Pinoy Dream Academy: It's Between Zel and Laarni

It’s a vocal duel not of six scholars anymore, but only of two dreamers who have defined what vocal prowess should be, in tonight’s Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2: Uberture big night (first of two parts).  

The face-off between Maria Leizel “Zel” Garcia and Laarni Losala was already predicted when the pride of Puerto Galera, who often makes an issue of her skin color, remains to be the choice of mentors as shown by her consistent high grades. Laarni, on the other hand, is a revelation after going through crying fits and being on probationary status twice in the early part of the PDA schoolyear.

Tagged as the independent woman from Sultan Kudarat, Laarni has grown to be a favorite among subscribers of The Filipino Channel. Text votes are to affect 50 percent of the average grade point; thus drawing the notion that in terms of popularity, Laarni is definitely “it” – the scholar destined to face the pressures of stardom.

After being named Top Scholar of the Week for the most number of times, Zel already created an impression upon PDAmaniacs that she would graduate like Season 1 big dreamer Yeng Constantino. However, Laarni is also out to prove her mettle after winning the confidence of viewers with tremendous purchasing power.

PDA fanatics rooting for Jay “Bugoy” Bogayan might bash my head with the microphone for this, but it certainly would take time to persuade TFC subscribers to make last-minute changes. He is handsomely packaged to titillate the “masa” with his serenading-the-grazing-carabao stories; however, it was already noted that even former-Overseas Filipino Worker Zel (Dubai) failed to charm the most number of them. Picking on the pigment of her skin may have turned off quite a number of OFWs and that Zel’s lack of self-confidence has been evident in most of her performances in the past gala nights. If she had only heard Direk Joey Reyes’ comment during her audition, “ang sarap i-package at i-play up nong image ni Zel.” In fact, it was her who displayed so much enthusiasm and determination before the schoolyear began, as if ready to sally forth into worlds of pain, fatigue, and staggering excess.

 Nevertheless, Zel who obviously already sees herself swimming under the confetti of victory is up to wrestle from Laarni that very spot she was recognized with for five times. Tonight’s battle of voice calisthenics would only center on Zel and Laarni, outshining each other. 

It’s just a wonder though that Songwriting 101 is never part of their curriculum, including learning to play new musical instruments. Such may have generated fresh song materials for would-be album projects; not merely reviving some people’s songs or glorifying this fixation on tributes. The PDA is also supposed to serve as nursery for new songs to mark this age of lace-trimmed leggings under maong mini skirts, and bubble dresses. And that though there is no such thing anymore as an original statement in music, the scholars who have invested so much in the fundamentals of standards (by repeatedly singing other artists’ songs, a fact hard to dislodge because that is the concept of the show) could have been encouraged all the more to sing in tune with the music of their soul.

So tonight, forget the other pretty faces because viewers have already given a nod to whose voice box has that prowess, not face value alone. PDA is a search for singing celebrities not a beauty pageant or a venue for charming males/females sans vocal qualities to qualify for big Dream winner.

Tomorrow, one would graduate, with a stay at the PDA to be capped with P1 million, a brand new car, as well as a brand new house and lot, and the other “chuvaneses” that come with the “musical degree” – recording contract, promotions tour, soaps, and perhaps movies. The rest will dream away with the promised commitments.