The American Idols are here

The auditions for Season 11 have started. That means we will soon be watching the latest edition of American Idol again on TV. But I am still up to my ears in Idol Season 10 because Idol plugs are all over TV. Presented by etc and Jack TV with 2nd Avenue, Talk, Diva, Universal and Solar Sports, among the sponsors, the American Idol Live! Tour 2011 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sept. 20 and 21 must be one of the most widely promoted shows ever on TV. Now, I like watching all sorts of Law and Order, so you can just imagine how many times a day I get to see those commercials, music videos, interviews, etc.

Admittedly, the show needs all the exposure it can get. Ticket prices are steep. P12,000 for VIP; P11,500, Patron A; P10,000, Patron B; P7,500, Lower Box VIP; P5,500, Lower Box Regular; P3,500, Upper Box A; P1,500, Upper Box B; and P700, General Admission. Besides, although I believe that the finalists of Season 10 are the best ever in Idol history, they mostly sing country and jazz, music types that few Filipinos go for. Besides, why pay so much when you have already seen them perform week after week earlier this year on TV? Chances are, it will be those songs that they will perform in this show.

Well, it looks like Pinoys do not really care about all those things, because the original one-night only stint has been expanded to two nights. That can only mean that Tuesday, Sept. 20, is already sold out. Wow, it also means Pinoys can afford to pay those ticket prices. And I thought we were a poor country. Then, it also means that contrary to what people think, we like jazz and country music. Truth to tell though, I do think this batch of Idols will prove to be worth those tickets. From what I had seen on TV, they are exceptionally talented performers.

My favorites are Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina and this year’s winner Scotty McCreery. I am sure Casey will be a riot on stage, a dynamic blend of rock and jazz and wild sense of humor. I expect Haley to sexily coo and sashay her way through her jazzy numbers. I hope she does a duet with Casey. Lauren will be, of course, the sweet country girl with the big voice. And Scotty, who is so wholesome and gifted with that expressive voice, will surely enchant all the teen-aged girls and their mothers. And maybe because he seems to be so sincere, also the men who will watch the show.

Pinoys are curious about US-born Filipino Thia Megia. Did she deserve the spot in the finals or was she just lucky? Let’s find out. They adore singers who stretch vocal cords with all their might; I am sure screaming rocker James Durbin and soaring R&B balladeer Jacob Lusk will draw a lot of applause. Stefano Langone will be the heartthrob. Paul McDonald is the smiling rocker. And Naima Adedapo will wow the audience with song and dance. Much is being made of Pia Toscano, though she was booted out early in the competition. A friend, who watched the Idol tour in the US, said that she has more solos than the others. Let us see if she will impress the Filipino audience.

This is the first American Idol tour to visit the Philippines. If it proves to be successful, you can bet that we will be getting the subsequent Idol shows in the coming years. I do hope they bring in exciting performers like this group. It is just too bad they do not bring the judges or the host along on these tours. To have J.Lo and Randy and Steven and Ryan around would have been fantastic.

Food for thought for all artists: I found this quote by Steve Jobs, the man who revolutionized this planet’s way of life through his genius with the creation and most of all, marketing of the Apple. “Technology alone is not enough. It’s technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that makes our hearts sing.” Beautifully said.