In Los Angeles, ‘Idol’ focus on the rejects

Desperate for face time
Everyone in Los Angeles dreams of hitting it big in show business, with the faith required to live in a city with tons of traffic and dozens of parking spaces. People work for years just to get a role as an extra in a “House” episode, so it’s no great shock that a host of them were willing to do whatever it took to add “American Idol: Season 6” to their resumes.

Martik Manoukian was one of those people, and he made the most of his opportunity. He got significant airtime by silently walking in to see the judges, taking off his sunglasses and his shirt, and imitating a panther both vocally and physically. While the imitation impressed, the singing wasn’t good and Manoukian was rejected.

At least he got some time to preen before the cameras. Grace Pugat just got a few seconds to display her cowboy hat and inflatable bull in the audition room, and Suphat Peou’s banana costume earned him just about 30 seconds.

Phuong Pham seemed like one of those cases as well; the editing portrayed her as a Taylor Hicks wannabe whose mother had told her that the judges would probably make their decision on looks and she wasn’t pretty enough to be picked. That kind of statement, in addition to being a prime cause of self-esteem issues among young women, usually means the contestant will either pass through to Hollywood or fail in spectacular fashion.

Surprisingly, neither was true in Pham’s case. She didn’t make it through, but left quietly. Ryan even seemed sorry to see her go, saying “I enjoyed spending time with you” with nary a trace of his usual smarminess.

Marianna Riccio was a disappointment. With a mother who sang with Dean Martin, Riccio seemed like the type of contestant who usually does well — people with parents in the industry almost always get the benefit of the doubt. But apparently just being a “Gold Digger” — the name Martin gave to his backup singers — doesn’t carry the same stature as a lead vocalist does. Even bringing her mother into the room didn’t help her case, though the judges all agreed that the mom was kind of hot.

Saving the worst for last
Of course, it is a law that the last singer of the day must be terrible, and Eric Mueller did not disappoint. The 23-year-old did get a bonus, however, when Simon raced out to try and find him again after reading that Mueller’s brutal audition may have been the result of him trying to learn to sing by watching Randy and Paula’s “Sing like the Stars” DVD.

But the most memorable reject was the oldest.

Sherman Pore looked every one of his 64 years, and “Idol” has an age limit of 28. So when he made it through to the judges, it was obvious he must have a good story. And he did — he started a petition to get on the show to help cheer up his love as she was dying of cancer. Unfortunately, she died two days before the auditions took place.

The judges couldn’t very well refuse him after hearing that, so Pore got to audition. He didn’t make it, of course, but Simon shook his hand and said, “You’re a class act, Sherman. Thank you very much.”

Pore said afterwards that he was a winner just for getting on. And he was right. Getting a compliment from the crankiest judge is almost as much of an accomplishment as being one of the 37 good enough to get sent to the next round but not good enough to be seen on TV.

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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