Moment in spotlight long enough
Siouxlander 'blessed' despite being voted off TV's 'Talent'
By Molly Montag Journal staff writer | Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008
SIOUX CITY -- Siouxland's most recent television personality says she feels blessed to have had the chance, however fleeting, to sing before a national audience.
Suzy Turnquist, 40, of Sioux City, sang "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia" on Tuesday's episode of "America's Got Talent." The show, which airs weekly on NBC, features a wide variety of performers.
She spent Wednesday fielding several calls and e-mails from friends, whom Turnquist said were excited for her moment on the national stage, despite the fact she didn't advance in the competition.
The Morningside College music department office employee had the support of judge Sharon Osbourne, but judges David Hasselhoff and Piers Morgan essentially voted her off the show. Turnquist said that's fine with her.
"I just think it was a really incredible experience," she said. "I'm really glad I did it, and it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of things you're blessed with."
Turnquist is no stranger to the stage, having performed locally in Sioux City Community Theatre and Lamb Productions Theatre productions.
Her daughters, 10-year-old Jami and 14-year-old Jessica, encouraged their mother to try out for the show.
Jami Turnquist said she thought her mom singing on the show would be cool. She gave the performance a thumbs up.
"I was proud of her," she said.
After submitting her audition to "America's Got Talent" last fall through Internet networking site MySpace.com, Turnquist was invited in March to perform a live audition at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas.
There, she spent five hours sequestered in a room with other contestants before being taken to the stage.
They were a diverse group, including characters such as a line dancer from Nashville, Tenn., and a rabbi who sang an a cappella version of a Celine Dion song.
The preperformance seclusion, inability to practice on the stage and the thought of singing before a large audience in the theater and millions of television watchers had Turnquist nervous but excited.
"It was so cool because I'd never performed for 1,500 people before," Turnquist said. "Granted, I was scared to death."
Although she didn't advance to the next round of competition in Las Vegas, Turnquist said the only unfavorable aspect of the competition was the clip showing a booing audience while she was singing. That wasn't the case, she said.
Although the audience did boo a boy group off the stage right before her, Turnquist said, people were clapping and enthusiastic when she sang.
"I had the crowd rocking," Turnquist said. "I had them clapping, I had them on their feet and (the show's producers) showed them as booing me."
She said she wasn't upset about the alleged misrepresentation.
"It's just all about TV," Turnquist said. "It's about making good TV."
Suzy Turnquist, 40, of Sioux City, sang "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia" on Tuesday's episode of "America's Got Talent." The show, which airs weekly on NBC, features a wide variety of performers.
She spent Wednesday fielding several calls and e-mails from friends, whom Turnquist said were excited for her moment on the national stage, despite the fact she didn't advance in the competition.
The Morningside College music department office employee had the support of judge Sharon Osbourne, but judges David Hasselhoff and Piers Morgan essentially voted her off the show. Turnquist said that's fine with her.
"I just think it was a really incredible experience," she said. "I'm really glad I did it, and it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of things you're blessed with."
Turnquist is no stranger to the stage, having performed locally in Sioux City Community Theatre and Lamb Productions Theatre productions.
Her daughters, 10-year-old Jami and 14-year-old Jessica, encouraged their mother to try out for the show.
Jami Turnquist said she thought her mom singing on the show would be cool. She gave the performance a thumbs up.
"I was proud of her," she said.
After submitting her audition to "America's Got Talent" last fall through Internet networking site MySpace.com, Turnquist was invited in March to perform a live audition at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas.
There, she spent five hours sequestered in a room with other contestants before being taken to the stage.
They were a diverse group, including characters such as a line dancer from Nashville, Tenn., and a rabbi who sang an a cappella version of a Celine Dion song.
The preperformance seclusion, inability to practice on the stage and the thought of singing before a large audience in the theater and millions of television watchers had Turnquist nervous but excited.
"It was so cool because I'd never performed for 1,500 people before," Turnquist said. "Granted, I was scared to death."
Although she didn't advance to the next round of competition in Las Vegas, Turnquist said the only unfavorable aspect of the competition was the clip showing a booing audience while she was singing. That wasn't the case, she said.
Although the audience did boo a boy group off the stage right before her, Turnquist said, people were clapping and enthusiastic when she sang.
"I had the crowd rocking," Turnquist said. "I had them clapping, I had them on their feet and (the show's producers) showed them as booing me."
She said she wasn't upset about the alleged misrepresentation.
"It's just all about TV," Turnquist said. "It's about making good TV."
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