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I hope allyuh seeing how the thing getting really competitive now; there is no doubt about it, these contestants really love to sing, although some of them still really eh “make the grade” yet…..
Yet again this week I feel as though another male competitor has taken the place of someone much more talented than he could ever be….Junior Don still in this competition boy? Buh what I seeing here? After that horrible rendition of “If I ever fall in love again” he came back and chose to sing a Boyz II Men and again he crashed and burned. Junior hunny what made you decide after failing miserably to sing “I’ll make love to you” in the original key and you cannot hold a note? Ah well…moving along…he is really cute and clearly a charmer because the ladies love him and really do not mind that he cannot sing certain songs to save his life. I said certain songs because there is a part of me that strongly believes that Junior Don is a reggae/dancehall/chanter man!
It so sad that the voters determine the winner yuh know! For those of you who are not aware, the participants are determined by the viewers/public by text or phone call and I am off the opinion that this criteria encourages biasness. Leh meh see if meh mathematics any good…. ummmm here goes:-
1 participant (who cannot sing) + 20 family members + $100.00 phone card each % $2.00 per text message = 50 votes per person x 20 family members = 1000 votes.
Nah!!!! That cah be right. So if a person who deserves to be there gets 999 votes, the man/woman who cannot sing is selected (because dais wah the public choose) and the judges just have to sit by and do nothing…. That cah be right!!
An honest and passionate rendition of “Addictive Love” was what Donelle Job did; I actually like him this week, he won me over! (I am admitting it!!) His performance was silky but I would really love to see him do more exciting songs. Come out of your comfort zone a little bit nah babes…yuh eh see how I bashing the men…hopefully you would be able to set the standards for any other DRS (males) to come! I can see that you are here to stay and Tobago will have it no other way because you know that everyone in the sister-isle voting for their “Tobago boy”. Good Job, JOB (no pun intended)
That girl sang a really difficult song and she killed it, she made it her own and she wowed the crowd, I would say that she was the best performer of the night….. What girl is that? I talking about Akilah Wilson-Claxton she has a warm and inviting aura when she is on stage and I love it! A few of the contestants have to pay close attention to her yes because this girl looking like she want to take it home! That Jennifer Hudson “I’m telling you” wow…girl I'm telling you that you have it in you no doubt about it!
Sadly Janique Charles was not at her best this time around but I still think she is Sassy, maybe a little too much “Sass” for a 16year old ( those heels ain’t for 16yr old..she doh really even look it at all boi)…. Anyhow let me not go there, that is a different story for a different blog! I think Janique just tried too hard to be Brandy..to do Brandy and forgot that this competition is about her talent and ability to make a song yours. I agree with Glenda (the judge) when she said that “Have you Ever” really is not a dramatic piece and Janique made it appear as though it was. Have no fear Janique you are talented, gorgeous and still young there will be many more competitions. :-)
The only person who took the funky, dancing and upbeat route was Xavier Baptiste and I applaud her for that. Although she went off-key a couple times, the glow she has on stage when she is performing is phenomenal and she worked the stage well. I doh think that Deniece Williams would be mad at her at all; she made an honest attempt at “Lets hear it for the boys.” I look forward to seeing her move up in this competition as well. Lets hear it for the girl – Xavier Baptiste.
She is definitely a dream girl and it showed in her performance on Saturday night, she had many people in a trance, and just catching every note she threw at them. Is Afiya Athill I am speaking about allyuh! She dressed the part..minus the fact that she did not have on any shoes (yessssss a macco does see these things), she sang her heart out. Alicia Keys would be proud of her interpretation of "Fallin." I liked her at the auditions but I didn’t when she was bussing people car windows (when she sang Bust the windows out your car..) Great job Ms. Athill.
Well I am looking on to see how the cookie crumbles; only four people going on to the next rounds, I have my pick, do you?
**Runs back to post after publishing it** - Kudos to the photographer Joanna de-Silva...girl these pics coming in real handy the blog won't look right without all of them I have used and will continue to use.. Yessssssss I am theifing/borrowing more... lol
-->Macco Gear
-->Macco Look
-->Macco Eyes
-->Macco Ears
-->Macco Smile
-->Macco Talk
-->Camera
-->A notepad just in case I feel to write down stuff…
I am pretty sure that you all saw the first six Semi Finalists on Sunday 11th October and I am sure you all may have favourites but this is how I feel. The thing real sticky now but I am still not totally impressed with the semi-finalists as yet. The first three finalists are Akilah Wilson-Claxton, Donelle Job and Afiya Athill just as I picked them.
Alright the final 10 DRS hopefuls we saw last week was the most talented bunch and it boiled down to two persons being selected by the public; Jason Luke and Janique Charles. It proves again that voters really have all the say, which I do not agree with at all but that is for another blog.
Jason Luke - When I heard Jason sing I was really disappointed, I kept asking myself "Wah wrong with these fellas them boi?" He could sing and that is it, he has a voice but he being selected prevented someone else more talented from getting in; someone with more DRS potential than him. He looked really smart in his tuxedo and might I add he is handsome, great diction but no goosebumps. I really wish he had done more with his voice and just sweep the ladies off their feet. He could have been the one male voice to stand out in this female dominated competition.
Janique Charles - I did not like her in the auditions but after seeing her at the live taping, I fully understand why she was chosen; so young (16 years) and such a beautiful voice!! She was a great start to the show and she set a relaxing and willing mood for the other contestants to fit into. At last the talent in her is showing….
THEN the WILDCARDS….
The person in 3rd place as far as the voting was concerned is Junior Don…OMG…he has a little charm but I have no idea what went wrong this time. He came out on the stage overly confident and then he crashed and burnt. If he ever falls in love again (d Sanchez remix) he will not ever choose to sing that song again. He looked cute though (I will admit that). Maybe he is a little tone-deaf? I know for sure he was out of breath a lot during the song or maybe the key of the song was changed (well that is what he kept mumbling on stage) But one thing I am certain about he was clearly confused!
Nzingha Job – OMG!! Ms "I can do bad all by myself" (dais wah she sang).. She looked a little off….maybe the hairstyle was the help her portray the song to the best of her ability but she was awful. Another waste of a wildcard, I did not like her at the auditions and I still was not feeling her at the Semi-finals. It was really difficult to look at her and worst yet listen to her. Apparently Michael Sallickram was listening to a different person because he “loved her” unlike Glenda and Johnny and a lot of the audience members. All i have to say is she can really do bad all by herself..
Xavier Baptiste – I looked to her…what a beautiful rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I look to you”…From the moment Xavier stepped on stage she had the au
dience in a trance…they were murmuring, they were asking where she was all the time. She is an extremely beautiful young lady, with a powerful and mesmerizing voice. Thru her singing and expressions it was clear that she was comfortable and she was singing from some place deep… maybe her soul. She did have a few odd points in her singing, one or two bloopers but I am not holding that against her at all. Xavier that cleavage is sure to get you numerous male votes. lol
Tiffany Paul – She is the youngest in the bunch and we learnt that she was really sick during the day and right before the show she was shaking with fever BUT you would have been unable to tell. She is really a trooper and she sang her heart out….
I thought it was a great choice of song for her and she makes singing look so easy… I remember her from the auditions (go back to my last blog there is a picture of her there) she has a brilliant voice for such a young person with a meek demeanor. She has brilliant vocals.
Eddie Charles has been a part of the music industry in Trinidad and Tobago for quite some time. He is a Traffik die hard band member..although the macco realized that he has been on and off....but it seems as though Traffik is his home for now..People thought they woulda fail ent...after the "star" left.....buh wah happen to the female singer...anyhoos that is a different story..... Edwin "Eddie" Charles answered a couple of our questions so you the maccos can know a lil more about him!!
Entertainment Macco: What is your horoscope/sign? Share your birth date with me as well.
Eddie Charles: "Aquarius, January 21st 1972"
Entertainment Macco: How long have you been in the business?
Eddie Charles: "Since I was like 10 years old I was in a parang band “Los Pericos” and singing Soca, I was also a member of Malick folk performers."
Entertainment Macco: When you are not singing what are you doing?
Eddie Charles: "Home... cleaning, cooking washing, house chores, I chill home because I have seen just about everything so I relax at home."
Entertainment Macco: Was it your dream to be apart of a band?
Eddie Charles: "Yes, my Dad was a musician and my eldest brother used to sing with Gemini Brass, my whole family was into music"
Entertainment Macco: Now we know you are from Trinidad but where did you grow up and go to school?
Eddie Charles: "Santa Cruz, Bourg Mulatresse RC, Barataria Jr Sec, San Juan Senior Comprehensive."
Entertainment Macco: Apart from singing are there any instruments that you can play?
Eddie Charles: "Cuatro, drums (Percussion Instruments) small things here and there."
Eddie Charles: "Soca, R&B, slow jams and lil bit of reggae."
Entertainment Macco: Can you cook? if so what is your favourite dish?
Eddie Charles: "Yes, I cook everything but I have no favorite dish."
Entertainment Macco: What is your biggest turn off in a woman?
Eddie Charles: "I can’t stand to see a scrappy woman, the way she carries herself, her attire is very important."
Entertainment Macco: What is your idea of a perfect date?
Eddie Charles: " I don’t really date, but a nice restaurant , nice food, I am always on the go , I never really had time to go on a date"
Eddie Charles: "I have my own mini mart, I sell clothes, car rentals; I am into business."
Entertainment Macco: Where would you like to be in 5 years?
Eddie Charles: "I wish soca could reach to the Grammys and I would like to be apart of that."
Eddie Charles: "When you reach to perform at a show early and you playing last. How I could reach for 11:00 PM and we not playing till 3-4 in the morning."
Entertainment Macco: Yeah I feel you!! That has to be hard and unfair! Or maybe...anyhow leh meh eh say that..I eh wanna instigate! lol
Eddie Charles: "No I just do music, before doing music I was a machine operator and I quit to do music full time."
Entertainment Macco: What is one word that best describes your personality?
Eddie Charles: "Fun, Shit talk..... that is me."
Entertainment Macco: Are you married or in a relationship?
Eddie Charles: "In a relationship"
Eddie Charles: "Andy and I have always been close and he called me back so I went. There was never any bad vibes between us. We have always been good."
Entertainment Macco: Do you have any children or plan on having any?
Eddie Charles: "Yes I have children"
Entertainment Macco: When looking for a mate, do you rather someone in the industry or out of it and why?
Eddie Charles: "Out, I don’t like women in the spotlight it is too much to deal with."
Entertainment Macco: Why do you think there are more successful men in our entertainment industry than women?
Eddie Charles: "Men are more aggressive, some women seem to be more laid back, you call a woman to do an interview she has to get dressed up, do make-up and change clothes so many times."
Entertainment Macco: What made you stick with your own name and not use a sobriquet?
Eddie Charles: "I just stick with my own name, even though my name is Edwin."
Entertainment Macco: Favourite country to visit?
Eddie Charles: "Cayman Islands....all the small islands."
Entertainment Macco: What advice would you give to other peoople who are just entering the industry or females in the industry who are not as established as you?
Eddie Charles: "Think positive, anything you do think positive never think negative about yourself, you can do anything you put your mind to."
Entertainment Macco: Are you living your dream or do you think there is more you can do? If there is more do you care to share it with the macco?
Eddie Charles: "Yes I am living my dream. I wish I was the president so maybe I could make Trinidad a better place to live in."
Entertainment Macco: When you die how do you want to be remembered?
Eddie Charles: "I want an Edwin Eddie Charles Statue in the heart of Port-of-Spain, Independence Square (Laughing)"
Entertainment Macco: I know there are real life maccos out there, how do you keep your personal life off the streets and separate from you business life?
Eddie Charles: "You can't really stop maccos, somebody always hear something, you will be home all week and they will still talk."
You know that Entertainment Macco has to be up in everything, bringing what is happening to all the other Maccos right? So, this is what we are doing and how we plan on doing it…we going DRS!!! Digicel Rising Stars.
Alright so let me make sure I have everything… 
Macco Gear
Macco Look
Macco Eyes
Macco Ears
Macco Smile
Macco Talk
Camera
A notepad just in case I feel to write stuff down…
First there were the auditions…let’s talk about Sunday 6th September 2009, wow; talk about people and talent. The Macco had the opportunity to sit in, witness and observe the happenings of this competition. (Well I was really maccoing eh…but in a real sophisticated way) While I was waiting to be shown around I had the opportunity to walk around, scope out all the audition hopefuls and listen to voices as they bounced off the audition walls. THEN! I was in the mix….I sat next to the first judge who did the pre-screening (you will not and would not have seen him on television)…aww man he was nice, patient and funny BUT I surely did not want a piece of his task. I would call him judge dread...just because he had to make some really tough decisions. You all have no idea how far apart the talent was coming at some times…..It was like 10 horrible singers then one angel would show up.
I always tried to understand (I gave up now) why when a competition comes around and there is a call for singers as well, for some reason every person who has a “bathroom voice”, “home voice”, “indoor voice” or “no voice” come out in their numbers to rinse out the judges ears. The funny part though is that the set that realllllllllllllllllyy cannot sing are the arrogant, the hurt set and the set that hate the judges. How funny is that? Take for example; there was a guy who came in and sung his “heart out” and almost deafen everyone who was in the room he was told, “I am sorry but I would be unable to put you through to the next rounds of DRS…however thank you for coming out though…” He stopped, looked at the screening judge and said, “Huh? Excuse me? Is there any particular reason why **rolls eye**? Hear nah that was a classic….the audacity of some people boy….someone really did tell that boy that he was capable of singing, the sad part however was, they lied! LOL
Oh ho, before that I had the joy of sitting in with the pre-screening judge, I had a little sit down session with Knycky Cordner; the host since 2006 and this is what she had to say when I asked her what she thinks about the competition, “It is a great forum for new and young artistes..not only young age wise but young in the business to get a chance to become someone better” She continued by saying “It is a great opportunity to start off a career with $100,000.00, a world class video and a booking contract, girl I in the business so long and I wish I could get this opportunity! What they want better than that?”
There was this one girl, in a pink and black chequered top that had a voice of an angel….I wonder if she made it in the final 30……Yes only 30 DRS were selected out of about 700 hopefuls… The macco was told that for the Saturday Auditions there were over 300 hopefuls and auditions did not come to an end until 3:00AM on Sunday morning and guess what? There were only 10 spots to be filled!!
One thing I would say that I prefer is a competition with only singers.. I always thought that it is not fair to put a dancer up against a singer and a singer up against a musician and vice versa. This year on DRS I saw vocalists coming out in their numbers and they were chosen. NOW I THINK IT IS A FAIR COMPETITION although we have a couple guitarist/singers but at least they are singing!
The judges are on point as usual Johnny Gonsalves - Judge since 2006, Michael Salickram - Judge since 2006 and Glenda Collens – New Judge 2009. I wonder who is going to be the “Simon” of the bunch! I can already see that it would be the lady; Glenda…Lol
