Last night, 23-year-old Didi Benami was eliminated from “American Idol.” This morning she chatted with reporters about her experience on the show and revealed how things got so bad for her while living in Los Angeles, she was living out of her car at one point. Plus, which network played a very funny April Fools Joke? It’s all in today’s Dish of Salt.
Didi’s Done
I’ve said it dozens of times to past “American Idol” contestants. Don’t sing a song that has anything to do with leaving, heartbreak or saying goodbye. But Didi Benami chose to sing “What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted” and now she is just that, broken hearted. Although none of these contestants ever admit to being devastated by their elimination anymore. They all say the same thing about being happy to have had the experience. Just once, I want someone to admit they are pissed and really wanted to win. Didi won’t be that person but she did admit she was more than thrilled she made it at least to the top ten. “I’m relieved I get to go on tour,” she told reporters on a conference call this morning. “I don’t have to work as a waitress anymore, which is nice. It’s a relief to know that I will be able to make a living at what I love to do over the summer and, hopefully, for the rest of my life.”
To make ends meet when she moved to Los Angeles from Nashville, TN (where she attended Belmont University) four years ago, Didi worked as a waitress. This morning, she revealed that her first year in LA was a major struggle.
“I moved out here when I was 19 and I have had crazy roommates and all sorts of ridiculous experiences where I moved around a lot. There were points where I didn’t even have a place to live and I was living out my car. It’s been rough.”
Didi said that her experience in LA as a struggling artist prepared her for what happened last night. “You just get kicked down. You got to get back up again and start over. It’s not anything I haven’t dealt with before.”
After the tour ends, she will continue to work on music and has plans for an album, “I think I’m going to do singer-songwriter type acoustic chill, low key relaxing music.”
ABC’s April Fools Joke
While I’ve decided I’m changing my name to Dish of Pepper on this April Fools Day, the folks at ABC have given us a sneak peek of their line up for primetime shows tonight- and it’s all in April Fools fun. On their official Web site http://abc.go.com/ you’ll be treated to their “new” shows inspired by their actual shows. “The Blind Sayid,” “Dancing With The Tsars,” and “Flasherforward.” Of course, it’s just all a neat little marketing ploy to get you to click on the logos which will then lead you straight to the show’s real Web sites – “Lost,” “Dancing With The Stars” and “FlashForward.” I found it a little more entertaining than Google changing its name to Topeka. Also highly entertaining today is “The Soup” and “Community” star Joel McHale hijacking Ryan Seacrest’s Twitter account and Tweeting things like “Did you know ‘Little Miss Perfect’ was supposed to be a reality show about Seacrest?” Clearly, they are both in on the joke, but the best part is the picture of Joel in front of an “American Idol” logo on the profile page.
April TV Show Premiere Dates
OK, so now that it is the first of April – I offer this calendar for which shows are premiering this month.
Thursday, April 1 – Tonight both “Bones” (8 PM ET/PT) and “Fringe” (9 PM ET/PT) return with fresh episodes on FOX.
Friday, April 2 – CBS gives us yet another hospital drama. This one called “Miami Medical” (10 PM ET/PT) about trauma doctors. The show has zero buzz and the critics have been panning it with quotes like “Dead on arrival’ and “In need of a major transplant.” So, the future looks bleak for this Jerry Bruckheimer produced show, starring Mike Vogel.
Sunday, April 11 – from the creator of “The Wire”, HBO premieres a new drama called “Treme,” a show that takes place three months after Hurricane Katrina and follows the lives of residents trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of the 2005 disaster.
Showtime’s gripping period drama “The Tudors” returns for its fourth and final season (9 PM ET/PT).
Monday, April 12 – Alyssa Milano returns to series television in a sitcom about a recently divorced mom from Pittsburgh who has to return to the dating world. With a prime slot after “Dancing with the Stars” the show should get some eyeballs to test it out. Some say the traditional sitcom format is dead. I say it’s poised to make a comeback. Plus, how bad can it be since it’s set in my hometown of Pittsburgh!? (9:30 PM ET/PT)
Tuesday, April 13 – Finally, after way to long of a wait it’s the return of FOX’s deliciously awesome show “Glee,” after a 90-minute “American Idol.” I’ve seen the episode titled ‘Hello.’ It’s awesome. Need I say more? (9:28 PM ET/PT)
Tuesday, April 27 – If anyone is still watching “The Hills” or “The City” on MTV they will be back with their new bitchy-as-ever seasons. Thankfully, it’s the last for “The Hills.” (10 PM/10:30 PM ET/PT).
Wednesday, April 28 – ABC gives us this creepy new series in the vein of “Twin Peaks” called “Happy Town,” about a series of unsolved kidnappings in a small Minnesota town called Haplin. (10PM ET/PT).
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