Pia Toscano - Reporters Conference Call and More

I’ll be liveblogging the 12:30 pm ET reporters conference call with Pia Toscano this afternoon in this space. In the meantime, I’ll be gathering interviews with the ousted American Idol contestant here.

The first is a video from Entertainement Weekly. Pia tears up as she talks about her Idol experience. She still seems to be in shock. She reveals she would have sung “Somewhere” from West Side Story if she had survived. Even if she’d survived this week, she would have been an early ouster if she’d continued with such retro and boring song choices. I kinda thought she was ripe for a Tamyra Gray 4th/5th place boot myself. Just didn’t think in a million years it would happen so soon! Watch the interview HERE.

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Interview from USA Today

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Interview from TV Guide

TV Guide Magazine: Is what held you back that you were too contained on stage, that you didn’t move?
Toscano: Yeah, it was, to be honest with you. And it’s funny, because I’ve been dancing since I was two and a half, so I know how to move. But when I’m singing, I’m very technical, so I’m trying to give my best vocal performance and sometimes I’m too in my head. I can’t get that freedom because I’m so worried about what my vocals sound like.

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Reporters tried really really hard to get Pia Toscano to say something negative about her experience, spin her surprising elimination last night, or criticize the voting public.

It wasn’t gonna happen.

Pia was relentlessly positive and upbeat in her interview. “It was my time to go, ” she said. She also insists she can’t say why viewers didn’t vote for her. And she refuses to believe that a girl will never win Idol again, “It’s anybody’s game right now, ” she insists.

Also, she talks about her battle with stage fright, and being so overwhelmed last night, the medics had to help her off the stage. Read my recap after the jump.

Liveblog after the JUMP….

Pia felt good about here performance, but had a feeling she’d be in the bottom 3. She would not change a thing. She agrees with all the judges’ constructive criticism.
She did the big singers. She likes to challenge herself. She did Mariah, Whitney and Celine because she admired them as she grew up.
She was really excited about this week’s performance. It wasn’t out of her comfort zone. She was singing uptempo songs at home. She’s a little shy though, and suffers from stage fright.
She has a connection with all the judges. Thought they were all nurturing. Last night was a blur. “If you ever need anything, call us, ” the judges said. Jennifer Lopez in one word: Perfection. Every critique she got from Jlo was helpful. Stunning inside and out.
Last night she was upset to leave the contestants, upset not to be singing again.
About all the support she’s received on social networking sites – Pia is amazed to have support from celebrities and fans.
The kind of record she would make: She plans on going in the pop genre with an R&B influence. Wants to record power ballads and dance tracks. Loved working with Jerkins, Rodney Fair. Would love to work with Ryan Tedder in the future.
She was trying to stay composed last night. “You lose years off your life…everything happens for a reason…your mind goes blank…everything was such a blur.”
“The tour is going to be so much fun…I’m going to do my uptempos and I’m going to do my ballads.” She says the tour atmosphere is more laid back than the show.
What a lot of people don’t know about her “I do get kind of shy and get a little stage fright before I go on stage. It’s something I have to work on. On tour, I’m going to work on owning the stage.”
“I gave my all the other night. I have no regrets, ” says Pia.
“There are so many good things that are going to come from this experience, ” says Pia, ” So many doors are going to open for me. They already have. I’m excited to see what my future holds.”
Idol is a high pressure situation. She did a lot of deep breathing before the show. Pia needed to “separate herself” before she took the stage.
Seeing Jlo cry after the elimination was tough for her. “It was really nice to have their support.”
Stefano is a very good friend. He kept saying to her during the break, “You’re not going anywhere….I’m the one that’s going.” Pia makes clear she believes he deserves to be there.
You can’t really say why she was voted off, maybe people forgot to vote for her, maybe it was a lack of connection, but her time on the show had come to an end.
Her family was so confident she would be sticking around, they were waiting to fly back out to see her–letting others in the family take tickets. This week was the first time they’d been in the audience since the Top 12 girls.
Can a woman win Idol again? “Definitely. It’s anybody’s game right now. The remaining contestants are extremely strong. Every contestant deserves to be there.”
About some of the contestants like James and Casey getting their own little moments on the show, “We all have are moments on the show”
She’s auditioned since Season 5. It’s everything she’s ever dreamed of and more. Ken and Nigel are amazing…helped her out so much. Panel is amazing. Everyone wants the best for you.
Do girls vote for boys? There are probably a lot of young girls who watch the show, she says, but insists she really can’t answer that question.
She flew under the radar a lot at the beginning of the show. She didn’t feel bad about that, because she knew her time would come. She doesn’t wish anything different to have happened.
She’s going back to New York for a little while. She may come out to LA after the tour, but she’s not sure. She’ll probably travel back and forth between coasts. She loves her family too much to leave them.
On Steven saying she was voted out because people were “jealous”. She continues to say she doesn’t know why she was voted out. “I’m not upset. I’m positive right now.” She also wont pick a favorite out of the remaining contestants.
The medic walked her off the stage last night “I wasn’t feeling so good. While I was singing it was really hard for me to get through the song. I was getting light headed. It was a little overwhelming for me. They helped me out a lot, but I’m fine now.”
“I want to cover all ground, ” says Pia, “movies, commercials, musicals….”
On Casey getting the save, “Casey deserved that save…It wasn’t his time. He’s such an incredible musician and beautiful person.”
“Usually when I feel something, it happens” – on feeling she’d be in the bottom 3 last night.
How was it to meet Gwen Stefani? “Gwen was amazing…so down to earth. She was the sweetest thing. Absolutely gorgeous in person. A breath of fresh air.”
“I definitely see an album in my future. But right now I’m focusing on the tour.”
Message to people who don’t want to watch the show “I cant say anything negative about what happened last night. People should continue to watch.”