WHY, WHY, WHY???

Cherie Gil

8.0

Mel Villena

7.5

Nanette Inventor

7.8

Gayle Dizon's Total Score for the Solo Competition: 7.76

WHY???

I no longer need sedatives and I am back on solid foods again, but I still get a churning and roiling feeling in my stomach whenever I remember that fateful episode. That vile, horrendous, stupendous and generally PISS OFF episode where Gayle Dizon got booted off the competition. And as always, I find myself asking the heavens, the cosmos, the universe and my now-pissed-off mom that age-old question of why, why WHY???

Why did Gayle get booted off? Why did Gayle get the lowest scores? Why didn't the judges see her talent instead of saying that she sounded nagmamadali and that her style didn't fit the OPM song? Why did she have to be paired up with a trombone-sucking singer like Geneva Cruz (Gayle is way more talented than her, BTW)? Why wasn't Michell the weakest from their group, seeing that the group competition was a BACK-UP singing competition and SANG HER OWN LINES??? Explain to me why wasn't Teresa the one booted off that episode. Tell me why nothing makes so much sense? It's as if I stepped into Gayle's music video and everyone is telling me, "I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY!".

ARGH!

Let's discuss the details inch-by-inch, so that we may reach a reasonable conclusion (if Gayle being eliminated could be called "reasonable"). Let's start with the episode…

We all know that Gayle is an R n B singer. That is her signature style. She wouldn't be called "The Soul Sensation" if she sang Aegis-like songs (That's more of Geneva Cruz's style). R n B lends itself to upbeat, catchy tunes and rhythmic breathing. That's what differentiates it from other styles.

The song she sang was an OPM and one we've heard almost a million times before. It's boring, cut-and-dried and humdrum. Nothing new.

When you add the two elements together, you've got a new concept of an OPM. It's fresh, spontaneous and really cool. Not everybody could pull off that transition, but I can objectively say that Gayle did the job. She made the song sound new, not forced R n B trash.

Obviously the judges, whose musical influences date back to the Paleolithic Era, didn't exactly get the transition. They thought Gayle simply wanted to get the song out of the way, and that she was breezing along the song. They couldn't relate to Gayle's version, because they were expecting another cut-and-dried rendition, the one they grew up with. Well, I take comfort in the fact that those who do not change with the flow will either be forced into extinction or be drowned in the flood.

Another thing which sticks to my craw with that episode was when she was forced to band up with Geneva Cruz. Sure, it was a random thing and Gayle didn't have a choice about that. But Geneva Cruz is the type of singer who wants to come out on top with each and every performance. Gayle was severely underplayed in that group competition. Yes, I know that they were supposed to sing as back-up singers (lemme add here that Johann really fit the bill of a back-up. He's naturally so bland that he had no problem being ignored by the judges), but then why did Michell get solo lines? They should have been given to Gayle. But as it was, Gayle was not given justice.

The atrocious solo scores really annoy me no end, especially when I see how Teresa fared. Gayle got a 7.76 while Teresa got an 8.36. WHAT? Teresa sounded like she was DYING while singing that Lani Misalucha song. It was way out of her caliber, and yet the judges gave her good marks. What was that for? Were those points for her showing of Fighting Spirit and Kapal ng Mukha? I whole-heartedly agree with what that audio person who made the remark that she's the weakest among the finalists. Too bad the judges didn't see it that way.

So Gayle was out. And now I feel like trashing somebody.

Now, weeks after Gayle's "defeat", I still don't understand how the judges could deprive the listening audience with Gayle's fantastic vocal stylings. They probably weren't thinking of quality right then and there, but the old-fashioned way people defined a "Star". Well, I know better. And who knows, maybe there's something better in store for Gayle? I could only hope.

But still… I can't help shaking my head and asking why…

PJ
December 2003