MANILA, Philippines?Earlier this year, over 100,000 wannabes auditioned for the 2008 ?American Idol? tilt. Only some 150 of this teeming multitude were deemed talented enough to fly to Los Angeles for the semi-finals, and more rigorous auditions further cut the field down to 24.
For the past month, these musical diamonds in the rough have been honed even more stringently on TV, in the full view of millions of viewers around the world, with four young singers biting the dust each week.
In addition, the ?war? of attrition has included ?exposes? that have tested the loyalty of each semi-finalist?s cadre of fans:
Too experienced
Carly Smithson was rapped for having recorded an album some years ago, indicating that she was no amateur, hence too experienced for the tilt for ?new? talents. But, Smithson wasn?t kicked out of the show, since her recording contract had expired (her album was a big flop), so she was back to square one as far as the program?s producers were concerned.
Later, David Hernandez was ?exposed? not just as a dancer, but as a stripper at a gay bar for more than two years. Again, some viewers ?demanded? his expulsion for the, uh, less than admirable example he was setting for the tilt?s viewers, particularly the impressionable youth.
Yet again, however, the show?s producers decided to retain Hernandez, because it was the tilt?s policy to focus on contestants? talents, not on what they did in the past or out of camera range. (He was the first to get the boot, though, among the final 12 ? Ed)
Even ?our own? Fil-Am bet, Ramiele Malubay, recently got into hot water when her sexy photo ended up on the Internet, arousing the ire of people who think young singers should tread the straight and narrow in all aspects of their lives.
Glitch
Would this be the end of Ramiele?s dream of becoming the first Asian-American Idol? Happily, program bosses opted to look beyond the temporary glitch, and the Fil-Am bet remained a contender.
Her ?case? reminded show biz observers of another Fil-Am talent, Vanessa Hudgens of ?High School Musical,? whose career was also threatened by the unauthorized release of some of her nude photos on the Net. Vanessa, too, was forgiven, and has gone on to star in the first ?High School Musical? movie.
After those glitches, some people thought that Smithson, Hernandez and Malubay would have a hard time surviving the tilt?s inexorable elimination process down to its final 12. But, lo and behold, when the smoke cleared last week, all three ?controversial? contestants had made it, along with David Archuleta, Jason Castro, David Cook, Kristy Lee Cook, Chikezie Eze, Michael Johns, Syesha Mercado, Amanda Overmyer and Brooke White.
The big question now is: Who are the frontrunners in the last phase of the competition, and who will be hailed as the top winner?
Frontrunners
Barring unexpected developments, the frontrunners appear to include Johns, Archuleta, Malubay, Smithson and Overmyer.
Johns has killer looks and a singing voice to die for. Archuleta is only 17, but has gotten rave reviews from the show?s judges for his ?precocious maturity.? Malubay has been cited for her ?consistency,? and Simon Cowell has hailed her as having ?one of the three best voices? in the competition.
Smithson is very experienced, and her advantage shows. And Overmyer is the finals? resident rocker, so she should do at least as well as last year?s Chris Daughtry, who ended up as one of the tilt?s top survivors?and, even better, subsequently scored a big hit as a recording artist.
The top winner? It?s early days in the finals, but Archuleta looks and sounds like a champion. Adding to his appeal is his youth?at only 17, he?s as old now as last year?s top winner, Jordin Sparks, was when she topped the tilt.
Will ?American Idol? say ?yes? to youth again this year?
