TVSquad

She came onto American Idol like a whirlwind of joy. Her little squeal of delight in Hollywood when Simon loved one of her performances remains a highlight of this season for me. That moment spoke volumes for her good-natured essence. So when Joanne Borgella's AOL interview came after her elimination, it's no surprise that she had nothing but positive things to say.

So when she says she was just happy to have made the Top 24, I actually believe her. Unfortunately, nerves or illness appeared to really overwhelm Joanne so that by the time she got her first chance to impress America, she wasn't able to "bring it," as Randy would say. Oh, and for you overly sensitive types, the dialogue in the pic has to do with her comparative height to Ryan and the expression on her face, not her "plus-size."



It's unfortunate that she did leave so early, because Joanne was a contestant I had high hopes for. She's already got a blossoming career as a plus-sized model, but I hope she doesn't give up on her dreams of being a singer. As she likes to point out, being a plus-sized black woman who doesn't sing R&B or gospel makes her something unexpected. I enjoyed that little twist.

As it was, when Joanne was eliminated, I can't say that I was surprised. Disappointed, yes because she'd belted out some impressive vocals in earlier rounds, but her performance just wasn't there that week. And she only did marginally better on the encore. But then again, how can you expect anyone to sing well after they've been voted out.:


Joanne didn't appear to have the flu that's afflicting the girls this year if you go by her speaking voice after that song, so maybe we chalk it up to nerves? Whatever it was, this was not a good performance of "I Say a Little Prayer" at all, and it ultimately sealed her doom. It's a real shame she didn't get a second chance to impress American as there were definitely a few girls that could have gone before her.:


To build the drama, when she made the cut to the Top 24, Joanne was one of the two last girls brought in, going up against stereotypically pretty Cardin. But what did we know about Cardin? She was just a token pretty girl to set up the contrast between her and equally or even more pretty, but plus-sized, Joanne. Here's where I think Idol tries maybe a little too hard to cram down our throats how great and atypical they are.

Of course they're going to pick Joanne. Even when they replayed the Hollywood snips from both girls, it was obvious that Joanne outsang Cardin's stiff performance on every note. They just wanted to make American go "Oh no! Is Idol going to cast off a plus-sized singer just because she's big? Yay! They picked her! Idol's so much better than the rest of those horrible judgmental people in the entertainment industry!" Or maybe they think they still need to make up for all the fat comments Simon's made over the years to various female contestants.:


Ah the good old days, where have they gone? Joanne was so comfortable and poised in her first appearance. She had a sweet, sparkling personality that just shined through, and I have to say I like this more natural, less made-up, look on her. My theory is going to remain that it was nerves and anxiety about the enormity of Idol that got to her, because this girl here ... this girl here shouldn't have had any problem with "I Say a Little Prayer!":


Here's a video showcase from Joanne Borgella's MySpace page of her and two other models at a fashion shoot, so you can see her "other career" in full bloom. She admitted in an interview at Reality TV World that she had to drop her modeling contract to compete on Idol, though I don't imagine she'll have too hard a time picking up a new one if she wanted to.:


People always complain and question the emotional outbursts we see from the remaining contestants on Idol when someone gets eliminated. How can they be so close after a few weeks, they wonder. Joanne spoke about this in her AOL interview. "It's hard to say goodbye to my friends," she explained about her own departure. "And you think, 'You just met.' But when you're put in a situation and your dreams can come true within a few months -- it's pressure, it's anxiety, it's happiness, fatigue, it's all these things. You get these bonds that you would never think you could make."

As for the future, Joanne says, "Modeling, definitely, singing of course number one, I want to have an album and continue modeling and acting, as well, I went to school for that. You're going to see me dabbling in everything -- I'm a multitasker -- so I'm definitely going to just continue doing what I'm doing. I think [American Idol] has just opened like 80 billion more doors. So I'm excited." She's smart, young and beautiful with a great attitude. Who wouldn't want to work with her. While it's difficult to launch a music career with a first round ejection, Joanne already has her foot in other doors, so she should have a better chance at it than most.

IDOL SEASON 7 FAREWELLS
#23 - Amy Davis
#24 - Garrett Haley