The “American Idol” Crier: She’s Going To Get So Much Crap About This At School

noah | March 21, 2007 5:11 am
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Thanks to Idolator commenter Ned Raggett for pointing us to an update on the girl who wouldn’t stop crying during last night’s American Idol. Her name’s Ashley Ferl, she’s 13, and, as the LA Times reports, she arrived at the taping–and the Idol stage–through the sheer power of her tears:

The family, I was told, obtained tickets on a website to attend a taping of “Smarter Than a 5th Grader” a day passage that included not just the taping of the show itself, but also the dress rehearsal of either “Grader” or “Idol.” The fates were kind, and the mother and daughter found their way to the “Idol” rehearsal, where Ashley’s waterworks began. Her prowess was quickly brought to the attention of “Idol” producers who summoned the clan to a ringside seat of honor at the final taping.

Her powers of speech slowly returning, Ashley revealed that while she was on stage she had been thinking that “this was the coolest thing ever.” Asked whom she was supporting in the competition she named “Sanjaya, Melinda, Gina and Jordin” as her picks, refusing to narrow her vote down to a single choice. All my journalistic powers of persuasion, cajoling, bullying and insistence that on her vote might turn the entire competition, that “Listen to reason, young Ferl, there can’t be four American Idols,” would not convince her to name a single favorite. To my every argument, she would only repeat her mantra, “All Four: Sanjaya, Melinda, Gina and Jordin.” And so the race begins in earnest, with tears at every step of the way.

Let’s just hope that Ashley’s temper tantrums don’t influence the producers any more than they have; a final four with Sanjaya and Gina would be too much to bear. (Also, no Blake? We had him pegged for a preteen idol much more than Sanjaya, who is seriously nearing Carrot Top levels of creepiness.)

Who’s That Girl? [LA Times] Earlier: Idolator’s American Idolatry: The Little Girls Are The Only Ones Who Understand Sanjaya [Screen grab via Entertainment Weekly]

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