Post by rockchiq234 on Aug 15, 2008 18:42:12 GMT 12
By MELISSA RUGGIERI
Music Critic
The screams said it all.
At 2:30 p.m. sharp, a shrill, collective squeal rose from the sidewalk outside the Verizon Center – a sound heard from INSIDE the building.
The "American Idol" tour buses had arrived.
Six weeks into its cross-country trek, with another month to go, this "Idol" tour has incited the same type of fan frenzy as its six predecessors.
At 7 tonight, the class of 2008 – Chikeze Eze, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, David Archuleta, Jason Castro, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado, Brooke White and winner David Cook – will perform to 10,000-plus fans who will go weak in the knees at the mention of any of their names.
But earlier today, five of the top 10 took some time to chat with a few reporters, round-robin style, upstairs in a Verizon Center clubhouse.
As is typical protocol for the "Idol" tours, the winner, for whatever reason, is never made available. But Cook was glimpsed getting ready for a fan meet-and-greet, looking handsome in a black suit and tie, seated behind a long table with his fellow "Idol"-ers...and a box of Pop-Tarts (the tour's ubiquitous sponsor).
The fivesome chosen to meet the press on Thursday were runner--up Archuleta, along with his best bud Castro and some ladies: White, Mercado and Malubay.
Unsurprisingly, they were exactly as they portrayed themselves on TV, though Archuleta, with his bright hazel eyes matching a T-shirt emblazoned with a peace sign, has improved tremendously in his conversational skills.
The easy-going Castro really is just a soft-spoken dude who seems to have found himself between the end of the "Idol" season and the beginning of the tour; Mercado is strikingly pretty, incredibly assured and just the tiniest bit self-absorbed; the teeny Malubay was refreshingly honest in her assessment of the "Idol" tour experience – she's totally over it; and White is friendly and gentle, with a firm handshake and an engaging smile.
Some highlights:
Archuleta is working on songs every chance he gets while on tour, though he doesn't expect any of his own compositions to make it to the release. Still, he's planning on pop songs similar to his current single, "Crush."
"There isn't time to really focus on what will really represent me – that takes time. So I'm just experimenting a lot. I won't limit myself," Archuleta said.
He's also learning about music history by studying radio charts – "I love charts!" he exclaimed with that cute grin that has melted millions of hearts.
Right now, because of his age, the 17-year-old is accompanied by his dad, Jeff, on tour, but Archuleta said his mom, Lupe, will probably swap in when the tour heads south, toward Florida, where she still has family.
"I'm stuck with that guy," he said, grinning and gesturing toward Castro as he bopped by, on his way to another reporter. "I do get along with him – as weird as he is!"
Archuleta, who visited the Washington Monument earlier Thursday, said he also hangs out with Kristy Lee Cook and White – whom he calls the most "motherly." But then added with another teddy bear smile, "Carly is like my mom in that she's bossy…but in a good way!"
A perfectly made-up Mercado – who said it usually takes about 10-20 minutes for the "Idol" makeup team to paint her face – said that even though some stories have suggested she isn't interested in Broadway, that isn't the case.
"I'm trying to stay away from the phrase, ‘I don't.' I would love to do Broadway if it fit into my schedule. I love theater. I grew up doing it, and on the show, once I got over the nerves, I was really able to let my background show through," she said, adding, "I want to keep my options open, though. Right now, my love is music. But I definitely want to do movies. I keep a journal and write songs so that when I do put out an album, I'm ready."
The engaged Mercado also said she and her fiancé have not yet set a wedding date.
Of all the Idols made available, the pint-sized Malubay was definitely the one feeling the strain of the tour's grueling schedule.
"I don't want to tour anymore," she said, flatly, when asked about her plans after the "Idol" run ends. "I want to do Disney – shows, movies, whatever. I'm trying to use my singing and my look. I turn 21 next month, but I look 15."
And she does, even with a chic slanted hairstyle and ebony-outlined eyes.
"I didn't want to try out for ‘Idol' – my dad made me. I'm still the same girl, but [the attention] is all so weird. I'm like, why do they want my autograph? When I'm signing for all these people, my new things has been initials – just a big 'R' and 'M."
Malubay's frustration with her newfound life in a bubble extends toward the paparazzi, too.
"I supposedly had 'scandalous' pictures of myself before the show. It was me and my friends basically doing this" – she sticks her tongue out and pulls at the front of her shirt in a mocking gesture – "And then when I'm out, TMZ comes up to me, like, 'Pose sexy for us.'"
She stops to half roll her eyes.
Maulbay also has a fragile relationship with fans. She appreciates them, sure, but not when they come stalking the Idols' hotel rooms.
"Look at my MySpace page. I wrote a blog about fans sitting outside my door."
Next comes Castro, whose arresting blue eyes twinkle as he talks about the guys' tour bus being "awesome" and the girls' looking "boring."
"But then, I've gotten kind of boring. I usually go back to the bunks and read now."
Castro said he's also become "a bit of an insomniac" and stayed up until 6 a.m. recently reading "The Kite Runner."
"I get all these books from fans and it's awesome," he said, beaming.
When asked about his friendship with Archuleta, his smile turns softer.
"He reminds me so much of myself when I was his age. I tell him that all the time and he gets freaked out because he doesn't want to be weird like me! But he's a good kid. I care about him a lot."
Shortly after his departure from "Idol," Castro expressed ambivalence about continuing with music. But, during rehearsals for this tour, he had a change of heart.
"For sure now, I am playing music. I always had a love/hate relationship with music. I love the travel and that you pretty much put your whole life into it, but at the same time, I have a passion for having a family and living in one place."
Speaking of, those pictures of Castro and his girlfriend in this week's Star magazine, allegedly buying engagement rings, isn't quite true, he said.
"I have a girlfriend who I am quite fond of," he said, "but we're not engaged."
White is the last of Thursday's group to come chat. She radiates sunshine as she slides into a chair, looks at the incoming clouds and lightning outside the Verizon Center and says, "Oooh, I love it! I'm so much about sunniness that this little bit of darkness is kinda cool!"
She's an affectionate sort – leaning in to answer questions, touching an arm to make her point – and said that she's grateful to be one of the older Idols (she's 25, but poised beyond her years).
"I look at David Archuleta and see how unaffected he is and I admire that so much. I think it was fairly obvious that ["Idol"] was an emotional experience for me. I just care so much about what I do and I'm passionate."
With the airtight "Idol" scheduled getting off track by a few minutes, White is whisked away to her next interview.
As she stands, her impossibly tiny waist and legs cannot be ignored.
"How do you stay so thin?" she's asked.
"Being on tour, stress, not having time to eat," she says while walking away. Then she pauses, turns and says with a giant smile, "Youth helps, too. But it won't last forever."
Music Critic
The screams said it all.
At 2:30 p.m. sharp, a shrill, collective squeal rose from the sidewalk outside the Verizon Center – a sound heard from INSIDE the building.
The "American Idol" tour buses had arrived.
Six weeks into its cross-country trek, with another month to go, this "Idol" tour has incited the same type of fan frenzy as its six predecessors.
At 7 tonight, the class of 2008 – Chikeze Eze, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, David Archuleta, Jason Castro, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado, Brooke White and winner David Cook – will perform to 10,000-plus fans who will go weak in the knees at the mention of any of their names.
But earlier today, five of the top 10 took some time to chat with a few reporters, round-robin style, upstairs in a Verizon Center clubhouse.
As is typical protocol for the "Idol" tours, the winner, for whatever reason, is never made available. But Cook was glimpsed getting ready for a fan meet-and-greet, looking handsome in a black suit and tie, seated behind a long table with his fellow "Idol"-ers...and a box of Pop-Tarts (the tour's ubiquitous sponsor).
The fivesome chosen to meet the press on Thursday were runner--up Archuleta, along with his best bud Castro and some ladies: White, Mercado and Malubay.
Unsurprisingly, they were exactly as they portrayed themselves on TV, though Archuleta, with his bright hazel eyes matching a T-shirt emblazoned with a peace sign, has improved tremendously in his conversational skills.
The easy-going Castro really is just a soft-spoken dude who seems to have found himself between the end of the "Idol" season and the beginning of the tour; Mercado is strikingly pretty, incredibly assured and just the tiniest bit self-absorbed; the teeny Malubay was refreshingly honest in her assessment of the "Idol" tour experience – she's totally over it; and White is friendly and gentle, with a firm handshake and an engaging smile.
Some highlights:
Archuleta is working on songs every chance he gets while on tour, though he doesn't expect any of his own compositions to make it to the release. Still, he's planning on pop songs similar to his current single, "Crush."
"There isn't time to really focus on what will really represent me – that takes time. So I'm just experimenting a lot. I won't limit myself," Archuleta said.
He's also learning about music history by studying radio charts – "I love charts!" he exclaimed with that cute grin that has melted millions of hearts.
Right now, because of his age, the 17-year-old is accompanied by his dad, Jeff, on tour, but Archuleta said his mom, Lupe, will probably swap in when the tour heads south, toward Florida, where she still has family.
"I'm stuck with that guy," he said, grinning and gesturing toward Castro as he bopped by, on his way to another reporter. "I do get along with him – as weird as he is!"
Archuleta, who visited the Washington Monument earlier Thursday, said he also hangs out with Kristy Lee Cook and White – whom he calls the most "motherly." But then added with another teddy bear smile, "Carly is like my mom in that she's bossy…but in a good way!"
A perfectly made-up Mercado – who said it usually takes about 10-20 minutes for the "Idol" makeup team to paint her face – said that even though some stories have suggested she isn't interested in Broadway, that isn't the case.
"I'm trying to stay away from the phrase, ‘I don't.' I would love to do Broadway if it fit into my schedule. I love theater. I grew up doing it, and on the show, once I got over the nerves, I was really able to let my background show through," she said, adding, "I want to keep my options open, though. Right now, my love is music. But I definitely want to do movies. I keep a journal and write songs so that when I do put out an album, I'm ready."
The engaged Mercado also said she and her fiancé have not yet set a wedding date.
Of all the Idols made available, the pint-sized Malubay was definitely the one feeling the strain of the tour's grueling schedule.
"I don't want to tour anymore," she said, flatly, when asked about her plans after the "Idol" run ends. "I want to do Disney – shows, movies, whatever. I'm trying to use my singing and my look. I turn 21 next month, but I look 15."
And she does, even with a chic slanted hairstyle and ebony-outlined eyes.
"I didn't want to try out for ‘Idol' – my dad made me. I'm still the same girl, but [the attention] is all so weird. I'm like, why do they want my autograph? When I'm signing for all these people, my new things has been initials – just a big 'R' and 'M."
Malubay's frustration with her newfound life in a bubble extends toward the paparazzi, too.
"I supposedly had 'scandalous' pictures of myself before the show. It was me and my friends basically doing this" – she sticks her tongue out and pulls at the front of her shirt in a mocking gesture – "And then when I'm out, TMZ comes up to me, like, 'Pose sexy for us.'"
She stops to half roll her eyes.
Maulbay also has a fragile relationship with fans. She appreciates them, sure, but not when they come stalking the Idols' hotel rooms.
"Look at my MySpace page. I wrote a blog about fans sitting outside my door."
Next comes Castro, whose arresting blue eyes twinkle as he talks about the guys' tour bus being "awesome" and the girls' looking "boring."
"But then, I've gotten kind of boring. I usually go back to the bunks and read now."
Castro said he's also become "a bit of an insomniac" and stayed up until 6 a.m. recently reading "The Kite Runner."
"I get all these books from fans and it's awesome," he said, beaming.
When asked about his friendship with Archuleta, his smile turns softer.
"He reminds me so much of myself when I was his age. I tell him that all the time and he gets freaked out because he doesn't want to be weird like me! But he's a good kid. I care about him a lot."
Shortly after his departure from "Idol," Castro expressed ambivalence about continuing with music. But, during rehearsals for this tour, he had a change of heart.
"For sure now, I am playing music. I always had a love/hate relationship with music. I love the travel and that you pretty much put your whole life into it, but at the same time, I have a passion for having a family and living in one place."
Speaking of, those pictures of Castro and his girlfriend in this week's Star magazine, allegedly buying engagement rings, isn't quite true, he said.
"I have a girlfriend who I am quite fond of," he said, "but we're not engaged."
White is the last of Thursday's group to come chat. She radiates sunshine as she slides into a chair, looks at the incoming clouds and lightning outside the Verizon Center and says, "Oooh, I love it! I'm so much about sunniness that this little bit of darkness is kinda cool!"
She's an affectionate sort – leaning in to answer questions, touching an arm to make her point – and said that she's grateful to be one of the older Idols (she's 25, but poised beyond her years).
"I look at David Archuleta and see how unaffected he is and I admire that so much. I think it was fairly obvious that ["Idol"] was an emotional experience for me. I just care so much about what I do and I'm passionate."
With the airtight "Idol" scheduled getting off track by a few minutes, White is whisked away to her next interview.
As she stands, her impossibly tiny waist and legs cannot be ignored.
"How do you stay so thin?" she's asked.
"Being on tour, stress, not having time to eat," she says while walking away. Then she pauses, turns and says with a giant smile, "Youth helps, too. But it won't last forever."
from here.