TV Guide Exclusive! Inside Idol's Top 12 Party
Finalists David and Kristy Lee Cook by Kevin Winter/Fox
As the sun set Thursday on Los Angeles, it left behind a streaky pink sky... and only 12 wannabe Idols remaining. While the contestants heard the vote counts and left the stage, TV Guide's Top 12 party was getting under way at a rooftop venue. Inside the event, cameras queued up, lights were bright, and publicists, crew members and press buzzed about, eyeing congratulatory cupcakes adorned with each singer's photo.
Suddenly, the contestants burst into the room, cameras started snapping and the party had officially begun. The mood was exuberant, the energy electric. TVGuide.com was there to congratulate the contestants, find out what they loved best and feared most about the show - plus, of course, share some laughs and cake with the new top dogs of the season.
I caught up with a few of them between their on-camera time and photo sessions, plus I got some observations from the party pros on how this group handled the new, and very bright, spotlight.
On the "Fear Factor":
For
Kristy Lee Cook, Thursday's show was a heart-stopper. "It was just me and Asia'h left," she said, "and they were like, 'And we'll tell you... right after the break!' I was like, 'Ugh. Are you
kidding me?!'"
David Cook, meanwhile, thought he got off easy, but didn't deny the toll of the stress. "I lucked out. They let me go first," he said, then adding: "[Fear and stress are] an inevitable part of this whole experience, and I'm surprised that I haven't lost 200 of the 185-pound frame that I'm carrying."
In contrast, fellow Top 12er
Syesha Mercado had her most nerve-racking moments at the
start of the contest. "My first three performances I was super, super nervous," she confided. "My family and friends who know my voice could tell, my nerves kind of came through on my performances. But the best thing to do is leave those performances in the past, and move onto the next one."
On Being Newly Minted Celebs:
The singers were undeniably ebullient, milling around with perma-grins amidst the throngs of cameras, reporters, PR people and ad hoc interviews going on simultaneously. But getting them to warm up for the camera wasn't as easy as getting them to the
Idol microphone. One of the photogs on hand described how some of the crooners took to her lens like they were born to do it, while others needed a little cajoling (or even a cupcake).
David Archuleta, who comes off as "shy" and so gentle that, according to one source, it's like he "wears angel wings," was so darn excited he couldn't bring himself to frown for the camera, even in jest. Finally he resorted to just pulling down the corners of his lips, but nothing could suppress his smile. David Cook, meanwhile, had a cupcake to sweeten things up, which gave him frosting-smeared hands, a mangled confection
and a self-described sugar high by the time I spoke with him.
As some Idols sat for a shoot, others were already totally warmed up for face time with the photogs.
Michael Johns was hamming it up on the other side of the room, doing his best Austin Powers impression and dance (!) for anyone who would watch, nudging Kristy and rolling out his Mike Myers one-liners from the movie.
On the Excitement of Making the Top 12:
Above all, the highlight of the evening was the contestants' absolute, unadulterated excitement, which was so pure it was palpable.
Syesha described how she felt when she walked into the party, saying, "Oh, I felt so good. It just reminds you that you're doing something really big and this is a big opportunity, so you do what you can to do your best."
David Cook, meanwhile, had a similarly global view of his success. "Some 103,000 people tried out this season," he said. "So when you go to that first audition, to think that you're going to be here is so far-fetched, it's kind of ludicrous." He continued, "It's very humbling to be here. This is one of those things that [most] people don't ever get to say that they did. I'm looking forward to telling my grandkids about this."
Glamour, crowds, cameras and desserts aside, the kind of raw enthusiasm that was on display at TV Guide's Top 12 Party was definitively the best part of the event. And that, beneath a wide-open sky (bear with me here) of possibility (this is
Idol, I'm about to remind you), is, at the end of the night, what
American Idol is really all about.
- Anna Dimond
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TV Guide Network premieres
Idol: Top 12
, featuring coverage of Thursday night's big bash, this Saturday at 6 pm/ET. Encore airings begin Saturday at 9, then Sunday at 4.
