Singapore Idol has hit our shores officially.

Just came back from visiting Sandy, who is joining, in the queue. We were pretty amazed at the number of people who would give up a night of sleeping on their comfortable beds in exchange for the cold, hard concrete ground and a shot at fame. Incredible.

On the drive back, we were thinking of the possible scenarios that could occur when people were told that they passed the auditions. In American Idol, the judges would tell the contestants that they were through to Hollywood and the contestants would burst into overjoyed shrieks and subsequently be flown there. Here, contestants would probably be told, “Congratulations, you are going to Caldecott Hill!” The contestants would then respond, “Yes!!! Can I know what bus goes there from Woodlands?” or “Hurray! So we have to take the train to Novena and then change bus?”

In American Idol, contestants stayed in a hotel and travelled by mini-buses. Here, after each rehearsal, they would probably rush out to take the last bus home to save the cab money. Afterall, they are still struggling stars-to-be.

Instead of Old Navy sponsoring them, it would be Giordano. And the MTVs would be filmed in Botanic Gardens or the Zoo featuring the contestants wearing Giordano or eating McDonalds with Ah Meng (in American Idol, the MTVs were usually product placements for sponsors like Ford).

And in the finals of American Idol, the producers would gather supporters from the finalists home towns in one place (usually a large stadium) and get them to put up a show of solidarity and support. Here, it would be, “And let’s go over to XXX’s home ground - Ang Mo Kio CC!”

Expecto Patronum!

Well, just don’t expect too much from the movie, Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban. It was disastrous. As a diehard fan of the books, I came away feeling disappointed and annoyed with the director.

Not only did he downplay many major events (the visit of Aunt Marge, Gryffindors winning the Quidditch House Cup, the friendship between Crookshanks and Sirius, the souring of friendship between Ron and Hermione, Sirius’ attempt to kill Scabbers in the boys’ dormitory, the Time Turner etc), he made the storyline so choppy that it was hard to follow. The Patronus Charm looked more like a satellite dish when the stag that Harry produced was supposed to chase away the Dementors. The painful memories of his parents’ deaths that were brought up when he encountered the Dementors didn’t really come through. And the letdown ending - it was supposed to showcase Snape’s fury, Harry’s coming to terms with the truth on his parents’ deaths and his budding relationship with Sirius. But it felt more deflated, as if the director ran out of time.

Boo.< Thank God for the wonderful cast though. Emma Thompson as Professor Sybil Trelawney, David Thewlis (Loony Loopy Lupin!) and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) saved the day.

What’s Playing on iTunes
In The Waiting Line from “Simple Things” by Zero 7