I am not a writer, i am just an average guy with an average knowledge enough to come up with words, combine those words to have some phrases and scribble them to create sentences. I am an old book with faded writings, i may not look appealing anymore but still welcomes those who are willing to learn from my rich past.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Siobhan Magnus Eliminated on Idol
“Casey James, its Casey James” This was the exact words I uttered before Ryan announced the name of the latest eliminated Idol. Siobhan was eliminated after getting the least number of combined votes from calls and text. This time I want to blame all Americans for letting go of Siobhan. Crystal now remains to be the lone female contestant which I think will make the remaining time of idol boring.
Once again Siobhan sang her favorite song “Think” and instead of crying as what other idols do, she performed with all of her hearts giving her best and making that performance a memorable one.
There are only 5 remaining contestants and here’s my top 3,
Crystal Bowersox
Lee Dewyze
Aaron Kelly
I’ll try to watch the show next week, but if I find it boring I’ promise to turn my TV off.
Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP) remains on top but Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. has now jumped to second place after having overtaken Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party (LP) in the latest survey conducted nationwide by an independent research firm three weeks after the start of the official campaign period for national posts in the May 10 elections.
Teodoro’s rating of 24% in the survey conducted by the Campaigns and Image Group during the week ending March 7 was enough to dislodge from second place Aquino, whose rating has been steadily declining as shown in the three previous surveys of voters’ preferences for President done by this marketing research firm with the Parish Pas-toral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).
Conducted among 5,100 adults of voting age nationwide, this survey asked the respondents the question: “Who among the 10 presidential candidates do you think is capable of governing the Philippines and for whom will you be voting for the presi-dency?”
Villar remained the survey frontrunner with a rating of 31%, up by 3 percentage points from his previous rating of 27% in the earlier survey done in the week ending Feb. 17. Teodoro followed with 24%, which is a significant increase of 6 percentage points from his previous rating of 18% in the Feb. 17 survey.
Aquino dropped 8 percentage points to 20% from his previous rating of 28% in the Feb. 17 survey. When Campaigns and Image first did its survey of voter’s preferences for President in Dec. 2009, Aquino’s rating was at 31% and remained un-changed a month later when the group conducted its January survey.
Former President Joseph Estrada landed in fourth place with 13%, which was an increase of 6 percentage points from his rating of 7% in the previous survey.
Sen. Richard Gordon got 5% and TV evangelist Eddie Villanueva, 2% in the March survey where 4% of the voters were still undecided on their choice of presidential candidate for the May 10 elections.
Campaigns & Image said that to gauge the governance capability rating (GCR) of each candidate, it also asked respondents the question: How do you rate your preferred candidate in accordance with the following parameters (leadership, experience, integrity, transparency, platform and accessibility)?
Based on this question, Villar got a GCR of 81%, followed by Teodoro with 74%, Aquino with 70%, and Estrada 62%.
“This survey by the Campaigns and Image Group is by far the most comprehensive, easy-to-follow presentation because, unlike its Pulse Asia, TNS and SWS counter-parts, it pinpoints the reasons for any change—increase or decrease—in the governance capability rating (GCR) of candidates,” the survey group said.
“The GCR includes the voters’ perception on individual qualification (leadership ability and management experience), track record (accessibility, integrity, and transparency) and relevance of platform.”
Campaigns and Image noted that “there is a corresponding percentage weight for each of the parameters that add up to a candidate’s GCR.”
It pointed out that Villar remained the top spender in TV advertising during the period when the survey was conducted.
Teodoro’s jump in the surveys, on the other hand, could be attributed to “the political machinery of the administration party and (his efforts of) touching base with local government politicians seeking re-election into various offices,” Campaigns and Image noted.
“Because most of the provincial and mayoralty candidates of the Liberal Party are over 65 years old, they had been unable to shore up (Aquino’s) ascendancy among young and middle-aged voters,” Campaigns and Image said.
During an interview on “Larry King Live” Simon Cowell stated that he will never miss American Idol once he leave the show, no question why because this “Grey, Black, White” Guy, oops sorry that’s what I call him for always wearing the same shirt colors during his American idol show. Ok let me go back, so where I did I stopped? Ah right, Mr. Cow had no qualms of leaving because he is now swimming in a pool of $300 million $US.
Cowell is now one of UK’s richest music man, and he should be thankful for creating a record for “SuBo” I mean Susan Boyle. Because of Boyle’s debut album “I dreamed a dream” which is considered as 2009’s worldwide biggest sales record.
Here’s a complete list of Britain’s music royalties
1. Edgar Bronfman & family (1.64 billion pounds)
2. Clive Calder (1.3 billion pounds)
3. Andrew Lloyd-Webber (700 million pounds)
4. Cameron Mackintosh (635 million pounds)
5. Paul McCartney (475 million pounds)
6. Simon Fuller (350 million pounds)
7. Mick Jagger (190 million pounds)
8. Elton John (185 million pounds)
9. Sting (180 million pounds)
10. Keith Richards (175 million pounds)
11. Simon Cowell (165 million pounds)
12. Olivia & Dhani Harrison (160 million pounds)
13. Jamie Palumbo (150 million pounds)
14. David & Victoria Beckham (145 million pounds)
15. Tim Rice (140 million pounds)
16. Ringo Starr (140 million pounds)
17. Tom Jones (135 million pounds)
18. Eric Clapton (125 million pounds)
19. Roger Ames (120 million pounds)
20. Barry & Robin Gibb (110 million pounds)
American Idol Cuts Tim Urban, Alex Lambert Welcomes Exciting Hollywood Life
At last American Idol viewers made a very good decision last night. Tim Urban is out of AI after getting the lowest percentage of votes from combined calls and text from the viewers. I must admit that Tim improved during his previous performances but I guess it’s really his time to go. He should be the one eliminated instead of my Idol Didi Benami.
Anyways I’ve heard that American idol contestant Adam Lambert was offered a sixth spot on the show cast “If I Can Dream” by American Idol brainchild Simon Fuller. Adam is really moving on and now with a new hairstyle. Goodluck Alex.
American Idol Season 9 top 7: Outstanding Performances by Lee DeWyze, Siobhan Magnus and Crstal Bowersox
Oh I forgot to update my blog, I was too busy at work and the internet connection sucks. Should I ask for an apology for making this post too late? Please forgive me; I swear not do it again. Last Night the remaining 7 idol hopefuls performed, singing their inspirational songs of choice. Let me just give you a recap of what happened and what the judges have for our idols.
Casey James – Don’t Stop
I just don’t appreciate Casey James these previous performances, I mean, you can easily predict his next performance based on his previous performance. He’s not growing anymore, his performance yesterday was just a repetition of what he did last week.
Randy: It was a good performance but not your best performance. Give me a little something else.
Ellen: Great guitar playing. I have to agree though. You have to be great. You’re consistently good but nobody is going to be talking about that tomorrow.
Kara: It’s jam band. That’s not showing what makes you different.
Simon: That wasn’t particularly inspiring. No emotion. There was no originality. It was a lazy song choice.
Lee DeWyze -The Boxer
I applaud Lee for delivering a solid performance. He owns the song every time he performs. I am sure that he will stay in the top 5.
Randy: It’s about artists this year. You are a great artist.
Ellen: Beautiful song choice and you have so much soul and depth to you we’re seeing more and more of.
Kara: It shows clearly when someone feels connected to a song.
Simon: The difference between you and the first performance is staggering. That was sincere and inspirational.
Tim Urban - Better Days
Though he missed a lot of notes, I can see the growth that Tim Urban is taking these previous performances. I just hope that his sweet smile can make him stay.
Randy: It was okay, good karaoke
Ellen: You’re like soup of the day. Sometimes, I like the soup. Today, I didn’t like the soup.
Kara: It wasn’t the best execution
Simon: If this had been the first time we saw you, we’d be quite impressed. Last week, I did. This might have been a step too high for you in believing the performance. You have improved over the weeks. It was a little bit of a letdown.
Aaron Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly
Aaron fits a boyband, I mean his voice really fits a vocalist for a boyband. He’s song choices these days are growing bigger and bigger he’s targeting for giant songs which I think that he can still take.
Randy: You picked a giant song… you got a huge voice and pure vocal talent. You did a good job with such a giant song.
Ellen: There was a time in the 70s I believed I could fly. I thought you handled it real good.
Kara: Watching that was like taking off. Somewhere down the runway, you were flying.
Simon: You really gave it your all but in the real world, if we had heard that on the radio, I would have turned that off after 10 seconds. It wasn’t very good.
Siobhan Magnus – When You Believe
After Didi was voted out I turned on to Siobhan and add up Crystal. Siobhan is really unique; she adds spice to a very simple song and makes it current. Well with regards to dress, there’s nothing wrong with it except for Simon.
Randy: It was just okay for me.
Ellen: I disagree. That’s more confirmation why you’re here.
Kara: Technically, it was really well sung. It felt very dramatic. I want to hang out more than buy your record. I still don’t know who you are.
Simon: That wasn’t the right song for you. The arrangement was too old-fashioned. The leaves distracted me on the closeups. Are they butterflies? I just found the whole thing odd and all over the place. It’s a shame.
Michael Lynche – Hero
I can say that “Big Mike’ is back and he deserves the save of the judges last week. I just love this cute giant and the way he sing. Simon thought that he’s song of choice for this week is not fit for an inspirational.
Randy: You held your own dawg. It worked out.
Ellen: You did a great job.
Kara: It wasn’t my favorite performance. You did not cut through. The song became unrecognizable.
Simon: You sang it pretty well. But once again, to remind us, the theme tonight is inspirational. That was about Spider-Man. It felt a little artificial to me.
Crystal Bowersox- People get Ready
My favorite performance of the week, I must say that MAMA SOX stepped into a new level of performance by giving up his guitar. She looks great in her black long gown. In the last line of his performance Crystal started to cry but over all her performance rocks the idol stage. I love you crystal.
Randy: That was unbelievable!
Ellen: You have never looked more beautiful. You keep evolving and growing. That was so beautiful.
My bottom group for this week is Casey James, Aaron Kelly, and Tim Urban.
Albay Governor Jose Sarte Salceda, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s economic adviser, on Wednesday confirmed talks that he was bolting the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party to support college classmate Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, the Liberal Party’s standard bearer. "Last Monday, I accepted the challenge of my Ateneo classmate Noynoy (Aquino’s nickname) to become the Bicol regional chairman of the Liberal Party. My task is to make him win in Bicol on May 10," Salceda, who is abroad, said in an e-mailed statement.
The Bicol Region has a voting population of more than 2.8 million based on the Commission on Elections records as of January 2010. Salceda said he was supposed to announce his move on April 20. He added that he would have wanted the LP to give him more time to notify Lakas-Kampi-CMD and President Arroyo. "I would like to thank them especially our dear President for the unique opportunity to work with them in the field of public service, economic policy and social reengineering," he said.
Salceda added that Aquino and running mate Sen. Manuel Roxas II had given him a free hand regarding the local politics in Albay. "The only thing that changed is that I would now campaign for Noynoy for President. Everything else remains the same," he said. In this file photo, Teodoro accompanies then administration ally Joey Salceda as he files his certificate of candidacy for reelection as Albay governor. On Wednesday, Salceda announced he is supporting Teodoro's cousin, Noynoy Aquino. GMANews.TV file photoIn a separate e-mail to GMANews.TV, Salceda said he had not yet informed administration bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. about his move to the LP. Prior to his shift in allegiance, Salceda had staunchly supported Teodoro. "I will try to say goodbye [to Teodoro] pero inunahan ako ng media kaya parang hindi maganda (but media got ahead of me so it does not look good)," he said. He added that his decision to leave Lakas-Kampi-CMD was "difficult, but not abrupt." Malacañang and Teodoro’s camp could not be reached for comment as of posting time. Lakas-Kampi-CMD has been rocked by a series of defections in recent weeks. The latest in the saga was House Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr.’s threat that a faction in the party might desert Teodoro. Ties with Noynoy
Last Tuesday, Aquino hinted that an administration stalwart was moving to the Liberal Party. He declined to identify who he was, until Salceda made the admission on Wednesday. Salceda said his ties with Aquino dated back to their college years at the Ateneo de Manila University, where they graduated in 1981. Both are Economics graduates and were students of Mrs. Arroyo, herself an Economics graduate. "I distinctly remember Noynoy as a seatmate in the English class… during my first year in Ateneo. He struck me as being quite ordinary for a son of the biggest political prisoner, a future martyr-hero and a future President," Salceda said, referring to Aquino’s late parents Benigno Jr. and Corazon Aquino. Salceda noted that his friends since the Marcos regime — LP campaign manager Florencio Abad, Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, former Social Welfare Sec. Dinky Soliman and former Defense chief Avelino Cruz — are now part of Aquino’s camp. Investments Salceda, one of Mrs. Arroyo’s trusted economic advisers, predicted that the country’s economy would improve under Noynoy Aquino’s leadership. "I have come to the preliminary conclusion that a new mandate under an Aquino presidency would have the highest statistical probability of triggering a significant increase in the investment rate from the current [14 percent of economic output]," he said.
Salceda claimed an Aquino presidency could increase it instantly by 8 percentage points, or almost P642 billion more in private investments in the first 18 months.
"This would create 642,000 [more] jobs on top of the organic capacity of the economy for job creation," he added.
I know that Gibo can win the election without the aid of Governor Salceda. I am bit frustrated, Salceda represents the whole of Albay, at first he was with Villar then to Gibo and now to Noynoy, I will not anymore be shocked if by next week he will be with Erap.
American Idol says Farewell to Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens
After saving Michael Lynche from being eliminated last week, saving is not anymore an option for the judges. This week Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens were eliminated from the race to being the next American Idol. This result was made after the two garnered the lowest percentage of votes from calls and texts. Season 9’s is now trimmed down to 7 which also mean that the final judgment is nearly approaching. I’m feeling sad for the both of them because I like them, I mean I love them both, they are good singers and performers it’s just that their vocal prowess wasn’t able to convince America. Let me give a credit to mentor Adam Lambert for being a “real mentor” to the judges compared to Miley Cyrus.
MANILA, Philippines – Dethroned beauty queen Maria Venus Raj will not be given any special treatment when she applies for a Philippine passport, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.
DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said Raj will have to go through the right process before she can obtain a passport.
He announced the creation of an ad hoc committee to look into the case of the Filipino-Indian beauty from Camarines Sur.
According to Malaya, this is to avoid any perception that the department is giving the beauty queen a preferential treatment.
The Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) stripped Raj of her crown due to inconsistencies in her birth records. BPCI later announced that it was allowing the beauty queen to reclaim her title "for humanitarian reasons."
The dethroned 2010 Binibining Pilipinas-Universe can only reclaim her crown if she can secure a valid Philippine passport.
"We have reassessed the situation pertaining to Miss Maria Venus Raj and have decided, for humanitarian reasons, that if she is able to obtain a valid Philippine passport, we will reinstate her as the reigning Bb. Pilipinas-Universe," the BPCI said in a statement issued on Saturday.
Mudslinging between Yellow and Orange makes me go for Green
Have you heard the news tonight, yesterday and the previous days? If so who are the top personalities named? If I’m not mistaken the two presidential aspirants are the ones making the news in the past few days. The Yellow said that the Orange doesn’t suffer from poverty during its childhood years and it’s just acting like one to get the sympathy of the masses to vote for him. The Orange says that Yellow suffered from a serious psychological trauma during the 90’s and that it is not fit to the run the presidency. Look at them, are they the type of leaders we want for our country? They are obviously bashing each other; we only need a handful of mud for the both of them to start an actual mudslinging.
Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar, lets both name them and let me stop from hiding their names to their official campaign colors. They are making so much noise and honestly they are effective in getting the attention of people. They are too loud to ignore, the noise that they are making irritates me, oops not only me, also millions of Filipinos.
The controversies that the two are facing today makes me realize that my decision to go for Green is a right one. The Administration bet Gilberto Teodoro is not as famous as the two but I must say that in terms of knowledge, Gibo is way better than the two. I was not able to register to be able to vote but I’m making my way to show my support for Gibo. Go Green, Go Gibo.
American Idol should start adopting the lines “expect the unexpected” as their official tagline after Didi Benami was unexpectedly eliminated last week and add up the inclusion of Michael Lynche on the bottom group. The weirdest thing is when Ryan Seacrest revealed that “Big Mike” is the one who should “sing for his life. That’s an almost “life to death” experience for Mr. Lynche.
After getting the lowest percentage of votes “BM” was given his chance to convince the Judges to let him stay. Given the freedom to chose his song of choice, American Idol Season 9’s incredible hulk sang “This womans word” which he believes to be his best piece so far in the competition.
After “singing for his life” the Judges came up with a unanimous decision and that is to save the gentle teddy bear. Big Mike was given the chance to prove himself once again in the upcoming performance but the consequence is that next week, 2 hopefuls will be sent home. Argggg. I hope to see Tim Urban going home but let’s see if America will still be a victim of Tim’s smile.
After giving tribute to the rolling stones, this week, the idols sang the greatest hits of two of the world’s best music composers, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Whom do you think performed well and who deserves a painful “kick out”.
Here’s a recap of their performances and yeah the usual thing here is that I will give my own verdict.
1.Aaron Kelly- “The Long Time and Winding Road”
I must agree with what Simon said, he said that Mr. Degeneres, Oops I mean Mr. Kelly, sorry for that can’t help it because they have the same face. Ok Going back to what Simon said “was very old fashioned, very boring. You have to take some risks and do some research on that song.” Aaron is doing and doing the same thing he must get new clothes. You know what I mean.
2.Katie Stevens-“Let It Be”
For me it’s her best performance to date. Guess what, Kara and Simon argued to whom the credits should be given because of Katie’s better performance this week. Hmm I think it’s Ellen, LOL.
3.Andrew Garcia-“Can’t Buy Me Love”
Of course no one can buy love, and Mr. D seconded that, hahaha. I hate Simon saying that the performance was corny and old fashioned and irrelevant. What if we let Simon perform like what the Idols are doing, maybe he’ll understand how it is difficult to be there.
4.Michael Lynche-“Eleanor Rigby”
No Doubt, Big Mike is the Incredible Hulk of AI and that’s not only because of his size but majorly because he has a very powerful voice, and I must agree with Kara saying that BM’s vocals were amazing.
5.Crystal Bowersox-“Come Together”
Once again Mama Sox gave a better spice to the song, I mean I love the song as a classic but I love it better after Mama Sox gave her own rendition of the song. Randy said that it’s a new Solid Performance from Crystal and yeah Simon said “That’s a performance I can hear on the radio”. They are both correct.
6.Tim Urban-“All my Lovin”
Honestly, this is the first time I appreciate the singing of Tim, for me it’s better than Hallelujah.
And what can Simon Tell about it, “Taking everything into consideration, you did well tonight. No gimmicks. You didn’t try to over sing it.” Hmm looks like a good feedback from the Lion.
7.Casey James-“Jealous Guy”
What can you say about the hair? Isn’t it cute? Yeah it is. How about the singing, Judges?
Randy -“I loved seeing the sensitive side of you.”
Ellen-“I was moved by it. You have a great voice… and pretty hair.” I told you, she’ll appreciate the hair.
Kara-“you pushed yourself”
Simon-“Goldilocks- I think it was the best performance of the night so far. You put your stamp on the song.”
8.Siobhan Magnus-“Across the Universe”
Whoa, I was really amazed seeing the her singing a different song but I just thought it did work for her. Our Judges appreciated her performance and Randy said “A little sleepy but I love the artistry in you.”
9.Lee DeWyze-“Hey Jude”
I missed Didi upon hearing that Lee will sing “Hey Jude” To be fair to him, he owned the song, he put a very unique interpretation and it worked. How about the Bag pipe? Holy cow I was really surprised.
Based on their performances I think that Aaron Kelly will belong to the bottom group and the other two I don’t know. Let’s just see the results by tomorrow.
"Sobrang sakit lang na sinasabi nila na disqualified ako because I was born out of wedlock. Kung may inconsistencies, sana lang from the very beginning sinabi na sana nila [Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc.] para hindi na ako umasa. "Hindi malinaw why I was dethroned." These are the words coming from Maria Venus Raj during an interview with Boy Abunda on the “Buzz” last Sunday. Bravely, she confirmed that she will take the fight to the Supreme Court.
The Bicolana Beauty Queen was dethroned because of the alleged discrepancies on her birth certificate. She was replaced by the second runner up Nicollete Henson.
I wasn’t able see the idol’s performances last night for the reason that I went home late, and I’m very frustrated. This night before going to work, I opened the TV and watch for the latest happening in AI. I’m quite confident that Didi will still stay though I’ve heard that her last performance was a little bit bad but you know what, I was so shocked to hear Ryan Seacrest calling Didi’s name and telling her to join the bottom group. I was thinking of Tim Urban going home tonight but whoa, the AI shocker is back, after sending home Lilly Scott this time it’s DIDI. I feel very sorry for her, I mean, I’ve been watching the Idol because of her, she’s one of the reasons why I watch the show. Too bad she’s going home but I believe that she will go far. GO DIDI.
My height...a bit unusual. My ears....beyond the normal. My intelligence...just an average. Does the above information make sense? Maybe yes...maybe no. I am no one but a family-centered son trapped in a skinny body, i am no one but a damn breadwinner.
