IDOLS CLIFFHANGER
'I'M NOT EXPECTING AN EASY RIDE'
SOMIZI and Randall get cosy and become new best friends. Gareth is steeling himself for a backlash. All will be revealed when season 12 of Idols SA hits TV screens tonight. The show has been moved from M-Net to Mzansi Magic on DStv. Expect a contrite Gareth Cliff when he appears with fellow judges Unathi Msengana, Randall Abrahams and Somizi Mhlongo. Cliff went to court to be there. He was reinstated after being fired from Idols SA for suggesting that Penny Sparrow’s racist rant was just the result of free speech. “I’m not expecting an easy ride,” said Cliff this week. “But the public must remember the show is not about me. The show is about the young talent that this country has to show.” The day after his free-speech retort to the outcry over Sparrow’s comments, Cliff apologised, calling himself an “insensitive a**hole”. It was too late, however, and he was given the boot. He applied to the High Court in Johannesburg for reinstatement and instituted a R25million claim against Idols SA organisers. After winning reinstatement, he put the damages claim on hold. “I don’t take anything for granted, but unfortunately we live in a very complicated country,” Cliff said this week. “With the overwhelming support I received from my fellow judges, I owe it to them to be back and give South Africa the best show.
“I’ve known Unathi and Randall before the show — and Somizi is just a fireball,” he said.
South Africa had its problems, but Idols SA was “one show where you can have a moment in the sun and then the sun can be gone. Just like that,” said Cliff.
“I have seen people come from nothing and become somebodies in this show.
“The most beautiful thing is that a contestant might not have a singing background, but as soon as they open their mouths and sing, they sparkle.”
He said viewers could expect to see Mhlongo with a different hairstyle every episode, multiple emotions from Msengana and “weird” hairstyles and interesting outfits from Abrahams.
One of Cliff’s best memories was when Khaya Mthethwa won season six.
Mthethwa was also the first black singer to win the competition.
Msengana agreed. “To witness a show finally present all the demographics of our country, I knew I had the best job,” she said.
Known as the sobbing judge, Msengana said crying showed her appreciation of a great singer.
“How can you not be moved when someone is a car guard and they take a chance to come and audition and they blow your mind away?
“I always give a ‘yes’ because I know what it’s like to try and be given an opportunity.”
She said the audience could expect a “bromance” between Mhlongo and Abrahams, who in the past have seemed cold towards each other.
“There’s one episode where they swap chairs and sit next to each other. They call each other BFFs,” she laughed.
Mhlongo said: “The audience will experience the chemistry and see the friendships that have developed among the judges.”
Admitting he had not expected the attention since coming onto the show, he said his life had changed “180 degrees”.
Veteran judge Abrahams said this season’s show was more contemporary.
“After a raft of bad singers at the opening auditions, it’s hard not to [get bored]. But one needs to stay alert, as a bright young star may be just around the corner,” said Abrahams.
Responding to criticism about his harsh comments, he said: “I would hope that over the course of so many seasons I’ve been able to refine my commentary. I aim to be succinct and find something original to say.” — Additional Reporting by Leonie Wagner
How can you not be moved when someone takes a chance and blows your mind away?