MANILA, Philippines - Comic Russell Peters clearly knows Asians are not just the Chinese; they also include Filipinos.
?I know a Filipino when I see one,? he said as he surveyed the appreciative crowd at a recent gig. ?He?s the one staring at my microphone, thinking there?s going to be karaoke after this show.?
In all likelihood, booted ?American Idol? finalist Ramiele Malubay, a Filipino-American from Miramar, Florida, picked up the microphone one day and started belting out to the delight of family and friends. This circle, of course, does not judge you when you sing. Karaoke singing is for fun; it?s not a competitive sport like ?American Idol.?
Training vs fun
Two AI seasons ago, runner-up Katharine McPhee sang like she was calling angels down to earth. But her classic approach might have been too old and tired for text voters.
McPhee had a vocal coach for a mother. In short, she was trained in singing, as opposed to Malubay, who apparently started singing just for fun.
Why did Malubay get the boot when she did? Simon Cowell, the fastididrollous judge with a droll wit, described one of her performances as akin to, well, karaoke singing. He did not explain his observation, as usual, taking it for granted that audiences could discern the difference between karaoke and performance singing.
It?s not hard to understand why Malubay excelled in the initial stages of the competition, and was even praised by the judges for being ?consistent.? To some degree, karaoke singing can keep you either consistently good or consistently bland.
As the contest progressed and the contenders were urged to up the ante and put their personal stamp on every performance, Malubay remained stuck in her worn-out style that was hard to shake off. Families helped her pick songs and when that didn?t work out, she made her own song choices. That didn?t work, either.
Time to go
In truth, it was her time to go. Many Filipinos in the US voted to help her stay week in and week out, but in the end, it was clearly wrong to keep her just for patriotic reasons.
?American Idol? is a singing contest, where the best talent should win. Yes, of course, it is also a popularity text-voting contest, but it?s always good to strive for some kind of standard, no matter how futile.
Case in point: Michael Johns. The studio audience was stunned to silence when the throaty bluesy Aussie was sent home packing the week after Malubay. Again, it was the votes.
If AI is still serious about empowering the viewers, a new system may be in order. With contestants? songs now available on iTunes, maybe they can be judged both according to viewer votes and total songs bought from iTunes. Apple may be the only one bound to benefit from this concept, but it maybe it?s worth a shot, considering AI?s declining ratings.
Latins of Asia
Meanwhile, the Malubay experience should pave the way for more Filipinos in the contest. Filipinos are not the Latins of Asia for nothing, to paraphrase Time Magazine?s description of RP performers.
Malubay admitted to being terrified of being onstage. Among this season?s hopefuls, she also reportedly held the record for changing her song choices the most frequently. This could indicate a limited knowledge of available options.
As the petite singer strikes out on her own, she should first find her real voice. A reported forthcoming trip to Manila to take advantage of her new-found popularity is inevitable, but how she handles the glare of the fickle spotlight henceforth is essential.
Being apparently modest and grounded, though, Malubay?s only problem now is conforming to singing styles. And, of course, boosting her confidence.
