Okay, so I said, "Halonga", which, rather than being "goodbye" is actually "take care." It's not Tagalog either, which is Ramielle's language. It's Hiligaynon, my most used mission language. Regardless of all of that, Ramielle Malubay, the cutest little Filipino-Hawaiin-American just got voted off of American Idol this week, and I'm a little sad to say goodbye to her. For one thing, she was so teeny and kind of needy, which I found terribly endearing. For another, she had a wonderful big voice despite her tiny body. Finally, and the most obvious reason for my sadness, she was Filipina, or Pinay (as they say over there), and that's just special to me.
(Incidentally, I must interrupt this to tell a short story about my using the word "Pinay." I was at a Relief Society dinner, and a couple of us start discussing this year's season of American Idol. I was saying how excited I was that they had Ramielle on, because she's such a cutie "and she's Pinay." Suddenly, one of the women stopped what she was saying to a neighbor and asked,"What did you just say?" I repeated the word 'Pinay', and as the word came out of my mouth, I realized what it must've sounded like. The word is pronounced pea-nie, which sounds like it could potentially be (though I assure you it is not) the plural form of another English word. Anyway, we had a little chuckle when it hit me, and she teased that I should be careful about when and where I use that word. Oops!)
Filipinos are amazingly cute people. While a majority of Filipinos (at least the Mormon Filipinos) seem to lack sufficient training, experience, and possibly talent in music (I won't even describe what hymns in church meetings usually sounded like because then you'll really think I'm a big meanie), there are still a number of Pinoys who are extraordinarily talented musicians. For instance, I'm sure you've heard of Lea Salonga, right? If not, have you seen Disney's "Mulan" or "Aladdin?" If so, you've heard Lea Salonga, who sang the roles of Jasmine and Mulan in the films. She's won a bunch of awards and stuff. She's pretty great.
Lea Salonga's just one of many great talents, some discovered and some undiscovered. In fact, I often met young men and women in the various areas where I served who could sing show tunes and Mormon-pop as well as anyone I'd ever heard. It was actually weird how someone could almost perfectly mimic famous vocalists on contemporary music but would completely butcher a simple hymn to pieces. Honestly, I still don't get it.
So, back to Ramielle: It was so hard to watch her pick the wrong song week after week while knowing that she was capable of so much more, but I must speak in her defence. First, she's so young (just 20), and she was at quite a disadvantage when they spent the first two weeks as the top 12 & 11 singing Beatles or Lennon/McCarthy songs. She was either really unfamiliar with the music of the Beatles (poor thing!), or she made that horrible mistake which some Idols make of choosing more obscure pieces of music rather than beloved hits that will resonate with and excite fans to vote. Either way, neither of her Beatles songs showed off what she was capable of.
Then we have last week, when Idols selected songs from their birth years. Either Ramielle hasn't watch this show for many seasons, or she has forgotten that Heart's "Alone" has been sung at least 2 or 3 times on the show in the last four years. I won't forget how great Carrie Underwood sounded the night she belted that song out for a #1 Hits Themed night. (Though her hair was terrible. Where do they find these stylists, and when are they going to hire someone better?!) I'm also confident that one of the top 24 last year also sang the song. Finally, though I really love Heart (Ann and Nancy, you rock my world!), such great stuff must be used sparingly, or it starts to become almost a gimmick or cliche. (Plus, if you sing Heart, you better be really, really fantastic.) So, as a side note and an amendment to the rule to use beloved hits, I really wish I could warn the Idols to be careful to not overdo such groups as Heart, Queen, Journey, etc. We're talking about sacred material here, and we don't want to cheapen it by overdoing it. The fans will not forgive you quickly, nor will they vote for you.
Finally, who would dare to say anything mean about Dolly Parton's music? She's just about the sweetest, most humble women in the music business who has endured decades of a very emotional career, not to mention being taunted again and again for her unique proportions. What a lady!
Well, I'll say something mean. Dolly Parton's music on American Idol? It's so dated! Yes, she's amazing, but it takes tremendous creativity and rearranging to make her songs accessible to the current generation. And what did our Rami do? She picked an upbeat song with a forgettable melody that, rather than showing off what an amazingly powerful voice she has, showed off how cute she is when she dances around on the stage. What a shame! Carly and Syesha were the luckiest, smartest ones in the bunch. They picked two of Dolly's most memorable songs with plenty of range and emotion. (Actually, I'm not sure Syesha was that smart. After Whitney covered Dolly's song in '93, there was no getting over her version. Yes, it was beautiful and dramatic, and it was also played about every 3 seconds on every radio station in America for months and months on end. Most people under 40 don't actually know what the original melody of that song is. Frankly, I prefer the simplicity of the original Dolly version, or, better yet, the Vince Gill and Dolly duet recorded in '95, but I'll get off this subject now).
So, was it a surprise when Rami made the bottom three this week? No. It was sad but unsurprising. It was a little shocking that Kristi Lee outlasted someone for yet another week, but what's a body to do? This year is full of so many really talented performers that the bar is just going to get higher and higher every week. I mean, who can compete with people like David Cook? He's just so fantastic! And what a cute haircut! (But, David, honey, would you please consider shaving closer to a performance sometime? I mean, is this a sensitive skin thing? It's just starting to make me a little uncomfortable.)
Ramielle, sweetie, goodbye! We will miss the joy of seeing you barely pass Ryan Seacrest's shoulders when you stand next to him. (How cute is that?!) You will have so much fun on the Top 10 Tour, though, and I highly suggest that you choose to sing one of my favorite songs ever covered by a Filipina - "You Were There" by the Southern Sons. It just might be your express ticket to stardom!
(See below for a glimpse of this sweet little ditty, covered by Regine Velasquez. I swear it'll be a hit in this country some day.)
If you thought that was nice, you must see this very special music video of the original Southern
Sons version. It makes me very happy when I see it. I hope you like it too! (Be on the lookout for my favorite moment when the "storm" starts to pass. It's just pure genius!)
By the way, Kristi Lee, you're next. As Simon would say - "Sorry."
