Friday 26 June 2009

Looking Back


Some other thoughts I've had on re-watching the audition are that Adam seems tired and sounds strangely monotonous in the pre-audition interview. Being a fellow night owl myself, I take it that it's his aversion to early mornings. Even back then, he demonstrated his ability to work his magic on the judges and adapted to deal with each in a different way. Kara's blatantly flirting with Adam who flirts back sweetly but doesn't actually kiss her hand. He keeps it friendly with Randy, who creepily seems a little too determined to test out his gaydar theory. He fanboys over Paula, who has a rare moment of clarity when she's blown away by him and says he's the best they'd seen in every city, and Simon who he treats with reverence is just his negative self but admits falling under his spell when he says 'Oh he's had us' around the 4:02 mark.



I've already spent way too long on this and am rather sick of trying out and learning different software, reformatting, resynching and fiddling around with the aspect ratio, audio and colour on each segment, but it was pointed out to me by fellow obsessives (thank you) who put me to shame that there was a snippet missing from the video. So I got back to work, tracked it down and re-compiled it, otherwise what kind of obsessive would that make me? Test your obsession and see if you can spot what it is. The answer is in the comments section of this post. Thanks go out to LaStupenda and Blue*Rose from IDF for providing the original HQ clips.

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It's been over a month since Idol finished and I'd decided to do something I thought wasn't too taxing on the brain so I spent the last couple days toiling over and piecing together all the audition bits and pieces to make a continuous video. How little did I know. It almost cost me my sanity because of all the different incompatible formats, codecs and crappy software that just kept crashing. I never imagined it would be so friggin' complicated as it's the first time I've converted or edited any vids and my pesky perfectionism wanting everything to be frame-perfect kept on shifting the finish line. Perseverance won out in the end though, and this is the fruit of my labour of obsession, which I hope you'll enjoy. It contains the pre- and post- audition interviews, Rock With You, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

I'm very saddened to have learned about the death of Michael Jackson while working on the video. It doesn't feel like a strange coincidence because his sphere of influence is so wide and penetrates deep into popular culture. Adam was a fan who was strongly influenced by him in terms of music, singing, dancing, performing, fashion and re-invention. I think Michael's life ended up a tragedy after he seriously lost his way. He was someone who I thought was never comfortable with the colossal price of fame making him public property. I'm glad that Adam seems grounded enough and well equipped to deal with playing that game. I was really curious to see what Jacko would have done at his upcoming concerts in London. I wondered whether it would have breathed fresh life into his career and felt excited thinking about the possibility of a collaboration of stellar proportions if the comeback were successful. Sadly we'll never know and it'll never happen, but he'll live on through his music. His powerful influence will continue, perpetuated through artists such as Adam. I hope he is now at peace.

28 comments:

  1. What a great idea for a project! You have done us a tremendous service, knitting all these pieces together so cohesively. THANK YOU!

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  2. Thank you for that & hope all is well with your Mom

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  3. Thank you for looking back! Classic :)
    AD

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  4. Thank you for putting all that together - great job.

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  5. Thank you SO MUCH for this. Really really appreciate it.

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  6. That was soooo great. Thank you for all your hard work, it is greatly appreciated. I LOVE "baby Adam." He is just so sweet and earnest and, most of all, purely talented. Again, thanks.

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  7. Thank you for all your hard work in creating this perfect look back. Lah!

    Mardonna

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  8. That was FLAWLESS. Damn. I've been wishing someone would do this since the supplemental audition footage was aired. Awesome awesome job.

    Could you perhaps also provide us with a link to download the your final product so we can save it to our hard drives?

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  9. Amazing - great stuff and thanks!!!

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  10. The original version (now downloadable here thanks to Mary from Awop) was missing the part where he skips back to collect his yellow ticket at 4:01, which was featured in the package just before Satisfaction in the semi-final. It lasts a little over two seconds and you can tell it from the AI logo which briefly appears on the bottom left.

    If you're wondering why the video has disappeared a couple of times today, it's because when I was writing the update, I realised I actually had to re-do the video yet again because that clip edited out Simon's 'Oh he's had us' comment, which I think is significant enough to rip the mp3 from the other version to set it to. Damn my perfectionism! Enjoy!

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  11. Thank you so much for putting this together. To see all the parts in order is just great.

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  12. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for putting this together. I've seen all the bits and pieces here and there and when I watch them, I was frustrated knowing that something was always missing. FINALLY, we have it all together, where it belongs. You did a GREAT job! Is there a way that I can put this onto my Mac and iPod?? (Technically a little challenged.) :)

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  13. Life is very strange. I am thinking that now, there is no way Adam could run down that street without being mobbed (at the end of the video)
    Adam Bombed, thank you for doing what you do. I am from Singapore - know where that is? - and I am as old as the hills. It's scary to think I can be older than Leila's mum! i.e., Adam could be my baby......
    Until Adam comes here, I am enjoying the tour vicariously through your super deluxe quality videos.
    I really like the audition montage. I thot Adam looked really sweet and boyish - it's nice to see him au natural without all the guyliner. BTW, would be great if you could track down "the Chair episode" where he was told he was in after Hollywood Week. There, he looks more funky in leather and stuff.

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  14. Anonymous, I've added The Chair video for you and put it amongst the April postings to keep it in order.

    I went to Singapore a few years back - so many attractive people!

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  15. Thanks Adam B for posting the Chair episode. You are so on the ball. And I finally got to read your intro....Sorry to hear you are experiencing that rite of passage - looking after an aged parent.
    I am a bit of technophobe and am not really clear about the etiquette of accessing blogs. Is it alright to ask your gender? I was wondering because I was curious as to whether this obsession we share only inflicts women (of all ages, it would seem) and possibly gay guys or are there straight boys and men who are equally into Adam?

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  16. Adam bombed, I am so greatful that you would go all the way to edit the bit and pieces of the audition into one vid.

    I have only read a quarter of your blog. I enjoy it very much. You are a really good writer and I love your prespective. It is a combination of rational thoughts and a very strong feeling over our Adam.

    Thank you.
    Your sincerely,
    ~k6

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  17. Anonymous,
    There's never any harm in asking. I've got an idea for an article about Adam's fan base which I'll try to get to work on soon but for the moment, I think I'd like to let the reader decide my gender.

    k65535,
    Thank you for leaving your insights, I've enjoyed reading all your comments. It's a challenge to stay rational to avoid this blog becoming a squeefest!

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  18. i think(hope) you are (straight)male. i read and re-read all of your post many many times, and always thought of you as male. there were few observations that matched my (female) lust for adam; but i'll bet on male in mid 30ies. who's with me? (byw - the best adam blog ever!)

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  19. Anonymous, "who is with me?", you said. Can I respond? I never thought about what gender the OP is, but I always thought his/her professional would have something to do with writing/broadcasting.
    Back to the question, apart from the gender part, I'm with you. The gender part is from my guts feeling and the straight part is from her piece about picture incident.

    Adam Bombed,
    Yes, Adam fan base will be an interesting topic. He tends to touch a lot of people's heart from various gender, preference, belief/religion, age, color and nationality. I can't wait to see his album in the fall.
    p.s. Looking forwards to see this new piece too.
    ~k6

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  20. Really appreciate all your hard work;thank you so much.

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  21. You are not going away now, are you? There is so much more to cover!!!! Adam's career has JUST begun!!!

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  22. You ROCKS!

    p.s. I guessed Simon fell in love at the time Adam opened his mouth. You could see Simon's smile when he teased with Adam, by commenting that he was too threatrical. When Adam fought back and said," but if that is something I can work on?", you could see from Simon's face that Adam had just pasted his test. Simon always love to see how much the contestent "want" this. I guessed being what Simon do best, he know only that much of "want" would get you through the whole thing. That is the competition and a possible career.
    ~k65535
    ooo

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  23. p.p.s. Some Kind of Wonderful - I love how Simon and Kara couldn't help repeating themselvse. "You are terrific, really terrific." "You are a good singer. You are a very good singer." :D
    p.p.p.s. Believe - When the judges were not allow to comment, they again could help themselves giving him trumbs up. :D :D
    p.p.p.p.s. Look at me! When I am laughing at how the judges cuold not help themselves but to give Adam praise, I am the one who can't help myself emphasising it. :D :D :D

    Conclusion? We are all under Adam's spells, and loving it!
    ~k65535
    ooo

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  24. Adam is so incredibly charming - his intelligence shines through. He did look tired (and hungry!) - was that the time he only got one hour's sleep the night before? I saw parts of the interview with the reporter previously, and the reporter seemed very taken with Adam (interviewed him before and after the judges) and later (on TV) said that he "felt cool" standing next to him.

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  25. it'more than a year, and i still look for and watch his audition. can't get enough of him. very addictive!

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  26. (SapphireNight) You know what I find kinda amusing? America was obsessed with Adam's sexuality, and a good portion of the commenters on this blog seem fascinated with arguing over your gender! Still wanna keep it close to your chest- that’s perfectly fine! I personally get a bit weirded out with people thinking I'm male (misspelling my name, fine- I dont even mind friends of five years doing that, but for some reason, people I've never met thinking I'm a dude- nope, dont like it), but you like to keep them guessing!!
    You know, I can't thank you enough for writing this blog. As someone else mentioned, you are extremely eloquent, not overly emphatic in your writing, and just such a wealth of knowledge.
    I didn’t even realised there was more footage of the initial audition, and it's absolutely fascinating to see more of it- the little extras really add to the context. I always just assumed that Simon was being a b***ard as usual- though incredibly harsh considering how amazing Adam was- I've seen him with other great acts, yet he seemed quite antagonist towards Adam. It never really occurred to me that he was testing him, but I’m starting to see that more.
    So, I’m at late June, 2009. Slowly making my way though all your posts... I look forward to reading more of stuff you’ve already written, and I bloody well hope that by the time I’ve caught up with real time you’re still writing it!!
    Ttfn...
    SN

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  27. SapphireNight, oh the irony didn't escape me! But I do understand why people generally want to know the background of bloggers. People want to be able to place a face to the name and it makes us more human. It also helps readers to decide on the validity our opinions. The thing with revealing gender/orientation is that it is weighted with stereotypes which do affect people's perceptions. I think the difference between how my words would be seen if I were to say I was, for example, a bisexual teen male or a straight middle-aged female or a gay male in my 60s or a transgender female in my 30s, would be considerable.
    I think Simon has spent a bit too much time up his own arse to be able to recognise something special. He tried to file Adam under 'theatre' straight away and failed to see how being theatrical could be current.
    Welcome aboard and I hope you enjoy reading and catching up on the rollercoaster ride from June 2009! There are so many treats in store for you. It's exciting for me to be able to feed you in the early stages of your fandom and follow your journey too!

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