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From GayNZ.com International Daily News
American Idol judge Paula Abdul has spoken of her fight for the show's openly gay contestants to do well - and reveals she even helped George Michael during his pre-out days.
In an interview with gay website NowNowNext, Abdul says she "pushed" "and fought" for talented gay singers Danny Noriega and David Hernandez succeed in the show.
"I was being yelled at - we were going over time - because I fought so hard for Danny and David. And I stood my ground. I said, this kid is needed - especially Danny - because he is very open about being gay," she said.
"For a lot of people, the two most vulnerable places to be are in front of a mirror or behind a microphone - and both are areas of my life I've had great success. So I've watched people who are afraid of being who they are. Like with Danny Noriega, it was so important for television, for young kids to see: Here's a young guy, who's very smart, very witty and beyond talented, and I wanted so bad for him to go far in this competition. I needed him, I wanted him so bad to make the top 12."
Abdul also revealed that she has always been surrounded with "marvellous, wonderful gay people", and that she even helped George Michael in his pre-out days during his Faith tour.
"I was so understanding and so supportive of the fact that it's really difficult living a ... not living your life truthfully, for fear that people won't accept you," she explains.
"And it wasn't until years afterwards that he came out - and he had the courage to walk up to me when I was eating dinner with Mike Ovitz at the Ivy - and he came up to me and said, I want to apologize; you're one of the most talented people, and I treated you not so great. And that's because ... I was living a lie of who I was.
"And he gave me the biggest hug. And I said, for that my dear, I love you more than ever."
NowNowNext's full interview with Paula Abdul is on the link below. © Copyright GayNZ.com |
