IDOL FEVER - THE PASSION

The heat is on - and I am not talking about the weather here, though today's max temp was a hot 27 deg C. Tonight was the live verdict on who gets to sing at the Sydney Opera House in this year's Grand Finals of Australian Idol.

After the usual rounds of auditions & selections down to the final 13, some of Australia's finest stars-to-be have been battling it out over the past few months in the by now familiar-to-most singing competition. It has become arguably the most recognisable talent contest in the world ( aside from the Eurovision Singing Contest, which is somehow not considered as hip as this one, although it's been in existence for longer ).

Yours truly must admit to having been caught up with the current Aussie one - guess I needed my "fix" since we are not likely to get another Singapore Idol any time soon or so I have been told. :-)

Thought it would be fun to show my support as well as get a good memento of my time here, so I had actually bought the official Australian Idol Showbag at the Royal Melbourne Show a couple of months ago near the start of the competition. It was also quite good value for money as it contained a sturdy Australian Idol satchel, an Idol keychain, an Idol wallet, mini radio & CD holder plus cap, all for A$15 !


I even voted via SMS on Sunday night after performances of the final 3 cuz I was so afraid that my 2 favourites, Emily (the dark-haired one)& Kate (the blonde) would not be voted in. It seems the general public goes for appearance & "flashiness" as opposed to real singing talent & ability. Lee, the third of the final 3 & the only guy, had oodles of appeal to the younger demographic particularly due to his punky appearance & great sense of style, though I must say I'm not into the punk/rock thing (he has spiky, multicoloured hair). I felt that although his voice was not bad (though certainly nowhere near as good as that of E or K IMHO), he was more of a "one-trick-pony", excelling mainly in punk & rock songs.
Anyway, I was thus ecstatic when the results were announced tonight & both my faves were in !!! YAY !!! YOU GO, EMILY & KATE !!!
So I am definitely tuning in again this Sunday night, 7:30pm, Channel 10, to the Grand Finals which will be live from Sydney Opera House. However, the suspense will copntinue till the final results come in on next Monday night after all the votes are counted.

So what's it about such shows like Idol that capture our imagination & glue us to the TV ? I believe it has to do with the notion that "everybody's searching for a hero, people need someone to look up to", to quote a popular song.
It feels good to know that people's lives can change if they just follow their passion & "go for it" to live their dreams.
Like Fantasia, the American Idol before this year's Carrie Underwood, Aussie Idol's Emily is a single mum. She was working as a fork-lift driver to help make ends meet & is now on the verge of landing a recording contract with Sony-BMG & fulfilling her dreams ! Reminds me again of Fantasia's song for the Idol finals - "I Believe", which is another favourite of mine.

Talking about passion - we are currently doing a study in church entitled "The Passion", based on the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ". It was developed by Rick Warren, the American pastor & author of "The Purpose-Driven Life", which has been on the best-seller list for quite a while. It has most enlightening, watching the movie again & experiencing the strong emotions that it invariably evokes.
Therein is the ultimate demonstration of passion, being willing to sacrifice & give up what is necessary to achieve something greater( John 3:16 & 17 ). Jesus - my ultimate hero ! :-)

May we all live lives of passion !