'Idol' Camile says aloha as Jasmine hangs on

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Three friends from Nu'uanu watched tensely last night during the final moments of the telecast of "American Idol." Carmen Indalecio, left, Bryon Johnson and Mele Ahtoong saw the show at the Sears store at Ala Moana Center. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

In the end, Velasco was out, Trias stayed in the Fox competition.

The girls hugged and clutched each other, with the cameras capturing the high drama, the emotions, the element of victory for one and defeat for the other.

It was not a typical night for Island fans with both local contestants in the cellar. Making their elimination face-off even more surprising was that Verizon Hawai'i voting numbers were up to 1.4 million Tuesday night, compared to 926,878 last week.

"We anticipated that it might come down to this, and predicted this way back in November, that one night the two Hawai'i girls will face each other," said James West, father of Velasco, the 18-year-old waitress from Ha'iku, Maui. "This was it.

"Frankly, we're all relieved. It's quite a pressure cooker to be in front of 30 million people; one judge telling you you're wonderful, another (that) you're not good," he said. "It's been quite a strain."

Velasco was sequestered by Fox last night and not spending much time with her family following the telecast. She was scheduled for a round of TV appearances today and was unavailable for comment.

"It was close, and I was kind of nervous," said Rudy Trias, father of Jasmine, the 17-year-old Maryknoll High School student and now the sole Hawai'i standard-bearer in the race to become the "American Idol."

"I don't think Jasmine was nervous; like she said on TV, whatever happens, happens," her father said.

The hour-long show last night was largely bloated with fill-in fluff, from a group medley of Elton John songs to "staged" commercials featuring the nine finalists. But for Hawai'i fans, the last 10 minutes was riveting television.

The Idol producers threw a twist into the voting process, separating the nine competitors into A, B and C groups of three. Velasco and Trias were in the A group, along with youngster Diana DeGarmo. After commercial breaks, host Ryan Seacrest dismissed the "safe" groups: Group C, with George Huff, La Toya London and Jennifer Hudson, then Group B, with John Stevens, Jon Peter Lewis and Fantasia Barrino.

Then DeGarmo was sent back to her seat, setting up the Velasco-Trias theatrics. Adding to the agony, both were asked to repeat their Monday performances before the final tally was announced. Velasco's Idol farewell was "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road." Trias, almost prophetically, performed "Don't Let the Sun Goe Down on Me."

Tamyra Gray, a finalist from the first season of "Idol," then performed and ended up perhaps giving Velasco the most sage advice: "You don't have to win to make it."

Anticipating a wrenching verdict, the Hawai'i women held hands. At one point, Trias put her arm over Velasco's shoulders. They were in the same boat, without oars.

Asked what they felt at the moment and lessons learned, Trias said: "If I go, it's OK ... Stay true to yourself."

Velasco said, "Be yourself. Take criticism ... channel yourself ... be positive."

Before Seacrest announced which contestant would be ousted, Trias crossed herself and closed her eyes; Velasco looked bewildered but hopeful. When Velasco's name was called, they immediately hugged, Velasco shedding tears.

The outcome clearly underscored the predictability factor and precise judging prowess of Simon Cowell, the acerbic one, who told Velasco two weeks ago that she had a week's run left on the show, with the right-on-the-money prediction Tuesday night that "it's the end of the road for you."

The verdict may have been too emotional for judge Paula Abdul, who left her seat prior to the big decision; Seacrest wondered out loud about her whereabouts.

Apparently, she was too upset to remain on camera because she started crying, according to the "American Idol" message board. She suspected Velasco would cry (she did), which would set off her own emotions. After all, she is the "nice" judge whose parting words to Velasco were to "venture out," pursue her hip-hop and recording dreams and get into the recording studio.

"She's had the time of her life so far, she gained a lot of experience, she got a hug and good comments from Elton John (at a rehearsal)," said Rennie West, Camile's mom. "She's going to grow from all this; she'll be able to now do, write her music, and sing, and really, get back to her first love, hip-hop. ... To expect her to be a pop artist is a mistake."

Dad James West said the entire family — in the audience last night — "is so grateful for all the support from Maui and Hawai'i. Maui no ka oi. To make it to nine, out of 80,000 contestants, is remarkable. It was been a strain, and we are very appreciative of all the aloha."

A Verizon spokesman said that nationally, 11.8 million landline calls were logged, up from last week's 10.1 million across the U.S. "Considering Hawai'i's numbers, 1 in 10 attempts came from the Islands," he said.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.

Camile is off, but not gone

It may be over for Camile Velasco on the weekly singing competition, but the publicity blitz continues with a round of TV appearances this week:

• "On Air With Ryan Seacrest," 2 p.m. today on Fox (KHON-2).
• "Entertainment Tonight," 6:30 p.m. today on NBC (KHNL-8).
• "Access Hollywood," 2:05 a.m. tomorrow on NBC (KHNL-8).

Velasco and the 11 other finalists will be part of an "American Idol" tour starting possibly in July.

She also will be one of the singers, along with other finalists, on an "AI" compilation of soul songs, expected to go on sale Tuesday.