Munfarid Zaidi, American Idol's Class Act

American Idol 13 started this season with a bang when Munfarid Zaidi showed up to audition in Austin. A premed student at The University of Texas at Austin, Munfarid straight away began with professing his admiration for new, yet lesser known judge, Harry Connick Jr. This, however, was just one of many ways in which Munfarid Zaidi has proven that he is a class act.

Harry, having had to play third fiddle to J. Lo and Keith's popularity up to that point, welcomed the kid's adulation and returned the favor by scooping Munfarid up into the air with his brawny arms and then twirling him around to the utter amusement of all who bore witness.

Harry won accolades as AI's new judge with the season's premiere which, of course, concluded with Zaidi's audition. However, Munfarid's go-with-the-flow inclination played a huge part in what has to go down as one of Idol's best audition moments.

While he caught the judges' attention from the start, who could  have been prepared to hear him belt out jazz vocals? Whether his style was understood or not, his musical depth was unmistakably revealed. However, he made his audition epic with his clutch improv decision to sing "No One" while his head was buried in Harry's shoulder.

Unfortunately, no commentary from the judges is available to document why they gave him the golden ticket. Viewers can only infer from the judges' interactions that they were, at least, highly entertained. However, a look at his American Idol "Road to Hollywood" interview provides plenty of insight into Munfarid's background and what makes him a class act.

In his interview, he relates that he is from Sugarland, Texas. However, he has also spent part of his childhood in Virginia. This may partly explain his exposure to jazz as "Queen of Jazz" Ella Fitzgerald was born there.

"Ella Fitzgerald is definitely one of my big musical inspirations," he relates in the American Idol's "Road to Hollywood" video interview.

Even before his time in Virginia, we know that he was born in "Lahore, Pakistan" as Harry was especially keen to point out how Munfarid can do both an American and a Pakistani accent perfectly. In his interview, Munfarid points out that he began singing as a young boy while "back in the slums of Pakistan." This young man is compelling in so many clutch ways.

For one, he is one of the few contestants who does not want to sing for a living. He says he only showed up for Idol auditions "because my parents forced me to go." His real passion, he says, is medicine.

"I was sure that I was gonna go into medicine. I still am studying at UT to be a doctor, but my parents thought that music was such a big part of my life, they didn't want me to just not go 'cause I thought that I should only go in one direction [and] not have all the doors open to me."

"They said any door is presented to you [in] life - at least open it and see."

His life experience is what puts the "American" in American Idol. Starting off in the slums of Pakistan, his family is able to come to America, educate their children, and ultimately offer them the luxury of choice. Furthermore, the irony is not lost on those of us who hail from the Indian sub-continent. That is, a South Asian dad is actually persuading his son away from medicine and enticing him towards the entertainment biz instead. How utterly uncanny!

Perhaps the best part of his interview is when he humbly describes his audition experience.

"Oh man! I thought I would just walk in [and] sing. They would tell me... 'We like you a little bit, but like, uh, you gotta work on your technique... Find your style, find your stage presence.'

However, he was fortunately surprised to find that none of his fears were realized. Rather, he found himself in the comfort of Harry's cradling arms instead!

"It was the best," he beams, "I'm never gonna forget that happening!"

Certainly, many fans will also not forget that happening either.

He went on to Hollywood Week where he, incidentally left his "mark" on the audience and fans with his unique and creative rendition of "Proud Mary." Again, no judge commentary is shown - only brief shots of Idol judges, Harry, Keith and Jennifer laughing almost hysterically. Still, the crowd shout-outs are unmistakable. He had them riled up with his carefree swag.

It was in group rounds, however, when AI editors finally decided to show a more serious side to his persona. They show him sticking up for group mate Sikenya when Harry is about to grill her over her decision to announce that she is sick. A closer look at his brief time on stage in group auditions, and you will notice that he is smiling and upbeat as he looks to Sikenya when Keith and Jennifer show her their support.  He is a class act whether Harry agrees with his choice to defend Sikenya or not.

American Idol has chosen not to show any other footage of Munfarid, so viewers have no idea what the judges think of his singing capability and why he was not included in the Top 31. Fans are left to speculate without closure.

Despite American Idol's elusive and baffling approach, Munfarid Zaidi has still managed to leave a positive impression on American Idol and its fans that will surely endure. American Idol was so fortunate this season to have been handed a class act like Munfarid Zaidi.

by Fatema Biviji

Sources

American Idol

Marriage Study: Wives Clutch in Extinguishing Blaze of Divorce

According to a UC Berkeley study, it is not so much the husbands - rather it is wives who are clutch in determining if a marriage endures or not. How so? The study found that marriages where wives were able to "calm" marital conflicts had better chances of surviving till the end.

The study began back in 1989 when the divorce rate had reached close to 50%. UC Berkeley psychology professor Bob Levenson was curious to find out why some marriages persisted on even after the honeymoon phase and baby blues. In particular, what got them through the 15-year hump after which the divorce rate went down drastically?

Essentially he found that, over time, couples found a way to value each other. They stopped trying to change each other and, instead, became proud of their significant others' achievements.

"These weren't couples that were always blissfully happy," he said of the couples that found a way to stay together. 

After hiring a research company, he identified the demographic of married couples most likely to stick it out. That is, couples in their forties staying wed for 15 years or more and couples in their sixties wed for three decades plus. After recruiting 78 married pairs in each category, he followed them for 25 years. Every five years, the couples would come in to fill questionnaires about how the marriage was going.

They would also be hooked up to machines during a 90-minute conversation. As they would be asked to resolve conflicts, their physiological responses like pulse, heart rate and even sweat were being monitored.

The study revealed that if the wife could calm down quickly after the argument, the marriage consequently had a better chance to survive. The husband's emotional control in an argument had little or no bearing on overall marriage satisfaction.

So basically, the results suggest that a woman's ability to cool down after a heated exchange is what determines marital bliss.

I have to digress at this point and mention a super clutch detail from another story in the news about depression. Apparently, boys' saliva can now be tested to determine whether they have high cortisol levels. High cortisol level indicates a potential to get major depression in the future. However, girls cannot be tested the same way because their cortisol levels are already so high. Cannot help but remember  - Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.

Getting back to Levenson's study, another striking find of his research was the DNA findings. Researchers found that people inherit genes that can make them more sensitive to the general ups and downs of life and, in this case, marriage. How the body regulates seratonin or the hormone responsible for happy feelings can depend on genetics.

While the most common cause given for failed marriage is "irreconcilable differences," this study offers some additional insight into what makes or breaks a marriage. After examining the notably clutch details, the answer appears to be - the woman.

Sources

SF Gate
CBS News

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