Wade on Birmingham

Taylor Hicks: Friend or McPhoe

By

Katharine McPhee took time Friday to talk with reporters via teleconference from Hollywood during the final week of “American Idol.” The 22-year-old Los Angeles native faces off for the crown in the reality TV competition Tuesday night against Birmingham’s Taylor Hicks. Hicks praised his competitor as a “great friend” and a “very talented girl.”

A few highlights from her interview:

• Plans for her first CD

I definitely want to do a pop kind of an album, with bluesy sounds to it, soulful stuff along the lines of Joss Stone. And I love Norah Jones. It could be a collaboration of those things, a jazzy feel that’s also bluesy and contemporary, something that could be in the Top 40.

katharine mcphee• Before and after “Idol”

I would love to do films. Before “American Idol,” it was what I was pursuing. I had an agent, and I was going out for television and film (roles) every day, like every other actress in L.A. I took acting seriously, majoring in musical theater. Obviously Broadway is something I want to do.

I did a pilot and an independent film, but it’s not ever what you think it’s going to be. I definitely had a hard time booking stuff. Then I worked a lot in theater out here in L.A. I didn’t do too bad, but (it was) not quite what I wanted.

• Down to the wire

At this point, I feel so much freer in the sense of competition mode, but we both have won, we both have record deals now, we both are going to have the same kind of press. I just feel so grateful. I don’t feel I’m going to take any steps backwards this week.

Of course, you wanna win. I’d love to win. It depends on the person. Look at (season 2 runner-up) Clay Aiken, he’s done really really well for himself.

I don’t know if it really matters. (Taylor and I are) both going to be able to do things that we weren’t able to do before “American Idol.”

I’ll be ecstatic if I win, but I’ll have nothing to complain about if I don’t.

• Lucky charms

I don’t have any gimmicks really, silly things that I say (for good luck). I’m just gonna have a really hot dress and a nice pair of shoes and go out there, look fabulous and try to sing my best. (laughs)

I’ll try to be as modest as I can possibly be. I’m just going out there and doing my thing.

• Her reaction to Chris Daughtry’s elimination

I really thought I was going home. I was preparing myself, even though the look on my face was “I’m so sick, I don’t wanna go.”

It was hard for me, because I kinda felt like, “Poor Chris, he should’ve been the one to stay.” I know in the media it was, “Chris was going to win. How could this happen?” It made me feel pretty shitty to be honest. It definitely didn’t feel good.

• Her reaction to Elliott Yamin’s elimination

It’s an awkward thing. Think about it: You made it to the next round, and yet, someone is going home. Obviously you’re excited and in the Top Two. If that hurts me, then so be it. It’s a ridiculous notion to me that you can’t be excited that you made it to the Top Two.

It is sad that Elliott went home, but I made it through, and it was such a close vote margin. So I apologize for looking happy.

• On her competitor, Taylor Hicks

Taylor’s just really free onstage, that’s something Taylor’s really great about doing. If I get nervous, I can’t be as free and spontaneous.

We’re different. It’s going to depend on what America wants.

• Is she confident? Overconfident?

I have never once gone, “I’m gonna win this thing.” The fact that I have not been too confident is (why) I’m still here.

The people that get too confident are the ones whose fans get too confident, too. The past couple of weeks, my face clearly describes the fact that I’m not really confident, that I could go home just as easily as someone else.

All they (the audience) see is that glimpse of us on TV; they don’t know us.

I don’t think that I’m going to win. The margin is so close, it’s anybody’s game. I’ve felt that from the very beginning.

• The road not taken

I went for about a year (to the Boston Conservatory). I left because I went home back to L.A. for the summer. I had met a manager, and she signed me up with an agency and said, “We’d really love for you to come back for pilot season.”

I went for one more semester at Boston, and I decided not to go back to school because I really really wanted to start working and getting experience.

It was a hard decision for me, but if I had stayed, I would’ve just have graduated this last Saturday. Look at what I would have missed.

• Struggles with weight

I don’t have any time (while on “Idol”), I haven’t worked out in four months. I feel like I’m a big blob, like I don’t have any muscles in my body

I have not been dieting — I’m an anti-dieter, I just don’t think it works. I’ve totally struggled with body weight. Part of my struggle with being an actress was I was up and down with my weight. It’s part of Hollywood, and it’s a shame you have to be so skinny and in such good shape.

I met a dietician before “American Idol,” and she taught me to eat normally. Now, I don’t have any kind of emotional eating any more.

The weight just started dropping off me. I’m still not what Hollywood thinks of as stick skinny. I’m happy with food; I’m able to eat. That’s what women should be able to do. I eat food, and I don’t think twice about it.

I would love to have a trainer who gets me to the gym a couple of times a week. I do love go to dance class. I was in dance class four or five times a week, because I wanted to keep up my dancing for Broadway reasons. I can’t wait to get back to that.

• Snack attack

I’m more of a chips person; chips can always make me feel really good. And bagels in the morning, bagels and cream cheese.

I’m not a sweets person as much as I used to be. Sweets used to control my life (but not as much anymore).

• Behind the scenes

(Being calm and collected) is the way you need to handle something like this: Go out onstage, listen to what (the judges) have to say, and say thank you.

People don’t see what stuff is off-camera. In rehearsals, I’m a nervous wreck. I’ve definitely crumbled over pressure, gone behind closed doors and cried and not wanted to do it anymore.

There were weeks I would call my closest friend and say I don’t think I can do this anymore.

The important thing is when the show has to go on, you go out onstage and do your thing, and you just have to look like you have it all together.

I definitely don’t always have it all together. I’m nervous. Especially the weeks I didn’t feel I did my best were the weeks I felt the most horrible.

When I sang “I Have Nothing,” it was the first time I went on that stage and felt so so free. (Even though) the judges didn’t like it, if you feel good about yourself and what you do, it doesn’t matter what people say.

It’s been a huge lesson about believing in myself and feeling good about what I do.

• Handling media criticism

I don’t really look at anything (in the media).

As soon as you start believing your own press, then you start to get into trouble. It kinda makes you a little cuckoo, because you think everyone’s talking about you and saying negative things. I’d just rather be positive to be quite frank.

• • •

Read more on Taylor Hicks.

Leave a Yip

Subscribe without commenting