Asia'h, Kady, Luke and Danny: Idol Castoffs Sound Off
Danny Noriega and Kady Malloy by Frank Micelotta/Fox
They came close, but received no cigar. TV Guide caught up the four
American Idol hopefuls that didn't make the Top 12. Read on to see who believes she may have won by losing, who plans to make like a male Tyra Banks, and who finds Simon's nastiness rather unnecessary. -
Carita Rizzo
Asia'h Epperson
"On Wednesday, when they said, 'You're [singing] first,' I called my mom and said, 'I think this is going to be the last time I'm performing.' Knowing the strategy that goes into it - and it's 100 percent strategy - I figured that it was just too much, too quick. If I'm in the audience, [a performance of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody"] is just hitting you over the head. But everything happens for a reason, and clearly God just has a bigger and better plan for me. I believe this was a great stepping stone for me, this is what I needed, and that's it."
Kady Malloy
"Let me put it this way - it's a TV show. It's hard [to take criticism] in front of so many people but when Simon said that I was like
Night of the Living Dead, I thought, 'You know what, that's just an insult, that's not criticism.' I don't think that was necessary, but then again it's a TV show and it's good TV."
Luke Menard
"I don't think anyone will ever be able to understand under how much pressure is on you when you step on that stage sing for [tens of millions of] people, live. You feel like all the eyes of the world are watching you, and they're just waiting for one little tiny mistake. And as soon as you make that mistake the world jumps on it. I have to admit, though, I did love that challenge. It's something you really can't get anywhere else except on
American Idol."
Danny Noriega
"I definitely want to get into TV. I want to do some singing here and there but I'd like to have a little show of my own, like Tyra Banks but with a different haircut. That'd be really neat."
What's your take? Do Simon's critiques indeed sometimes cross over into personal attacks? Is Danny ready for prime time? Is Asia'h destined for bigger and better things?
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