Simon Cowell, the acerbic, pull-no-punches British judge on the hit reality show American Idol, was a guest on Howard Stern's TV show last week. How did Cowell account for the tremendous popularity of Idol, Stern asked.
"Cruelty," Cowell replied.
Maybe so. But the American Idol tour, featuring 9 of the 10 finalists in last season's show -- U.S. Marine Josh Gracin has military commitments -- sold out the Dunkin' Donuts Center for Saturday night's show even though Cowell won't be there.
Kimberly Locke, who came in third on the show, said in a phone interview that the Idol tour is very different than the hit TV show.
Locke doesn't want to spoil any surprises, so she won't say who sings what. But there are group numbers, duets, everyone gets at least one solo -- and it's a safe bet that Idol top finishers Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard will belt out their singles.
Speaking from the Idol tour bus as it navigated through Cleveland, Locke said that unlike the TV show, on tour the singers choose the tunes they like, and they get to sing with a live backing band instead of pre-recorded tapes.
And there's no competition. No Simon.
"Sometimes I wanted to smack him," Locke said. "Sure, I'm not going to lie.
"We realize he'll say what he thinks. He's just one person, but I think he had a lot of influence. If Simon slammed you, most of the time the fans are going along.
"I wouldn't necessarily call it cruelty. He's a mouthpiece for what people want to say, but won't. We had a lot of Englishmen working on the show, and they were all that way. They don't sugarcoat the truth. In the end, they're probably doing you a favor."
Plans change
Locke was a 24-year-old administrative assistant in Nashville with plans for law school before she tried out for American Idol.
"I loved to sing all my life, but I was so focused on going to law school," she said. "But people around me -- friends, co-workers -- kept pushing me to try out. I hadn't made up my mind right up to the day of the tryouts."
Now thoughts of law school have been pushed far, far into the background. The top two American Idol contenders, Aiken and Studdard, already have records out. Locke plans to get into a recording studio as soon as the tour is over.
She's had interest from record companies, she said, but hasn't made any commitments yet.
Locke is a fan of Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Diana Ross, and describes her favorite music as "inspirational" -- which does not necessarily mean gospel.
"That way, you can get your point across but reach a lot more people," she said.
Being on American Idol, she said, meant a huge amount of pressure.
"We came from ordinary lives, and suddenly you're on everybody's TV," she said.
"Week after week, you're under such scrutiny, and you're dependent on the viewers to stay on the show. If I were not a strong person, I would not have been able to do it. People can be very cruel."
Staying flexible
To make things even tougher, Locke said, American Idol contestants had to learn unfamiliar material and adapt it to their style.
One week, Locke said, it was all Neil Sedaka songs. She did "Where the Boys Are."
"I had to change it to make it fit me," she said. "You've just got three days to pick a song, arrange it, learn it, rehearse it. The trick it to find the meaning of the song; then you can deliver it."
Locke admits she was disappointed when she was voted off the show.
"I did cry backstage," she said. "Ruben, Clay and I were in the same group starting out, we were on a mission to be in the top three. But then someone had to be voted off. It was tough to be separated."
Locke refused to get caught up in a Ruben-vs.-Clay comparison. (Ruben won the American Idol competition, but so far Clay has sold more records.)
"You can't compare them; they have completely different styles," Locke said. "Ruben is an R&B singer; Clay is never going to be on the R&B charts. They appeal to different markets."
Locke said she's changed some, at least outwardly, since American Idol began. She started with curly hair and glasses; now she has contacts and straight hair.
"We have a stylist and a hair person to help, but it's still all me showing through," she said.
