The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite

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• Catching up with Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle)
• Catching up with Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle)
• Ryan Seacrest makes his ‘Oprah’ debut, choppers down to Disneyland

Catching up with Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle) Posted: 28 Mar 2010 01:04 AM PDT   Nick Mitchell is still working up to his 15 minutes. When he ambushed the Season 8 "American Idol" auditions as his alter ego, Norman Gentle, belting "Dreamgirls'" "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" like nobody's business, he clocked in at around five. Making the Top 36 earned him another third. And now, with a recurring segment dishing "Idol" on the nationally syndicated "The Wendy Williams Show," well, you could say he's finally made it. But that's not all Nick and Norman have in the works. There's talk of a reality show (co-starring fellow hot mess Tatiana Del Toro!), an ex-Idols Las Vegas review, and a send-off song to Simon Cowell complete with accompanying video. Indeed, Nick is striking while the iron is hot. But he's not about to start taking iron pills. More on that, his thoughts on the current season and memories of Adam Lambert in our hilarious Q&A. And for the latest on Norman, including a performance of "Stand By Me," the song he would've chosen had he advanced to the next round, check out his YouTube channel. First off, congratulations on the "Wendy Williams" gig. Amazingly, your alter ego appeared on her show even before trying out for "Idol." A week before the auditions! And I went to the "Idol" audition because of Wendy. I was, like, if this character Norman Gentle got me on the Wendy show, why don't I try to get on the blooper reel on "Idol?" So I really have Wendy to thank for being on "Idol" because she gave me the boost the week before. So when you auditioned for "Idol," was it a joke? Or did you really think you had a chance to make it on the show? That's the thing; the cool answer would be, like, "Yeah, I didn't care," but I really wanted to be on it. I do characters, my heroes are Martin Short, Robin Williams, Mario Cantone and Whoopi Goldberg — musical comedy people –  so I was just trying to get on TV with this character, never thinking I'd make it that far. But it kind of got spun like I was making fun of it and I really wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I would kill to be someone like David Cook or Clay Aiken, but I don't have the pipes or the coolness. I woke up one day around [age] 26 and realized, "Dude, you're not a legit singing star." What was the audition like and what was going through your mind? It was like a 20-minute audition. When Randy said yes, it was a drawn-out 10 minutes of him deciding. They edited that down to, like, 15 seconds. I was just thinking, "What is going on right now?!" First of all, we're on the Hudson River, I'm looking at the Statue of Liberty, watching Simon and Randy fighting over whether I make it on "American Idol," and Kara is punching her fist on the desk. I had brought Banana Republic dry-cleaned clothes, and I kept on saying,, "Do you want me to change? I don't have to do the character." And Simon said, "The clothes aren't going to help you Nick-Norman or whatever your name is." Then he makes this comment, like, "I want to kick you between the legs but I think you'd like it." That was within the first minute, and I was so taken aback, but this one line just popped in my head, and I said, "The way you like it when Seacrest does it?" I really feel like that's the reason I got through. If I did not add that line, I never would've made it on TV. So Norman made it to TV and you made it to Hollywood. Dream come true? Yes, and I always watched "Idol," but I did not know it was "Star Trek"-diehards who are, like, "Don't mess with our show!" I'd go online and read that I'm ruining the show. People were pissed! And I understand why. They put me next to Jamar Rogers during the Hollywood week episode, the guy can sing better than anything and he's my roommate. Even I was, like, "Why didn't you let Jamar go through?" I felt horrible about that. But what really rocked me was coming home after "Idol." Some of the stuff that people would say or write was so vile. A lot of Idols say going home is a tough transition… I'm not gonna lie, I got knocked down for a couple months. The most people I've ever performed in front of was a room of 40. I did extra work in a bunch of movies, like you can see the back of my head in "I Am Legend" — $70 a day for 15 hours work, non-union. So it did rock me at first, and I kind of hung low for a couple months at my parents' house in Brookfield, [Conn.]. I remember this guy came up to me at the Danbury Mall and goes, "You'll never be Adam Lambert!" and then just walked away. So strange. This season's Katie Stevens is from Middlebury, Conn. What are your thoughts on her "Idol" run so far? She lives 15 minutes away from me, what are the chances? For a 16-year-old girl to sing Stevie Wonder that way? Amazing. And from Middlebury, a town which has maybe a couple stoplights… I just hope the judges stop confusing her with country and mariachi. What about Siobhan Magnus? I love how she slayed Aretha Franklin. It's like Björk and Courtney Love had a baby and named her Liza Minelli — that's Siobhan. She still has that Broadway thing going on in the verses, but when the climax comes, it's crazy. And I loved her combat boots. And the guys? I loved Andrew Garcia. Now I hope that he just lets go of the band and does things acoustic. Maybe not "Genie in a Bottle," but something like Kris Allen's "Heartless" or Adam when he sang "The Tracks of my Tears." It takes a lot of artistry to pull that off. Wendy ripped Andrew apart last week, but she did not see him do "Straight Up," which was amazing. Her favorite is Casey James because he's the new Michael Bolton. A confession: We love Casey, too. What's not to love? Casey James might have just stepped out of an Abercrombie magazine. Or he's one of those live models at the Grove. You know who I loved? Todrick Hall! I like his original songs, but when you have mothers on the news saying, "I hope he fails, he stole from my baby at the dance studio in Indiana…," that will hurt you. And how about this year's front-runner, Crystal Bowersox? It's so hard then when you're favored that early. She reminds me of how Danny Gokey was so the shoo-in in the beginning of last season, where everybody was just praising him. Adam, too. When you're so loved by Simon, in a weird way, it's the kiss of death, isn't it? Like he's saying Crystal is the one to beat before the final 12 are even announced! But I definitely think it's going to be a female this year. So tell us about the reality show you're working on. This guy approached [Season 8's] Kristen McNamara about doing a show. He flew me out and I moved in with her and Tatiana Del Toro. Not a lot of other things were coming, so I thought, "Why not?" But I didn't want it be about my personal life, mainly because I'm boring. I just sit around watching TV and eating Pringles. But Norman Gentle has a wife, he grew up in  Stratton, Vt., worked on a syrup factory… there's a whole story behind it (see vintage video below). So they said I could do this character and we filmed it for a couple weeks and actually had a really good time. They're trying to sell the show now. Have you been approached about other shows? Not really. I auditioned for a new sitcom on NBC and didn't get it. Then I came back home and got the call from Wendy. It's been great and I'm learning so much. Wendy is legendary. I've listened to her on the radio my whole life, and now I'm working for her, it's crazy! That's the power of "Idol." It's now been a year, and while I was on the show, I wore a headband and glasses 90% of the time, yet I still have people  grab my arm and call me Norman. One woman said to me, "You should take iron pills for the dark circles under your eyes." I was, like, "Hello, for my audition, I  had to lay on the floor for 10 hours outside Giants stadium! It is what it is! I looked rough that day and it was hi-def!" Can you share any early memories of what Adam Lambert was like in those first few weeks? He was living right next to me during group two of Hollywood Week and I remember him being really nice.  Then at the finale when he sang with Kiss at the Nokia theater, I've never seen a crowd bow down like that. It was like Janet Jackson on the "Again" tour — it was crazy! People worship him and I wish I could sell T-shirts at his concert but he hasn't called me back. Please Adam, anything! Seriously though, I think Adam Lambert is the greatest performer out there. What he did on the American Music Awards will change everything for the LGBT community and young kids struggling with acceptance. I think he should be so proud of himself. I'm pretty blown away by that guy. [Updated 5:35 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified "The Tracks of My Tears" as "Tears of a Clown."] – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: Nick Mitchell as Norman Gentle in 2009. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox Visit Source

Catching up with Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle) Posted: 28 Mar 2010 01:04 AM PDT   Nick Mitchell is still working up to his 15 minutes. When he ambushed the Season 8 "American Idol" auditions as his alter ego, Norman Gentle, belting "Dreamgirls'" "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" like nobody's business, he clocked in at around five. Making the Top 36 earned him another third. And now, with a recurring segment dishing "Idol" on the nationally syndicated "The Wendy Williams Show," well, you could say he's finally made it. But that's not all Nick and Norman have in the works. There's talk of a reality show (co-starring fellow hot mess Tatiana Del Toro!), an ex-Idols Las Vegas review, and a send-off song to Simon Cowell complete with accompanying video. Indeed, Nick is striking while the iron is hot. But he's not about to start taking iron pills. More on that, his thoughts on the current season and memories of Adam Lambert in our hilarious Q&A. And for the latest on Norman, including a performance of "Stand By Me," the song he would've chosen had he advanced to the next round, check out his YouTube channel. First off, congratulations on the "Wendy Williams" gig. Amazingly, your alter ego appeared on her show even before trying out for "Idol." A week before the auditions! And I went to the "Idol" audition because of Wendy. I was, like, if this character Norman Gentle got me on the Wendy show, why don't I try to get on the blooper reel on "Idol?" So I really have Wendy to thank for being on "Idol" because she gave me the boost the week before. So when you auditioned for "Idol," was it a joke? Or did you really think you had a chance to make it on the show? That's the thing; the cool answer would be, like, "Yeah, I didn't care," but I really wanted to be on it. I do characters, my heroes are Martin Short, Robin Williams, Mario Cantone and Whoopi Goldberg — musical comedy people –  so I was just trying to get on TV with this character, never thinking I'd make it that far. But it kind of got spun like I was making fun of it and I really wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I would kill to be someone like David Cook or Clay Aiken, but I don't have the pipes or the coolness. I woke up one day around [age] 26 and realized, "Dude, you're not a legit singing star." What was the audition like and what was going through your mind? It was like a 20-minute audition. When Randy said yes, it was a drawn-out 10 minutes of him deciding. They edited that down to, like, 15 seconds. I was just thinking, "What is going on right now?!" First of all, we're on the Hudson River, I'm looking at the Statue of Liberty, watching Simon and Randy fighting over whether I make it on "American Idol," and Kara is punching her fist on the desk. I had brought Banana Republic dry-cleaned clothes, and I kept on saying,, "Do you want me to change? I don't have to do the character." And Simon said, "The clothes aren't going to help you Nick-Norman or whatever your name is." Then he makes this comment, like, "I want to kick you between the legs but I think you'd like it." That was within the first minute, and I was so taken aback, but this one line just popped in my head, and I said, "The way you like it when Seacrest does it?" I really feel like that's the reason I got through. If I did not add that line, I never would've made it on TV. So Norman made it to TV and you made it to Hollywood. Dream come true? Yes, and I always watched "Idol," but I did not know it was "Star Trek"-diehards who are, like, "Don't mess with our show!" I'd go online and read that I'm ruining the show. People were pissed! And I understand why. They put me next to Jamar Rogers during the Hollywood week episode, the guy can sing better than anything and he's my roommate. Even I was, like, "Why didn't you let Jamar go through?" I felt horrible about that. But what really rocked me was coming home after "Idol." Some of the stuff that people would say or write was so vile. A lot of Idols say going home is a tough transition… I'm not gonna lie, I got knocked down for a couple months. The most people I've ever performed in front of was a room of 40. I did extra work in a bunch of movies, like you can see the back of my head in "I Am Legend" — $70 a day for 15 hours work, non-union. So it did rock me at first, and I kind of hung low for a couple months at my parents' house in Brookfield, [Conn.]. I remember this guy came up to me at the Danbury Mall and goes, "You'll never be Adam Lambert!" and then just walked away. So strange. This season's Katie Stevens is from Middlebury, Conn. What are your thoughts on her "Idol" run so far? She lives 15 minutes away from me, what are the chances? For a 16-year-old girl to sing Stevie Wonder that way? Amazing. And from Middlebury, a town which has maybe a couple stoplights… I just hope the judges stop confusing her with country and mariachi. What about Siobhan Magnus? I love how she slayed Aretha Franklin. It's like Björk and Courtney Love had a baby and named her Liza Minelli — that's Siobhan. She still has that Broadway thing going on in the verses, but when the climax comes, it's crazy. And I loved her combat boots. And the guys? I loved Andrew Garcia. Now I hope that he just lets go of the band and does things acoustic. Maybe not "Genie in a Bottle," but something like Kris Allen's "Heartless" or Adam when he sang "The Tracks of my Tears." It takes a lot of artistry to pull that off. Wendy ripped Andrew apart last week, but she did not see him do "Straight Up," which was amazing. Her favorite is Casey James because he's the new Michael Bolton. A confession: We love Casey, too. What's not to love? Casey James might have just stepped out of an Abercrombie magazine. Or he's one of those live models at the Grove. You know who I loved? Todrick Hall! I like his original songs, but when you have mothers on the news saying, "I hope he fails, he stole from my baby at the dance studio in Indiana…," that will hurt you. And how about this year's front-runner, Crystal Bowersox? It's so hard then when you're favored that early. She reminds me of how Danny Gokey was so the shoo-in in the beginning of last season, where everybody was just praising him. Adam, too. When you're so loved by Simon, in a weird way, it's the kiss of death, isn't it? Like he's saying Crystal is the one to beat before the final 12 are even announced! But I definitely think it's going to be a female this year. So tell us about the reality show you're working on. This guy approached [Season 8's] Kristen McNamara about doing a show. He flew me out and I moved in with her and Tatiana Del Toro. Not a lot of other things were coming, so I thought, "Why not?" But I didn't want it be about my personal life, mainly because I'm boring. I just sit around watching TV and eating Pringles. But Norman Gentle has a wife, he grew up in  Stratton, Vt., worked on a syrup factory… there's a whole story behind it (see vintage video below). So they said I could do this character and we filmed it for a couple weeks and actually had a really good time. They're trying to sell the show now. Have you been approached about other shows? Not really. I auditioned for a new sitcom on NBC and didn't get it. Then I came back home and got the call from Wendy. It's been great and I'm learning so much. Wendy is legendary. I've listened to her on the radio my whole life, and now I'm working for her, it's crazy! That's the power of "Idol." It's now been a year, and while I was on the show, I wore a headband and glasses 90% of the time, yet I still have people  grab my arm and call me Norman. One woman said to me, "You should take iron pills for the dark circles under your eyes." I was, like, "Hello, for my audition, I  had to lay on the floor for 10 hours outside Giants stadium! It is what it is! I looked rough that day and it was hi-def!" Can you share any early memories of what Adam Lambert was like in those first few weeks? He was living right next to me during group two of Hollywood Week and I remember him being really nice.  Then at the finale when he sang with Kiss at the Nokia theater, I've never seen a crowd bow down like that. It was like Janet Jackson on the "Again" tour — it was crazy! People worship him and I wish I could sell T-shirts at his concert but he hasn't called me back. Please Adam, anything! Seriously though, I think Adam Lambert is the greatest performer out there. What he did on the American Music Awards will change everything for the LGBT community and young kids struggling with acceptance. I think he should be so proud of himself. I'm pretty blown away by that guy. [Updated 5:35 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified "The Tracks of My Tears" as "Tears of a Clown."] – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: Nick Mitchell as Norman Gentle in 2009. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox Visit Source

Ryan Seacrest makes his ‘Oprah’ debut, choppers down to Disneyland Posted: 28 Mar 2010 01:04 AM PDT Ryan Seacrest took a seat on Oprah Winfrey's couch for the very first time earlier Friday. The "American Idol" host talked about his feelings for Simon Cowell ("He's a terrific individual and one of the sweetest guys you'll ever meet in the business"), his thoughts on Ellen DeGeneres' performance thus far and ran through his insane daily schedule ("You know you're busy when you don't even realize your hair is being flat-ironed"). See video below (thanks for posting, MJ!). In Part 2, Ryan's mom Connie appears, and all bear witness to a photo slide-show of Ryan as a tubby tween. "I am gonna let someone on my staff go this afternoon for releasing that photograph," he joked. But in all seriousness — and aptly so — Ryan's latest extracurricular project, a collaboration with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver called "Food Revolution," aims to get Americans to eat healthier. It premieres Friday night on ABC. Though he's not one to get star struck (unless Brad and Angelina are involved), excitement clearly got the best of Ryan this morning when he tweeted, "On @oprah today, love her, she dropped by my dressing room in slippers and haircurlers, I had slippers and a flat iron." Check out more of the "Oprah" clips here. – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: Ryan Seacrest travels via helicopter to Disneyland, where he live-streamed an appearance by Justin Bieber. Credit: Twitpic Visit Source

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