Sweet Dreams

I didn’t notice who the other person was with me on the Bottom Two. But I remember clearly how saddened I was that my journey was over. I finished in the Top 8. Ryan Seacrest was with me at the center of the stage as they showed my video montage. And he was speaking in Filipino as he consoled and whispered to me on how things can only open up for my career from now on. It was at that point – when Ryan spoke to me in Filipino – when I realized that I must really be just dreaming. Yeah, as if everything else – that I was on American Idol, finishing at Top 8 to boot – was actually believable. Haha!

I’ve had my share of fantastically weird and outrageous dreams before, but this was the first time that I got to be on American Idol (back in Season 7, I dreamt I was friends with David Archuleta and Michael Johns was my brother). And I was a finalist and not one of those comical cannon fodder personalities that they show during the audition episodes. Well, my talent can be argued. I finished in only the Top 8 after all and did not win. For all I know, I could have been one of those annoying finalists who over-welcomed their stay on the show and was featured on “Vote For The Worst”.

Anyway, I’m an ardent Idol fan, so imagine my amused grin when I woke up. I wish I also dreamt of the all the weeks leading to my elimination in the Top 8 week. It would have been a great journey indeed.
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Last week, Jessica Sanchez was declared safe from elimination and is now part of the Top 3, equalling fellow half-Filipino Jasmine Trias’ finish back in Season 3. Given that her vocal power is much stronger than Jasmine’s (no offense, dear), it is highly hoped that she will even surpass the Top 3 feat and even win it all in the end. Fingers crossed, Jessica Sanchez will be the first American Idol winner with a definitive Asian heritage – and a Filipino heritage at that!

Jessica is joined in the Top 3 by Phillip Phillips and Joshua Ledet. It is an exciting and interesting mix because while Jessica and Joshua are more applauded for their vocal power, Phillip has been praised for his unique re-interpretation of songs (after all, Idol contestants sing only covers). In this day and age in the music business, artistry is as important as vocal talent.

But unfortunately, when Idol allowed its contestants to play instruments since Season 7, artistry seemed to have completely trumped vocal talent. Three of the past four winners are all WGWG – “White Guy With Guitar”. Add the fact all four most recent winners were widely perceived to be the heartthrobs of their respective seasons (it didn’t hurt that they were good-looking), owing to the fact that the biggest voting bloc in the Idol audience are teenage girls. All this considered, Phillip Phillips seem to be the man to beat. And he’s the only one among the three left who have not been in the bottom 3 despite a couple of weeks wherein he had lukewarm performances.
At the start of the season, I was looking forward to root for the girls early on even as it remained to be seen who the Top 24 was going to be. I just want a female vocal powerhouse like Kelly Clarkson to be the winner again. When David Cook and Kris Allen won their season, it was like a breath of fresh air because it was kind of a break away from the typical mold of power belter winners and ushered in the era of “artists” on the show. But then, it has become a pattern.

More so, the careers of the most recent winners have been less than stellar. (Scotty McCreery’s post-Idol still remains to be given the definitive verdict, but things are looking good). This is quite baffling for me. During their seasons, David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze were the complete package into becoming music superstars. And yet, sales of their debut albums were underwhelming, despite putting out great quality albums. Fans were willing to power vote for them during their Idol run, but not to listen to their Idols’ new music? Or is it because The Powers That Be are just not willing to invest that much on their non-anointed winners? Haha!

And so, as if my Facebook and Twitter statuses the past few months haven’t made it obvious, I am definitely rooting for Jessica Sanchez this year. “Great” and “good” doesn’t even give justice to her talent. She is a seasoned performer! Haha! And it’s just a bonus that she is half-Filipino. (My close friends know me too well to agree that I’m a true Idol fan and I’m beyond the let’s-support-our-kababayan-for-the-sake-of-it badwagon). I hope that Jessica’s performances this week will be beyond amazing. I hope she strategizes her personal choice well (contestants gets to choose one of the three songs they will be performing this week) and have a Kris-Allen-“Heartless” moment. If she gets to have that moment wherein people gets to see that she can be an “artist” too and not just a great power belter, it will definitely increase her chances of winning it all.

And if and when she returns to the Philippines, I hope she guests on ASAP instead of Party Pilipinas. Hahaha!