Tamburri,
of Warminster, was one of the finalists in the Rosemore Pub's karaoke contest
this spring."I knew Justin would take the whole thing," Tamburri said.
He was right.
Guarini, 23, singing "Ribbon in the Sky" by Stevie Wonder, won the Warminster pub's karaoke contest and a trip for two to Las Vegas. Guarini has been a regular at karaoke nights for two years.
Nobody at the Rosemore Pub has any doubt that Guarini, a Doylestown Township resident, will also win "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar."
"He's got an enormous amount of talent. It's a great gift he's got," said Ike, the host of Rosemore's Tuesday night karaoke. "He's the best karaoke singer I have ever heard."
A group of about 20 regular karaoke singers comes to the pub every Tuesday night to sing, and as of recently, watch their guy.
"I knew Justin would do something bigger than (karaoke at the Rosemore)," Tamburri said. "I'm excited for him. It's neat to see someone who is so nice make it."
Ike said Guarini always talked about making music his career.
"I didn't know he made it onto "American Idol" until he called me from California to say he wouldn't be able to make it to Las Vegas," Ike said.
The karaoke host keeps people coming up to the mike to belt out tunes until it's Guarini's turn to sing on "American Idol."
Tuesday, the bar went silent as the 1997 Central Bucks East graduate took the stage to sing "The Look of Love," first recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1967. All five contestants sang Burt Bacherach songs.
Guarini and Kelly Clarkson of Texas, Tamyra Gray of Maryland, R.J. Helton of Georgia and Nikki McKibbin of Texas are the remaining contestants. The field of competitors will be narrowed to two for the Sept. 4 finale.
Judge Randy Jackson said Guarini's performance didn't challenge him vocally. Simon Cowell, often the most harsh of the three judges, said it was "OK."
"I'll take that as better than bad," Guarini replied.
"He looked good tonight," said Jack Eyth of Warminster, who used to play softball with Jerry Guarini, Justin's dad.
Brian Franklin of Buckingham, a karaoke regular, felt the curly-haired contestant has given better performances.
"He sounds just like Elton John," said bartender John "Tuck" Tucker. "The first time I heard him sing here, I knew he'd win our contest."
Guarini often sang Elton John and Stevie Wonder songs, Ike said. Though Guarini has said Michael Jackson is his favorite artist, Ike does not recall him singing any of his tunes.
When Guarini was not singing, he'd play pool or video golf games with his buddies, Ike said.