Ian Benardo
Background information
Born	November 29, 1980 (1980-11-29) (age 29) Bronx, New York, New York, USA
Occupations	internet phenomenon
Years active	2007-
Labels	Liza Productions
Associated acts	American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance?
Website	MySpace Profile Ian Benardo at the Internet Movie Database

Ian Benardo rose to prominence after his 2007 appearances on the popular US talent competition television shows American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance? as a contestant. He has also been widely publicized on shows such as Extra (TV series), Access Hollywood, and numerous other tabloid shows and magazines. He has also regularly appeared on Good Day New York for his outlandish and outspoken behavior. Videos of his television appearances have become widely available on the internet, popularizing Benardo as an internet phenomenon.^[1]

Contents 1 Biography 2 Talent show appearances 3 Discography 4 External links 5 References

[edit] Biography

Ian Benardo was born November 29, 1980 in the Riverdale section of Bronx, New York. He attended P.S. 24 and the LaGuardia High School for Music and Art. He studied at SUNY Geneseo and majored in Sociology in 1998. After one year he left and traveled to Israel where he resided part-time for the next six years. He holds dual American/Israeli citizenship.

[edit] Talent show appearances

Benardo's appearances on reality/talent contest television shows brought him to public attention. In both contests, Benardo was rejected at the first audition and had his performances harshly criticized by a British judge, each resulting in an angry confrontation. Benardo's act was characterized by his outspoken claims to superstardom^[2], his argumentative style, camp retorts and inventive use of language.^[3]

Benardo's first appearance was on So You Think You Can Dance? (season 2) in 2007, in which his dance entry was criticized by the judging panel. During the ensuing altercation, judge Nigel Lythgoe told him "you're wasting our time". He subsequently appeared as a contestant on American Idol (season 6). His performance of the song Gloria (popularized by Laura Branigan), was criticized by the judge Simon Cowell as "rubbish". During the confrontation, Benardo demanded to see Cowell's working visa and questioned his eligibility to work in the United States.^{[4] [5]} Video clips of both these television appearances are now widely available on the internet.^[1]

In spite of the criticisms of the judging panels, Benardo went on to release an EP, Gloria, which included cover versions of Branigan's platinum selling single, "Gloria", and the song "Better than you". Benardo also promotes himself via his own MySpace profile and personal website.

Following his talent show exposure, Benardo was interviewed on Larry King Live.^[6] He is currently the host of The Better and Bestest Show, and working on an upcoming television show entitled "Ian Benardo". He appears regularly on numerous radio stations throughout the country, and is a huge enthusiast of cult camp classics such as Bolero (1984 film) , The Lonely Lady, and Showgirls.

[edit] Discography

[edit] External links

• Ian Benardo at MySpace
• Ian Benardo's IMDB biography
• Audio samples of tracks from the EP "Gloria"

[edit] References