'X Factor' Recap: Freddie Combs Is The Wind Beneath Our Wings
[caption id="attachment_72458" align="aligncenter" width="607"] Freddie Combs gives us Bette Midler! (Getty)[/caption]
The final night of the audition round was gayer than ever. Once again, here are some of the gayest moments of the night.
The outcome of an über dramatic “To Be Continued” cliff hanger was revealed. The gays do love anyone with a flair for the dramatic and 13-year-old, Trevor Moran, brought it in glitter covered spades! At the very end of Wednesday night’s episode, we were introduced to the young mister sister, who loves to document his life on YouTube and has a soft spot for the art of Dance. After a montage of clips that reminded us of a promo for next week’s Grey’s Anatomy, combining production assistants going crazy, ambulance sirens blaring and the spirited youth passed out, the producers left us hanging with the always striking, “To Be Continued” ending. Well, last night the outcome was revealed: it seems like young Trevor got a jump start on celebrity behavior, suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. After some Gatorade and hugs from his mom, this little diva was good to go. Not afraid to let his freak flag fly, Moran bounced around the stage, giving us a fierce version of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I know It,” garnering four “yes” votes from the judges and a fifth from us for bravely being himself!
A 540 pound man in a wheel chair sang “Wind Beneath My Wings.” When 6 crew members had to lift 40-year-old, wheel chair bound, Freddie Combs, to the stage, we were terribly worried that this audition would prove to be exploitative and uncomfortable. But, as the large singer started to reveal his story, we realized that this sweet minister from Tennessee is a true inspiration. Explaining that he had been at the brink of death and lost almost 400 pounds in just three years, he hoped that the judges would look past his exterior and “give a fat boy a chance.” Melting our hearts with the very gay Bette Midler song, “Wind beneath My Wings” from the even gayer movie, Beaches, the judges passed him through, but not without a condition. Simon spoke from his black as coal heart when he said, “When I heard you sing, I had a vision in my mind of you standing singing that song - healthy, happy - and maybe you need some inspiration to help you to that next stage because it's within you to sort this out, do you understand that?” He went on to challenge the singer to lose enough weight through the season to be able to achieve the vision. OMG, We LOVE a weight loss story (Hello, Biggest Loser) and we can’t wait to see this big belter get in shape, girl!
A Punky Brewster lookalike sang Annie. For those of you too young to know who Punky Brewster is, she was a television character from the olden times of the 1980’s played by Soleil Moon Frye. She had outrageous fashions and was abandoned by her parents, but adopted by a crotchety old grouch that lived in the apartment building where she was hiding out. The odd couple made for some awesomely heartwarming television. Growing up, we wanted to be her. And maybe we still kind of do. DON'T JUDGE US! Anyway, 12-year-old, Jordyn Foley, immediately won us over when she hit the stage wearing fingerless gloves, cat eye make-up, a sequined vest, a pink star barrette and piano key knee socks, giving us flash backs of our favorite television program of yore. Then, she rocked our gay world when she told us that her first album would be called “Pink Glitter!” Um, yes please!!! But this little spark plug really sealed the deal when she gave us a full on Broadway belt of “Tomorrow” from Annie, complete with her very own spoken word section. Little girl, you may have had a hard knock life up until now, but your celebrity future is only a day away!