So a lot has happened since my last blog entry.
As you may remember (or may not have known if you haven't read the hard work and soul baring I put into my last entry
), Darryl, the host of Idol Radio Show announced on the air a few weeks ago that Taylor Hicks was going to be a guest on his show on July 18 (last night). Darryl then shocked me by inviting me, on air, to be his co-host that night.When Darryl first invited me to be a guest commentator on Idol Radio Show (my first appearance was on February 27, 2007 - American Idol Top 24 night), I was very nervous. My stomach had been in knots from the moment I agreed to be on the show all the way until about an hour after the show. I was scared to death that I wouldn't know what to say or wouldn't know how to answer a question that was asked. Although I sang at church for years as both a soloist and part of an ensemble, my musical knowledge is extremely limited. I know very little about many of the current and past singers, and even less about the different types of genres. Heck, most of the time I can't even tell you who sings a certain song, even one that I've listened to hundreds of times.
As the season progressed, I became a little more comfortable being a guest commentator. I found that I could still contribute to Idol Radio Show even with my limitations. And I also found that I didn't have to hide my limitations. I could be honest and admit when something was over my head.
But being a co-host? On a show where Taylor Hicks would be the guest? That sent quite a few shivers down my spine and put a few new knots in my stomach. And despite how much I know about Taylor, I realized that I didn't have a clue what to say during the interview.
Hence the "duh... um.... duh..... I have no clue what to say" title of my last blog.
As I said earlier, so many things have happened since then. First of all, Taylor had to cancel his interview with Idol Radio Show. While that was extremely disappointing, it was also very relieving. After all, I hadn't yet figured out what to say.
Then Darryl announced that Jon Peter Lewis, who finished in eighth place on season 3 of American Idol, was going to be the guest on July 18 (now last night's show). And when Darryl found out that JPL was one of my two favorite contestants from that season, he again invited me, on air, to co-host the show with him.
And suddenly, once again, I didn't have a clue as to what to say. Not to mention that those knots in my stomach were back as well.
As I googled, yahooed, youtubed, and wikied Jon Peter Lewis, I managed to come up with a what I think was a pretty good list of questions that I could ask during the show. But having questions prepared and actually knowing how to use them are two different things. I had never co-hosted a show before. Nor had I ever interviewed anyone before. I still had no clue what to say.
But not having a clue what to say is why co-hosts were invented. Darryl, having already interviewed everyone between Melba Moore to Anita Pointer to Jennifer Hudson, is a pro at this. Since Idol Radio Show is his show, he led the way and started the conversations. That freed me up to respond to what JPL was talking about and jump in on the subject with follow-up questions.
So because of Darryl's leadership, I figured out what to say. Sort of.
You see, halfway through the show I was hung up on (an act I'm convinced that my Webmaster, Steff, masterminded even though I can't prove it...... yet
). Even though I was back on the air less than five minutes later, I let that razzle me a little. All of my research and questions had flown out of my head. And when that happened, I went from being a co-host to being a fan listening to Jon Peter Lewis talk about himself and his career. After that, I couldn't have put together a coherent question if my life depended on it.Despite turning from a co-host into a fan, I wouldn't trade last night for anything. JPL seems to be very down to earth, humble, and easy to talk to. There were times during the show I forget we were on the air because it seemed more like a friendly conversation than an interview.
I also want to thank the members over at jonpeterlewis.com who talked with me before the show. I appreciate you making sure I knew about some of the things JPL had recently done, like Idol Camp, and knew about some of his upcoming events, like his starring in a local production of Godspell. You all made me feel so much at ease and gave me a lot of encouragement leading up to last night. Thank you.
If you would like to listen to last night's Idol Radio Show, you can either stream the show or download it to your computer.
Before I end this entry, there is one more thing I have to do. Well, I don't have to. But I want to. After all, I spent a lot of time researching Jon Peter Lewis and catching up on him. And it would be a shame not to post one little nugget of memory from his time on American Idol.
Gotta luv the Internet.
Leave behind a comment and let me know what your thoughts are, especially if you listened to the show.
Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Birmingham, Alabama
