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By Johanna M. Sampan, Reporter
It was a good run for the
Filipino-American who said she wanted to be the first Asian American
Idol in the reality show’s season 7.
But Ramiele Malubay’s bid came
to an end Thursday, a day after failing to impress the judges—and
the American audience—with her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Do
I Ever Cross Your Mind.”
Parton, a country music icon and
legendary songwriter, was the show’s guest singing coach for the
week. She praised Malubay for being cute and sweet, small but
capable of big things.
Malubay, a 20-year-old waitress
in a sushi restaurant in Florida, on Thursday conceded that she had
a little problem connecting with country music.
The judges seemed to have noticed
that.
Referring to Malubay’s
performance Wednesday, Randy Jackson said it was “kind of
alright.”
“You showed some strength and
conviction,” he said, adding that he gives Malubay’s song a
rating of six and half out of 10.
Paula Abdul, the only woman
judge, praised Malubay for things other than her singing. “I am
proud of you. I was worried that you weren’t going to connect, but
you connected to the people and had fun with the audience.”
Simon Cowell, the judge known for
brutally frank comments but usually accurate assessment, said, “We
are not going to remember this in 10 years time. You sang it quite
well, but overall it was forgettable.”
Then Cowell drove in the
proverbial dagger: “It was something you would see on a cruise
ship.”
The diminutive Filipina landed on
the bottom-three with Brook White and Kristy Lee Cook. White opened
the show with “Jolene,” and Cook sang later with “Coat of Many
Colors.”
Asked what Cowell thought of the
bottom three, he said, “I think this was absolutely right.”
Viewers of American Idol, not the
judges, vote who stays in the competition after the top 12 are
named. The contestant with the least number of votes is eliminated.
The week’s episode ends with
the eliminated contestant literally singing a swan song.
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