Gentle’s giant following has made the comedian a hero among “Idol” worshippers. When Norman, a.k.a. 27-year-old Nick Mitchell from Brookfield, Conn., ambushed the No. 1 TV show in North America last year, his slapstick persona served up unexpected vocal finesse, via a memorable performance of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls,” which drew high praise from three of the four “Idol” judges.
While anxiously counting down his 15 minutes of fame, the mainstream media acknowledged Gentle’s headband-wearing, tuxedo jacket-sporting, khaki shorts-donning character as a bona fide talent. MTV News deemed his appearances an “insanely brilliant—if not brilliantly insane—move. We’ve made up our minds. Norman Gentle is the greatest contestant in ‘American Idol’ history.”
Fox News offered that he “might not be the most commercial contestant on ‘American Idol,’ but he’s certainly proved to be the most memorable.”
Even celebrities weighed in, with Ellen Degeneres—pre-“Idol” judge—saying, “He makes it interesting. I hope he makes it”; and Neil Patrick Harris commenting, “He’s the abomination of the show, everything (it) is not supposed to be, and I was laughing my head off.”
Subsequently, in 2010, Gentle and Mitchell were booked as a correspondent on the syndicated “Wendy Williams Show, offering predictions about “American Idol” season nine. He, uh, they, have appeared weekly, opening the show and chatting with Williams about the leading finalists.
Now signed to Young Pals Records International, Gentle’s “Brit Slap!” launched on iTunes May 4, and “Bitch Slap!” on May 18 with the video clip debut on Yahoo Music and L.A. Times on May 21 . In addition, the just-launched www.gentleofficial.com offers daily updates about his “Gentle-cosm,” including opinions on “American Idol,” tips for living Gentle-y, being a proper Gentle-man, Random Acts of Gentle-ocide, his support for animal rights, and other rants and raves about pop culture.
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