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Is Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle) ruining American Idol?
by Kona Gallagher, posted Feb 26th 2009 7:01PM
Confession time: I was scared when the call came from on high to help cover American Idol this year. Yes, I've watched it from the beginning and got wrapped up with the whole Kelly/Justin thing like the rest of the country, and unlike the rest of the country, I actually saw From Justin to Kelly (thank you, $5 WalMart DVD bin). After the first few seasons, however, I started to lose interest.
I was right there when Ruben and Carrie won, but was in no way a member of "The Soul Patrol." I didn't really care which David took the crown, and I didn't exactly rush out to see Fantasia on Broadway. After seven seasons, all of the contestants started to look the same to me. Everyone ran together, and no one stood out. I know that Daughtry has gone on to have a decent career, but I couldn't for the life of me tell you which season he was on. It was all white noise.
That is, until Nick Mitchell came on the scene.
Nick Mitchell never should have made it through to Hollywood week. He is the guy who makes it onto the audition episode mainly so people can make fun of him. He broke the cardinal rule of auditions: He dressed up in costume. The judges, especially Simon, hate costumes. I don't care if you're Aretha Franklin herself. If you come dressed up in a bunny costume, you're not getting to Hollywood week. That's just a fact.
The judges take this show (and themselves) very seriously, and any indication that you don't think that this is The Most Important Singing Competition In The History of Ever, gets you a swift kick in the ass. To be fair, this isn't exactly uncommon in reality-competition shows (see: Tyra Banks' crazy eyes on Top Model), but Idol holds itself in high esteem and expects you to as well. Nick, however, managed to slip through. Whether it was his likability, his talent, or the sheer WTF-ness of his whole act, he has the potential to become the next American Idol-- and boy does that piss people off.
Most people say that Nick Mitchell, who goes by the stage name Norman Gentle and performs in a costume made up of a shiny shirt, khaki shorts, over-sized glasses and a sweat band, doesn't take this competition seriously; and for that he is committing a great sin. I disagree on both fronts.
Mitchell isn't making a mockery out of the competition. I believe 100% that like every other contestant who has graced that stage, he believes that Idol is his best chance at stardom. If he's making a mockery out of anything, it's the self-importance that drags the show down, and the cookie-cutter images of both pop stars in general and Idol contestants specifically, and what's wrong with that?
Look, he said himself that he's not going to be the next Justin Timberlake, but neither is he the next Sanjaya. He's not going to rock your body, but the guy can sing. Just based on singing alone, he was one of the best contestants up there last night, and he was the only contestant that was even remotely memorable. He performed, in every sense of the word.
Choosing the next president should be serious. Choosing the next American Idol should not. Very few people get to perform live for 30 million television viewers. It's an exciting and rare opportunity, and if Nick Mitchell wants to, God forbid, have fun with it, why should anyone have a problem with that? He's taking a reality show in the autumn of its years and making it exciting. If anything, he's the hero in this situation-- not the villain.
| Yes, he's making a mockery out of the show | |
|---|---|
| No, he's having fun. What's the problem? |
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