Project SuperStar - Updates
Extracted from TODAYonline: The 'power' of democracy?, 9th July 2005
More shock Project SuperStar exits lead some to question why the public has more say than the judges
Mervin Tay
mervin@newstoday.com.sg
FOR two consecutive weeks, MediaCorp TV Channel U's Project SuperStar has seen surprising exits, the latest being Derrick Hoh, Kelly Poon, Lai Lijun and Leon Lim on Thursday night.
"Viewers don't seem to be voting according to contestants' singing ability," observed 21-year-old student Tan Keng Hui.
Thursday's results shocked many, with a post appearing on the MediaCorp Communities Forum barely 20 minutes into the results show, wondering if a mistake had been made.
The voting mechanics of the show has come under fire. One of the gripes was the 30-per-cent versus 70-per-cent weightage accorded to judges' votes and call-in votes, respectively.
Many viewers feel professional judgment does not deserve lower weightage than popular opinion.
This was echoed in last week's 8 Days, with the entertainment magazine saying there should at least be a 50-50 split.
"It's sad to see the better ones leave because the judges' proportion of the score is too small," said part-time tutor Joseph Low.
The cost of each vote was also an issue of concern. Forum member pokka feels "neutral" voters — those whose votes might change and who do not vote for the same contestant throughout — have been "priced out of voting".
She drew a comparison with American Idol, where calls from land lines are free and SMS votes are only subject to normal messaging rates. In contrast, each vote costs 60 cents for Project SuperStar.
But for die-hard fans, cost is not a problem. Forum member energywen spoke of acquaintances who rally their friends to make "over 6,000 calls and SMSes" for a particular contestant, while frustrated asked: "If we restrict it to one vote per person or per handphone, I'm sure we'll witness a different outcome."
"Generally, it's hard for a small number of neutral viewers to influence the results because they'll be dominated by the different voting camps," said undergraduate Karine Chua.
If it's any consolation, Derrick, Kelly, Lijun and Leon will return on July 20 and 21 in the concluding quarter-finals.
Together with the four contestants who will be eliminated in next week's competition, they will battle for a place each in the male and female semi-finals.
My earlier post a couple of weeks ago: Home Grown Talent - Project SuperStar.
Does this mean the participants' supporters are bulldozing their way in now? Or just simply those singers, who are out of contention, just don't possess the X-factor and ozze out in the face of the fiery competition? Or onstage performance and vocals aren't on par?
Take all these in a pinch of salt. Rather, it's YOUR pinch of salt. Analogise this competition to the education certifications and the business world - it's just a stepping stone to the cruel world out there. To maintain and improve one's success is the most gruelling task.
I hope that most, if not all, of the quarter-finalists of Project SuperStar, would continue their passion and pursue in the arts industry, more importantly in the music arena. Afterall, being in the last 32 is something to boast of, and something to start with.
Our very own Xinyao Festival 2005 (National Songwriting Competition) - The Finals would be on 24th July, Singapore Conference Hall.
posted by eruption @ 3:11:00 PM
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