And She Cried

Although my prediction was proven to be true, still it was eerie watching the turn of the show. What I’m talking about here is Nania’s failure to continue to the Grand Final of the Indonesian Idol singing contest.

The Kedirian singer Nania Kurniawati Yusuf had become many many people’s favorite of the three remaining finalists. The competition was tight between her and Joy, the other female finalist, but when it came to her and Delon “Melon” – that’s the name his aficionados as well as people favor against him have been using to cheer or mock him – the difference was great. It was Nania who won the juries’ compliment most of the time. The only critics she received was mainly regarding her stage appearance and sometimes her unability to put her high voice in the right place.

Meanwhile Delon had to face critics – harsh ones, a lot of times – almost every week. It was because the juries and a great many people thought that the guy made it to join the contest, let alone survive to this very day, owing to his handsome look only. Cynically, Indra Lesmana - one of the juries – had even said once that Indonesian people should have looked beyond the physical quality if they wanted a good quality singer to represent the country in the World Idol singing contest.

So it was a bit surprising to see Delon kicked other contestants out the contest stage week after week and survived to the semifinal round. Yet many people and the juries still put on high hopes considering the best contestants namely Joy and Nania still hung around to save Indonesian Idol from losing its glamor and attractiveness. The Delon’s phenomenon did not escape attention, nevertheless, as the show hosts - Ata and Irgi - had to remind people to send their vote sms or make vote calls for their favorite singer unless they wanted to see the singer get to be sent home.

I myself partly agree that Delon counted more on his looks than on his singing capability to win his fans’ heart and support. Lately somehow I see that he has been making great improvements. His voice was no longer flat during his performance in the last two weeks and I actually began to enjoy it. I believe a lot of people felt the same way I did, and as more negative talks cast over him, at the same time Delon gained more pity and support from people who saw him to be the “abuse victim” of the juries and the anti-Delon society’s sarcastic remarks.

At least that was what I learnt from people’s opinion on the radio and blogs. I remembered someone commenting that Delon perhaps right now felt sorry for having a handsome visage that for the first time in men’s history the guy might have thought of having a plastic surgery on his face so he could have the face of Shrek instead of the current one, just to get a more objective judgment!

Of course, that is an extreme comment, but hey, we couldn’t see this guy with one eye’s shut! Wasn’t it clear that Delon had successfully brushed off the other Indonesian Idol contestants, some of them were better than him? Not only that, he was never in the danger of being in the two most bottom positions. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I think the guy has a strong support not only in the matter of the number of fans but also the ring a chink chink, clink clank, jingle jangle of money poured out to ensure his steps to the following week’s performance. No proof so far to back up my opinion, but it all makes sense, doesn’t it?

That’s why I predicted that Delon would overcome Nania. It’s not cool and I actually did not want it to happen, but when rationally pondered upon, it was what would likely to happen.

And the dreaded thing did happen. Nania would not go back to the stage next week and duel with Joy in the Grand Final, for it was Delon who would join the big event. And people, a lot of people cried. The first jury I noticed sheding tears was Dimas Jay. Commercial break cut off the show for a moment, then it was apparent that Indra Lesmana and Meuthia Kasim, with their hands over each others’ shoulder, just broke into tears. I don’t know what was in the head of Titi DJ, but I think she was also emotional at that time.

In the mean time, the person these people had spilled their tears over looked calm and quite in control. It all changed when she got to sing the finale-goodbye song, Ruth Sahanaya’s Ingin Kumiliki. The mental siege she had built was slowly tumbling down into pieces as she reached the refrain; Her voices trembled … and she cried.

(Nania Dear, I think I owe you an apology for having not sent any sms to vote for you. I should have, shouldn’t I? Well, I guess I made the mistake a lot of people often do: Relying on other people to get what they want. Sorry, Nania.)