As Melinda Camille sang on last night’s episode, “It’s a new dawn; it’s a new day; it’s a new life for me.” It truly is a new dawn for all of us, as the entire country embraces an Obama-fied appreciation of unity. “American Idol,” never one to miss a trend (or a new cashcow), jumps on the diversity bandwagon by bringing its operation to Puerto Rico. While last night’s episode also highlighted auditions from New York, one wonders if it was really necessary to allude to the Sharks and the Jets at the top of the show – a bit of a stretch. Then again, is there really such a thing as too much musical theatre? Apparently someone thinks so. While Wednesday night’s Mormons offered up hymns, as you’d expect, New York and Puerto Rico failed to deliver in the stereotype department.
The Big Apple disappointed in its lack of Broadway Babies. Even more devastating was San Juan’s rationing of just one Ricky Martin song – a snippet, at that! This being the final pre-Hollywood audition episode, “Idol” claimed that they’d saved the best talent for last – a hefty promise, but one on which they delivered.
AND I AM TELLING YOU ADEOLA WILL NOT MAKE IT TO HOLLYWOOD
The night started off iffy in New York with former bank teller Adeola Adegoke, who had just quit her job to become the next American Idol. It was appropriate in so many ways when she announced that she would be singing “And I Am Telling You” from “Dreamgirls,” and yet it was worrisome too. First of all, it’s a showtune – yay! But this song is the reason why “Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar. And, let us not forget Tamyra Gray’s showstopping performance on Season 1; it positioned her as the one to beat, though she eventually ended up coming in fourth. That being said, it has become one of those songs that you just shouldn’t sing for fear of comparison. And Adegoke definitely could not compare. As she wheezed out the chorus in a heavy accent, it made those of us on the other side of the tv screen cry out, “And I am telling you, you SHOULD go….back to the bank, sister!”
The silver lining in this cloud was that we got to see a kinder, gentler Simon, who actually called Adejoke’s boss and asked him to rehire her. Despite his comments last month that things would continue in the way they’ve always been following Paula Goodspeed’s suicide, Cowell has been noticeably softer on the “aspirational”/trainwreck singers this season. See? He’s sexy AND sweet, in a sarcastic sort of ego-destroying way.
JORGE NUNEZ STEALS AMERICA’S CORAZON
Our first taste of San Juan came in the form of Jorge Nunez, an adorable boy-next-door type with a powerful, commercial voice whose personality wavered between flamboyant and foreign (sometimes it’s hard to tell). And speaking of mysteries, his Spanish language rendition of Sinatra’s “My Way” was virtually unrecognizable, even to those of us who are music experts, until he sang the last line in English – and by “experts” I mean people who frequent karaoke bars and/or were in the high school marching band.
