Idol Fever
Some of you might wonder what is HOL Idol? Well it's a song competition, the international "Idol" show, just on HOL this time! But not this time only though, it's a competition that's been held for 6 years now and this is the 7th year.
This year's HOL Idol competition is already on a roll! It also set a new record of auditions: a magnificent 56 students and professors sent in their entries for the Audition Round. Although it's a very good thing more people are taking part of it, it made life harder for some people. Who are those people? Well, the judges of course! They had to pick ONLY 16 people who would pass to Round 1, and they had such a hard time that they actually decided to let 17 people pass the Audition instead of 16.
The judges for this year are Prof. Anya Chutney, Prof. Maya Winters, Faye Roderick, and of course, the host himself, Prof. Ruben Orion.
I managed to hunt down two of them and ask them some questions. See for yourself what Anya and Faye had to say.
Zoki: How did you react when you were asked to judge the contest?
Anya: I've been judging for a few years, now. I believe this is my third year as a judge. Originally, I was shocked and flattered! Shocked only because I am not musically inclined, myself. I do have a background in theatre, though, and believe that I have a good ear.
Faye: Well, I was WORRIED at first!! Haha Because I didn't think I'd make a really good judge considering I don't really have that much musical background or knowledge. All I know is how to listen to what my ears are hearing, and I actually think that my ears are "pretty." I am a good listener. So, that's why I said yes.
Zoki: Weren't you afraid that some of the contestants might get mad at you if they find a comment too offensive?
Anya: I try not to be offensive in anything that I post online — or in real life. There's always a way to get your point across without intentionally being cruel or hurtful. However, I will add that these folks are aware that they are being judged when they apply — constructive criticism is always what should be offered up!
Faye: Nah, I'm a pretty easily pleased judge. I respect the contestants and all their efforts, which must not be easy for them, so I don't think I'm a really picky judge when it comes to comments.
Zoki: You decided which 16 people would pass the Audition Round, how did you do it? Did you chose them by a certain criteria?
Anya: I open up a text document. I type in the names and the song the person is singing. I listen to each piece — making notes as I go. If there's someone I believe I would like to see in the final 16, I star that person's name. After that, I go back and review what I've written and narrow them down. Then, I usually listen to the files again in order to narrow my list down to the final 16.
Faye: Er, well, the judges picked their top 16, then we combined them all and Ruben started counting which names appeared most within the judges' lists, and those people were most likely to appear in the final 16 (18, actually, I think?) contestants list. I think there were only two persons from my list who didn't make it to the final list.
Zoki: What is the feeling now, when you only get to comment and don't have such a big impact on who will pass a Round?
Anya: As with any sort of competition, I'm often befuddled by who folks like and don't like. But, you have to understand that each and every one of us has a different opinion of what is good. The Judges go into this with ears wide open--looking for music choice, performance, emotion, etc. Sometimes the winner is a popular vote — sometimes the person is the most technically proficient. Sometimes they are both! But, the folks who compete are all trying their hardest and there is no one in our group who doesn't deserve to win!
Faye: Sometimes I look at the number of votes, and I feel like some people should've gotten more votes; but, mmmh, there's only so much you can do. Right? I just hope my comments will help people to understand or appreciate the songs from each contestant better.
Zoki: Although you're not supposed to pick favorites and such, who do you think has the biggest chances to get to the final or win?
Anya: I honestly don't know! I'm horrible at picking the winner — even on the few reality shows that I watch on TV.
Faye: Aaah, I don't know! I can't choose one, seriously! You're asking me to choose a name from a list of people I'm good friends with! I'm very pleased with the contestants (and everyone who auditioned!) this year, everyone has given their best effort and I'm very thrilled to hear all sorts of different kind of music and voices. It's not about the competition, it's about sharing the joy of sound, and I hope everyone is able to see how beautiful this musical event is!
Thanks to the judges for sharing some of their time. And now even Round 1 has occured! The theme was animals, and the contestants had to sing a song which mentions an animal. There was really a bunch of awesome entries. Unfortunately, one of them had to leave the contest that round, and the HOL Audience decided that's Penelope Garrido-Mitchell. Therefore, I looked around for Penelope and decided to interview her as well.
Zoki: What were your first thoughts and feelings when you saw that you passed the Audition Round?
Penelope: I was so happy!! I've never really had much confidence and it made me think that maybe I was okay at singing, and it just felt good. Really!
Zoki: You were, unfortunately, the first one to leave the contest. What was the feeling like?
Penelope: It was slightly saddening, but I guess I knew I'd be one of the first ones out. I'd have loved to carry on, but I guess it was destiny since the day after I was voted out, I lost my voice!
Zoki: Do you think you could have proved yourself more if you had a second chance, with another theme?
Penelope: I don't know.... I'm not really sure, but I wish I could have!
Zoki: As you're not now in the contest, for whom are you cheering? Who do you want to see as the winner?
Penelope: Well, my three favorites are Faye Laramie, Derek James, and Sophie Orion. It's always so hard to vote between those three! I'm not sure who I want to win, though....
Thank you, Penelope, for your time. Her last answer brings up another topic. It's a fact that HOL doesn't really have a big amount of male populace, so when new, active, promising male students show up, they sure do stand out in the HOL crowd. That's what happened with Derek as well; he was the only guy who passed to Round 1 and everyone seemed to be enchanted by his singing. I successfully tracked down Mister Derek, hiding from his new fan club and trying to be alone for a while, and asked him a few questions, too.
Zoki: How did you feel when you first applied for the contest? Is there any specific reason why you picked "Pork and Beans" as your audition song?
Derek: I was a little nervous; I've been singing for a while, but it's been five years since I auditioned for anything. "Pork and Beans" was just a fun, uptempo song that I felt might stand out if people did slower stuff, and I feel like I have a similar vocal range to the song's original singer (Rivers Cuomo).
Zoki: You passed the Audition Round. What were your first thoughts and feelings about it?
Derek: I felt like the audition round gave me the confidence to move on in the competition. I wasn't sure what to expect from the themed rounds, so there were elements of nervousness mixed in, but that's fine as far as I'm concerned.
Zoki: Many people (girls, mostly) went crazy about you, especially on IRC. Do you see that as a good thing, or would you rather not have people fangirling over you?
Derek: I've always wanted a fan-club, and (apparently) I've got one now! In all honesty, it's quite flattering, and I'm a little surprised by all the attention; there are so many talented contestants in this year's competition that I wasn' expecting so much attention. But I guess anything that gives me a better chance at advancing far in the competition can't hurt!
Zoki: How much further in the contest do you think you can go? Will you make it to the final? Will you be the lucky winner?
Derek: I think I've got at least a few more rounds left in me; I think this round's submission demonstrated that I can do more than just hard-rocking songs. I feel like some of the judges' comments thus far have been somewhat at odds with stylistic choices I made in the recording of my entries, and I'm hoping they can get on board with my style more as we go. I don't want to jinx anything by talking about the finals or winning yet, but I'd love to get there!
Zoki: If you were not in the contest, who would you like to see as the winner?
Derek: Any Gryffindor. I'm pulling hard for all my fellow Gryffs in the competition.
We're definitely looking forward to see who the winner will be! The number of contestants is even smaller now, since at the end of Round 2, which had the theme of "rain," Alison Goode and Zenix James were voted off and had to leave the contest. Some others, like Iris Bagshot, Morgan Maddock, Charlaine Flimmel, and Barbara Phoenix had to leave due to personal problems. Therefore, we're left with only 10 people for Round 3! This round's theme is the "'80s"! And the 10 people left are the following:
Adelline Aldridge
Ardeliah Longbottom
Belle Rain
Derek James
Elise Dantes
Faye Laramie
Lalaith Lomion
Leslie Norris
Ophelia Cromwell
Sophie Orion
So let's wish them luck and may the best one win!