Impersonation tilt ends on a discordant note

Of all the TV tilt finales we’ve watched, last week’s “Your Face Sounds Familiar” competition’s last hurrah was the most frustrating and saddest. Here’s a blow-by-blow account:

The tilt’s questionable inclusion of the often awkward Melai Cantiveros among its “Final Four” was puzzling enough, but the final-finals were even more of a major caution. First off, the usually superior Jay-R shot himself in the foot by choosing the Frank Sinatra as the singing icon he would be impersonating.

Alas, while he get the singing sort of right, he simply couldn’t capture Ol’ Blue Eyes’ signature sexy charm and teasing way of “stroking” a musical note or phrase. As a result, Jay-R’s approximation of Sinatra was long on technical correctness but woefully short on unique character and “zing.”

For his part, Edgar Allan Guzman’s choice of Chris Brown to musically mimic was also limiting, but in another way entirely: Brown is a visually dynamic but vocally inferior performer, so “EA” and his rendition could’t peak to a sufficiently high finale.

This reminds us why more professional impersonators are very careful about choosing which singing stars to impersonate. They need to have a unique vocal hook and verve that serves as their well-known and solid identity that viewers and listeners can empathetically latch onto.

Then came Melai with her version of Miley Cyrus—and she did poorly because she was sometimes out of tune. In addition, she was a pint-sized and relatively lethargic copy of the hot and sassy original, trying unsuccessfully to get by on “characteristic” poses and angry glares—but lacking in the organic integrity needed to make any impersonation convincingly sizzle.

Finally, it was Nyoy Volante’s turn to impersonate Whitney Houston—a daring and risky cross-gender decision if his high register and falsetto vocal placement weren’t secure.

Whitney clone

Initially, too, he looked too short and wide to come off as a spot-on Whitney clone—but, his singing and emoting skills served him in very good stead, and viewers were riveted—moved.

That’s the best sign that an impersonation is exceptionally effective, when the copying artist goes past simple vocal and visual aping, and makes the icon’s performance believable and felt. Yes, it’s the impersonator who’s performing, but with the heart and soul of the icon he’s honoring—which is why viewers were so grateful for the beautiful Whitney moment that Nyoy had gifted them with.

—So all told, Nyoy as Whitney was the clear winner of the “Sounds Familiar” tilt. —And yet when the “votes” were counted, Melai had beaten him, 50-plus percent to 20-something.

Why the great disparity? All sorts of theories will be advanced—superior “vote-generating” machine, low audience standards of quality, kneejerk preference for gimmicks over internalized artistry—etc.!

Somewhere in there, we also feel that the tilt judges’ praises for Melai’s “always fun and entertaining” performances may have to share a part of the “blame.” After all, our own singing “icons” are supposed to raise performance standards, not just affirm some viewers’ lowbrow ones.

Still, we choose not to be disheartened, because we’ve seen in some other tilts’ instances that the verdicts have been less dubious and flaky, like “The Voice Kids’” choice of Lyca Gairanod as its top winner last season.

So, let’s all take a good, hot shower and get over this unfortunate lapse—and continue to work together to raise local viewers and listeners’ standards—as best we can!