Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Programmed To Receive
By Jacob Clifton | Season 6 | Episode 5 | Aired on 01.30.2007
I should never have bitched about not seeing the golden tickets during these first few months of auditions -- I forgot what it feels like to have them ram-rodded down your throat by the show, which is I'm sure we can at least agree is rarely subtle. Kicking to commercial, we get our first glimpse at Sherman Pore trying to register to audition, and showing the laughing intern his petition, which has on it in excess of 330 signatures. And I have nothing against Sherman Pore, and the circumstances surrounding this make him pretty much untouchable, but I'll say this off the bat: the word "petition" should never be used, in your beautiful life. What it demonstrates is that you either have a problem with, or a lack of cognizance about, the rules, and instead of living your life in conjunction with these rules, you would prefer to whine and pester your neighbors and local strangers in order to see about getting the rules changed to something that fits you personally a little bit better. Not exactly what's going on here, but neither does any of this mean that Sherman Pore is particularly a role model, or that petitions are the way to get things done.
Brian Miller (19, Placentia CA) was apparently "devastated" last year in Hollywood, though I don't remember him. He looks like a defendant to me, to be honest. Paula remembers him, and he sings "A Change Is Gonna Come," and he's cute but very confused looking, and his voice has a prepubescent sound. Olivia Newton-John is Feeling It. I'm just feeling very Orlando about it all. Simon pronounces him a nice-looking guy with a nice voice, but forgettable. Brian sets 'em up so Simon can knock 'em down, asking if he's improved since last year: "I can't remember you!" Hee, hee. Paula again protests that she remembers him. Randy says, all this aside, based on the voice, he'd put Brian through. I agree with that. Olivia Newton-John loves him, Paula loves him, Simon says no now that he's safely outvoted, and Brian goes tearing out into the foyer, no more memorable than a few minutes ago when he didn't exist.
Sherman Pore, 64. His "lady love" of twenty years died in the cancer ward at Cedars very recently, and leading up to this, she worked on the petition with him. Every day he would go out and harass people, and he would come home with "lots of signatures," and she'd just light up. He tells us that he thinks it helped her to keep a positive attitude and smoothed her passing and made it a little softer for her. Well, I am not made of stone. The idea that you can take anything, even something as stupid as the knowingly futile attempt to get on a TV game show, and give that real weight and importance, I think that's awesome. I think it's really beautiful, honestly, no matter what the X thing is that you use to go forward and stay strong. The X thing so doesn't matter: it's what it gives you. Simon asks softly if he's correct in assuming that Sherman's over 28, and he tells them the story, sort of, and says she passed away on Friday, "two days before the audition." Simon goes, "Wow, Sherman," and Sherman yells at them that he doesn't want pity. Simon scoffs because there is no pity in him, and explains that he won't be getting sympathy -- just the opportunity to sing, and to finish the story.