The End, in the Beginning

So it's 2016.

I'm all excited about everything that will happen to me. The personal projects, the new team, the new job, I feel like I'm ready to settle down.

But there's one thing that kinda struck me in the beginning of this year.

Yeah.

Damn American Idol.

When the first season aired, I was still in pre-elementary school. My first episode ever was when I was about to leave my friend's house after a stupid slumber party, and when I was crossing the living room I saw her family watching the show. Well I'm not a big fan of the show like, never missed any episodes from the very beginning. But still I was a part of it.

It's really nice to see a star shining right before my very eyes. Sometimes it makes me positive to reach my goals too. And sometimes makes me a little out of reality too by dreaming of doing an American Idol audition - yet I'm not even American, deciding which song to do - yet I'm not even a singer, and wondering how many friends I will make during the Hollywood week. Freak huh?

It's also nice when I was investing too much emotions to the show. Shed a tear when somebody made it to the next round, felt embarrassed over failed and weird auditions, fell in love with certain contestant and when they got eliminated I would cry as if they were my family or something. Damn, I will miss this weird thing.

And Farewell Season, huh?

I never thought the show would come to an end. It's always been taken for granted like, English Premier League. Or The Simpsons. It's endless, and will start over again not long after the finale. It's been on and on, years by years, till I got to the point where, okay I think I don't need to watch this year's American Idol, I can see it next season. That's why after Philips Phillips, I stopped watching.

But well, there you go.

The last season ever is here,

With one idol left to uncover.

The premise made me firm not to miss even one episode. Because, well, everything's gonna be the last. The last audition. The last Hollywood show. The last main show. And oh, the last audition, it ended last week.

It crushed me a little when Harry asked Jen how she felt finishing the last American Idol audition ever. But nothing broke me worse than when the last concestant of the audition got the last golden ticket, and everybody was like, "Here it is, the last golden ticket ever." Oh... Fuck man...

It's crazy to notice the idea that no one will say "I'm gonna try next year" anymore in this season. And the judges can't make the rejections any easier with comforting promises like "Please come again next year."

Well, what can I say.

It's a showbiz and things like this is expected. Like Oprah Winfrey Show, and of course, FRIENDS. Who would want those two to end? Nobody. But they have to.

But American Idol, I think it's gonna be weird without them. The pioneer of all voting-based talent show. The round and round singing competition. The phenomenon.

And you know what the worst part could be?

That someday, someday really soon.

When I'll be traveling to California,

And oh believe me, someday I will

It will no longer fun for me to yell

"I'm going to Hollywood!"

Lesser-Known Idol

I was scrolling down my Facebook timeline when I over-read this news.
Death of someone. Not so famous, but curious-making enough for me.

I've been a fan of American Idol Facebook page since, I was first signed up to the social media. The talent show itself has always been my favorite since its 6th season, back when I was still on the 9th grade. But my favorite edition was the following season, the 7th, which I watched from the very beginning to the very end. Plus, the set of the judge was still the original three, the last season with only Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell on the panel, before it got screwed up starting from the 8th season.

Oh how can I forgot the season?

I watched all the auditions, the Hollywood Round, the top 24, each and every single week, I watched it all! I felt like so close to every single contestants, trembling along the result show, and cried my ass off when the one I really liked got eliminated -I remember it was when Asia'h Epperson singing her elimination song "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". I even waited for their Ford Commercials and fell for some songs sang on the series that I still hear up till this very second. And guess what, I even had my first high school crush from this show! Browse Kristy Lee Cook and you'll definitely agree with my type.

See? I was that attached to the season, I even remembered the details. But ya as a high school student with lots of meaningless thoughts and activities, I forgot everything pretty quickly as the show was over.

Until six years later, today.

I was scrolling down my Facebook timeline when I over-read this news.

Death of someone. Not so famous, but curious-making enough for me.

It came from American Idol page which I usually take for granted,

Mentioning the death of one Idol alumni, from season 7.

I was not aware at first, but after absorbing the sacred number, the fact that season 7 is the only American Idol I enjoyed, which contestants I knew pretty well, even from the top 24, I began to realize that this could be one that I used to be a fan of.

And I was right.

His name is Michael Johns.

Pic's not mine, taken from here.

No wonder if you have no idea who he is. He finished on the 8th place. Even if hypothetically he ended up being the winner, there would be no guarantee he could be a famous singer because the actual winner of season 7 David Cook's not that shining anyway. So ya, he's basically not famous.

But then again, it's season 7.

And I knew who Michael Johns was.

He started really well and promising, even I predicted that he at least could make it to top 4. But he was eliminated early. It was kinda shocking tho, not just for me, but the whole audience of American Idol because he was that good and some remaining contestants -including, I must say, Kristy Lee- weren't even as good as him!

However the show went on, they got the winner,

And I began to forget the existence of Michael Johns.

Until today when I was scrolling down my Facebook timeline. American Idol devastatingly announced their first ever Idol's death. Come to think of it, ya, the show started on 2002, which natural common would say that the contestants should've still been young and healthy. So why should one of them died early? Why should it be from the season I completely watched? And why should be Michael Johns?

You know the answer to those rhetorical Qs.

I asked because I'm still in the state of being shocked.

He was my favorite and never thought he'd go this fast.

So...

Thanks for your performances, Mr Johns.

Thanks for giving such a competition on the series.

Seriously I'm not a sudden fan claiming that I adore you just today.

If I could I'd bring you back to 2008 and show you what an Idol freak I was.

Rest in Peace,

And "Dream On"