Am i gonna enjoy London?

The less said about the Musical 'My Fair Lady', the better...

You know how a salesperson behind any EDT counters always offer you coffeebeans to sniff at when you are choosing among the many fragrances, this is exactly how it feels...

I still cant put the smell of POTO off my mind...

watching two musicals one week apart has never been a good idea to begin with...but it was inevitable, considering the production only runs for six nights...and rightly so...

We went for the very last show staged in the Plenary hall at KLCC...and while the venue isnt made to stage any Broadway or Westend production, it wasnt the reason why MFL didnt appeal to me...

Boy, was i bored! The opening sees a ruckus happening in what was portrayed as the market place...well, i can only guess since they put a whole new meaning to the phrase 'bare essential', the sets and props were scarce, little or no effort were put to the lightings and flooring, there were minimal scenes, and special effects were non-existent, and let's not go to the ugly black curtains part...

I hate it that they perform the scene transitions right in front of our very eyes, everything was so bland and dull, and i was actually looking forward to intermission few minutes after the curtain was drawn...i was yawning non stop, and it's not because ive had a long day...

The orchestra didnt leave me a lasting impression, and dont get me wrong, they werent bad, it's the bad music arrangement that was to be blamed, the score just wasnt that fabulous, and it's easily forgettable...

The singing was OK, and i mean she's really good at doing what she's doing, again, song choice, song choice...haha, am i starting to sound like Randy Jackson or what? of course, in this case, she didnt get to choose her songs... :p

there were too many dialogues for my liking, right from the fracas in the beginning through to the feud in the mansion, and too little singing, not taking reprises into account...for those who have an eye for details, they were deprived of it...very little was going on on stage...

We really didnt go there to listen to conversations in English accent, if ive wanted that, i would go to England...with that said, i havent really enjoyed the night...

Now say with me,

'The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain'

Phantom and me...

It's been such a long wait, but i'm not complaining, the experience is worthwhile, it's almost magical, and i'm still awestruck!...i believe that feeling will never go away...

Knowing that POTO will never make it to KL not unless there's a major facelift of IB and when fellow malaysians have more sense of Theatre appreciation, i took the opportunity to head down to our lovely neighbour's to witness this world-renowned production, this is as close as it gets in the region!

The Theatre@theBay in Esplanade, Singapore is truly an architecture's dream toy, the interior is designed in such a way that everyone feels like being a member of high society, the foyer is luxuriously woodpaneled, every inch being varnished so meticulously that it gleams in triumph, the whole place was glowing!

Opera aficionados can be seen dressing up to the occasion, and it was not uncalled for, it was Mother's day afterall, and what better way to celebrate it if not to bring the mothers to one of the most celebrated opera in the world...

POTO is the brainchild of highly acclaimed Andrew Lloyd Webber, my obsession with it started when a friend of mine lent me the OST of Phantom along with Andrew's other works, i was hooked! and then the movie version came along some couple of years back and ive seen it at least three times already!

Suffice to say that i've been anticipating the musical for some time now, and finally i can cross that out from my things-to-do-before-you-die list, and i do believe that should be in EVERYONE's list...It is like a dream comes true for me to listen to 'all i ask of you', my favourite song in POTO, be sung live on stage...though personally i still prefer Sarah Brightman and Cliff Richard's version.

The musical started off with the auction, it was so surreal watching it for the first time in theatre, i knew for a fact that i'm a POTO fan when i got goosebumps upon hearing the tunes of 'masquerade' from the monkey musical box, the hall was in total silence save for the distinct tune from the box, everyone was holding their breath in anticipation! and when the Chandelier was erected to the top, i teared up...it was such a touching moment...and we all know the famous pipe organ opening of POTO, it can get to you, i promise...

Everything was spectacular, and i'll say it again, EVERYTHING! I wish i have extra pairs of ears and eyes just to take everything in...so many things are going on simultaneously, the sets and props are phenomenal, it makes you wonder of the things that people can do, the replicas of the Paris Opera House and the Phantom's lair, the special effects, the curtains coming together beautifully, the scenes transition, the lightings, the casts, the costumes, i simply love everything!

The Orchestra is top-notch, i couldnt find flaws with any instruments at all, as it is, my ears were expanded to catch different the rhythms and tunes from different instruments, it was orchestrated perfectly, the music was flawless, end of story...

In a way im glad i wasnt seating too close to the stage, if i had, i would be paying too much attention to the expressions of the casts, and by doing so, you will miss out what the other casts are doing, hence you dont get the BIG picture, so what does it matter if i cant tell if the casts are goodlooking or not, or to witness the distorted face of the phantom, i was there for the music and renditions, and for the set on stage...My favorite setting being the river in the dungeon, when the gondola slides across the stage in a foggy ambience, enchanted by the candles, it was simply breathtaking...

My only regret is when the Chandelier crashes to the ground, it wasnt as dramatic as anticipated...for some reason i was actually picturing the chandelier comes crashing down at gravity speed and smashes to pieces on the ground, and they would have to replace the chandelier every single time, how silly of me... :p

All in all, it was a very inspiring trip, and i think i've got the calling of being a cast in theatre! imagine the applause and the standing ovation at the end of every show, so glorious! I'll give it to the Phantom (Brad Little) and Christine Daae (Rebecca Knowles) for their vocals, truly remarkable, despite the unmistakable exhaustion after having such a long run since March, and not to mention the matinee performance earlier in the afternoon...

Everyone should see the show at least once in their lifetime, i know i'll be dating POTO many times in years to come...

Bravo!

God is good...

Not too long ago, mom discovered a small lump just where her throat is, so she went to her doctor to get him to look at it...what followed was a few days of hospital stay and a minor operation where they cut away a speciment of the cyst and sent it to the lab for a diagnostic test...

During this time, we have all prayed fervently that the tumor is not cancerous; it's nothing life-threatening, but the entire process will be more complicated if the lump is malignant...more operations to follow, resulting in greater suffering, and not to mention all the therapy and medication in years to come...it can be very disheartening...

So on Saturday, the good folks at Gleneagles revealed the test result...The cyst is said to be benign with no suspicion of malignancy (whatever that means)...I was like, cant they just confirm that she's well with greater conviction? What if they suspect wrongly? Well, i guess we'll take it, im sure no one would wanna be taken accountable by giving a definite answer, it's human body we're talking about afterall...very unpredictable...

With that, i can now heave a sigh of relief and look forward to Mother's day celebration this weekend...

Thank You Lord for your blessing...

Beautiful Malaysia...

Wow, some weekend that was...

Archie came to KL and i conveniently offered to show him around while he's in the city...again, i have all the time in the world...

we really didnt do much, because there aint much to do...so i brought him and Rasmus, another danish guy, to Batu Caves and quickly regretted it afterward...everyone was tired and to climb up some 200+ steps aint all that appealing, did i mention it was 35 degrees? oh yeah, the place was filthy, screaming: welcome to Malaysia!

Rasmus suggested that we should have more trash bins around, that should do the trick...i havent the heart to tell him that the malaysians take pride in littering AROUND the bins, yeah, they are all trying to make a statement, i just dont know what it is...

Being an observant guy, archie informed me that whenever i signalled to turn left or right on the road, no one would let me pass, instead, they will speed up their vehicles just so that you wont be able to get in front of them, he was like: what's wrong with them?

It's all just over-rated, i confided, all that brochures and advertisements that showcase Malaysians being warm and friendly do not actually happen in real life...They are, in fact, a bunch of very unhappy individuals who hated their work and their life and they are demonstrating their anger on the road...

We came across so many customer service representatives and waiters with long and sour faces, who do not hesitate to showoff their irritation with everything and everyone around them...my friends were stunned! 'She would have gotten fired immediately in Holland', said archie.

Was i ashamed? Hell yeah...but i really dont mind the foreigners having a bad impression of Malaysia, the ppl wont change for a hundred years, so why worry about it?

At night we went to the clubs, everything went well and we were having a great time until we were told by the bouncers that we shouldnt stand so near the 'reserved' tables, the high and mighty ppl need their space and privacy...that totally set us off and we didnt stay another minute more...

Visit Malaysia 2007 huh? I think this is a good year for everyone to come and visit the country so that they can go back and warn everyone else dont bother coming...Good Job!

Sunshine...

it was as expected, 'sunshine' is merely another replica of existing space-venture films - the core, armageddon, deep impact...and the list goes on...

all the necessary elements are there - the state-of-the-art spacecraft, what's her name? Icarus, and for those of you who watch AXN, it will remind you very much of Andromeda...I dont care so much of the lookalike, it is afterall, the age of A.I, and talking machines are not unheard of, so we'll let it pass...

and then of course we have the usual storyline - The earth is dying (in this case, the Sun), and the mission signifies the life and death of mankind, we have a troupe of very gung ho astronauts, physicist, physician, scientist, and even a biologist, who would care for nothing except to complete the mission (something about launching a bomb into the sun, not much scientific explanation was given).

It's inevitable, someone HAS TO die, something HAS TO go wrong, someone MUST come up as a Hero and volunteer to die, and in the end, everyone dies...Hmm, why didnt i see that coming? :p

Our very own Michelle Yeoh (i refuse to give her the 'title', come and arrest me...) is in the film, bad acting apart, i really have little comment on her, it still beats me how she's gone international, i want to see some justification! Alright, maybe im coming too hard on her, but it's nothing personal...Still, if anyone should sacrifice for the mission, it should be her, i see little contribution from her role other than taking care of the plants, not like she's producing 02 or something...Funny thing is, she keeps coming about how the entire crew wont survive with the remaining 02 and someone has to go, but never put her name down in the waiting list...

I wont say the film is not worth your time, but if you have to go, please go on a wednesday like i did, and be prepared for a perplexed ending, which totally makes no sense at all...

Guess im all set now, i've purchased my airticket to fly to Heathrow, London, via Qantas...no turning back...

Will be missing Sam's wedding, but with today's technology, video conferencing will put us together, no matter where we are...one click on the web and the flowers shall be delivered...i'm loving this era...

We had very economical Carlsberg at Happy Garden on saturday, a bucket for only rm52! alright, the ambience is no where near Social@bangsar where i was drinking with Niv on Friday, but we were so bz catching up with each other that we could hardly be bothered with our surroundings...and before we know it, it was 2am...

I got a haircut at Snips@Curve, it isnt my favorite salon, but my hairstylist did a good job chatting me up, she didnt stop talking for the entire duration of 2h! She also talked me into getting a scalp treatment, resulting in a bill of rm130, and yes, i did mention to her that i am currently jobless...

will try to hangout less in weeks to come, dont feel good getting money from mom...In all fairness, i NEVER asked money from her, well, at least not anymore...but when she leaves me money deliberately in my room, i cant argue with her regarding her habit, can i?

And what's with Sanjaya still sticking around in AI? am i the only one or is anyone finding him too painful to watch too? Im seriously considering boycotting the show if this aint a singing talent show but a L'oreal hairstyling show...Being a minority doesnt earn him the right to mock the show like that...

Very excited with Amazing Race: All stars, they are in KL now (current episode)! Will definitely participate in the race one fine day, when i become an american citizen...it will happen...

it was all pretty funny really...i was in the middle of an afternoon siesta ( the luxury of not working), when my friend called to ask if i was free the day after to take part in a game show - Deal or no deal.

She works for NTV7 and she desperately needed contestants to fill up the seats for the shooting. Thing is, i've always despised this kinda local gameshow with all these Ah Bengs and Ah Lians competing against each other for dear life, and nothing in the world would make me say yes to appear on national television.

I was wrong, and now ive officially joined the Ah Beng Club and im not proud of it. It happened very quickly, she managed to persuade me that it is an easy game (ive seen the australian version), and that the entire thing is conducted in English, what attracted me most is the EASY-MONEY part...

It was a very good exposure for me, i got to witness the entire recording process, and befriended some friends from Mystic Entertainment, including the floor manager, Emily and our chaperone, Christine. The recording took a gruelling seven hours for one episode, inclusive of meal time and make up session, all for just a 40 minutes show!

To be in the lime light is really nerve-racking, and i salute Non ( our host and Lite FM DJ) for that, there were times when he stuttered and rambled for a bit, resulting in the floor manager yelling 'CUT' at the top of her voice, and then we will have to go all over again...the audiences were given lotsa pep talk, and they got to act excited and was forced to cheer for me, all just for show...

I managed to get through two questions correctly and was declared the winner for the preliminary round. I was really excited that i won, because it was such a close match! three of us out of the six have answered the first question correctly, and we were competing to answer the fourth question which will then determine the winner, in the event that we answer it correctly, or risk facing elimination.

the fourth question goes something like this: 'Name us the lost city of Peru', i hammered on the buzzer, stunned for a little bit as Non addressed me to go ahead and give him the answer, and finally replied with much conviction that the answer is MANCHU PICCHU, after hesitating for a full five seconds between Manchu Picchu and El Dorado, since they are both in the same region...Im glad that the time spent in Discovery Channel: Travel and Living is not wasted... :p

after that everything is in a daze for me, i didnt enjoy being the focus of all with prowling eyes all over me, so i rushed through the briefcases-picking process and didnt think well with all the deals that were offered by the 'banker', resulting in my downfall...

i was offered RM12500 at one time and i turned it down, what the hell was i thinking!? eventually i walked away with only rm2800, looking crest-fallen and somewhat subdued...but dwelling on the bright side however, i didnt have that money to begin with, it was a very unexpected gift, from God, and it can get me a one way ticket to London! :) Not to mention of course the opportunity to appear on National television as a major Dork...hehe...

What more can i say? All's well that ends well...

things happened so fast and so abruptly that i don't know where to begin...

first off, im officially unemployed...AGAIN...though i wont say im complaining of my new found freedom, but surely i can make use of the income? what's gonna happen to me now?

Secondly, mom's asking if im keen to visit brother in China to see what he's up to...i might seriously consider that if my boredom gets the better of me...my plan is to fly out from HK to London after that social visit...

thing is, i've hardly prepared anything for my trip...no accommodation, havent contacted any acquaintances in the UK, no research done regarding the cost of living there, and the job opportunities...million and one other things...

Do i get a brand new backpack and winter clothings? must i apply all my visas here to EU countries? what's my itinerary like?

I havent even purchased my airticket...

maybe im not fit to backpack afterall...

Human being has gotta be the most bizarre animal ever, they are often confused, erratic, indecisive, and fickle minded...very much like me...

I know i should be feeling on cloud nine right now, havent i been dreading to go backpacking in the UK? but why dont i have any emotions now that my visa has been approved?

im having mixed feelings...

hurray, i received my first court order yesterday...

Has the system changed after their 200th dunno-what celebration or is this normal? I merely committed a petty offence of making an illegal U-turn, and now im being prosecuted?

i would prefer if they could just issue me a summon to settle the fine out of court, and not issue me a ticket telling me to turn up at the court next month for some stupid hearing...

maybe i should get outta the country before the hearing...

it's a sign...

The Magic Flute, not so magical afterall...

What do you get when you put together a bunch of amateurs to perform one of Mozart's greatest work? the result is a disastrous one...think AI's 'the attack of the tuneless freaks', think Sarah Brightman having a bad throat day, and think of an orchestra sightreading a piece for the first time...

Fine, maybe it wasnt that bad, and may i even say it was worth the price i paid? yeah, that's exactly the standard they are showcasing, something equivalent to 30 bucks...

It's gotta be nerve-racking, performing on debut night, and to hafta tackle the Overture in the very beginning...and yes, everyone judges you on the overture, whether you have what it takes to pull through all the pieces, the skills, and the spirit...It is the introduction to the opera afterall, you needa show us the WOW factor, show us that you can handle the toccata for The Magic Flute...

they failed miserably...

put aside the fact that KLPac Sinfonietta is made up of kids who's yet to undergo Classical Appreciation class, we have a bunch of very eager teenagers trying to play Mozart's pieces...

The Strings messed up big time, they were all over each other! Not being in Sync with one another when they tackle Allegro is forgivable, but when you play off beat in Andante, that's just asking for trouble, you're turning everyone off...

While the brass fair better, they were unable to yield a clear distinctive tune a trumpet or a trombone is supposed to give...it was somewhat muffled...F horn, on the other hand, did a great job muffling out the symphony, that's their role anyway...

Woodwind was a delight, the occasional Flute-solo was welcomed, albeit shortlived...i was just curious why only First Flute was contributing the entire time, second and third flute were seating there looking expectant, willing for a chance to shine...im not talking bout the solo part, im talking bout the concerto...they appeared to be nothing more than a seat-filler...

Percussion managed relatively well, i will give it to the timpanist! she was a star!

As for the Opera, nothing too impressive, and i wouldnt expect them to be, some of them are doing it for the first time...so go figure...Nevertheless, The Queen stands out among the sopranos to be the most successful soloist, demonstrating some challenging pitch change...

Oh yeah, Joe Hasham is a real clown, humiliating himself as a narrator, he can't even get the names right! and playing the blaming card on the Italians aint gonna work for me...

and what's with the cheesy slideshow that's supposed to be some kinda visual aid? surely they can hire some pros to fix that? Nevermind that this isnt about the flash but the music...

I might wanna think twice before attending any theatres in KLPac in the future...

Thinking of POTO...

Raoul
No more talk of darkness,
forget these wide-eyed fears;
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
my words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
let daylight dry your tears;
I'm here, with you, beside you,
to guard you and to guide you.

Christine
Say you'll love me ev'ry waking moment;
turn my head with talk of summertime.
Say you need me with you now and always;
promise me that all you say is true,
that's all I ask of you.

Raoul
Let me be your shelter,
let me be your light;
you're safe, no one will find you,
your fears are far behind you.

Christine
All I want is freedom,
a world with no more night;
and you, always beside me,
to hold me and to hide me.

Raoul
Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
let me lead you from you solitude.
Say you need me with you, here beside you,
anywhere you go, let me go too,
that's all I ask of you.

Christine
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime.
Say the word and I will follow you.

Together
Share each day with me, each night, each morning.

Christine
Say you love me...

Raoul
You know I do.

Together
Love me, that's all I ask of you.

Anywhere you go let me go too

Love me...
that's all I ask of you.

The Land before time...

Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope & glory
Hold to the truth in your heart

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

When we are out there in the dark
We'll dream about the sun
In the dark we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts, everyone

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As high as souls can fly
The clouds roll by
For you and I

Bridge to Terabithia

Spoiler ahead...




BTT is one of those films that opens up your imagination...being an avid dreamer myself, i found that i can totally relate to Leslie's fantasy world...im all for FANTASY! yeah, that should justify why im so hooked to Harry Potter or LOTR or BigFish and other films of such genre...

But when it comes to reading fantasy themed books, im not so gung ho about it...cant explain why but i suspect it's gotta do with all those very foreign fantasy terms and the effort you've gotta put in to get 'inside' the author's imaginary world...i prefer my own ideal world...

so back to BTT, it's always refreshing to see a promising young star like Josh Hutcherson who really has a flair for acting in any films...he was featured in Polar Express and also Zathura, both of which i fancied...dont remind me any of the kids in Narnia, i dont even remember their names, that how's bad they were!

the only thing about BTT is that, yeah, they created a world of Terabithia, and hey, we wanna see MORE OF THAT....what happened!? i dont mind that they move back and forth the fantasy world and the real world, but just when everyone got all excited after Jesse built that bridge for his sister and we can see that glorious view of that beautiful valley (that's in NZ, btw...) and its magical creatures, everything came to an abrupt end...

Quite clearly i didnt see that coming, i was still having trouble getting over with Leslie's death, and was kinda expecting them to find her in Terabithia and to fight the mentioned war against some evil masters, it never happened...

I must say the whole film was half-baked in that sense, but i have enjoyed it while it lasted...so, i guess i cant complain...

still, Leslie shouldnt have died, i didnt even get to say goodbye...

:p

Home is kinda quiet this entire week because my parents are staying over at a suite in Istana hotel...i've been to visit them a few times now and got sick with the food there, you can only have that much in a buffet spread u know...but the breakfast spread is highly recommended, try their omelette with that extra creamy swiss fromage...irresistable!

So parents not at home can only result in one thing, yeah, NO CURFEW! haha....not that ive always been an obedient kid and go back home by midnight, but really, i make an effort to comply them once in a while...you know, dont push it, as they say...

but frankly, im way past stick-to-cinderella's-clock age...doesnt make sense to me why i cant hangout late at all...well yeah, obviously all these news coverage of ppl getting killed or robbed or advertisement of drink driving didnt help much in my protest...maybe it's time to move out...if only i can afford a condo somewhere...dream on baby...

I have been taking this opportunity to catch up with some friends and yeah, my next few nights have been fully booked...lol...good planning huh...

Shall be having a HappyHour session with my colleagues later at Daves and then tomorrow, dinner date with church members and movie session thereafter, friday night going out with Jo and friends to Skybar@tradersHotel, saturday night another drinking session and Sunday, family day...hehe...parents will come back then...

As for next week, im hoping to catch Mozart's Magic Flute at KLPAC and then the following week, gonna go on vacation with my former uni-mates to Langkawi...that should be fun...

see, we are very supportive of VM2007, unlike some folks who wont stop bitching bout the program in TheStar...

on the contrary, being me, i know i will have my two cents too after the trip...

:-)

I dunno if it's just me or if everyone's feeling the heat lately...It sorta put you in a grouchy mood at all times, except of course when you're in the comfort of your own chilled house...

and that means you're constantly confined in an air-conditioned surrounding and not be able to hangout at all...yeah, we are having very warm nights as well...

this Global warming thingy is definitely affecting all of us, more so for us in the tropical region...Gotta go and catch 'an inconvenient truth' as narrated by Al Gore to get a better understanding of what's going on around us...

the Earth is dying...and we know it...

Lea:
Be still my heart
Lately its mind is on it's own
It would go far and wide
Just to be near you

Brad:
Even the stars
Shine a bit bright I've noticed
When you're close to me

Lea:
Still it remains a mystery

Chorus (Both):
Anyone who seen us
Knows what's going on between us
It doesn't take a genius
To read between the lines Brad: ohh
And it's not just wishful thinking
Or only me who's dreaming
I know what these are symptoms of
We could be in love

Lea:
I ask myself why
I sleep like a baby through the night
Maybe it helps to know
you'll be there tomorrow

Brad: Lea:
Don't open my eyes Ohhh
I'll wake from the spell I'm under
Makes me wonder how Tell me how
I could live without you now

Both:
And what about the laughter
The happy ever after
Like voices of sweet angels
Calling out our names
And it's not just wishful thinking
Or only me who's dreaming
I know what these are symptoms of
We could be in love

Brad:
All my life
I have dreamed of this
But I could not see your face

Lea:
Don't ask why two such distant stars
Can fall right into place

(Repeat Chorus)

Both:
Oh, it doesn't take a genius
To know what these are symptoms of
We could be Lea: ohh
We could be, we could be in love

Brad:
Could be in

Both:
We could be in love

awwwww.....aint that sweet?

You know all that traveling is worth it when your foreign friends sent you emails asking if you were alright from that EarthQuake in Sumatra...

that's just priceless...

Ellen's monologue about driving

I cant agree with Ellen more on the issue of how ppl drive nowadays...for no reason at all (at least none that im aware of), ppl can just slow down their vehicles at a particular point (not a bend) or as and when they feel like it and create a butterfly effect on the smoothflow of the traffic...this ppl deserve to go to jail for that!

I particularly like the 'suggested speed limit' part towards the end, hey ppl, when it says "110k/h" it doesnt literally mean that, it is merely a SUGGESTION! so if you intend to keep to that limit, can you please kindly shove your car out of the 'fast' lane?

Thanks for the cooperation...

Review of Dreamgirls...

So we went to watch Dreamgirls after JenniferHudson was voted as the best supporting actress in Oscar...you know, just wanna see what the fuss is all about, that the academy would choose to nominate a you-know-who and then give the award to her handsdown in her first nomination...it makes us just oh-so-curious...

Dreamgirls started off with a real bang, getting you all excited and bringing you to a height of surreal climax, and before long you will realize that's as good as it gets...Alright, if you are looking to get your fair share of strong and flawless vocal throughout the film, then this is by all means the film for you...

but really, there is only so much one's ears can take, you know...we are all very comfortable with Beyonce's voice, no problem...she didnt stay on the chart of Rick Dees Weekly top 40 for no reason, yeah, the girl can sing, let's just give that to her...and oh she's just so beautiful...

on the other hand however...im not so sure of JenH...at first attempt, you will find that you can get acquainted to her voice easily...she demonstrates the vocal of a powerhouse, the kind that will get your attention...well, in this case, just too much attention for my comfort...

The girl started off fine and everyone seemed to be enjoying her performace, yeah, even with her in that bling bling costume...and as it goes on, i found that i got more and more irritated with her over-the-top vocal...i started acknowledging the problem when a slight headache developed, and then everything she sings after that sounded more like she's shouting than singing to me...

It came to a point when i heard myself saying: SHUT UP ALREADY! yeah, that would be the time when she was begging JamieFoxx to take her back, willing him to show her his love once again...and let's not start with JamieF, i was never a big fan of his to begin with...

The show started dragging prematurely in the course of a 2h-length duration and it's never a good sign when ppl start fidgeting in their seat and asking if this is ever coming to an end, enough is enough!

I wont say i havent enjoyed the film a single bit, but asked if the film deserves 8 nominations in the academy award? Definitely not...