'Idol' chat goes to bat for Hawai'i candidates

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Foreground, from left: Camile Velasco and Jasmine Trias, both of Hawai'i; Diana Degarmo, George Huff. Standing, from left: Leah LaBelle, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia Barrino, John Stevens, LaToya London, Matthew Rogers, Amy Adams and Jon Peter Lewis. Fox

At www.honoluluadvertiser.com, a fan already is predicting the outcome of "American Idol," in its third season the most-watched TV show on Fox and the source of weekly guessing and secondiguessing.

"I know it's early, but here goes," the fan (names aren't given on the online bulletin boards) said in a posting. "1 — LaToya (London), 2 — Jasmine (Trias), 3 — Fantasia (Barrino), 4 — Camile (Velasco)." He notes, too, a surge in the Jon-John (Jon Pete Lewis, John Stevens) camps, citing polls on AOL and MSNBC where the two gents have a loyal base.

But he sticks his neck out: "Say aloha, a hui hou aku (goodbye) to Leah (LaBelle), because Tuesday (last week) is her last performance before she gets voted off."

This fan was right on the button. The show said bye-bye to Leah. First casuality of the season.

That's how it's been going. Everyone has a favorite. Or an observation. Or a comment to share. The fervor is bigger than for an online Bush vs. Kerry debate.

Another keyboarder on honoluluadvertiser.com had a wish: "Sure do hope they don't put Camile and Jasmine on the same evening against each other. Now if the two girls are the last two contestants left, then it's a different story."

"Idol" fever is particularly high in Hawai'i, since the two young local girls — Camile Velasco, 18, a waitress from Ha'iku, Maui, and Jasmine Trias, 17, a Mililani resident who is a senior at Maryknoll High School — are in the midst of a tough, unpredictable competition. Locals fear a split vote could hurt both candidates.

The hope that the two Islanders wind up in a face-to-face battle down to the wire is not an impossibility, though early prognosticators figure LaToya London and Fantasia Barrino have the "it" factor for stardom: voice and presence, and an ability to sing power songs with pipes that don't jangle.

Another had this observation: "Hawaiian cuties are proving they can holler as well as hula — but can the Pacific beauties win over the American viewers' votes?"

Trias appears to have the edge for now. "She has a great voice and is beautiful! Gorgeous smile, too. I text-messaged 100-plus votes for her on Tuesday. Well worth it," said one fan.

Another: "I think Jasmine has a good chance of winning. I'm just glad that two local girls made it."

One discussion questioned Velasco's "local-ness," triggering a debate on the site for a day or two: "It's pretty sad when you have someone from Hawai'i go to 'American Idol' and act like they came out of the ghettos of Compton," said the posting. "She could have represented Hawai'i better. She threw up the 'shaka' a few times but talked with a 'black' slang, and I hope she knows it sounds very fake." Huh?

A response said: "If anything, it's a Maui thing."

And the beat goes on.

"The 'Idol' stories have been placing in at least the top five during the days they run," said Chris Kanemura, online content manager and webmaster of www.honoluluadvertiser.com. "On several occasions, (the stories) were in the No. 1 position."

National interest has drawn new fans to the Hawai'i candidates, and may increase visitors to the site as the finals ensue, Kanemura said.

"What would be incredible for us is if the two girls end up as competitors as the American Idol," said Kanemura. "Even if they are in the top five together, eyes definitely will be on Hawai'i, and I would predict an influx of visitors to our site for any information they can find about the two."

There have been more than 14,000 hits on one thread of "Idol" commentary. A Jasmine vs. Camile thread has attracted 4,200 visits, and a Jasmine discussion has pulled 10,800 visits.

Of course, www.idolonfox.com, the official "American Idol" site, also is a wellspring of chatter — the positive, negative and informative, as well as the occasional bogus bits.

Some posts on the idolonfox.com Web site have also questioned Velasco's soul-singer vocal posture. But Velasco has her followers, too. Said one: "If Camile gets over her shyness, she'd blow them away. Although she does not have the vocal strength of LaToya, Fantasia or Jasmine, she has a unique voice."

Many observers favor Jasmine. One fan "graded" each contestant on voice, performance, personality and fashion: LaToya fared best (A, A, B, B), with Jasmine (A, A, B, B) edging Camile (four Bs). George (Huff: A, A, A, B) and Jennifer (Hudson: A, A, A, C) were other leaders. The unfavorite: Matt (Rogers: C, D, C, C).

There have been threads of discussion, too, about the Filipino heritage of both Jasmine and Camile, along with questions about Camile's ethnicity as well as defenses. One scolding voice: "Educate yourself before you make harsh judgments."

Another questioned the judging: "I think one of the only reasons Simon (Cowell) is praising Jasmine and Camile so highly is because there needs to be diversity in the industry, vocally and ethnically. Blacks and whites predominate the industry, so throwing a Filipino in would be a bit interesting. I know the Asian community would get a big kick out of it. ..."

Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067 or wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.