Maddy Curtis, the 16-year-old from around here who became an “American Idol” contestant whom I have been blogging about was cut in the Hollywood round. Ironically, that happened the very day her initial Boston audition was aired, so that her acclaim began at the very time as her disappointment. Her mom blogs about the whole experience, emphasizing how God is using all of this:
Well now you dear friends know what we were not allowed to reveal for the last month: Maddy did not make it through the Hollywood rounds.
In fact, what was ironic was that she was being cut at precisely the time the Boston auditions were airing on January 12. While I think she would have kept her composure, the cameras and interviewers have a tendency to needle you until you lose it. . . .
Maddy stopped crying in the elevator. We went up to our room and watched the Boston auditions – which we hadn’t seen – on YouTube.
Maddy was brushing her teeth when there was a knock on our door and I peeped out the peep hole and saw a camera crew. We didn’t answer. Maddy went to sleep peacefully and I stayed up all night reading emails.
Around 2 am, a paper was slipped under our door with our flight information for the next morning. No one ever came to say goodbye – even the producers who had seemed to love Maddy. It was a cold and disconnected feeling, and yet we felt connected to a larger world as in LAX people recognized Maddy and said hello.
For unbelievers, it might be hard to understand the peace with which Maddy and I traveled home. We knew God had accomplished some amazing things – some which we would find out about and some which we would never know. As they continue to be revealed, I will continue to share with you. But even that night, we felt like she had accomplished something special.
I am very grateful to American Idol for representing our daughter so well – though the way they clipped her song made no sense at all. I will be posting the song “The Nearness of You” – which Maddy sang at her Haiti Benefit – in a few days on YouTube. She executed the Ella Fitzgerald classic flawlessly – but it just wasn’t what American Idol was looking for 🙂
Tripp and I could not be prouder of our little girl. The big question was “Will she audition again?” The answer from Maddy is “No.” What she discovered is that she did not like the cameras and lack of spontaneity. The stage has always been her first love. And her family is grateful that God gave her the opportunity to immediately focus on helping others through the Maddy Sings for Haiti Benefit she did last weekend.
Maddy is receiving invitations to speak and perform at pro-life events and True Love Waits. Having been given a chance in the spotlight, the true purpose of Maddy’s life and her gifts has been revealed. It shouldn’t be surprising that God can use the things of the world to accomplish His purposes.
And even if nothing else happened, what happened is enough. . . .
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