why wy?

Singapore has gone idol mad. Singapore Idol is just like Australian Idol, is just like american idol. It was the finals last night, over 1.1 million votes were cast, most of them from teenagers who cast 400 votes in an hour. (I think they would cast more, just that there is a limit on the number of votes from one phone.) I guess it is worth mentioning that Singapore also had the fastest texter in the world at one stage.

So anyhow, they have a two hour face-off, and they break for the regular news, as well as to give people time to vote. Top story on the news - I kid you not - is a recap of what happened on the show. They do some obligatory other news, then it cuts back to the idol stage! After the news, it's back to the actual show and results.

One of the judges said, when they first told him that the finals were being held in a stadium that had a 7,000 seating capacity, he was worried about filling it. It was absolutely packed. Before the show, people were scalping the free tickets for as much as $200. And selling votes too.

Girls were screaming for the top two finalists with the kind of adulation reserved for foreign celebs, chasing them around, camping outside the studio, etc. I think it's great for nation building, because everyone can talk about the same thing now. And suddenly, the talent pool here has just expanded, with the finalists. For years we've had to live with the same person trying to act, sing and appearing in two dramas on the same night. There's a rumour that elections will be held around christmas, so the joke is that we've just had it last night on singapore idol.