Despite all the focus on Jordin Sparks, it’s important to remember the friends we’ve made along the way. Do you recall season 6 Idol wannabe Ian Benardo? Well, it appears that not making it past that British a–hole/dodo bird/whatever your insult preference, and on to those three syllables, Hol-ly-wood, or New Jersey with celebrities, did not stop Mr. Benardo, who really has been hard at work becoming a superstar.
The incomparable Benardo has cut an EP featuring a saucy new cover of his audition tune, "Gloria." Also worth checking out is the Benardo original "Better Than You" featuring the boast "You hate me ’cause I’m beautiful/You hate me ’cause I’m rich/You hate me ’cause I took your friends/You hate me, life’s a bitch." (You really must listen to both tunes.) It’s good to see that Ian can add songwriter to his already impressive skill-set as a singer and dancer.
Benardo is obviously not the first American Idol reject to cut a CD — we all can recall the indellible William Hung — but he may be the most confident. That’s really the difference betweenthe two performers. It was Hung’s naivete that made for such perfectmusical comedy, while it is Bernardo’s cockiness that underlies theridiculousness of his recording. Benardo sings with such braggadociothat he can’t help but be funny.
And he has to know that, right? I mean, there’s no way he’s not in onthe joke, right? Tell me he’s in on the joke. Or else, well, this wouldjust be really funny. Still. There’s no way this isn’t funny.
So what do you think PopWatchers? Is Ian singing with tongue firmlyimplanted in cheek? (That would explain the thick accent.) Does he havea long career ahead of him? Is he better than you? Will you buy his CD?
Comments (1-29) of 29
Ugh, I remember this fool from his audition early this year (and from “So you think you can dance” the year before that) and he came off as a cocky for no-reason, pest. Most importantly, he was not entertaining to me at all…I just wanted him to go away.
As far as what I think of his music. I think that by devoting a blog entry to him you’re just encouraging him…and I think that’s a terrible thing. If “Idol” and “Dance” producers (and all of us) just ignore him, maybe he’ll go away.
I’m of the same mind, Ceballos–I, too, remember him from “SYTYCDance” and couldn’t believe the “Idol” producers gave him screen time this year! Ugh.
Ian has got props. I can see him doing sketch comedy, I can see him on SNL or Mad TV. As a singer and a dancer? Compared to him Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine is Mikhail Barishnakov!
Not worth talking about.
Alright, against my better judgement, I listened, and it’s clear that homie is NOT in on the joke. I say that because he THINKS he’s in on the joke and that he’s being so “clueless” and ha-ha-larious, but in fact it’s just moronic and sad. I’ll repeat: Ugh.
Who???
Big thumbs down to EW for promoting this guy who is a professional reality show nightmare. You guys should really watch SYTYCD so you stop making ridiculous mistakes like giving space to this obnoxious guy. There are alot of fans of AI and SYTYCD that tune in to watch the talent not snark about the bad auditions. Do not feed the trolls!!!!!!
What the hell. Seriously. What the hell. Slezak (or whoever reviewed this episode months ago) flat-out refused to mention this fool’s name because he’s such an annoying little twit, and here you are giving him exactly what he wants.
I know you’re trying to laugh at, not with, but thanks sooooo much for giving this guy mention on a (and much as I like EW, sometimes the word
“supposedly” fits before this description) credible entertainment website. Echoing the others, you’re only giving the deluded hack what he wants. I doubt the magazine deletes blog entries, but would be nice if they’d make an exception in this case.
Don’t give that idiot any more press.
Don’t give that idiot any more press.
youshould take down this article asap..in fact canyou make an internet worm/virus that can remove his name from everywhere all at once.
Now I have to go hit my head a few times for even thinking of this guy.
Please delete this entry into the popwatch blog. How can you give this clown the attention he so desperately craves? He’s so pathetic, it actually makes me sad to think that there are people like this in the world.
Shouldn’t this be under “Things That Make Me Die Inside?” Blogging is not for everyone & should be done by professionals.
you know, back when, Mike Slezak refused to even mention this clown’s name during his write-up of that audition–now, with the show over at last, you’re giving this fool free press? Poor, poor decision.
Can we start a petition to delete this popwatch entry and its mention of that d**che?
Hey, his songs are better than The Time Is What Now or whatever the frak it’s called.
I was dying from laughter during his AI audition, and hearing “Gloria” again has me in tears. It’s so hilarious.
Chill people. It is one minor entry on an online blog. He didn’t get a cover or an article. Take the blog value policing elsewhere.
The Blog Police!
Hey, Ian has a better sense of humor than anyone who gets mad reading a blog. get a life and go watch TV.
My God! He’s like every gay boy in New York! And, yes, snap, he’s better than all of us!
Yeah! he is just great. I wanted him for my boy toy but he plays a different toon.
“Gloria” made me die a little. I actualy cried it was so bad. He killed that song, multiple times. We should be able to put people in prison for things like this.
“Better than you” is strangely catchy. That doesn’t make it good. There’s really no words to say how bad it is.
He is not better than me.
I’d sooner buy William Hung’s cd.
I bet the writer of this blog entry is friends with him… that’s why the lame promotion. It’s all about ‘who you know’ in this business.
Entertainment Weekly, as a member of the media, this blog entry now puts you on the List of Those Who are to Blame.
NO, NO, NO, NO & NO.
Interesting that you assume we “have no life” just because we think it’s stupid to mention the guy’s name even in a blog article. Might the problem be that you’re so “chill” that a person can’t do anything without you claiming they’re getting worked up over nothing? Yeah, I thought so. Let the consumers chime in with what they actually want to read about, and you go get a life of your own, apart from whining about how everyone on the internet is so much more shallow than you.
That guy was a hoot on our local radio show. He said that everyone knew his name and the station picked 5 names out the phonebook and even the ones who claimed to be die hard AI fans were like “who” He got all mad and said it was a scam and that he wouldn’t be brought down by their stupidity and promptly hung up. GG Delusional Idol!
IAN BENARDO IS MY AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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