Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 5 Recap…

The Variety Episode cum Results Show of Anugerah Skrin 2010 this past Friday night threw up a whole list of questions posed, and most importantly a sound reality check to all the contestants still surviving in the competition. After a supposed “subdued” episode the previous week, the judges came out with all guns ablazing and I believe it could have been a culmination of pent-up thoughts waiting to be set free, either through what they had observed or through word-of-mouth from trusted informers. I will henceforth zoom straight into their respective comments beginning with guest judge Ariati Tyeb Papar. Oh lest I forget, Ariff Salleh and Jasmine Amira were both eliminated this week.

Ariati noted a uniformed similarity between them in that they did not comprehend the scripts well enough and translating it to acting and reacting. The contestants still lack in teamwork, which is a core component in acting, moreso in a competition like this, since they need to attract the viewers to vote for them. Stressing that this is not a solo acting competition, Ariati also added that they need to be mindful of their facial expressions, especially the eyes and the lips. Any slight twitches would result in a change of emotional expressions which would undermine their performance.

Aliff Aziz opened the show with his new single “Boom Boom Boom“. Nice to see the “forgotten one” strutting his stuff again…

Khairudin Samsudin (Khai) said the first group was a disappointment with no sincerity in their acting. They had no reaction, no sense of urgency, no conflict leading to no drama. So far the only sincerity etched on their faces throughout the four weeks of competition have been the look on their faces when the results were announced. When they act, they have to make believe. Khai however had kind words for Diana Amran & Syirah Jusni, saying that he saw two potential winners in them. The third group was at best patchy, with them starting off their scenes well but fizzling out towards the end. Firuz Khan in particular was singled out as saying out his lines like a newscaster.

For the fourth week in a row, I noticed the same coincidence during the opening sequence. The ones eliminated were made to pair up with each other. I don’t think this is staged as the viewers’ votes only end at 6pm on the day of the results show, whereas rehearsals were done way before that for the contestants to know where they should stand etc. Another coincidence I note is the bottom 4. Like the previous weeks, at least three would come from the same group that acted together. This might be due to the judges’ analysis, which goes to show that teamwork is indeed an important component for all of them to make their respective scenes successful…

But the most poignant of all comments given by the judges had to come from Rilla Melati, who stamped her mark as my favourite judge of the competition with her no-nonsense words of wisdom. She recognised the efforts put in by the contestants as the standard of quality in acting had risen. In Erwin and Syirah, she saw possible winners from the Group B pool. However, she did not mince her words when she said she was disappointed by some of the acting being shown, with some of them showing a part of their real-life personality in their acting, trying to come across as cute when the role did not require them to be. When she said, “There’s a thin line between being slutty and being natural…“, the words resonating in the ears of the contestants must be deafening till this day and maybe throughout the whole season.

Rilla did not stop there. She alluded to the fact that some of the contestants have fanpages dedicated to them in Facebook, some of which were created for or by them. There is a possibility of being over-exposed in the media, given the fact that they already enjoy a decent amount of airtime every Tuesday and Friday nights. There is a thin line between inviting people to like them and begging people to vote for them to stay in the competition. She saw within the contestants who are sincere in their approach and who are just putting up false fronts. Deep words indeed and ones which the contestants have to ask themselves again why did they join this competition, what do they want to gain out of it and what are they going to do to sustain themselves for as long as they can???

After reading today’s Berita Minggu on the article featuring Anita Sarawak, I cannot help but feel it could not have come at a better time and I do hope that the contestants would read it up and understand what it means to attain longevity in the scene. The entertainment industry is not just a game to play with when the cameras are rolling. In fact when the cameras are off, a bulk of people’s opinions of you are formed even more, either when they see you up close and personal or when words travel around. As such I hope the contestants understand that this is not something they can mess around with and be mindful of their respective actions. Asking if roles or scripts to be changed and diverting questions being posed to them are not examples of thinking actors that the judges are looking for. It also smacks of pompous and ignorant attitude which would spell the end of their prospective careers even before it begin in earnest.

Singapore Idol Season 3 contestant, Fathin Amira Zubir, was part of the audience cheering for Aidil Jufri. She cut a relieved figure when Aidil was pronounced as safe to go through to the next round. She should know the feeling of being tensed before the results were announced…

Then there is that issue of respecting their peers or those who are already more experienced than them. Throughout my four weeks observing and also listening to some of the complaints by established people in the industry, the contestants would do well to greet or at the very least, smile at their fellow performers / backroom staff when these people accorded them the same amount of respect. Ok they might be stressed out from the competition but a smile would go a long way to improve people’s opinions of them. Even when it comes to conversing with stagehands, they do not have to raise their voices at them if they did not cooperate or if their jokes were to go overboard. The moment you raise your voice, surrounding people will immediately have a bad impression of you. Stagehands might not be glamourous unlike you, but without them, you are nothing too.

RIA 89.7FM‘s Fiza O promoting The Great Audio Experience event which she was involved in the previous day at Orchard Road along with celebrities like Nat Ho, Michelle Chong, Fauzie Laily and Shabir…

I have gotten wind of a few gossips and unsavoury stories about some of the contestants which I will not reveal here, nor invite people to squeeze it out of me cos whatever I know is between me and my sources. The competition is still a third gone and yet I have heard of possible frictions starting to build up when the ironical part was, I said just last week how much I loved to see them being  united and showing a strong solidarity between them. If one had read between the lines what I said last week, it was actually a warning to them that this is a reality competition afterall and whether they like it or not, unhappiness amongst themselves will occur sooner or later. Moreso if the contestants choose to listen to the words of outsiders or hangers-on trying to associate themselves with them or think it’s cool to be seen in their company. For me, I choose to hear the stories and take them in with pinches of salt and no matter what people tell me about the contestants, I tend to give them the benefit of doubt as much as I can.

At the same time, I hope the contestants reading this would not get too worked up or affected and just be honest with their approach henceforth. Yes, I’ve heard of them being affected by the words of people from the “New Media”, as what we entertainment bloggers are called, but they have to understand that they were the ones in the first place who had put their pride and reputation on the line when they signed up for this competition. Whether they like it or not, they have to get used to the intense media glare and the differing opinions that come along with it. I was there after the show ended and heard one of the production team members telling them not to care about what the bloggers have to say. I think that’s an ignorant remark to make, especially when so far from what I’ve read amongst my fellow peers, the comments have so far been objective and constructive. If they cannot receive such criticisms, be it good or bad, then I don’t think this line is for them. In no circumstances have I read anything from my peers as well as from myself that might personally be derogatory to them.

The criticisms we have been giving should never, I repeat, never be taken in personally or feel that we are making them look bad in the eyes of our readers and their respective voters / fans. We commented based on what we saw and how we understood their interpretations of their respective roles. We bloggers are honest people, when we feel that it is good, we credit where it’s due, and if it’s bad, we have to call a spade, a spade. At the rate things are going, I think they could count themselves fortunate that there are only a handful of people blogging about the competition and I dare say all of us have been and are very much responsible with our words. For the third entry in a row, I stress on the point that whatever criticisms they receive from us should strengthen their mental resolve and improve on their future performances. Dwelling on their own self-pity will definitely affect their future shoots and when that happens, we bloggers are seen as the “bad guys”…