February 13, 2007

"As good as 'Idol' gets."

Adam at Throwing Things reminds us that this is the week to watch "American Idol" -- tonight and tomorrow. They've culled who knows how many from the auditions, and they need to do something to them now to shake out 24 contestants to move forward into the rounds where we'll be voting. (Not me, actually. I don't vote. I just blog so you can vote. Or avoid the show. Whatever you want.)

Any favorites? Adam asks. Well, of course, I'm for Denise Jackson, the one who called herself a "crack baby." She from Madison. Here's a video about her. Here's a local newspaper article about her:
"You know how you're supposed to have a childhood?" she explains. In the Chicago housing project where Denise lived off and on, "You don't really get to have that childhood."

With a mother who was largely absent and a father who vanished before her birth, Denise grew up thinking at times that her eldest sister, Nicole, was her mom.

"I think I've seen things that you shouldn't see when you're a little girl," says Denise, who moved to Madison with her grandmother at age 9....

Until she moved to Madison in 1999, Denise had never met a white or Asian person. "The part of (Chicago) I lived in, we never saw these people," she says. "You heard all these stupid things about white people, like white people are mean, they're racist.

"When I came to Madison, I found the sweetest people you would ever meet." Still, she was terrified when she learned her fifth-grade teacher would be a white woman; she'd never had a white teacher. Today she speaks affectionately of how that teacher tried to get her interested in piano lessons. "She would take me out for ice cream," says Denise.
Good luck, Denise!

(And thanks to all the great teachers in Madison.)

6 comments:

rumtumtugger said...

these black absent fathers - where do they all go? do they live alone, hang with their buddies, leave town? and how on earth do they keep persuading the women that they'll stick around? whatever they do, it's garbage. i recommend an instant and unanimous lysistrata-action by black women. but then, that's seems to be the last thing they want to do.

MadisonMan said...

It's great to read of the oustanding support Denise has received from her Arts Educators in Madison. Are you listening Superintendent Rainwater?

Jennifer said...

I really liked this girl, too! And her back story is filled with hope and great community and family support, it's not just a sob story. I think she'll do very well.

She's one of the few that have stuck out in my mind so far.

I also have great hopes for the frizzball who wants to make the Hoff cry.

And I think there will be some delicious drama from the two beautiful best friends - one had raw talent and the other had training. I don't think trainee has a chance and I don't think she's as supportive of her best friend as she pretends.

Unknown said...

Best of luck, Denise, and let's hope the angels are watching over you, especially if you win.

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Thank you for your continued great blogging of Idol.

LoafingOaf said...

The link claims: Based on past experience, this week's pair of episodes, when we sift down from ~200 to 24 contestants through a series of individual and group auditions, is as good as Idol gets.

I've missed this stage in all the previous Idol seasons, but tonight's episode was a complete bore! The worst that Idol gets! I turned it on while surfing the Web and by the halfway point the Web had completely pulled my attention away. There were too many contestants so there was too much editing and it was hard to get into.

I like it best once they get to the final 24, it's live, and you see everyone perform.