'Hairspray' star remembers singing for the dead in episode premiering Saturday at 11 a.m.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Nikki Blonsky appears on "When I Was 17"
Photo: MTV News
When "Hairspray" star Nikki Blonsky was an aspiring entertainer, nothing could stop her from getting seen — not even death.
Due to her willingness to show off her pipes at any occasion in her hometown of Great Neck, New York, the budding starlet gained a reputation as the go-to gal for the town's entertainment needs, even for dearly departed residents.
"I was known as, like, the town singer. If anyone needed me to sing like ... for the Veterans Day parade, I was there. I was also the girl that was known for singing at funerals," she says in the latest episode of "When I Was 17," which also features stories from Nigel Barker and Angelina from "Jersey Shore." "I was always under the impression, like, 'Well, you never know where you can get noticed.' So I spent a lot of my weekends at funerals."
"It was cool that Nikki could go out and make a sad situation happier," her brother Joey observes.
The "Huge" star recalls one occasion where subpar audio equipment forced Blonsky to deliver an exceptionally loud performance to mourners.
"This one funeral, the mic was just broken. So I just had to sing extra loud as they were, like, proceeding out with the coffin," Blonsky recalls. "I'm trying to belt out 'Ave Maria,' which is such a beautiful song, it's supposed to be so delicate, and I'm singing it like I'm in Giants Stadium so everybody in the back row can hear me."
Blonsky weathered the audio snafu because, ultimately, it was all about giving the deceased a respectful sendoff.
"I wanted the person to have a nice goodbye," she says.
"When I Was 17" — this week featuring "Jersey Shore" star Angelina, Nikki Blonsky and Nigel Barker — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV
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