilos and no longer look like a mother with 5 kids, but more like a hot twenty something. Only Hafiz pretty much remained the same. Even his hairstyle remains unchanged. *grin* He failed to be transformed.

Yeah! Yeah! Someone's going to tell me that he is good already, and so he does not need to be transformed. Everyone knows that to be good, you still have room to improve, no matter how good you are. Everyone has to go through some sort of transformation as part of developing and progressing forward.

Oh well! Only time will tell who will actually make it into this hard and cruel industry. I wish them all the best of luck!

So, will we be looking at season 8 next year? If we are, I hope AC Mizal gets booted out first. LOL! *wink*

**note - photos taken from mstar online.

What a FORGETTABLE concert!

No, I did not make a mistake in the spelling. The final concert was one of the most forgettable concert in the history of Akademi Fantasia. There is nothing about the concert that sticks to my mind at the moment. Well, okay, except for the fact that Aril was cute! LOL! *wink*

I think it's the choice of songs, regardless of whether it was the cover version or the new songs, none of the songs were outstanding. None of the kids' performance were outstanding. Nothing sticks to your mind. It was just like watching another weekly concert instead of the finals. Even the weekly concerts were far more memorable and unforgettable. I still remember Aril's amazing performances in the 7th and the 5th concert.

AC Mizal's bad hosting and silly jokes made it even worse. Aznil was there in the audience. I just wished that he was on stage instead of AC Mizal. Enough is enough. Please replace him for the next season if there is going to be an 8th season. Please, don't torture us further, Astro.

I expected Hafiz to win (the only way it will appease fans of Hafiz, and yes, Hafiz has a great voice, and yes, he deserves to win), but had someone else won, it would have created a greater impact to the already bland night, and the papers tomorrow will be going to town with a great story. But, as Hafiz won, as any other result would only get fans of Hafiz (the fanatic ones) mad with Astro, complaining non-stop, and accusing Astro of playing favouritsim or fixing the results, it wasn't a surprising enough news to grab the headlines.

I know fans of Hafiz (not all of them, but the fanatic ones) will not like me saying this, but, had Akim or Aril won, it would have created a huge surprise and an impact as one concert that many will remember for a very long time to come because of the surprising and unexpected headlines, and will overshadow the weaknessese of the concert.

The headlines might read as "The underdog that went on to become a champion" if Akim won, or "The first AFMASUK to create history by winning the most coveted title!" had Aril won.

Even if Yazid had won it would have created an impact of sorts that many will be talking about for a very long time to come, whether to condemn or to praise. But, as it was Hafiz that won - as expected by many (Me? I just want the fans of Hafiz to be happy so that they will stop condemning Aril - macam bagi gula-gula kat budak-budak to keep them quiet *wink*), the newspaper headlines will just be a normal one with not much of an impact. The New Sunday Times today just reads "Hafiz Tops AF7".

Anyway, my congrats to Hafiz for being crowned the champion tonight. He does have a great voice, though he has got to work on his showmanship.

My congrats to all the finalists too. They did the best that they can with the lousy songs that they got. At least they deserve the standing ovation for putting on their best show that they can with all the constraints. Now, it's to wait and see how many of them will actually survive in the real world.

Just to put in a little comment on Aril's performance last night, I must say that I was a little disappointed with Aril's new song. The fact that he got the lyrics to his song so late in the week sort of affected his performnace as he could not get the feel for the song.

I agree with Adlin that I could not understand the song. The melody to the song was terrible. I understand why Aril said that the song just wasn't him. Why in the world did Astro chose that song makes me wonder. I thought we had many great talents in the music industry - Ajai, M Nasir, Roslan Aziz, Adnan Abu Hassan and many more. Why take from the unknown? It is, after all, the final concert. Only the best will do for the final concert. Did Astro not think this through?

I know that Aril could have done a better job with his performance. He proved it at the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th concert that he has got the talent to dance, play act and sing all at the same time, and that he has got what it takes to make it in the entertainment industry.

He could have done some dance routine. But, because he couldn't feel the song, he couldn't get creative to come up with some sort of dance steps. I even felt that the ending of his song was like hanging and abrupt. The ending was kind of like an anti-climax. I pity Aril. I think he wanted to do more, but couldn't. I am glad that he at least tried some sort of gimmick by jumping almost 3 feet down from the stage and doing a somersault just to try to create an impact, but the song was too weak to create the impact that he wanted.

Changing Aril's song would have fans of Hafiz going to town again complaining and condemning Aril, Astro and the faculty. *sigh*

The song, to say the least, is best forgotten. In fact, I think all the new songs are best forgotten. *sigh* Such a pity to what was supposed to be a climatic night. *SIGH*

I hope that Aril will get some new songs for his first album, and I hope that it will be soon, VERY SOON!

I wish Aril all the best in the real world. I wish all the finalist the best of luck to face the real world!

It's finally time to lower the curtains on Akademi Fantasia for this year. My saturday nights in front of the TV will be boring again as I sit and fold my weekly laundry, but my hubby will be VERY happy to have back the remote control to the TV! LOL! *wink*

Thank you to all fans of Akademi Fantasia who have followed by blog this season. I apologised if any of what I have wrote on AF might have hit a few sore points, but I only speak of what I think. It is my personal opinion, and you do not necessarily have to agree with me.

It had been a fun season, though it was tattered with lots of controversies. I salute the production team of Astro and the faculty for their patience and perseverance to go through all the accusations thrown at them. They did a great job!

To readers of my blog who follows my entry on AF, I hope you all had fun reading what I have to say. Thank you for agreeing with me. Bite your lips and move on if you don't.

Till next year, if there is a season 8, take care, everyone!

P/S Coming up next ...."A Final Comment" on the concert

**Note - photo taken from http://www.subhikarim.com/
and http://mrmanager.blogspot.com/

You can never please everyone.....

.....especially when that person/s can never be satisfied no matter what you do. Buat salah, tak buat pun salah. All they know what to do is to complain, and complain they will, no matter what you do. In plain simple english, they are just looking for reasons to complain and to find faults onto others but never onto themselves.

Before I am being accused of generalising, I just want to say that I am saying this to those that have been complaining and making lots of noise non-stop ever since the Akademi Fantasia started some 10 weeks ago. Siapa yang makan cili akan terasa pedasnya.

First, they complain that their dear Hafiz is not being focused enough in the diary. They complain that Astro is not being fair, and accused Astro of playing favouritism when Astro focussed mostly on Aril and Yazid, the more colourful characters that lights up the diaries.

For making so much noise, I noticed that Astro started showing more of Hafiz in the diaries. Were they satisfied? No! They look for other things to complain - that Hafiz was given a boring song each week while the other kids were given the popular songs to sing. Err......didn't Hafiz get "Terlanjur Cinta" which is currently topping the Weekly Top Charts in Era?

Didn't Hafiz also got Aizat's "Lagu Kita" and Aznil's "Toyol", both songs that have topped the charts before? "Lagu Kita" is still in the top 10 charts.

Hafiz also got "I Believe I Can Fly", which he sang beautifully, but they never thanked Astro for it. They said that Hafiz sang the song well because he is a great singer. Astro had nothing to do with it.

Did that stop them complaining? No! They started saying that Hafiz should be given songs that will challenge his vocals and prove that he is a great singer. But, when Hafiz was given "Kau Yang Punya", which I believe Astro meant was to prove his vocals, the complaining fans went to town to complain that Astro was being unfair, that the song shouldn't be included in a competition as it was a rap song. Zizi sang a rap song with no problems at all when she sang Farid Harja's "Ini Rindu".

The next thing they complained about was the slot given to Hafiz to perform. When Hafiz was slotted to perform last or second last (I think it was during the first, second and 5th concert), they complained that fence sitters would not have enough time to vote for Hafiz as these fence sitters would only normally vote after each kid performs.

So, if these fence sitters voted after Hafiz performs, their votes might not get through to Astro in time before the voting is closed. So, subsequent concerts after that, Hafiz was slotted in earlier.

For the final concert, using the 9th week's concert votes to determine the slot to perform, as Hafiz got 1st placing, Astro has slotted Hafiz to perform first, thus giving plenty of time for fence sitters (they argue that there are no fence sitters during the final concert - another reason to complain?) to vote for Hafiz.

Are they happy? No! Now, they are complaining that Hafiz should be slotted in last as they say that as in any big and prestigious events, the best is always saved for last. Errr.......do they think that Hafiz is so great? That only Hafiz is the best? What about Yazid and Akim and Isma? I don't even want to mention Aril less it might get them even madder!

Akim is already starting to make his mark, and I am getting more and more impressed with him. Compare Akim with Hafiz, I'd rather have Akim as a champion than Hafiz as Akim is more matured, and he has been transformed since the audition days.

Although I agree that Hafiz has a great voice, but, compare him to Akim, Akim has begun to develop some interesting characters, but Hafiz has pretty much remained the same throughout the 10 weeks. I am also beginning to like listening to Akim. To me, Hafiz's voice might be great, but, that is about it. I find his character uninteresting, though I must say that he has a cute face. But, so has Akim and, eerr...dare I say, Aril? LOL! *wink*

These fans have not stopped complaining. They complain about almost anything and everything. They feel that Hafiz should be given this, should have that, is not being given this, should not be have to do that and blah blah blah.....

They feel that Hafiz is too good for anything and everything that Astro has to offer. I feel that Astro has heard them and acted upon many of their complaints, but yet, they still complain. I don't think these kind of people will ever be satisfied no matter what you do.

They find faults in Astro, in the production team, in the faculty, in the other kids, but never in themselves and in Hafiz. Are they so great? Is Hafiz so great?

Only time will tell when, after Saturday, we will see who among the 5 finalists will actually make it in this cruel and insane entertainment industry. Then we shall see who is actually great among the five.

My bet is on Isma, Akim, and, of course, Aril. Hafiz might make it, and I might even like his songs, but, don't bet on it that I will go crazy over him enough to want to buy his album.

I am looking forward to buying Aril's album, and maybe even Akim's!

**note - photo taken from sultanmuzaffar

It's time to choose the champion!

Earlier on in the day yesterday, before the concert, I wanted to write about who I think should be eliminated at last night’s concert. My argument would be based on who I think has got the right attitude and the package to be a champion. Not only do you need the voice, not necessarily a great voice though, but pleasant to hear and unique, you also need the look, as in pleasant to look at, not necessarily drop dead gorgeous or hulky handsome *grin* but you also need the champion to have the right attitude and confident in one’s own capabilities.

Based on those arguments, I felt that Yazid should be eliminated because, despite being in the Akademi for 9 weeks already, he still have yet to have confidence in himself, he is whiny and always seems to be complaining about his own lack of self esteem (He knows it [lacking in self-worth], but does not seem to be doing anything about it).

I sometimes feel that he is trying to win the hearts of the voters by making them take pity on him rather than vote for his talents. Mas of AF2 won the hearts of voters when it was revealed that she is a single mum. Aswad’s votes jumped up immediately after it was revealed that he is an orphan. There have been many ‘Kodak Moments’ and sob stories in the Akademi when tears have successfully pushed up the votes.

But, after watching all the four kids perform last night, though I still think that Yazid just won’t make a good champion (he will just be another Faizal of AF4, I am afraid. Sorry, fans of Yazid, but this is my blog and this is my personal opinion) – remember, he fumbled even to introduce his own song where as, he himself said that his communication skills have improved since joining in the Akademi? – when it was time for AC Mizal to announce who will be eliminated, I took pity on all four kids and felt that all four of them have worked so hard and have come this far, that they deserve to at least be in the finals, but not necessarily to be the champion. So, I was quite relieved, and I am sure it was also a huge relief to all the fans of AF, when Yazid himself announced that there will be no elimination last night. *smile*

In the finals, there will be five kids performing, which included Aril, who back got in via a week long AFMASUK. The bitching and condemning started almost immediately after it was announced that Aril got in. Apalah dosa dia kepada pengutuk-pengutuk semua sehingga dikutuk dan dikeji sebegitu rupa? What sins has he done to those people who are critically condemning him? He does not even know who they are.

Kritikan boleh diberi, tetapi kritikan yang objektif, dan bukannya kritikan yang boleh menjatuhkan maruah seseorang. Setiap kali ada komen yang mengutuk mana-mana pelajar, saya akan terfikir apakah perasaan keluarga pelajar yang dikutuk teruk itu. Pastinya sedih dan terluka.

Fikirkanlah, sekiranya pelajar itu kaum keluarga kita sendiri, pasti kita juga akan merasa sedih dan terluka. Apakah dosa pelajar tersebut sehingga dikutuk dengan begitu hina sekali, itu yang kadang-kadang bermain difikiran saya.

Have patience, Aril. It is said that the more people criticize you for something you did not do, for they have sinned, the more pahala you will get. Hopefully, the pahala will be in the form of winning the champion title. *wink*

If Aril does become the champion, I can already almost imagine that many more will criticize him, but, never mind; that means Aril will make even more money (bertambah rezeki) from their ‘sins’ (for condemning him). LOL! *wink* Then, we shall see who will actually be laughing all the way to the bank! LOL! *grin*

Out of the five that are going into the finals, as of before the concert, Yazid was at the top. Hmm…why doesn’t that surprise me, since he has been asking for pity all week long?

Hafiz came in second, which is also of no surprise to me. He has got the voice, though I must agree with the Edrie and Adlin last night that though he has been constantly good since the first concert, he has not progressed much. If you were charting his progress on a chart, it will actually be almost flat. I am not saying that this is necessarily bad, but, the tagline did say “TRANSFORMASI’, so, has Hafiz actually been transformed? Even his hair has pretty much remained the same, just to quote a simple example. *wink*

Opps! I can already see fanatic fans of Hafiz turning red and about to come after me with that statement! LOL! Whoa! Calm down, people! LOL! *wink*

I am not a fan of Akim, but my 9 year old son is. In my humble opinion, Akim has shown quite a lot of improvement from the first day he stepped into the Akademi, though it would have been better if he showed even much more progress. He has, after all, been in the Akademi for 9 weeks already. Maybe he will spring in a surprise in the finals?

I have the same to say of Isma like what I have said of Hafiz. She has the voice, the looks and the right attitude, and she too, has been constantly good since the first concert, but she has not progressed much. Like Hafiz, her progress chart will also be almost flat. She has yet to be transformed, though I must agree with AC Mizal that she is looking less like a mum with 5 kids nowadays. She looks like she is only in her early twenties with her short skirt and tight pants or whatchamacolic that she was wearing last night. She looks good!

Hmm….I don’t want to make any more comments on Aril this time around because I have already said what I wanted to say about him in my Saturday, April 25, 2009 entry titled “Shocking, unbelievable, and sad….”

I only wish him the best of luck. My only other wish is for everyone to stop critically criticizing and condemning him. I am not a favour of AFMASUK either, but I like him (for his talent, of course, but he is also cute! LOL! *wink*) and since he got in via AFMASUK with a huge margin in percentage, I hope that those who have been critical of him will just stop condemning him, and just concentrate on making the kids of their choice a champion.

It will be almost near impossible for him to be champion with fans of Hafiz and Isma fearlessly voting for them. It will be a huge bonus if Aril gets even second placing. He will most probably be a ‘threat’ to Akim and Yazid, but then again, Akim might just surpass him in position as of late, Akim is showing huge signs of improvement. Aril has been out of practice for 2 weeks. I am just happy that Aril is in the Finals, and that I get to see him sing his own original song.

BTW, if there is one person who really needs to be transformed, it has to be AC Mizal. Can ASTRO please transform AC Mizal? *wink* I believe that a lot of the surprise gimmicks could not be carried out because of AC Mizal’s lack of talent to carry it through with drama like the way Aznil did.

Most of the time, I find the elimination round kind of an anti-climax. I have a feeling that probably ASTRO had to rope in Principal Tiara to announce the AFMASUK because AC Mizal just couldn’t inject enough drama into it. If only Aznil would replace AC Mizal for the final concert……

Anyway, all the best to Aril, Akim, Isma, Hafiz and Yazid! I am looking forward to a highly charged final concert next Saturday!

**note - photo taken from Berita Harian Online.

Who shall it be?

I waited in anticipation of the Diary last night but was a little bit disappointed as I expected Sarimah to announce something different with regards to the AFMASUK. I was hoping that there will be something different to the approach in bringing back one or two of the ex-students into the Akademi.

I was hoping that Astro would have a concert of sorts by the ex-students, and the voters will decide from there who should deserve a place into the finals. I was also hoping that maybe Astro would announce that Aishah be given another chance, like a wild card or sorts, into the Akademi, and then the voters would only vote for another person back into the Akademi.

I was also hoping that the voting method would be a little different though I can't really say how different I want it to be, but I just wanted it to be different than from the previous AFMASUK. But, yesterday, it was just like any other AFMASUK they had during the season 2 and 4 of AF.

Was I expecting too much? Probably if I didn't (expect too much), then I wouldn't have been too disappointed, right? AF is known to have done many things out of the unexpected, so, I was just hoping again for the unexpected, but, I guess, this time around, it did not come. It was just another Diary last night. *sigh* Or, maybe that was the unexpected? What you expected became the unexpected! Opps! Did I just got everyone confused? LOL! *wink*

It would be nice IF, that's a BIG `IF' Astro would bring back in 3 ex-students to make it 7 finalists in conjunction with season 7 of AF. One student is brought in via sms, one is chosen by the Critics (Pengritik Mingguan) and one chosen by the Faculty. That would be nice as it would fulfill everyone's wishes - the voters, the Critics, and the Faculty who have worked so hard to mold these kids from no one to someone. Wouldn't that be great?

Fat hopes, huh? But, nothing wrong in hoping and wishing, right? *wink*

This would be my choice into the FINALS from the pool of ex-students - Aishah, Aril and Zizi.

Why Aishah?

Because she has worked hard, and if you were to look back from the first week she was in the Akademi till now, she has improved a lot. Her confidence level has increased, though she is still very shy, but, that is what appeal you to her - shy, demure and innocent.

Why Zizi?

Because I like her husky voice and I think she's got the potential and almost fulfills the package of an entertainer.

Why Aril?

BECAUSE I LIKE HIM! FULLSTOP! LOL! *wink*

No, seriously...well, seriously I do like him *grin*, but I also think that he has got the right element (package) to make it big into this cruel and insane entertainment world.

I know it will be very hard for him to be a champion knowing very well how fanatic most fans of Hafiz are (my personal opinion and you don't necessarily have to agree) in crowning Hafiz as the champion, but I will be most happy just having him in the finals (him being a champion would be a HUGE bonus!) just to see him perform again with his very own song, with the hope that his song will hit the top charts faster than you can blink an eye. LOL! *wink* That's a figure of speech! *wink*

I just know (shall I say wish and hope? *grin*) that he will be easily snapped up by big recording companies if they are able to see how talented he is. Didn't Pricipal Tiara said that he has the right package to be an Ikon? I believe her. Don't you? *wink*

**notes - photos taken from Klubbkidd.

AFMASUK?

Honestly, I am not too much in favour of AFMASUK. Even though I would love to see Aril perform again, assuming that he might be the one that will be taken back in if the votes are on his side, I am more concerned that him going back into the Akademi via AFMASUK will only hurt him more than help him. Those fans of the other students will only be even more critical of him, condemning him even more, and worse, bitching about him. That’s more damage to him than doing him good.

He is, in my honest opinion, better off outside. Like many have said, if he is a shining star, he need not even have to be the champion, but he will still make it into this cruel and insane world. He has got the right package – the looks, the right attitude, the style, the persona, the stage presence, he can dance, he can act, and though his voice may not be anything at par to the darling Hafiz, the rest of what he has makes up for much of his lackings in the vocal department.

After all, Dafi made it, and he wasn’t even in the finals. Aizat wasn’t in the finals either, and neither was Rich, but look at where they both are now, winning awards after awards.

The only time that AFMASUK benefited the students themselves was during the third season of AF when Mawi and Marsha was brought in, but, they were brought in much earlier, if I am not mistaken, during the second concert. After that, their votes stayed constantly at the top for the voters were wary that both these two students might be booted out again; though fans of Mawi need not have to worry as the percentage of his votes were too wide a gap from the rest of the kids for any of them to be able to catch up.

AFMASUK did nothing much to Linda Nanuwil though she went on to win the first runner up. But, where is she now? She was condemned throughout her 2nd chance stay at the Akademi.

Lotter went through the same ordeal too, despite winning second placing too. He is not successful as a solo artiste but I caught on the radio a couple of times of a song which I felt was really catchy, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a song sung by Lotter and his brothers. Though I must say that I like the song, I doubt it that he will be successful as a solo artiste, but I wish him luck in his future endeavors with his siblings.

So, again, as much as I would like to see Aril perform again in the Akademi, I still prefer to catch him in the finals as a guest artiste or former AF kids rather than as a finalist as he will be condemned non-stop by fans of the other AF kids who have been critically condemning him all this while. Astro just gave them more bullets to condemn Aril even more, and that makes me sad…..

I don’t think if Zizi and Qhoud are to be brought in via AFMASUK that they will be condemned as much as Aril will be.

Aril has been the target of much controversy right from the early weeks of AF7, despite doing well and being a very dedicated student, improving over the weeks, transforming himself from someone who lacks in the vocal department to someone who can dance and act, and you must agree with me that his vocals have improved, and he has taken any songs given to him without much of a complain compared to the other kids. Think about it. Flashback at the diaries, and seriously look at it without being overly bias, and emotional. Look at it at a rational angle, and you will see what I mean.

Whatever the results will be when the AFMASUK will be announced, I hope that whoever gets in will not be condemned too much, though my fear remains, and if he or she becomes the champion, that he or she will be a true champion, meaning that he or she will win not just because of a good voice, but because of the total package that he or she has – able to sing, act, dance, have stage presence and have got that aura that will get him or her to last for a very long time to come in this cruel industry.

I find this comment left at Klubbkidd interesting…..

QUOTE
AF ni memang drama......Seperti minggu lepas, astro provok lagu hafiz, so semua pengundi hafiz menjerit. Then, astro sengaja masukkan marsha. So, apa lagi...... kisah anak emas dah jadi besar .......siapa mangsa dari semua ini ....jawapannyer ialah "aril"

Memang bila ada pelajar yang tersingkir...semua orang kata salah pengundi dialah yang tak cukup undi .....

Apabila kes hafiz dianak tirikan dibesarkan, ada pengundi yang ada 2 calon cuba nak selamatkan hafiz dahulu, sehingga mereka sedikit pun tak undi aril. Maka, sebenarnyer, siapa yang telah dianak tirikan. Pengundi aril memang terus mengundi tetapi pengundi yg ada 2 calon ini yang tidak mengundi aril sebab isu anak tiri......

Bila marsha dimasukkan....wah...lagi kesian aril....dia seolah-olah kehilangan pengundi wanita ...sebab aksi marsha yang menggoda aril ditayangkan dan diperbesarkan dalam diari ....... aril lagi yang jadi mangsa.

Bila aril keluar, astro pun, wah, tunjuk adegan study dan fokus jer. Kesian aril....seperti, dengan kehadiran dialah selama ni yang menyebabkan pelajar main-main......

kesian aril....dia jadi mangsa hanya kerana dia menjadi dirinyer sendiri.

akhirnyer, astro juga untung. Isu afmasuk akan memburukkan nama aril jer. Aril lagi sekali jadi mangsa.....
UNQUOTE

I am not saying that I agree with everything that she said, though I must say that she is a true Aril Fan, fanatic too, to a certain extent *wink*, but I find it interesting at how people tend to look at the same thing in so many different ways, and come up with so many different variations and interpretations.

To me, everyone is entitled to their own opinion on things, and everyone should respect that. You can either agree with it, or you don't. One man's meat is another man's poison. Only wise men will be able to respect another man's opinion.

To Aril, and all those other kids vying for a place into the finals via AFMASUK, I wish them ALL THE BEST OF LUCK!

**note - photos taken from Klubbkidd.

Shocking, unbelievable, and sad.......

I hope by now those who have been critically condemning Aril are finally at peace and happy now that Aril is out of the game.

However, I still don't get it why fans of Hafiz feels that Aril is a threat to Hafiz, when the actual threat is Isma, whose votes have been constantly at the top no matter how good or bad she performs each week. She could just be standing on stage doing nothing at all for all we know, and her votes would still be high. Sounds like Mawi? I may not like Mawi very much, but I must admit that Mawi was phenomenal, but Isma is far from having the aura that Mawi has.

I am shocked and I find it unbelievable that someone as talented as Aril was eliminated at the 7th concert last night. How could this have happened? Was everyone trying to save the not so good ones that they forgot to vote for Aril?

Even Sultan Muzaffar has this to say, or rather he has gone speechless.....

QUOTE

Apa yang boleh saya katakan ? Pengundi telah pun bertitah. Jadi saya tiada kuasa untuk berkata apa-apa. Hanya sekadar mampu melihat dan melihat Aril pergi. Tapi bolehkah penyingkiran Aril diganti ? Mustahil ! Satu penyingkiran yang sukar di cari ganti.

UNQUOTE

I visited several blogs this morning, and many comments that were left were of disappointment and disconsolate with Aril's elimination. Even those that are not fans of Aril agrees that Aril is a good performer.

Adibah said that Aril was born to be on stage. Adlin, who I consider quite truthful and brutal in his comments, said that Aril is a new product never before been produced by Astro.

And to say that fans of Aril did not vote, many voted, but it seems that the votes somehow did not get through in time before the votings were closed for the night. So, what really happened?

I am sure fans of Akim and Yazid will not agree with me, but, compare Akim and Yazid to Aril, and Aril is any time better than both of them combined (this is my personal opinion, and you have yours). You have to remember that this is already the 7th concert and Akim has yet to show proof that he has got something big to deserve a place in the finals.

Aril can dance and he has so far never performed without coming out with something that is extra ordinary. He can act going by the impressive play acting drama and feel that he did when he delivered his duet with Marsha and the song "Andainya Aku Pergi Dulu...." was delivered full of expression and feel. Even MrManager, who is a great fan of Hafiz, said that Aril has got a shining persona, and he was beginning to like him. He too was shocked by Aril's elimination.

He has slide on the floor, he has slithered and slept on the floor. He has thrown himself across the floor. He has jumped down from the stage. And last night, he did a somersault of sorts. You name it, he has done it. Has Akim or Yazid done any of those yet? Akim only started last night.....

I quote this comment left by AKOO at MrManager's blog......

QUOTE
Aril rocks the stadium tonight, sayang you are not there... Nakal sound and look good with him performing, and I'm not comparing his singing with the original singer. ARIL WAS DAMNED GOOD.

When he was backing up for Hafiz performance, he didn't even try to outshine Hafiz at all.
UNQUOTE

Compare the voice, and Aril may not have the vocals of Hafiz, but compare his voice with Yazid and Akim, they are almost at par if Aril is not better. So, OK, Yazid might have a slight edge over Aril when it comes to the vocals, but has Yazid got the stage presence that Aril has?

This week, it was Aril that came to Hafiz's aid when Hafiz was struggling with his lyrics. He even offered to help sing the parts where Hafiz couldn't memorize. He even promised that he wouldn't overshadow Hafiz, and he did just that, pretty much stayed on the side, and Hafiz got all the attention.

If fans of Hafiz still thinks that Aril is a threat and condemn Aril, than they must really be fanatics, and that is sad.

I quote a comment placed at Klubbkidd's blog last night, right after the concert...

QUOTE
Noticed in the other blog, a fan of another student mentioned about justice being done when Aril is out of the competition.

What justice is she/he talking about? What is wrong with her/him? Aril performed well (best performance) 3 weeks in a row and him being booted out is called justice? I guess he is really a threat to their fauvorite student in terms of performance. (I couldn't agree with you more!) They should be more worried with Isma not Aril. She is actually the main competitor in terms of votes and could even be a juara due to voting alone. Aril's votes always the bottom half after the concert and still he is considered a threat. Go figure...
UNQUOTE

Aril was just trying to help. He has a kind heart, but, unfortunately, like klubbkidd said, his bigger than life personality overshadowed the talent that he has, and good and kind heart that is naturally him, making him being hated by paranoid people who finds him a threat to their darling choices of the AF7 kinds.

I was hoping that Astro would announce that that there would be no elimination this week, but, then I realised that had Astro done that and it was Aril who was at the bottom of the ranking, then all the more Aril will be condemned non-stop, and they will say that Astro was playing favouritism. That would be even sadder. So, maybe it is for the best that Aril is no longer in the game. Maybe a big recording company will pick him up, hopefully KRU, and I am hoping to see an album the likes of Adam coming out not too long after the AF7 is over.

The diaries, to me, will be boring to watch from tomorrow onwards. I am a little embarassed to admit, but I watch the diaries to watch Aril's playful and mischievious antics, and fun personality. He brings life to the diaries.

Looks like I won't be watching much of the diaries anymore. The others are simply boring.....I probably won't watch the concerts anymore either, except to maybe pass my time away while I fold my weekly laundry like what I do every Saturday night since the concerts started.

To Aril, I wish you all the best. Never mind what people say about you. Stay the way you are - fun, loving, mischievious, playful, and, most of all, caring, because it is the way you are that makes people like me love you and wanting to watch you!

You are a star in the making! You left last night with pride. Hold your head up high!

Thanks for making the past 7 weeks an enjoyable one!

**notes - photo taken from Berita Harian Online and SultanMuzaffar

Hot and hilarious!

Before I proceed with my comments of the kids’ performance this week, I am curious to know why whenever you tell someone that you are a keen follower of Akademi Fantasia, you get this funny and surprised look, like it is a sin to enjoy watching Akademi Fantasia. But you never get that kind of look when you say that you follow American Idol, Malaysian Idol or One in A Million. Hmmmm…….. I wonder why……

Heck, I enjoy watching Akademi Fantasia, and if not for anything else, it is as part of taking things easy on a Saturday night to release stress. Err…release stress? I get anxious whenever Aril performs! LOL! *wink*

Anyway, back to my usual `task’ LOL! *wink*, here’s my take for this week……

I was having a bad case of gastric when Akim was performing, and his performance, sorry to say, made the gastric worse.

As I laid down listening to him sing, I tried to figure out why Aurora did not sound good, as to me, Aurora is a lovely song. Then I realized it when Edrie pointed out that Akim had changed the tune of the songs too much that it became a distraction.

I do belief that he has improved over the last few weeks, but, for some reason, for this concert, he fumbled through his performance right from the start. I pity him. I almost thought that he was going to get booted out because of that performance as Qhoud did quite well when it was his time to perform.

What can I say of Aril’s performance last night?

Praise him too much and it will get fanatic fans of Hafiz bitching and condemning him non-stop. So, I think I will just quote what Kubbkidd said in his blog….

“Apapon, aku hats to Aril sebab semalam, he killed competition with his performance.

Some of the other kids were good, but for one of those rare moments, I saw sorang pelajar yang mampu membawa diri sebagai pro atas pentas. Kalao ikutkan, memang last week aku rasa Claudia patut dapat pelajar cemerlang and not Aril.

This week however, for me, it belongs to Aril. Sebab not only dia berjaya nak nampak kehebatan dia atas pentas, his performance set the bar so high that the others were mediocre by comparison”.

What surprised me most today was when I visited Mr Manager’s blog this morning and Mr Manager had given Aril the highest ranking by naming Aril the Best Male Performance for the night, him being a huge fan of Hafiz. That came as a huge surprise after a week of heating things up between fans of Hafiz and Aril. I guess, as a professional where he has strong followings, he does have to be fair and give credits where credits are due.

I liked the way Aril dropped himself onto the floor, like what Dato' Khaty said, was like a scene from Bollywood, and also when he dived after performing his song. He did it with such confidence. Others might not have dared to take such risks as it might affect their vocals.

I just want to add that despite what many might say of Aril, I think it would be fair to say among all the 8 students left last week, he and Yazid were about the only ones with colouful characters that brightens up even the most boring of days with their antics and playful misdemeanors.

What else can be said of both Claudia and Hafiz’s performance last night except that, as always, they were good. I must day that her experience of having her own band really paid off last night. She was comfortable with the live band, and her interaction with the audience was good. Though I must say that I don’t like much Claudia’s frizzy hairdo. It makes her look 5 years older than her actual age.

I also wondered why they made Hafiz push back him hair with a hairband like what he did last night.

My son said that he looked kind of girlish. But, after seeing him perform last night, that hairstyle made him look very much like a very cute rock singer. *grin* Too cute, actually, to be part of a rock band. *grin* But, before fans of Hafiz comes after me with their snide remarks, LOL! *wink* I shall say that there is nothing wrong with being a cute rock singer. Go, Hafiz! *wink*

Oh, I must say that I like that part where Azizan came him with his comedian buddy like a mad fan of Hafiz, complete with the T-shirt! LOL! That was cute and hilarious! LOL! Now fans of Hafiz can’t complain that Astro is not giving Hafiz attention. *wink* Last night, the attention was all on him, and Hafiz deserves it.

I really enjoyed that amusing segment with Azizan, and I think Hafiz probably felt really appreciated to have a mad fan like Azizan, even if it was only play acting, and I hope fans of Hafiz are now pacified.

Astro has brought back the fun and re-injected the surprise element that is synonymous with AF, which AC Mizal has, unfortunately, failed to do on his own. Bring back Aznil! *grin*

When I watched Isma perform last night, I could not help but felt like I was watching Siti Nurhaliza performing at a rock concert. She was simply too much Siti-look-alike and sounds just like her. I can’t blame her actually, since that is God’s gift to her.

Aishah was cute last night, though I like her better before she did something to her teeth. However, I felt that her dress was kind of out of place to sing with a live band. Maybe I was expecting her to be dressed more like a rock singer, in leather jacket and tight pants, or at least, complimenting the original singer.

For some reason, I felt that the original singer was overshadowing both Isma and Aishah. I half wished that she wasn’t even there. She was like taking the limelight away from both girls, and whose concert was it last night?

I have always liked ballads, and rock ballads are something I enjoy listening to also. So, I really enjoyed listening to Yazid’s rendition of “Ku di Halaman Rindu” by Leftahnded.

I managed to catch Qhoud practicing his song during a few of the dairies and I was afraid that if he were to perform the way he did during the practice, he was heading for trouble., So, I was rather surprised when he delivered his song quite well last night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough to make people want to vote for him to stay on in the Akademi. He got booted out at last night’s concert. I wish Qhoud the best of luck!

So, what else can we look forward to this coming week?

There are 3 more concerts before the finals. That means there will be 3 or more eliminations. It’s anyone’s guess who would be going into the finals at this point. If you ask me, I don’t want any more elimination as I think the 7 left are the best of the best already.

I can’t choose between Claudia and Aishah as they are equally good. Isma has a very strong fan base. Her position into the finals is already quite secure.

Hafiz’s place into the finals too is already secured as I think the Sawarakians are geared up to vote more for him than for Claudia and Aishah. Mr Manager had strategized for Sawarakians to give two votes for Hafiz and one each for Claudia and Aishah. My guess is that Aishah will be the casualty in this case.

If ever Hafiz, for whatever reason, gets eliminated before the finals, Astro will be in big trouble. They will lose millions in votes from fans of Hafiz as I doubt it if they will vote for anyone else should Hafiz fail to make it to the finals, except maybe to make sure that Claudia wins just to ensure a sawarakian wins no matter what. But, Hafiz is anytime better than Claudia, though both are good.

Now left are Akim, Yazid and Aril. Akim has some strong fans who I take it will vote for him tirelessly no matter how bad he performs. Yazid has started to gain some momentum in the votes that he is getting over the week, and each time he performs well, his votes goes up surpassing even Hafiz’s at one concert.

It’s Aril whose position into the finals that remains unpredictable and unsecured. Last week he became the victim of much malicious attack by fans of Hafiz who was dissatisfied with the way the faculty and Astro Production team are treating Hafiz and not giving him enough air time and coverage. I hope with the attention given to Hafiz at this week’s concert would have appeased all those fanatic and die hard fans of Hafiz, and they would stop condemning Aril.

I am looking forward to see what songs they will be performing this coming week, and what other surprises are being lined up for the concert. Maybe by having Aznil back as the host? LOL! *wink* Fat hopes as Astro is tied up with a long contract with AC Mizal. *sigh*

**note - photos taken from Klubbkidd.