One of my early top 36 favorites on season 8 of American Idol was Jackie Tohn, the retro-fabulous fashionista with a penchant for butterfly-patterned sexy-secretary blouses, Members Only jackets, and sequined fanny-packs. So awesome.
Oh--and she could sing, too. She was a package artist, as Kara DioGuardi would say.
Alas, Jackie only got to perform on the Idol stage one night, and one night only. She was the first of all 36 to sing in the semi-finals, and she made quite an impression--on ME, at least--prancing out like Sandy-gone-wild in the final scene of Grease, gussied up in skintight spandex pants and a polka-dot tubetop (PLUS a calculator watch!). And her rendition of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" happily reminded me of the lovable goofiness of Jon Peter Lewis's performance of that same tune in season 3. (Jackie even lapsed into a New Jersey Coffee Tawk accent at one point.)
I loved it, and I wanted a little more of "A Little Less Conversation," frankly. But sadly, the public did not: Jackie was not voted through to the top 13, and for some reason the judges didn't even elect to bring her back for the wild card round. Sigh.
But now I am delighted to report that Miss Personality is back! Jackie Tohn's new song "Beguiling" is aptly titled, as it is wondrously quirky and goofy without ever being annoying. I still idolize Jackie, and I'm hoping fab, fun tunes like this one eventually land her a record deal: