Thursday, September 15, 2005
Fans gathered at city arena lament Goudie's Idol loss
By CORY HURLEY
CORNER BROOK - A deafening silence fell over what was a packed stadium of �rowdy� Rex Goudie fans.
Ben Mulroney announced Melissa O�Neil of Calgary as the next Canadian Idol and two hours of anticipation from thousands of people at the Pepsi Centre turned to shock.
The thousands of fans, waving their posters of Sexy Rexy and countless other plays on words, erupted every time Goudie�s face appeared on the big screens or somebody mentioned his name throughout the two-hour finale. Host MariAnna Bachynsky prepped the crowd to rock the Pepsi Centre during the two live feeds from Toronto, but the audience came ready to holler from the get-go.
Nearly two hours into the show, everybody in the arena stood in anticipation of the crowning of the 2005 Canadian Idol and hoped the Burlington-native would capture the title. Women, men and children stood, awaiting the results of the viewers' votes the night before. The announcement came and the envisioned hoopla surrounding Newfoundland�s first Canadian Idol didn�t come.
People stood in disbelief, wondering if there was some mistake. At the same time, the two idol finalists in Toronto stood motionless on the stage with their heads hung on the big screen. After Goudie raised O�Neil�s hand in the air and hugged her tight with congratulations, most everybody in the Pepsi Centre applauded � perhaps realizing O�Neil was a deserving winner or perhaps realizing that Goudie controls his own destiny now as the runner up. Then they filed for the exits.
More than 200 people from Burlington and the neighbouring towns of Smith�s Harbour and Middle Arm came to Corner Brook aboard four school buses and a DRL bus. Among those who made the trip were perhaps Goudie�s biggest fans � his grandparents Roy and Lillian Goudie.
�I�m very, very proud of him,� Lillian told The Western Star after the show. �Of course, I�m a little disappointed, but he is a winner in my eye anyway. He will go far anyway and I�m still proud of him.�
Lillian said her grandson�s performances on the hit television show were special, even for his closest friends and family. While most of the Goudie family were assembled for the live show in Toronto, she said attending the screening at the Pepsi Centre was a privilege.
�This was amazing, overwhelming,� she said. �All these people watching Rex on the big screen. I never thought I�d ever see that.�
The young women gathered in front who made the trip from the Baie Verte Peninsula could be seen wiping tears from their eyes after the show, knowing the three-hour bus ride will seem that much longer after the dreaded outcome.
The local fans were also devastated by the news.
Teah Wiseman of Deer Lake, who came to Corner Brook with a group of her teenage friends for the results show Wednesday night, was brought to tears.
�I thought it should have went to Rex,� Wiseman said. �It was totally wrong. But, he�s our idol, Newfoundland�s idol for sure. He�s my idol, I can tell you that.
�I watched the show right from Day One. I voted two hours every night. I would only get through a couple of times, but I never stopped.�
Goudie�s best friend, Erin Broderick of Baie Verte said he has nothing to hang his head about.
�I always knew he was good. I could sit down for hours and listen to him play. Everywhere we went, I would tell him to take his guitar because I knew he was going to do this.�
She said Goudie auditioned for Canadian Idol to prove to himself he could do it, especially after an attempt to make it on another music competition, Pop Star, didn�t go as well. She said the Goudie Canada has seen over the past few months is the real deal and he will never change, no matter how far he goes in the music industry.
�That�s him right there,� she said. �He�s not going to try to be someone else he�s not. He just won�t do it. He�s an amazing person. He�s always out to help anybody and he�s the best friend you could ever possibly have.�
The Rexcited Committee in Burlington expressed similar feelings toward their home-town idol. They said plans are already underway for a welcome home celebration as soon as the man who �put Burlington on the map� returns.
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