Smokey Robinson says don’t expect the contestants on ‘American Idol’ to be pros

By John Katsilometes

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 | 5:10 p.m.

"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell can be a real snot when assessing young entertainers, but for harsh and unvarnished opinion, Frank Schiffman was about unmatched.

Schiffman was for decades the owner of Apollo Theater. In 1959, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles made their debut at the famous music hall. Schiffman was not pleased.

"Our first appearance at the Apollo Theater showed we were not ready," Robinson recalled during a backstage interview prior to Tuesday night's performance by Human Nature, in which the Aussie Motown tribute group began a new two-year run at a theater now named for them at Imperial Palace. "We thought we were ready, but the guy, Mr. (Frank) Schiffman, who owned the Apollo Theater — I'll never forget it, the first time we played there, he called (Motown founder) Barry Gordy and told him, 'I want my money back!' And I admit it, we were awful."

Robinson was answering a question about the wisdom of putting inferior talent on national TV, a question centered on the current batch of "American Idol" contestants. As I said to the legendary Motown vocalist, one can hit just about any lounge in Las Vegas and encounter singing superior to what's often trotted out for the well-prepped "Idol" judging panel.

Would Smokey Robinson & The Miracles been ready for national TV in the early days of their career?

"I don't know if I would have been ready, but I would have done it, because that was my goal," said Robinson, who appeared on the show last season for a duet of "You're the One for Me" with Joss Stone and has served as a mentor on the show. "The difference is, by the time we reached national TV we were professionals. These kids are amateurs, even though they have been doing it for a long time. They don't work at a club, and most of them start to hone themselves on the show after they get their critiques from the judges.

"But they are not professional entertainers. Not yet."

Robinson said his favorite "Idol" episodes are those documenting the audition process.

"Those who don't even make the show are still being seen by millions of people," he said. "This is the greatest platform in the history of music for young singers." Indeed, and it's a platform where even the most searing criticism doesn't lead to the threat of financial loss.

More from the vaunted I.P.

The accompanying video was recorded from last year. At the end, Smokey and the boys sing a little ... Mayor Oscar Goodman proclaimed Tuesday, "Human Nature Day" in Las Vegas. Human Nature member Toby Allen celebrated by getting a speeding ticket on his way to a media appearance. He joked that he should have mentioned to the officer issuing the citation that it was "Human Nature Day" in Las Vegas, but probably didn't realize that attempt would have been folly because he was pulled over in unincorporated Clark County. ... Rick Mazer, president of Harrah's Five-Hotel Cluster on the east side of the Strip that includes Imperial Palace, said he decided around January to offer Human Nature an extension and to rename the old Imperial Theater for the group. He praised former hotel president Don Marrandino for signing the band in the first place. "They were really an unknown group, but Don had a lot of faith in them and deserves credit for them being here," Mazer said. Having accepted a promotion in August to run Harrah's East Coast properties, Marrandino is said to be nose to the grindstone in Atlantic City, where the economic climate is even more challenging than in Las Vegas. ... God, when I am 70, please let me be as cool as Smokey Robinson. ... Adam Steck, founder of S.P.I. Entertainment, is on a hot streak. His client list now includes the affable Chumlee and the Harrison boys from "Pawn Stars." He also reps Clint Holmes, Louie Anderson, "The Mentalist" Gerry McCambridge, "Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas," and Amazing Johnathan. Steck recently turned 40 and is one of the rare men who look OK with a shaved head. ... Donning a bedazzled, full formal gown, Marino graced the post-show party. I must say, he looked relatively hot until Angelica Bridges walked in. ... Two of the city's more astute producers, Seth Yudof and Doug Leferovich of Masquerade Productions, deserve a nod for some of the show's most effective elements, including the concept of dressing the boys in black, and dropping a microphone from the ceiling for, "Tracks of My Tears." ... Imperial Palace — what's not to love? It still boasts one of the city's great parking garages, if by "great," you mean, "Most likely to remind you of Space Mountain at Disneyland." And Tuesday night the packed audience was reminded of the Great Vibrating Floor at the newly named Human Nature Theater. The unsteadiness of a floor that bounces during a show filled with pound-it-down choreography really adds to the experience. ... Suggestion for I.P.: Recruit a Lady Gaga for the Dealertainers lineup.

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