COTTER AND HEAD

JARED COTTER

I love how honest you were last night with Ryan about being really shocked that you were the one going home.
What else did you expect? I was just shocked. I was not expecting it at all. I really wasn't. The voting was off but what are you going to do?

What do you mean the voting was off? Because of any reason in particular?
I think that Simon's comments on Tuesday had a lot to do with what's going on. I don't know what else to say. With Paula saying I need more coloring? It really bothered me. I went on YouTube and checked out my performance again and again. I thought vocally and my stage presence was good. I was critiquing myself as if I was a fan. I have no regrets. I think people really listened to the judges or thought I was safe.

Granted, I often don't understand what Paula means, but what did she mean this specific time by saying you needed more coloring?
I don't know if Paula knows what she means sometimes. She just said that maybe I should go lighter in some areas as opposed to just singing the song full all the time. My thing was, I have a minute and a half to wow you. Let me do it all out.

Does it slay you that there's at least one less talented singer than you still in the top 12?
For a few nights it'll bother me. I didn't get much sleep last night thinking everything over. Especially because I'm a tall guy, I'm 6'4'' so when Ryan called me up I looked right down at the cue card and I saw what the outcome was. As soon as I saw that I was like, ''WHAT?'' but I couldn't show it. Even seeing it I didn't believe it.

Who consoled you last night?
Luckily my parents came out. I was able to hug my mom and listen to my dad tell me everything was going to be okay. Me and Antonella are real close and Sundance was my roommate so we all supported each other. I think with us not getting through we all kind of looked at each other like, ''Something's wrong.'' I really thought I would have gotten further. I didn't even have to win. I just wanted to stay a few more weeks to get my name and my face out there. Hopefully I made enough of an impact to spin something off.

Like what?
Music-wise I can't do much contractually until the end of the show. I'm going to look into modeling jobs and I can act as well. I'm hoping publicity and 19 Management are looking out for me because I really think I can make it. I don't want a job. I want to reach my goals and dreams.

Before you go, we must address the ''hand over face'' gesture. Give me the origin.
I honestly don't know. You can ask anyone — I didn't do it in the dress rehearsal. It just kind of happened in the moment of the performance. I'm glad it did because I really felt like before that I was at a disadvantage because I wasn't shown in Hollywood and my audition wasn't shown. The other 23 contestants had already had a lot of play so I'm glad I did something that made me stand out.

JASON ''SUNDANCE'' HEAD

So you're standing next to Sanjaya and you're thinking no brainer you're going to stay, right?
I had no idea I was going to go home. Not even the slightest.

Do you have a sense of what went wrong for you?
I don't know exactly what happened. I guess people decided I was safe and automatically in the top 12. I just don't know what happened. I had the most number of votes of all the guys for the two weeks before that though.

Do you wish you hadn't sung ''Jeremy''?
No, not at all. I love that song. I did a good job. I have regrets about Simon Cowell saying I was screaming the song. Apparently he never heard the song before. I only regret singing ''Nights in White Satin'' because I had to hold back on it and I'm more of a belter.

Did you have time to process the whole experience after the show?
I'm still confused over it. As soon as the show ended I went down to see the American Idol psychiatrist and my wife was there. They told me my second cousin had died in a house fire and was burned to death. At that point I didn't care about American Idol anymore. I was heartbroken.

I'm so sorry, Sundance.
Everything happens for a reason. I'm just so confused right now. I need to go home and find myself and figure out what I want to do.

Was the American Idol shrink helpful?
It was really helpful. But at that point I didn't want to talk to anyone about anything. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. When they told me I was going home I did my thing, sang my song, made a joke. It didn't hit me until I was backstage.

Any ideas of what you want to do next?
I just want to do something great in my life. I just want to be remembered for being a guy who was nice to people, always humble, always making friends along the way.

Well, having interviewed a bunch of Idol contestants who've been kicked off, I can tell you they all single you out as one of the nicest guys on the show. You must have gotten close to many of them because you were crying last week through the elimination show?
I'm a very emotional guy anyway. I had built relationships with every single contestant on the show because I'm just that type of person. It's like being in combat and seeing one of your soldiers fall. It hurt every time.

I love that you put it out there that you need a job. Has anyone called?
I'm fielding offers. I'd like to do TV. At this point I don't want to go back to a blue-collar job. I don't want to go back to being a supervisor at a machine shop. After going through this whirlwind where you're treated like a celebrity for two months, it's confusing when it gets taken away from you. It's like being a Daytona 500 driver who hit a wall and you have to get out of your car and watch everything go up in flames behind you.

Did you have ideas of which Diana Ross you were going to sing next week?
I was going to sing ''Reflections'' and I was going to do a slight punk rock version of it.

Sanjaya seemed almost more shocked than you that you were the one going home. Did he say anything to you?
Sanjaya is only 17. He's a kid. He's a polite kid and he's gonna make it in the business but at this point he's so young he doesn't know himself and his capabilities. He doesn't have confidence in his voice. All that is going to come to him and when it does he's going to be a great performer.

Since your Dad has been in the music world, did he have any words of wisdom for you?
I haven't really had time to talk to him. I look forward to getting home and having a mentor meeting with him.

I guess you could take some consolation in the fact that someone like Chris Daughtry was kicked off early and he's doing great.
But Chris didn't get kicked off early. He made it into the top 6. That's a lot different than being the 13th man. I really have to prove myself more and work even harder now but that's okay. I definitely have the capabilities to be a star.

You Might Also Like

• Photo Gallery 'Idol': How you'd improve it
• American Idol 2008 'Idol': David Archuleta's journey | Dawnie Walton
• TV Watch ''Idol'' recap: A happy ending | Michael Slezak
• TV Watch 'Idol' recap: The final match | Michael Slezak
• Music News ''American Idol'' star Chris Sligh inks deal | Joshua Rich
• Music Q&A Blake Lewis takes us inside his debut CD | Tanner Stransky