Absolutely Fobulous

OMG. Yoji Pop, you are the reason I still watch American Idol.

Curious about how to get Yoji Pop’s fobulously metro look?  Here’s a breakdown of  must-haves for every fobby dude.

To raise their ratings, TV shows often weave really popular topics into their episodes just to get people watching and talking. The Office follows that golden rule and spins episodes off hot topics such as Glee and, naturally…China.

We at Absolutely Fobulous have been clued into the China hype way before The Office. I mean, our tag cloud speaks for itself — check out how the other tags are dwarfed by the ginormous China tag.

Thursday’s episode was hilarious, and I was pretty impressed by Michael’s “fake” knowledge of the communist country (he was reading off of a cheat sheet). To me, the episode signals the trend of people becoming more accepting of China as a global superpower. I mean we’re actually seeing the country featured in a good light on mainstream American TV. I think this is just the very beginning, and we’ll definitely see more and more positive Chinese references in American pop culture going forward.  Seriously, a feature in The Office should be part of any developing country’s success checklist:

• Overtaking Japan as the second largest economy. Check.
• Becoming the biggest consumer in the world. Check.
• Getting a spot in The Office (Whoohoo! In your face!). Check.

Love TV? So do we! Browse through the Chinese version of The Office, Nicole Chiu the Asian apprentice candidate, and all these crazy Chinese, Indonesian, Singapore idol posts!

A friend sent me this YouTube video of Indonesian singer, Hudson Prananjaya.  I’m amazed by the flexibility of his voice and how he alternates between a woman’s (which he calls his alterego Jessica) and man’s persona with such fluidity. Hudson’s performances are being passed around all over the internet, but the talented singer achieved his current fame by participating in Indonesia’s version of American Idol, Indonesia Mencari Bakat.

(Thanks, Hanna!)

Link

I know we’ve already written about all the international permutations of American Idol, from China’s racist one, to my hometown’s own version, to Indonesia’s painful remake of Linkin Park. . . but this latest find really takes “Idol” to a different level.  In Malaysia, a TV station has joined forces with the government’s Islamic affairs department to create Imam Muda, or “Young Leader.”  The winner, to be chosen on today’s finale, gets a job as a religious leader, as well as a scholarship to study in Saudi Arabia and an all-expenses-paid trip to Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.  To make the prize just that much sweeter, they’re throwing in cash and a car.

More than 1,000 people applied, but the show casted only 10 people.  The show has gotten a ton of young followers, and its Facebook page has over 50,000 fans.

More pics from the show here!

Link

I’m a huge fan of American Idol and once in awhile, I like to check out Idol shows from other countries. While there are always contestants who amaze me, there are also those who amuse me. This Indonesian Idol contestant is definitely one of the latter. I thought he was singing a traditional Indonesian song until I realized halfway through his audition that he was singing Linkin Park’s “Numb,” or according to him, “Enum.” But in his defense, I’m sure if any of us tried to sing a song in a foreign language, we’d sound just as silly.

(Thanks, Vanessa!)

Even the tiny island of Singapore can’t escape the American Idol hype!  Last night I watched singer and guitarist Sezairi Sezali win the grand finale of Singapore Idol‘s  third season.  Sezairi wins a highly-coveted contract with Universal Music. 

Still, I have to say that I really wasn’t very impressed by the talent.  His contender, the gorgeous Sylvia Ratonel, had the looks and the voice but was I the only one who noticed she was out of tune at times?  I guess Sezairi ain’t bad… But is this dorky and slightly awkward guy really the best that Singapore really had to offer?

Lou Jing, 20, who made it on China’s American Idol-type show, now says she’s rather die than go back on the competition.  Who can blame her after the venomous uproar she received from netizens about her skin color: online commenters called her skin color “gross” and “ugly,” saying she was shameless for appearing on TV.  Lou Jing is of mixed race–her mother is Chinese and her father, though she’s never met him, is African-American.  Still, the worst insults aimed at her mother–for having a child with an African-American out of wedlock.

Born and raised in China, Lou Jing has always seen herself as Shanghainese.  “But after the competition,” she said, “I started to have doubts about who I really am.”  While she wasn’t bothered by her nicknames “Black Pearl” and “Chocolate Angel” on the show, she admits, “It was only after entering the competition that I realized I was different from others.”

Watch this clip from Go! Oriental Angel, the TV competition, below (sorry, no subtitles)…

First of all, this whole thing is sad and ridiculous.  But what makes it even more outrageous is that she’s totally gorgeous!  Geez.

Read the full story on NPR here. (Thanks Joshua!)