Citation :Katharine, Taylor speak up
Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks will vie for the Idol title next week on Fox.
She and Taylor Hicks gave phone press conferences Friday to talk about the finale of Fox's hit reality TV show. The two singers will go head-to-head on Tuesday, May 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT). "This finale is going to be awesome," promises Hicks.
Each contestant will perform three songs and there will be a special performance of Bad Day by Daniel Powter. A winner will be named Wednesday (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). On that show, Carrie Underwood, the reigning American Idol, will return to perform her hit single Don't Forget to Remember Me.
In their press conferences, the two finalists shed a little light on their feelings about their upcoming showdown, and spill a few secrets about themselves, too.
Highlights from Kat's press conference
•On the songs for the finale
"The cool thing is that this week we get to sing songs we've already sung on the show. I'm going to pick songs I can sing with full confidence, knowing the judges liked them in the past, just picking songs I know I can do well and the audience liked. At this point, I feel so much freer. It is still a competition, but we both have won, we both have record deals now. I just feel so grateful at this point that anything that happens, I don't think I'm going to take any steps backwards at this point."
•She was a big hit when she sang Over the Rainbow
"I think it's probably my favorite song that I've sung on the show now."
•The week that Chris Daughtry went home was not her best week
"Being able to go to Graceland was so fun, but I had a feeling, when I found out it was Elvis week, I thought oh jeez, I'm the only girl … and the judges had been hard on me. I felt a little defeated that week, in terms of my performances. I felt I couldn't get it right. .. I just thought I was going home. I was preparing myself. " And when Daughtry was announced: "It kind of made me feel pretty (expletive), to be honest. Then the next week, I fired back and I'm still here."
•As for the idea that she is too confident
"I think that's ridiculous to say — too confident? People don't realize that what they see on TV is all they see. I have never once gone, 'Oh, I'm going to win this thing.' I think the fact that I have not is why I'm still here. I think the people who get too confident, their fans don't vote as much… The judges have been really hard on me the last couple of weeks. ... It's anybody's game and I've always thought that from the beginning."
•Does it really matter if she wins?
"I've had a few people ask me that. Of course, you want to win. Definitely, I'd love to win. I think it depends on the person. Look at Clay Aiken. He's done really well for himself and he didn't win. I don't know if it really matters. When you're in the top two…. Taylor and I looked at each other and said, 'Oh my God it doesn't matter.'… I'm going to be obviously ecstatic if I win, but I will have nothing to complain about if I don't."
•Her lucky charm for the finale?
"I don't have any gimmicks. I don't have any silly things that I say. I guess I'm going to have a really hot dress and a nice pair of shoes and go out there and look fabulous and try to sing my best. Try to be as modest as I can possibly be."
•What does she say to people who thought she looked excited when Elliott Yamin was voted off this week, sending her to the finales?
"I didn't hear about that. But I figured that might be the case. It's an awkward thing. You're excited and in the top two, but someone's going home… It's a ridiculous notion to me that you can't be excited to be in the top two…I made it through! And it was such a close margin. And I apologize for looking happy, I guess."
•She has no secret method for relaxing before a show
"The rehearsal process — if I have a good rehearsal, I feel more confident. I'll be excited and nervous but usually being excited helps me stay calm."
•She missed Simon Cowell's praise of her Over the Rainbow rendition
"I didn't even totally hear what he said." Her father had to tell her. "You take it with a grain of salt… You're only as good as your last performance and then you have to focus on the next goal."
•Taylor is more relaxed on stage
"I think Taylor is really free on stage. If I get nervous, I clench up and I'm not as free and spontaneous, but I think that's something that Taylor's really good about doing. But we're both so different, it's going to depend on what America wants."
•What kind of album she'd like to make
"I was just having a meeting about that this morning. I've gotten (the best) response from people when I do simple melody kinds of things. I definitely want to put out a pop kind of album, have some bluesy sound to it, some soulful sounds. Like Joss Stone. And I love Norah Jones. I think it could be jazzy but also bluesy and contemporary, something that could be in the top 40."
•She would love to be in movies
"I would love to do film. Before American Idol, that's kind of what I was pursuing. I had an agent and I was going out for television and film every day like every other actress. Now it's cool but I have doors open — I'm hoping that doors will open for me. I took acting very seriously. I was going to school for theater, majoring in musical theater in college so obviously Broadway would be something I'd like to put on my resume some day."
And she says she "love to have" a career like Kelly Clarkson's.
•There's no time to worry about reviews
"I don't really look at anything… On American Idol, they keep us so busy that I don't really have time. I don't watch Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood because I don't have time. And that's a good thing. The minute you start believing your own press is the minute you get in trouble… And it makes you a little cuckoo, too."
•Do voters care about the judges comments?
"I think that they do. They obviously listen to what the judges have to say. But I think there comes a point when America doesn't listen to them as much. I think a lot of times, especially if you have a strong fan base, when the judges bash you, they vote more. American Idol is a total game. It's like a big game. Most of the time, I pretty much agree with the judges."
•How does she stay healthy?
"Toward the beginning we were always taking Airborne and all our vitamins. There was a point where the day after shows, my voice would be so tired and I'd have to go on vocal rest. But I think the adrenaline kicks in and your body gets used to that pattern of go-go-go. I did, this last week, lose my voice over the weekend. I came back with a full recovery and rested. It's all about pacing yourself and knowing when to shut up, and going to bed to get sleep when you can. You really have to put your talent first."
•What will she sing this week?
"I'm not allowed to say what I'm doing."
• Before Idol, she was trying to break into the business. She went to Boston Conservatory for about a year, but left because she met a manager who wanted her to try out for parts during the television pilot season in Los Angeles. She did a pilot and an independent film.
"If I had stayed I would have graduated last Saturday and look at what I would have missed."
•How does she stay in shape?
While her favorite past time is dance class, she says, "I haven't worked out in four months. I feel like I'm a big blob. I don't have any muscle in my body. I've definitely not been dieting. I'm an anti-dieter. I don't think it works. I've totally struggled with body weight. I was up and down with my weight. I'd get good feedback from bookers — we'd love to book her, but… it's a shame you have to be so skinny and so in shape. I met a dietitian before American Idol and she just taught me to eat normally and have peace with food. Now I just don't have any kind of emotional eating anymore. I still have weight on me. I'm still not what Hollywood wants — stick skinny. But I'm happy with food and able to eat and that's what women should be able to do — eat food and I don't think twice about it. After American Idol, I'd love to have a trainer who gets me to the gym two or three times a week because I surely don't do it on my own."
•What made you decide to try out for the show?
"It was like a phenomeonon. It was weird. I was in this pop-rock musical. I was in one, and went to another. While I was in these musicals I was auditioning for TV and film. … I was like an ensemble singer, doing back up and stuff. And people were saying, 'You should try out for American Idol'. So many people were telling me I should audition for American Idol that I auditioned for American Idol."
•She was confident about it
"I thought I can do this. I can make top 12. I can do this. I imagined it, but you don't really know that it can happen."
•The pressure gets to her at times
"In rehearsals, I'm a nervous wreck. …I have definitely crumbled over pressure. I've gone behind closed doors and cried. There were weeks when I would call my closest friend and I would cry, I just don't think I can do this any more. I would totally crumble. But the important thing is the show has to go on and you have to look like you have it all together. I definitely don't have it all together… If you feel good about yourself and what you do, it doesn't matter what people say."
•Favorite nosh foods?
"Hmm, let's see. I don't know. … Chips can always make me feel really good. Bagels and cream cheese. I'm not a sweet person as much as I used to be. Sweets used to control my life — Oh my God, a piece of cake. .. I definitely like chips."
•The schedule between now and Tuesday?
"I don't even really know the schedule. I thought it was going to be way more crazy.
Today, doing phone interviews and I had a meeting with a management company. … I think just rehearsals and stuff and Taylor and I have to go do a Ford commercial on Sunday — oh, Taylor just gave me a kiss. The schedule is different. This week it's a little different. It's kind of fun. You can sense that it's almost over. The schedule is definitely changing."
Highlights from Taylor's press conference
Taylor Hicks talks about his love of the road and his life before Idol. He was in New Orleans the night before Hurricane Katrina hit and wound up evacuating before the storm with a ticket to Las Vegas, not home to Birmingham, Ala. That's where he auditioned for Idol.
•What happened to his harmonica?
"It's a singing competition. That's what I was told. It's a singing compeition. … I love to play guitar and harmonica. I'm going to aactually be able to play some guitar and harmonica when the contest is over. There might be a harmonica solo or two in the finale."
•Can he describe his dancing?
"Connecting with the lyrics and melody of the music. Connecting with the lyrics and really feeling. Each song you want to try to live the song as much as possible. Doing that, if you really get into a song people will be able to feel what you're talking about."
•What are his opponent's strengths?
"She has amazing vocal runs. She's had some great moments on the show. It's so cool to see somebody that talented with that amazing vocal talent. I'm a fan."
•Can he be marketed for mainstream fans?
"I'm a musician and I'm going to be a musician and soul singer for the rest of my life. In this business, I've been denied many times. That's something that has interested me. Mainstream music is an interesting beast. If I play a part of that in the next year or so, fine. But somebody will be seeing me be funky somewhere."
•The race is tight
"It's going to be a very close race to the finish line. We'll just have to see what happens."
•Craziest proposition from a female fan?
"I got a couple of pictures, I think they were sisters and they had Soul Patrol and my picture tattooed on their necks. Those might be my two biggest soul patrollers."
•What is his dream woman like?
"Funny! Entertaining. Um, obviously easy on the eyes and can cook turnip greens."
•He used to be a lean basketball player in high school. Now?
"The diet in the South is completely different from the diet in California. Being out here and being in this competition and being in this process, has allowed me to be more health conscious. I plan on keep shedding the pounds and looking leaner and meaner. I don't know if I can get to my high school basketball weight, but we'll see what happens."
•Before Idol, how often was he performing?
"Eight nights a week. You have to really love music. I think I've been dancing and singing ever since I was 3. I caught the bug when I was 12. At 17 or 18 I had some wings I got to spread and I just started playing guitar. It's an affection for the music.
I would play high school baskeball and then sneak into local clubs to play harmonica."
•A good luck charm?
"My harmonica is a good luck charm. Sometimes when I'm moving around on stage a lot I don't have it with me because it hurts in my pocket. But yeah, I keep it around. Before American Idol I was playing a lot of music and it's kind of my instrument of choice. "
•You seem laidback. Are you really?
"I do have a laidback nature, but you have to be a go-getter in this business. You can't let opportunities pass you by and if they don't come to you, you have to go to them. That's my mindset as far as being an entertainer is concerned."
•What is he looking forward to most about the tour?
"The bus."
Having a tour bus was something he dreamed of as he traveled around playing clubs before Idol. After his run with Idol is over, he plans to continue pursuing that dream.
"I'll probably live on my tour bus… I might have some little lake place somewhere where I can sit on a porch and stare at some trees and water. But as far as what I've always wanted to do — is be on a bus. My home has been the road, even before American Idol. My Birmingham apartment has been there, but I've been only there for a few days and I'm on the road. A tour bus with some good cold iceberg lettuce, that's where I'll stay."
•Was his family surprised that he tried out for the show?
"When I told my dad I'm trying out for American Idol, he said, 'Why don't you just go buy a lottery ticket?'"
•What is the Soul Patrol?
"I just believe in the soul of music. It could be rap, hip hop, it could be anything. As long as it can translate a feeling — that's kind of where I come from in music. The Soul Patrol has got so many different meanings and yet it's just an idea of having more soul and depth."
It's also the name of his fans.
"They're a great bunch of fans. It just kind of fit from the beginning. There are so many things I'm looking forward to doing post-American Idol tour. I've got some really cool ideas for the Soul Patrol and the theme of Soul Patrol when I tour."
•What will his album be like?
"It's just going to have to be a really good representation of who I am as an arist. There's going to be something I've never been able to do creatively, before American Idol, and possibly a little bit cutting edge. There are some things in my mind I think would be cutting-edge music. I'm about creating a good piece of artwork."
•What can he say about the finale?
"This finale is going to be awesome. There are so many things that are going to happen with me that I just can't share with you. I wish I could. There are going to be so many moments with me and Katharine. It's going to be a unique finale."
•And his advice to contestants next season?
"Sleep a lot. You're going to need it."
Posted 5/19/2006 4:20 PM ET
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