Jennifer Lopez Breaks Down on 'American Idol; "Vulnerable Place to Be"
10 Season 10 Sob Stories Now Include J Lo.
Feb. 24, 2011— -- Add Jennifer Lopez to the list of sob stories on "American Idol" this season. "I can't do this anymore, " said Lopez as she wept, while voting to kick off Chris Medina. This is all new to me," the singer explained to Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show Thursday, according to People Magazine. "I'm used to having a script in a movie, or a big performance with a cane and a microphone, and I have all kinds of stuff going on ... You're [not always] getting me."
Lopez explained to Seacrest that the show let's the world see the real jennifer lopez. "This is the first experience ... where I feel like people are getting to know who I am as a person," she said. "It's such a vulnerable place to be."
Medina famously auditioned for the show with an emotional rendition of the Script's "Breakeven," as he introduced his wheelchair-bound fiancée, Juliana Ramos, who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a car accident.
But it's not all bad news for Mr. Medina. He's already slated to perform on Friday night's "Tonight Show."
J Lo has displayed a marked queasiness on the show when it comes to kicking contestants to the curb and has welled up before with tears. But Medina's back story and struggle to get to the show clearly overwhelmed her.
Lopez is in good company. Season 10, which has no shortage of talent, seems to have an abundance of sob stories; from the contestant who was left for dead after a car accident, to the contestant with Tourette's and Asperger's syndromes, to Medina.
If producers aren't careful, the show could turn into the battle for the biggest tear-jerkers. "It's like 'Maury Povich' or something," Ju'Not Joyner, a season-eight contestant, told ABCNews.com. "It makes for good TV."
"Idol" may have started as a talent competition but it has become so much more. Some would say the show highlights contestants' personal tragedies at the expense of their talent.
American Idol' Tear-Jerkers
Joyner doesn't fault the contestants, who choose to share their stories. "It's the producers," he said. "Their job is to make a compelling television show."
Here are some of the contestants whose back stories have been highlighted on this season of "Idol:"
San Francisco contestant James Durbin never got to know his dad, a bass player, before he died of a drug overdose. To make matters worse, Durbin was diagnosed with Tourette's and Asperger's syndromes and was picked on as a child. Today, he's the father of a baby, but can barely afford diapers since he's unemployed.
Stefano Langone, another San Francisco contestant, was so severely injured during a car accident that EMTs initially thought he was dead. He performed "Heard It Through the Grapevine" for his audition, and judge Steven Tyler declared, "You survived the accident for a reason, and I'm going to tell you why -- you're going to Hollywood!"
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