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St. Tammany Parish:
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Ponchatoula's Idol: Lindsey Cardinale |
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by Margaret Hawkins
If estimates are true, about 24-million people now know the name of Lindsey Cardinale.
Out of 6,000 hopefuls in the New Orleans area—and about 100,000 nationwide—the Ponchatoula contestant was one of the 190 selected locally to compete in Los Angeles for a spot on Fox Channel’s weekly TV show “American Idol.”
Lindsey persevered as the group was whittled to 90, then 24. Week after tension-filled week, her talent gave her a place in the next round until she was designated one of the 12 finalists on March 9. On March 16, Lindsey made her last appearance on “American Idol.” Tearfully, and with grace, she sang her final song, “Knock On Wood.”
Lindsey Cardinale is a seriously talented co-ed who attended Southeastern Louisiana University. She sings and plays guitar, drums and piano. Her Aunt Glenda, who kept things organized on the homefront while mom Agnes and Lindsey were away, describes her niece as “such a loveable child—old people, kids, everyone loves her. She’s really a good kid.”
Lindsey’s fame inspired a frenzy of activity and support. On the days that she was on the show, a Glenda-inspired “Lindsey Blitz” occurred in downtown Ponchatoula. Friends, relatives, members of the Wavette dance team from Ponchatoula High, and school choir members waved various banners and signs to remind locals to “Vote for Lindsey.”
Lindsey signs sprouted from homes in her neighborhood in the southern part of the parish, to the windows of Ponchatoula businesses, cars, trucks and yards, to a sign (and a political photo-op) at the parish courthouse, and north to storefronts in Britney Spears’ hometown, Kentwood. The sheriff and his wife sent Lindsey two dozen pink roses.
Check-out personnel at the local grocery stores reminded shoppers to vote for Lindsey. On show evenings, local restaurants turned on big-screen televisions and offerred specials to diners. One restaurant regularly had at least 125 patrons for the event.
The New Orleans Fox 8 affiliate station broadcast interviews from local gatherings, including the Cardinale home. The family’s two-car garage was transformed into a theatre for 50 or more people.
The interviews were emotional when Lindsey was named to the final 12. The tension for sister Lori Cardinale was visible each week. “She didn’t get cut!!” she exulted after one of Lindsey’s successful appearances. “It was real intense and intimidating to see her,” Lori said later. “We were anxious and excited, and relieved—at least temporarily.”
Although she will not be named the newest “American Idol” in May, Lindsey’s star power is growing. She was part of a group in California that did photo shoots, was interviewed, signed autographs and made commercials. Several Web sites, including the “American Idol” site and the Lindsey Cardinale fan site, feature photos and information about her. Aunt Glenda says, “I have no doubt that she’ll do fine. Being a professional singer has been a goal of hers all her life.”
Lindsey Cardinale has already achieved a portion of the childhood dream she once told her mother about —to see her name in lights. Just how many lights and how bright they are should keep us interested for quite some time.
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Copyright 2006, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved. |
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