Portland’s Michael Odokara-Okigbo admitted on national TV Monday night that he couldn’t really relate to the song he and his college a cappella group – The Dartmouth Aires – were about to sing.
That’s a good thing, since the song was the poppy ’80s hit “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield, which is about coveting your best friend’s girl . . .
Additional Photos
“In the Aires, this is something that would never happen,” Odokara-Okigbo said on NBC’s “The Sing-Off.”
Still, Odokara-Okigbo and his 15 singing mates were believable enough to convince the judges to let them advance to the next episode.
The group is now one of eight left – out of 16 at the season’s start – vying for the grand prize of $200,000 in cash and a Sony Music recording contract.
“Sing-Off’’ will continue to air weekly until the winner is announced Nov. 28.
Monday’s episode was one of the first in which Odokara-Okigbo did not sing lead. Instead, group mate Brendan Lynch-Salamon sang lead and Odokara-Okigbo took a supporting role.
The three judges weren’t quite as complimentary of the group as they have been on previous episodes, though they all thought the performance was good.
“Great energy, but it was not quite grooving, “ said judge Ben Folds.
“It was very entertaining, but I thought a little bit of the low range was lacking,” said another judge, Shawn Stockman of the R&B group Boyz II Men.
The next time Odokara-Okigbo and The Dartmouth Aires will perform on the show will be next Monday.
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at: rrouthier@pressherald.com
‘E! News’ anchor reveals cancer
NEW YORK — “E! News” co-host Giuliana Rancic says she is in the early stages of breast cancer.
She made the announcement Monday on NBC’s “Today” show.
Rancic, 37, said the cancer was discovered during a mammogram while she was undergoing a third round of in-vitro fertilization in an effort to get pregnant.
Rancic said she will have surgery this week, followed by six and a half weeks of radiation therapy.
Early McCartney missive offers Beatles audition
LONDON — A newly discovered letter found folded in a book at a Liverpool yard sale has shed new light on the Beatles’ early days, revealing that Paul McCartney offered an audition to a mystery drummer in 1960, just a few days before the band left for a formative two-month gig in Hamburg, Germany.
The letter, to be auctioned next month by Christie’s, was written two years before the band bounced drummer Pete Best in favor of Ringo Starr, who arrived just in time to help the Beatles conquer first England and then the world.
The Aug. 12, 1960, letter, handwritten by McCartney, offers an audition to someone who had advertised their availability in an unsigned ad in the Liverpool Echo.
“Expenses paid 18 pounds per week (approx) for two months,” McCartney writes. “If interested ring Jacaranda club.”
The letter is signed, “Yours sincerely, Paul McCartney of the BEATLES.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.