Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 2

So. Finally I'm able to force my lazy self to sit down and write again. Well, I'm planing to post a rambling on where the heck I've been gone. Let's just hope I didn't lose my drive to write that one..

Now, back to the topic. So far, Marvel movies has been great. But The Phase 2 movies are just, excuse the pun, MARVELous!

Let's start with the films. The first movie in Phase 2 was Iron Man 3. It's an amazing movie, really different than the previous 2 Iron Man movies in aspect that this is the first film in which the antagonist isn't another man in a suit. No, this villain stripped Tony of his suit and his many resources. And yet, Tony still proved that without his suit, without all his toys and money, He is Iron Man. But he doesn't just stop there! In the previous months, after sleepless nights thanks to nightmares, Tony spend most, if not all, of his time in his lab, creating suits after suits reaching to his 42nd suit just before the event of the movie. This results in a straining of relationship between him and Pepper Potts. However, at the end of the movie, he initiated the House Party Protocol, blowing all of his Iron Man Suits. Conclusion: All Iron Man Suits were destroyed.

The second released movie was Thor 2: The Dark World. Honestly, most of my reason on watching this movie was just to see, what happened to Loki? The famed villain that brought The Avengers for the first time was last seen to be bought to Asgard to face Asgardian court. In this movie, we learn that he was kept cative in Odin's dungeon. However, when Asgard was threatened with a foe older than The All-Father himself, Thor, The Warrior Three, and Heimdall worked together behind Odin's back to get help from Loki. The foe, The Dark Elves, was proven to be a very dangerous one, seemingly making Loki killed when he tried to help Thor. But Loki stands true to his title, The God of Lie. He actually survived and returned to Asgard in disguise. In the end of the movie, Odin congratulates Thor on his actions and, despite his treason by freeing Loki, offered the throne to Thor.. Thor refused, and stated that he'd like to stay on Earth, spending time with Jane Foster. After he leaves, however, it was revealed that Odin was actually Loki, having projecting illusion of Odin on himself. Conclusion: The Villain of The Avengers movie is now controlling one of the most powerful throne in the nine realms.

The latest film released by Marvel was Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier. After 2 movies without it's presence, S.H.I.E.L.D. comes back in this movie. In fact, this movie deals mostly with S.H.I.E.L.D.. Long story short, S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised for decades, long before the events of MCU's first movie. The movie reveals that after getting caught in Captain America: The First Avenger, HYDRA Scientist Arnim Zola was invited to join a newly built S.H.I.E.L.D.. He accepted, and used that opportunity to smuggle many HYDRA agents into S.H.I.E.L.D.. Ever since, HYDRA hid inside S.H.I.E.L.D., fueling many conflicts all around the world. S.H.I.E.L.D. officers that almost caught HYDRA was murdered in such a way that it was always thought as an accident. Even Nick Fury was seemingly killed when he gets suspicious. Fortunately, he survived but chooses to be believed dead. To stop HYDRA, Captain America must go into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarter The Triskelion and stop Project INSIGHT, with the help of an Army Officer Sam Wilson, who was also known as Falcon, and Black Widow. He must also go against The Winter Soldier, a mysterious HYDRA Assassin who turned out to be Cap's long lost, brain-washed friend Bucky Barnes. And to stop HYDRA's uses of S.H.I.E.L.D. assets, S.H.I.E.L.D. was also brought down, all it's secrets revealed to the world. Conclusion: S.H.I.E.L.D. no longer exists.

And finally, the show that tied them all. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. started out just like a normal TV Series. A short plot and a new villains each week. I've even read some reviews stating that it's downright boring! Sure, it has two main plots, Agent Phil Coulson's resurrection after his death in Marvel's The Avengers, and newcomer Skye's origin. But for many viewers, the movie was uneventful compared to other Marvel Movies. However, it turns out that this series was just bidding it's time, building and setting up things before the release of the shocking The Winter Soldier. Once HYDRA comes out, it was an all out war. Specifically, episodes 16 till finale was, for me, not  a TV series, but a Cinema Movie. As their twitter claims, #itsallconnected. If anything, the series opens up, concludes, and reopens more mysteries than most of the movies. And it's really nice to see what happened after S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, and who will lead the effort to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. from scratch. Conclusion: The world loses a hero's protective suits, it's shield, and The King of Asgard is MIA. But that's okay, because S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director Phil Coulson is ready to save the day!


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To date, the published films are Iron Man 3, Thor 2: The Dark World, and Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier. Still in production are Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. Oh, and let's not forget the TV Serial Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., to-be-released Agent Carter, and the Oneshots, Agent Carter and All Hail The King.

PS: I haven't actually seen the Oneshots, but I certainly planned to do just that.

-FIN-

Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragon

As I've said a few posts ago, I've been ensnared in the amazing fandom of 'Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons'.

For you who don't know what it is, well fandom, according to Wikipedia, "is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy
and camaraderie with others who share a
common interest". While the 'Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons' is simply a crossover between four fantastic fandoms, Dreamwork's Rise of the Guardians and How to Train Your Dragon, and Disney's Brave and Tangled.

In this fandom, which I'll call ROBTD for short, Jack Frost, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup are all best friends. Usually, the story is set in an alternate universe, different from their original stories but still have some aspects from each of their stories. More can actually be found in the ROBTD wikia site.

A few of the more popular settings at in the modern day, in Hogwarts, and them as seasonal spirits.

In the modern setting, Hiccup is usually a nerd, Jack a troublemaker, Merida the tomboy, and Rapunzel a naive girl who see good inside everyone.

In Hogwarts, Merida is usually the daring Gryffindor, Jack a cunning Slytherin, while Hiccup and Rapunzel can either be the smart Ravenclaw or the peace-maker Hufflepuff.

As seasonal spirits, Jack is obviously the winter, Merida the summer, Hiccup the autumn, and Rapunzel the spring.

As fandoms usually have, ROBTD have many fanfictions. I have, in these last few days, read four stories that I chose as a personal favourite.

The first is actually the only one I found with sci-fi setting. 'Among the Stars' by Song Of A Free Heart is an interstellar story where each of them come from a planet named after their original homes. With Tangled's Gothel as the main villain, it's simply an amazing story where Hiccup's dragons, Jack and the Guardians' magic, and science can fit effortlessly.

The second and third one is in a modern day setting. 'A Whole New World' by geminisonic had Rapunzel as an abused girl who was saved by the other 3 and was recovering from abusive environment. While 'The not-so-Breakfast Club' by FloraIrmaTylee is where the four are socially impossible to be friends, yet managed to do just that. In doing so, they practically exiled themselves from their high school friends.

The latest one I read took place in Hogwarts. 'ROTBTD: Four Against Fear' by
LegendaryRaconteuse is simply brilliant in how Raconteuse managed to took a little plot from each story and mix it up so well that it's almost as if it's not merely a fanfiction. Be warned though, you'll need many, many tissues to read the ast few chapters.

So in short, these stories are what capture my attention for the last few days. It's late now, I've almost fall asleep a few times already, so I'll just cut it here. Adieu!

PS: This was written February 9th, and I am totally surprised, when I opened my blog tonight, February 10th, to see that it's still a Draft.

Frozen: Interesting Moral Values

Disney's latest animated movie, Frozen, has received many positive reviews. I myself have reviewed this movie here (which, I'm ashamed to say, was what would happen if I'm not in the mood to write but still forced myself to do so).

So tonight, I'd like to repay that horrid review with a post of interesting moral values I learned from the movie.

1. True Love's Kiss is not always the answer (and neither is lovers' love)

Unlike many of it's predecessor, Frozen's solution to it's climax does not include the so-called 'True Love's Kiss'. Instead, the movie shows us that a True Love doesn't necessarily means we have to have a boyfriend/girlfriend. A True Love, according to this movie, can also be between siblings. In fact, it seems to be more powerful, since (SPOILER) everyone thought that Anna can only be saved by True Love's Kiss before she's frozen completely, and that she won't be able to be un-frozen once she's frozen completely. However, her love for Elsa can thaw her even after she was frozen completely (END SPOILER).

2. You can't marry someone you just met

The fairytale mainstream had the princess rescued by a prince she just met, married said prince, and lived happily ever after. Well, not in this movie. Queen Elsa herself stated that "You can't marry a man you just met", to which Anna replied "You can if it's true love!"

Well, see where it got her into.

3. Shutting out people is not the answer

One of the main conflict in the movie is the Eternal Winter cast accidentally by Queen Elsa. The winter was a product of pent-up power inside Elsa, the very same powers she had hidden for years for fear hurting anyone again. However, instead of learning how to control it, she shut it and locked herself inside her room. Now imagine, if instead of locking up and refusing to face her fears, Elsa actually tried to learn her powers, maybe the Eternal Winter would never happen.

And finally,

4. Let the storm rage on!

After exiling herself, Elsa decided to 'Let It Go'. And boy, did she do it wonderfully! Her ice palace is practically a masterpiece. And to imagine how she made it so easily. Long story short, the point is don't held yourself from doing what you excel at. Just Let the storm rage on!

FIN

Lone Survivor, A Review

So yesterday I watched the movie 'Lone Survivor'. Although I initially wasn't really interested in watching it, still, I give it a try. Long story short, I'm not totally disappointed with it.

Based on the true story of Operation Red Wings, a failed mission by USA's Navy SEAL to capture and kill Taliban leader Ahmad Shah, the movie tells the story of the struggle of Petty Officer First Class Marcus Luttrell after his team was compromised in the mission.

Anyway, even though I wasn't that disappointed with it, I really discourage younger viewer and those who can't stand strong languages to watch it. In fact, according to IMDB's parents' guide, the F-word reached a shocking 130 times in it.

But although I'm really disturbed with those cussings,  they only emphasise one aspect of horror that is the reality of war. As seen several times in this movie, war is merciless. Either you kill or be killed. And that unfortunately included civilians.

However, despite the cold, war environment, this movie have one aspect that really got my attention.

After his team was compromised, Luttrell must make his way to the US base by himself in a very bad condition. He would never have made it if he wasn't found by a local man.

And instead of handing Luttrell to the Taliban and save himself and his tribe, he insisted on nursing Luttrell until the navy can save him and risking the safety of the tribe.

This is important for me because, as someone born in an Islamic family with a very Islamic name, one of my fears is that I will have difficulties in entering western countries. Hopefully, this film will open the eyes of those who still think that Islam is identical with terrorism to the fact that not all muslims is bad. FIN


PS:
As a request from my mum, here's a quote from Margaret Thatcher.
"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become. "

Frozen, A Review

After the success of Wreck-It Ralph in 2012, Walt Disney Pictures closes 2013 with Frozen.

Based on Hans Christian Anderson's The White Queen, it tells a story about Queen Elsa of Arandelle whose power over ice and snow unintentionally cast an eternal winter upon her Kingdom. Only Anna, her sister, can convince the Queen that she's not a monster. But Anna must first survive her frozen heart by doing an 'act of True Love'.

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, Frozen is a great movie. With a combination of CGI and hand-drawn animation, beautiful musical scores, and interesting plot, it's truly a must be seen film.

The Impossible, A Review

Directed by: J.A. Bayona

Produced by: Álvaro Augustin, Belen Atienza, Enrique López Lavigne

Written by: Sergio G. Sánchez

Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland

Release dates: 11 January 2013 (Wide World)

Running time: 113 minutes

Budget: $45 million

Box office: $198,087,212

A few weeks ago I finally watched ‘The Impossible’. Revolving around the 2004 Asia-Pacific Tsunami, this movie had me in tears since the first wave hit.

From the real story of The Bélon family, it tells the story of a European family consisted of a father, mother, and 3 sons. In December 2004, the family went on vacation to a resort in Khao Lak, Thailand. Unfortunately, a mere 3 days after their stay, The Tsunami hits. The mother, Maria (Naomi Watts), and her eldest Lucas (Tom Holland), were separated from the father. And so, each of their desperate fight began; Henry (Ewan McGregor), the father, tirelessly searching for his family, Maria against nasty wound on her thigh, Lucas, forced to be the adult for her mother’s sake, and the two youngest boys, trying not to be separated in the evacuation camp while their father went looking.

Being the first and so far only, Hollywood movie centred on the fifth deadliest natural disaster since 1990, The Impossible was faced with high expectations from many parties. And to face that challenge, director J.A. Bayona used a very unusual method to depict the Tsunami waves. Instead of using the easier CGI waters, Bayona used actual, physical waters, only adding some details in CGI. And that was one of the reasons I why I consider this movie as one of the best movie I've ever seen. Even real-life survivors of the 2004 Tsunami admit (and praise) the accuracy of Bayona’s Tsunami. No wonder this film needed two years in post-production stage before released into

The other thing that made me love this movie even more, are the emotions. The actors in this movie totally and beautifully succeed in portraying a distressed family. Tom Holland, in particular, is my favourite. Playing Lucas, he perfectly acted in such a way that it was hard to believe that he’s just a 12 years-old British actor and not a victim of the Tsunami, forced to mature much faster to help his mum. His acting was such he later describes it as emotionally tiring. He even have to take breaks to avoid letting the emotion overcame him totally. The two younger boys too, despite much too young, can act with just the right emotions.

Another I’d like to praise from this movie is its accuracy. In fact, the only difference according to Maria Bélon, the real-life survivor whose story was depicted in the movie, is the colour of the ball Lucas took just before the wave hits. All the other things, from the location, the people, the position, were made as close to the truth as possible. The movie was shot in Khao Lak, exactly where the resort The Bélons stayed. The extras used in this movie were mostly real-life Tsunami survivors. And the presence of The Bélons family in the set ensures the accuracy.

All in all, I’d give this movie 8.5 stars out of ten. Wonderful performances, beautiful accuracy, and realistically wonderful, this film is truly a must-see.

M Thariq Ziyad

Billy Elliot the Musical Soundtrack

If a few days ago I wrote about Billy Elliot the Musical in general, tonight I'd like to post something about the recorded soundtrack. And in this post, I'm going gonna try something new, so this is my short comment for each song:

1. The Stars Look Down
Great opening song. Totally illustrates the solemn atmosphere of the miners in 80s UK.

2. Shine
Catchy song. Perfectly showing Mrs. Wilkinson's snarky attitude. The big words used for the rhymes are nicely chosen.

3. Grandma's Song
What is it with cool old women? Grandma is totally a unique woman. Married to a, using her words, 'complete bastard' for 33 years. As old as she is though, she's still very energetic. And this song showed it perfectly.

4. Solidarity
The longest song in the album, it consists of the energetic hard singing of the miners and the police and the soft peaceful singing of the girls in Mrs. Wilkinson's class. For 9 minutes, this song beautifully intersperses the violent conflict between the striking miners and the police against the peaceful nature of the ballet class. Not to mention the catchy tune of the chorus: solidarity, solidarity, solidarity forever!

5. Expressing Yourself
Sung by Billy and his cross-dressing friend, Michael, I can easily imagine two boys fooling around. And even without the video, the tap sequence ran very smoothly. Totally love it.

6. The Letter
A song sung by a son and his mum, this is a letter written by Billy's deceased mum to him. In it were her last advices and let me tell you, listening to this song always had me in tears. The mellow melody, the lyric, all of it screamed of the love of a boy and his long gone mum. A must hear of you still love your mother.

7. Born To Boogie
Not my favourite song, but still amazingly catchy.

8. Angry Dance
Failed to go to the Royal Ballet School audition, young Billy goes into a rage. Very creatively, Sir Elton John managed to turn a rage into a very energetic tap dance. Accompanied by Billy's angry shouts and a few backing vocal of the miners, this song always made me wanted to jump around, mimicking the tap melody. A very extraordinarily great song!
9. Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher
Showing the deep hatred that the miners felt toward prime minister Margaret Thatcher, this happy sounding song is actually about what the miners were actually celebrating-a day 'closer to your death'. Very catchy, nice song.

10. Deep Into The Ground
A mellow song sung by Billy's father, this sad song was sung from the tired soul of a single father. The guitar melody is very great, and Billy's saying to his dad at the end of the song was very heartful. Amazing song.

11. He Could Be A Star
A duet between Billy's dad and his older brother, this song shows just how desperate Billy's father about his son's future. After one year-long strike, Mr Elliot returns to work to collect money needed for Billy's audition. Love the seriousness and how it was beautifully implied that the miners really cared for each other.

12. Electricity
The star song in the musical, this song is a response from Billy when he was asked what did he feel when he dance. Starting with slow song at the beginning, it suddenly exploded into a very energetic instrumental section. My favourite part is, surprisingly, Billy's accent. Don't ask me why, but the Geordie accent in this song was perfect. Totally adore it!

13. Once We Were Kings
This solemn song was sung by the miners, unhappily returning to work after their strike was lost. But as the lyrics said, the battle was lost, the war was not. Although defeated, the miners are still very proud. And somehow, Sir Elton John composed a score that gives me the exact feeling the lyrics tells. Great song, totally great indeed.

14. The Letter (Mum's reply)
If The Letter had me in tears, this song totally broke my heart. Especially when Billy said goodbye to Mrs. Wilkinson and Michael. And Michael's last reply.... No words, just this emoticon D':

15. Finale
Mostly tap dance, the choir at the end is a great conclusion, one which I used in my last posting, and one I'll shamelessly use again here:
What the hell is wrong,
With expressing yourself?
What we need is in-div-id-ual-ity!

Billy Elliot the Musical

In the past few days, I've been dragged into a new obsession.

Adapted from the film with the same name, Billy Elliot the Musical tells the story of a boy's dream on being a dancer despite the stereotype of a male dancer in that era, while his father and older brother struggled in the 80s UK miners' strike.

While I haven't seen the show myself, various browsing in YouTube and Google assures me that this is a show worth watching. Although, I have to warn you that the show, at least the original and the recorded soundtrack, has some strong language.

One of the factor that I makes me just wanted to go straight to London's West End, the theatre where Billy Elliot originally premiered, is the songs.

Composed by Sir Elton John, the musical scores are simply fabulous. Even though I've never seen the show as I said before, and even though English is not my native, somehow I can feel the general emotion within each songs. For example, every time I hear the song 'The Letter (reprise)', somehow I always felt like I wanted to cry.

Another factor is the accent. No offence to the natives of the Geordie accent, but it's simply unique. Since the first time I saw a performance of 'Electricity', I immediately fell in love with the accent. It's just... As Billy said in that song, 'I can't really explain it...'

And the last is choreography. From the videos I've seen in YouTube, the dances, especially Billy's, is so difficult, and totally great. How the choreographers managed to make a rage into an energetic tap dance is beyond my knowledge. That's why it's not really a surprise when I found out that the boys who played Billy were trained intensively for 6 months before they can play.

To sum it up, great show. Hope I can see it someday. And let this show to be an inspiration to others because as Michael and Billy said,

What the hell is wrong,
With expressing yourself?
What we need is in-div-id-ual-ity!

Review Negeri Para Bedebah

Tapi setidaknya, Kawan, di negeri para bedebah petarung sejati tidak akan pernah berkhianat.

Judul Buku               : Negeri Para Bedebah

Nama Pengarang     : Tere-Liye

Penerbit                    : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama Juli 2012

Tebal Halaman        : 440 halaman

Tere-Liye kembali lagi dengan salah satu novel terbarunya, Negeri Para Bedebah. Melalui tokoh Thomas, seorang ahli ekonom yang berusaha menyelamatkan bank milik keluarganya, Tere Liye seakan menyentil masyarakat Indonesia, terutama para ahli ekonom, akan banyaknya manipulasi keuangan di Negeri ini.

Buku ini dibuka dengan wawancara Thomas diatas sebuah pesawat dari London dengan seorang wartawati yang bernama Julia. Turun dari pesawat, Thomas langsung menuju lantai teratas salah satu gedung pencakar langit ibukota. Di sana, Thomas menghadiri sebuah klub tinju yang berisi para petinggi-petinggi perusahaan dan pejabat-pejabat yang ingin melampiaskan stress bekerja dengan cara bertinju. Pulang dari klub tersebut, Thomas yang berusaha tertidur dikejutkan oleh kehadiran pembantu pamannya yang sudah lama tidak bertemu dengan Thomas. Rupanya, bank milik keluarga Thomas terancam bangkrut, dan pamannya itu, Om Liem, terancam hukuman kurung penjara. Walaupun sudah lama bertengkar dengan Om Liem, Thomas rela turun tangan untuk membantu pamannya itu, karena Thomas merasa ada sesuatu yang janggal dengan dengan pembangkrutan bank pamannya tersebut.

Seperti buku-buku karangan Tere-Liye sebelumnya, gaya bahasa Tere-Liye, yang akrab dipanggil bang Tere, sangat terasa dalam buku ini. Menggunakan susunan kata yang gampang dimengerti, diawal buku Bang Tere melalui Thomas menjelaskan beberapa konsep dasar ekonomi. Sepanjang buku, ciri khas Bang Tere, seperti penggunaan kalimat tidak langsung untuk dialog, sangatlah menonjol.

Hal lain yang sangat menarik adalah alurnya. Untuk mencegah runtuhnya bank Om Liem, Thomas harus menaklukkan beberapa ‘pion’ penting dalam pengambilan keputusan apakah bank itu akan gulung tikar, ataukah bank itu akan ditalangi pemerintah? Berbagai cara dilakukan Thomas untuk meyakinkan ‘pion-pion’ tersebut, seperti sengaja satu pesawat dengan pimpinan Bank Sentral, berpura-pura mewawancarai Ibu menteri, dan sebagainya.

Sembari mengejar-ngejar ‘pion-pion’ tersebut, Thomas juga harus menghindari kejaran polisi yang mengejarnya karena Thomas membantu Om Liem kabur dari kepungan polisi. Seperti saat mengejar-ngejar ‘pion’, untuk kabur dari Polisi Thomas menggunakan berbagai cara. Mulai dari berpura-pura naik pesawat keluar Negeri, sampai cara yang ‘terkenal’, yaitu membayar sipir penjara.

Hal menarik lainnya adalah berbagai pengetahuan yang diselipkan Tere-Liye dalam buku ini. Seperti dalam salah satu adegan, Thomas harus menggunakan racun dari bahan yang ada disekitarnya. Maka teringatlah Thomas akan cerita Opanya sekian tahun lalu. Saat itu entah kenapa Opa sedang mengajarkan Thomas mengenai racun-racun disekitar kita. Salah satu tumbuhan yang diceritakan Opa adalah racun dalam bunga terompet. Jadilah Thomas menaburkan serpihan bugna terompet diatas Pizza yang dipesan polisi.

Salah satu ciri khas Tere-Liye yang lain adalah penamaan tokoh. Hampir setiap buku Tere-Liye mempunyai tokoh utama yang sampai akhir buku tidak diberikan nama. Misalnya, sampai akhir buku, perwira polisi dan petinggi jaksa yang menjadi antagonis utama, tidak pernah disebutkan namanya.

Sayangnya, alur cerita yang campuran, ditambah beberapa penjelasan yang diselipkan ditengah cerita, dapat membuat bingung pembaca yang masih belum terbiasa dengan gaya menulis Tere-Liye. Bagi pembaca yang tidak serius, akan cepat merasa bosan dengan novel ini.

Akan tetapi, bagi saya alur cerita yang campuran ini justru menambah kemenarikan dari buku ini. Digabungkan dengan alur yang tak terduga, gaya penulisan yang khas, pengetahuan-pengetahuan yang diselipkan, dan tokoh-tokoh tak bernama, buku ini merupakan salah satu buku rekomendasi saya. Usahakanlah membaca buku ini, karena “Di negeri para bedebah, kisah fiksi kalah seru dibanding kisah nyata”

Jakarta, Desember 2012

Review Konser Super Dahsyat Menuju Idola Cilik 2013

Setelah penungguan lama, ICL bisa bersenang lagi. Mulai hari ini, IC 2013 telah tayang di TV!!

Minggu, 2 Desember 2012, RCTI menayangkan kembali episode pertama IC 2013 berjudul “Konser Super Dahsyat Menuju Idola Cilik”. Konser dibuka oleh Coboy Jr dengan lagu ‘#Eeeaaa’.

Menurut saya, konser tadi itu sudah lumayan, tapi banyak juga yang membuat saya kecewa. Sebagai contoh, Walaupun berjudul konser Idola Cilik, tapi kebanyakan performers adalah tamu. Begitu juga dengan hostnya. Kak Okky yang menjadi ciri khas hampir semua episode Idola Cilik tidak tampil. Semoga saja, di episode-episode yang akan datang, kak Okky kembali ber-host ria.

Hal lain yang membuat saya kecewa, adalah susunan juri. Sayang sekali, om Duta dan om Dave tidak lagi menjabat sebagai seorang juri dalam Idola Cilik. Saya hanya bisa berharap, semoga satu saat nanti, beliau kembali diundang ke Idola Cilik.

Hal terakhir, adalah kurangnya alumni Idola CIlik yang diundang. Mungkin karena masalah akomodasi, tapi itu bukan alasan yang tepat. Lintar yang setahu saya masih tinggal di Padang, datang. Sementara, Ray yang tinggal di Jakarta, tidak diundang.

Walaupun banyak kekurangan, konser ini lebih kurang sudah mengobati sedikit rasa kangen penulis pada Idola CIlik. Lintar, Debo dan Patton sudah lebih dewasa semua. Debo terutama terasa sekali perubahannya dari penyanyi cilik dimasa IC 2 dan 3. Sementara Lintar masih memiliki banyak ciri khasnya, terutama pandangan matanya yang bening. Seperti kata Syahrini, Halilintar cetar membahana! (dan btw, pas saya lagi nulis ini, diluar sedang hujan petir. Hmm…)

Baiklah, sepertinya cukup segitu review saya untuk kali ini. Mungkin nanti Kalau ada gambarnya, akan saya upload. For now, Adios!!

M Thariq Ziyad.