KUALA LUMPUR, Wed: Celine Dion, Sheila Majid and James Blunt made their presence at KL Bar’s Conference Room last Saturday, July 8, 2006. The singers were not there, but their songs were surely, well and truly present on that day.
The much anticipated KL Bar Idol contest kicked off to an explosive start with the Qualifying Round that day. The contestants belted out songs made famous by the various international and local singers.
Beginning at 10.30a.m., the 13 contestants were visibly keyed–up but also a little nervous. Some came prepared with their guitars and keyboards. But with or without the musical equipment, they all came with their most important asset, their fantastic voices.
The qualifying contest was meant to allow only 10 singers, but due to overwhelming requests, the organisers (Young Lawyers Committee of KL Bar) eventually relented and allowed space for the additional 3 qualifying contestants. After all, the contest is a friendly one aimed at generating interest in public welfare among lawyers for the upcoming Charity Nite 2006.
The 13 contestants were :–
1. Jamal of Othman Hashim & Co.
2. Steven of Shook Lin & Bok
3. Esther of Badri Kuhan Yeoh & Ghandi
4. CW Lim of Paul Cheah & Associates
5. YS Kho of Lim Kian Leong & Co.
6. Brendan of Susie See Norbaya & Cheah
7. Sheryl of Wong & Partners
8. Melody of Shearn Delamore & Co.
9. DW Choo of Skrine
10. Nancy of NC Yew & Partners
11. Khaushalya of Shafee & Co
12. Falah of Oon & Partners
13. ... and one Shy Guy
Every contestant was given an opportunity to sing a maximum of 2 songs, either in Bahasa Malaysia or English. Almost every contestant sounded nervous initially, but as they progressed through their selected song, their melodic voices became more prominent and the talent became extremely evident before the audience and supporters who were present.
A 5–member panel of judges was also invited to referee the qualifying round. Made up of musically inclined lawyers from the Klang Valley, in them we certainly had our own version of American Idol’s Paula, Randy and Simon; except our judges were generally a whole lot nicer than Simon but a little more stern than Paula.
The event was opened to all members of KL Bar and saw almost 50 people squeezing into the relatively small but cosy conference room (which normally hosts the monthly meeting of the 12–member Committee Members of KL Bar). They were there to either support their favourite singer or just to be entertained with a “live” singing contest. The presence of these 'viewers' made the atmosphere more electrifying which contributed to a carnival–like air around the venue that morning.
All the contestants were given rapturous applause. The positive reception of the crowd was evident and the contestants were all made to feel highly appreciated.
At around 12.30p.m., the qualifying round came to a conclusion and the judges went to work. They had a very difficult task in choosing the 3 finalists. In view of the high quality of the contestants, the judges appealed to YLC to allow in more than 3 finalists. The general feeling among the judges was that ALL 13 contestants should be allowed to the finals. But alas, like in any contest, there must be some selection made, and at the end, the YLC allowed an addition of one more finalist, making it now a 4 singer finale instead of 3.
After intense and difficult deliberation, the Idol finalists chosen are :–
1. Falah of Oon & Partners
2. D.W. Choo of Skrine
3. Brendan of Susie See, Norbaya & Cheah
4. Kaushalya of Shafee & Co
The finalists will now go on to perform at the Finals which will be held on Charity Nite –06. The Charity Nite, another project organised by the YLC, is a social event designed to generate charitable funds for the Handicapped and Disabled Children’s Home of Taman Megah, located at Petaling Jaya, Selangor. This 2nd instalment of the Charity Nite follows the hugely successful one last year, where more than 300 members attended the much entertaining night at Souled Out Café.
This year’s event will be on July 27, 2006 at CoChine Café along the Asian Heritage Row, beside the Sheraton Imperial Hotel at Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets priced at RM30 only, can be purchased from the KL Bar secretariat (call : 603–2693 3585 – Cik Nazatul)
The Idol winner will be decided by a unique selection system. Instead of conventional sms votes, the finalists will all be allocated a donation box each, and after each performance, the donation boxes will be brought around the Café for donations. At the end of the voting period, the Idolist with the highest donation collected, will be declared the winner of the competition. All donations collected will be channelled to the said Handicapped and Disabled Children’s Home.
KL Bar Idol has brought out the hidden singing talent of KL Lawyers, who had taken time off to perform with charity in their heart, mind and soul. These 13 lawyers had, for one cosy morning, put aside their corporate minds or litigation voices, to present an effort clearly lasting in our minds, with the melodic voices that they have. YLC congratulates them for their talent and applaud them all for their time and effort!
The 5 judges had also sacrificed their Saturday morning sleep to adjudge the Idol contests. Led by Izral, the other judges were Greg Ling, Wallace, Chee Hoe and Sonia Anirudhan. Their effort is extremely appreciated.
The organisation of the event was handled by the YLC with the Welfare and Social Sub–Committee at the realm. KL Bar’s secretariat, led by the ever efficient Ms Mary and assisted by Cik Nazatul made sure that the administration aspects of the competition were all well taken care of.
Now we will be looking ahead to Charity Nite –06, and we would like to invite you all to what will probably be an enjoyable, exciting and meaningful KL Bar Idol Finals. See you there!
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