5 Things I Cannot Stand About Singapore Idol 2

It seems this year's most hotly-anticipated talent series is not boasting as much talent as the first season. I've even gave up watching the results show, because the host desperate attempts to fill up the prelude leading up to the actual annoucement of the final result is so obvious, it's desperate.

FIVE: LACK OF ATTITUDE

I know Paul is making a new fashion statement with his hair, that's covering half of his facial features most of the time. But, apart from that, there's almost no stereotypes that are present in every popular reality series. There's no hot mama like in the last season (Maia Lee), there's no rocker and bad boy (Sly), there is no ice-cold princess with looks that could melt a person's heart (Jeassea) and there is no I-would-have-to-consider-whether-to-wear-a-dress tomboy (Olinda).

Ok, I know there's girl-next door (Jasmine Tye) that has big shoes to fill in her predecessor Daphne Khoo. And, there's also that good old Malay Chap (Hady) that remains me of Taufik in his earlier days. And, then, there's that controversial figure who manages to garner enough votes to get him through week by week even though he is a vocally zero, until he finally gets voted out. Still, Joakim's monkey antics doesn't make much for entertainment value compared to Jerry's constantly constipated face and his rantless praise for God's grace that brought him thus far.

FOUR: THE CRYING

I know the metrosexual guy is the "in" thing right now. But, sometimes, you have to look at the circumstances. When Jay got voted into the Top 12, he cried so badly that someone wrote in to a local publication and slammed him, saying that the way he cried was as though he had just been crowned the next Singapore Idol. Seriously, guys, get a hold on your tear ducts. And, I thought only girls become cry babies on national television (i.e. Beverly).

THREE: JACINTHA ABISHEGANADEN

Week after week, Jacintha never fails to wow us with her low-cut dresses that drives the national board sensors into overdrive. Someone even wrote in to say she was so embarrassed to be seeing such lavish display of cleavage, unabashedly exhibited on a family-friendly channel at a primetime slot.

She manages fine dishing out comments on everything and anything under the sun, as long as you don't ask her to comment on the contestants' vocal abilities.

I always drop a sweat or two for her, seeing how she always seems to be a loss for words, her long pauses and her constant grappling as though she is taking all that time to come out with an intelligent verdict, only to blurt out comments like, "I am your fan... so I'm totally biased."

Still, I must thank her very much because at the end of the day, laughter is still the best medicine.

TWO: KEN BECOMING THE NEXT COWELL

It seemed Ken was getting a bit personal with his comments when the man himself came out to clarify that none of his comments were personal. I beg to differ. If you think Simon Cowell is mean, then wait till you hear the kind of comments Ken dishes out to the contestants.

"No voice. No looks. No chance."

Ouch.

Even if his attacks were really not personal, I felt that he could have held back a bit and not be so brutally honest. After all, attack on one's looks is not only an insult to the contestant himself, but to the contestant's parents as well.

ONE: THE CLONES

There's no spunk in SI 2. It makes me wonder if the contestants are all clones designed to talk and reply a certain way. Before the elimination results, host Gurmit Singh gets the contestants' to talk about their performance the day before. It's always, always the same boring reply. "Well, I feel I have done my best."

And, when the judges comments weren't so favourable, it's still always the same old answer, "Well, I have done my best. And, I hope the audience thinks so too. Right, guys? (a small portion of the audience cheers) I put my emotions and feelings into my performance, every performance, and I hope the feelings came across." Sorry, dude, it didn't.