Islands' idols slide safely to next round
| • | 'Idol Chitchat' discussion board |
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Hawai'i's two "American Idols" contestants survived the cut on last night's show. And the pressure wasn't on Camile Velasco of Maui or Jasmine Trias of Mililani for a change.
The tension and drama focused on John Stevens, 16, the carrot-topped crooner from East Amherst, N.Y., the vocal oddity in the competition.
But he survived in the end, and it was Amy Adams, 24, the pink-haired beautician from Bakersfield, who was cut.
For Velasco, the show was a breeze compared with the first two weeks, when her fate was withheld until the final minute.
But Trias may be feeling a little less secure, realizing that nobody is safe in viewer voting after hearing that LaToya London, the favored singer from Oakland, Calif., was the third-lowest vote-puller of the week.
The question now is whether Stevens, the crooner, can find something that fits his persona in next week's all-Elton John songbook.
Velasco can relate.
"She's been in the hot seat — not a happy position to be in — so she was so relieved tonight," said Velasco's dad, James West, reached by phone last night. "It's been hard work for both Island girls, and we all appreciate the Island voting support. It's a matter of making it through another day, another week."
Rudy Trias, Jasmine's dad, who is with her throughout the competition, was not available for comment. But Nora Trias, her mom, said last night, "We're so happy that both Camile and Jasmine are still in."
A record 20 million voted Tuesday night, Seacrest said, reflecting mounting tallies as the competition pares down the roster. That's the good news.
The bad news is that in Hawai'i, call-in voting Tuesday was below the 1 million level for the first time since the competition began. Verizon Hawai'i logged 926,878 calls during the two-hour voting window following the "Idol" telecast; the total reflects only landline local service, not wireless calls, but was down significantly from a high of 2.98 million two weeks ago and last week's 1.68 million.
Still, Tuesday's total for the Islands was the third-highest volume in the 29 states where Verizon offers local landline service.
"We came in third, behind New York and New Jersey, which are significantly larger states," said Ann Nishida, media relations manager for Verizon Hawai'i.
The drop in calls could mean more folks are doing text message votes via AT&T Wireless; the phone company does not reveal voting totals because of contractual arrangements with "Idol" and Fox.
Also, the popularity of Velasco and Trias could be broadening to a wider Mainland base, because Velasco has a number of fan clubs spread across the country and Trias has had Maryknoll alumni living on the Mainland involved in a network of mounting support. Or nonpartisan viewers are giving some votes to the Hawai'i pair based on their performance.
West had no clear reading of the drop in Hawai'i votes, discounting a lack of interest but citing the recurring frustrations he's heard from supporterss.
"We keep hearing that folks can't get through the lines," he said. "Since it's not a life-or-death situation, a lot of people are figuring, well, we'll try — but they give up."
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.
