Remember Munfarid Zaidi, the University of Texas student who was picked up and cradled like a baby by Harry Connick, Jr. during his American Idol audition last month? He returned to the show on Thursday for Hollywood Week with both his sense of humor and his father in tow.
“Blow them away like you did in the audition,” Zaidi’s dad yells as he takes the stage, forcing the singer to explain to the judges that “that was my father.”
It’s clear that the Idol producers are positioning Zaidi to be the “likeable comedian-type” among this years contestants and nearly half of his brief segment was used to highlight his personality.
On reuniting with Connick, Zaidi had this to say: “I’m just hoping he remembers my face more than anything else. After a man holds you in his arms, I should think that a name and face is a requirement when you see each other.”
Spoiler alert: Connick remembers him perfectly and he makes it to the next round. (Skip to about 00:51 in the video below to watch Zaidi perform the classic song “Proud Mary.”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoVgP4CfVL0
(Via Rickey)
Follow Lakshmi Gandhi on Twitter @LakshmiGandhi and follow The Aerogram at @theaerogram or on Facebook.
