Posted on: Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Dad sacrifices salary, home life for Jasmine
| • | 'My dream has been fulfilled' |
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
From the buses that have been shuttling the tour, crisscrossing 50 cities across North America; from the performing halls, large and small; from the sidelines, aisles and corridors, Rudy Trias has been on the front line of his daughter's "American Idol" dreamy run.
It's one of the perks — and problems — when you're the father of Jasmine Trias.
Worldly as she may appear in TV ads and onstage, she's only 17. And to join the "American Idol" tour, Jasmine has to travel with a guardian.
Which is where Rudy comes in.
Rudy Trias exhausted his vacation time and is on leave without pay from his job at the Pearl Harbor naval shipyard so he can be with Jasmine in her pursuit of a musical career. Not that he's complaining.
"Traveling is a bit tiring," said Trias père, from Green Bay, Wis., a few days back. "But I've been having my own fun. For Jaz, it's been a once-in-a-lifetime experience; for me, it's been a wonderful opportunity.
"The roughest thing about touring is sometimes I just don't know what day it is. I don't know the date, either."
Like the Energizer Bunny, Rudy quips, "I just keep going and going."
Trias is one of three parents — and the lone dad — on tour with the 10 "Idol" troupers; the moms of Diana DeGarmo and John Stevens also are accompanying their minor stars-in-the-making.
The parents have become celebrities in their own right, since they've appeared on camera during the tapings of the Fox-TV series last spring. They have been very much a part of the "Idol" family.
"I do a lot of waiting," Rudy said. "But I'm never bored. I work out in the gym, or in a hotel fitness room. I do my laundry. I go to the post office a lot, or visit the mall. Mostly, I walk a lot."
But he worries occasionally. "Like the time Jaz wasn't feeling well; I let her sleep it out."
He also oversees Jasmine's schedule while maintaining his own pace. His cell phone is his link to family and friends, because he doesn't have a laptop.
"I do my outings when she's sleeping, or when she's got show-related business," said Rudy, who has been away from home ever since Jasmine's odyssey began. "I know the daily routine."
As for covering expenses during his daughter's dream experience, Rudy has it covered. "I have plastic," he explained. Hotel and other immediate needs are paid for by the tour.
Mortgage and bills?
"My wife (Nora, who remains at home but attended a Seattle concert) pays the bills," he said.
To date, the Trias parents serve as unofficial managers, but Jasmine has signed with an entertainment lawyer to sort out legal issues.
Hitting the road by bus was a new experience for Trias; he became ill the first day of the tour last July. "It took me a day to recover. Now, when we travel, I watch movies or fall asleep ... sitting up. I've gotten accustomed to the pace."
