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January 24, 2007
Biting the Big Apple
Michael Becker/Fox
It was no surprise that it took two hours to get through the assortment of wackos and psychos tonight that had found their way to the "American Idol" auditions in New York.
In the mix? A guy in a space suit, a guy with green hair, a guy with a chinchilla coat, guys who sang like girls, and a guy - I think - dressed up like Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz."
And, perhaps most interesting, two previous contestants who had made it through to Hollywood in past auditions but never advanced.
The show opened with a familiar face. For fans of another reality show, "So You Think You Can Dance?," there he was: Ian Benardo, 25 (shown above). Obviously, Ian was still quite bent about the dancing thing not working out, so he attempted to sing. Bad idea.
"I will not stop until I'm a household name," Ian said before his shot at the judges with - what else? - "Gloria."
The comments?
Randy Jackson: "I don't know what to say. Is this real?"
Simon Cowell: "Very hammy and bad. It's rubbish."
This triggered something in Ian, who launched into a tirade about Simon being a Brit and then demanding to see his working visa. After being escorted out by security, he proclaimed the "dodo bird is not extinct. It's Simon Cowell."
OK.
Moving on, it's time for some other high - and low - notes:
* A couple of Sarahs performed. Sarah Burgess, 19, from Ohio, lied to her parents about spending the night at a friend's house when she actually went to New York for the audition. She cried to Ryan Seacrest about her father not believing in her talent, and then she cried again in front of the judges. (There were a lot of tears in N.Y.). She made it through because she's got talent. Now, all she needs is a jumbo box of Kleenex.
On the flip side, Sarah Goldberg, 20, was "Dreamin' " if she thought she could win over the judges by admitting "I'm not a singer."
"Even if I don't sing, I can be the next 'American Idol.' You can teach me to sing!"
After getting the heave-ho, this Sarah ranted in the waiting room that the judges were out "drinking until 3 in the morning. That's rude!"
* Loved 'em: The boot-camp contestant who ran, skipped rope and did sit-ups for a year to get physically fit for the audition. She goes by "Porcelana," and we'll see her in Hollywood; Rachel Zevita, who sang in three different voices - all three moving on to the next round; Jory Steinberg, 25, from Santa Monica via Canada, who has got some pipes, as does Kia Thornton, with yet another interpretation of Aretha Franklin.
* So what did you think of the super-cute Jersey Girls - Amanda Coluccio and her best bud, Antonella Barba, both 19? "I bet you're popular," Simon chortled. One had a trained voice, the other didn't. They both got through, though. But will the friendship survive?
* Welcome back to Ashanti Johnson, 28, who has auditioned twice and gone to Hollywood twice. The judges weren't impressed, noting pitchiness (how many times have we heard that?). Ashanti pleaded and pleaded - and pleaded. "I need a chance for America to see me." Simon says: "Get over it. It's a no." Third time? Not a charm.
* Nicholas Pedro, 25, attempted to redeem himself after last season's "Buttercup" blow-up during group singalongs in L.A. His "Fly Me to the Moon" will have him flying to Hollywood.
* Did you think Christopher Richardson, 22, was Justin Timberlake-like? Should Christopher Henry, 20, have been singing in "a dress and stilettos," as Simon suggested?
* And, as if the city couldn't have dug deeper for weirdness, Isadora Furman, 26, a clairvoyant/palm reader who also plays guitar and "sings" on the streets, closed the evening with "Lady Marmalade." Lots of "voulez vous" and "mocha chocolata" (sounded like latte). She then made the same noise Meg Ryan emoted in the movie "When Harry Met Sally." You remember - the "I'll-have-what-she's-having" moan?
After all the antics and the anthems, 35 contestants got yellow tickets - the most in any audition city so far.
(Don't know about you, but the guest judge thing is still bugging me. One night yes, another no. In New York, native New Yorker Carole Bayer Sager joined the fray.)
Coming Tuesday? It's down south to Birmingham, Ala., home of Ruben, Bo and Taylor - and a contestant dressed like a banana.
Posted by Leigh Grogan at January 24, 2007 11:22 PM
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