Mike Gilbert, O.J. Simpson’s former marketing agent, says this with a matter-of-factness that is at first off-putting.
“He finally did it,” Gilbert repeats, his voice not even quavering a little as he recounts his firsthand experience with one of the most notorious crimes of the past century. In his new tell-all book How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Gilbert calls June 12, 1994 the “day the world stopped.”
It was supposed to be Syesha’s night. After all, it was the axed Floridian’s last chance to shine on “American Idol” after a meteoric rise to third place that no one expected.
But here we are, the top two “American Idol” finalists decided after four intense months, and yet the buzz following Wednesday night’s elimination show centered not around the impending David showdown, or on the ouster of Syesha Mercado, but an over-the-top performance by an “Idol” winner from four years ago.
Fantasia, the passionate, raspy-voiced single mother from North Carolina, to this day is arguably the edgiest “Idol” winner ever (Taylor Hicks and his premature head of gray hair don’t count). Tonight, however, she truly outdid herself, bursting onto the stage with a head of fire engine red hair and three backup dancers and delivering a high-energy performance of her song “Bore Me.”
The performance immediately sparked a lively debate on the Web over whether Fantasia was back to her magnetic self or had completely lost her mind.
“I loved it…it was FUN and CRAAAAZZZY! I was up dancing!” wrote one fan on the “Idol” forums, while another said: “What was all the screaming about? That’s talent? She’s lost it.”
Many viewers commented on Simon Cowell’s slack-jawed stare during Fantasia’s performance, saying he couldn’t have made his feelings any clearer.
On YouTube, where several versions of the performance were posted following the show, one viewer panned the performance, but admitted to being unable stop watching the video.
“For some strange reason beyond my own comprehension I can’t stop watching the vid!!! It’s like deep down inside I want to punish myself for all the mistakes I did in my life by watching this freakshow!”
Isn’t that what reality TV is all about?
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