Haley Scarnato fielded questions yesterday from reporters after her elimination Wednesday night.
- She thought it was “cool” to wear Katharine McPhee’s hair extensions.
- She’d love to model and hopes to get a record contract.
- She doesn’t want to be remembered for her looks.
- If she had stuck around another week, she planned to perform in a “choir robe.”
- The secret to her great legs is “great makeup.”
Check out the highlights from Haley Scarnato’s exit interviews after the jump.
From People.com:
- Is it true that you got Katharine McPhee’s old hair extensions from last season?
Yes, that is true. I think it’s cool. They can wash them, so it’s fun. I think it’s cool to wear the hair extensions of Katharine McPhee. She’s Katharine McPhee! - About working with Jennifer Lopez: She was great, she was so helpful. She was very warm and comforting. You could tell she really wanted to help us. She was so down-to-earth and I think everyone felt that way about her. I got to spend about 10 minutes with her. It was a great experience to hammer out the song and stuff.
- Did Haley meet Mark Anthony? Yes, I did. That was really cool. He’s so nice. He loves her, he just adores her and that’s really great to see. They just look really happy.
- In retrospect, do you think that not responding to Simon’s criticism was the right move?
That’s not who I am. On national TV I still want to stay in that frame of mind that you have to respect him. He is Simon Cowell. It does hurt a little bit, but you just try to brush through it. - How did the shorts idea first come up? I thought about the shorts because it’s a more upbeat kind of song and it would be comfortable to wear. And [stylist] Art just molded it together for me.
From Entertainment Weekly:
- Did Haley feel out of her element during Latin week? Not really. I’m kind of a cover artist. I’ve been singing in bands for quite a few years now. I’ve had to do a lot of Gloria Estefan songs in wedding bands. It’s just another song with a different beat. You just give it a little more flavor.
- Did Simon’s comments offend her? A little bit. It’s hard to take something like that. I just tried to keep going and just know what I know and I know who I am. It’s just kind of part of the whole deal of it.
- Because a lot of pop singers dress like that? Yeah. He was saying I was very cabaret for a while ‘ I thought maybe I should go more trendy and young and look more pop. I thought to focus more on what’s in style. And that’s what’s in style, so that’s why I went with shorts and leggings. It just kind of was what it was.
- Would she consider modeling? Definitely. That would be so much fun. It was great just doing the photo shoots for the show.
- Do middle-aged men hit up on her? No, nothing like that. A lot of kids come up to me and that’s what’s important. It’s all about the kids. It makes you feel good when they come up to you. I really hope that wasn’t the vibe that I was giving everybody, that I was always wearing short outfits. That’s not how I want to be remembered.
- What’s the secret to her great legs? I’m telling you, this makeup they have is amazing…I swear. It’s the best makeup. I work out a little bit but I’ve got cellulite. The makeup gives the illusion of skinnier legs. It’s great. When it’s not on I look at myself in the mirror and it’s like, ”Ooh. No.”
- Who was Haley close to on the show? We were all so close. But probably Melinda, who was my roommate, and Jordin. When you live with people you get a different bond. I was really good friends with Phil and Blake and Chris also. At least we’ll all see each other for the tour.
- Haley was planning to get married in November: I totally have to plan my wedding now, before the tour starts. We had the date scheduled for November 10th but that’s way too close to the tour, so we’re going to push it back to January.
- Haley explains her ”clock in and clock out” statement to the judges earlier in the season: I meant like what I had to do last night. I was crying but I had to perform. You have to clock in and do what you have to do. It’s so funny how people misunderstand you.
- What was she planning to sing during country week? I was planning on doing ”When God-Fearing Women Get the Blues” by Martina McBride. It would have been great. Oh well. It was a fun ride. I still definitely want to record and be a recording artist. That’s my dream. We’ll see if it happens.
From MTV.com
- Simon focused on Haley’s wardrobe rather than her voice. Did that hurt? You gotta respect him ‘ he’s Simon Cowell. It does hurt a little bit, but you just gotta brush it off and try to get through it.
- Did Simon’s comments make her think about changing her style? I never really changed my look. Since Hollywood week, I kind of showed my midriff a little bit. I want to stay true to who I am, and it’s fun dressing up and playing the part of the week’s theme and the song that you’re singing. Like with Latin week ‘ it’s more of a sexier kind of vibe. I don’t think I wore less clothes than before.
- First Simon complimented Haley on her legs, then he accused her of using sex to stay on the show: You can’t please everybody. I didn’t go shorter, I didn’t wear less clothes, I just did the same thing. I got a good vibe from the judges, and I didn’t want to lose it because I didn’t really get any great vibes from them before. My stylist liked it, and it just seemed to kind of work. But [Simon’s backlash] was bound to happen.
- On adjusting her performances when the judges gave conflicting advice: Well, if I was still gonna be here next week, I was gonna wear a choir robe. I was gonna be fully clothed. You just take the criticism for what it’s worth and just try to brush it off and know that you still have to perform.
- How did Haley feel when Simon accused her of using her body to get ahead: It hurt, of course. I didn’t think it was going to be that distracting ‘ they’re just shorts. I don’t even know what to say about it. It’s frustrating because I’m just trying to go out there and perform and entertain and sing ‘ it is a singing competition, and they weren’t listening to me anymore.
- About being voted off before Sanjaya: No. Sanjaya is a great personality. He’s got a great energy backstage and onstage, and I think he did a great job last week.
- About her spirited singout: As a performer, when it’s time to sing, it’s time to sing. [The stage is] my home; it’s like my second home. It’s very easy to clock in and get the job done. It was good to sing again and have fun with that song. It was easy. I was still kind of tearing up, but I was just enjoying my moment.
- Did the contestants feel that Latin Week was challenging? We were all really excited about the Latin theme. The band sounded awesome. I thought everybody did a great job picking the right song for each voice and just performing it well. I guess it just wasn’t working for the judges.
- What challenge did she not expect? You can’t prepare yourself for something like this. Picking the right song is a huge deal and just making sure it gets cleared. I didn’t know it was going to be that tough.
- About taking Tony Bennett’s advice: I think I still kept the playful vibe, I just didn’t [change the lyrics]. The version I was leaning toward was the Broadway version ‘ it has more character, more of a cutesy kind of vibe. But he’s Tony Bennett, so you want to respect him. I took his advice but still gave it my flavor. (me: listen to her performance again, she didn’t QUITE take Mr. Bennett’s advice…)
- What it was like being in the bottom three twice before she was eliminated: It’s definitely tough to be in the bottom three. It’s emotionally draining, but you just have to get through it and know that you do have fans and that they’re very loyal, and I’m very thankful for that. You just kinda keep going.
- Haley’s fans helped her deal with the judges negative comments: The bad comments are hard, but it helps to know that there are people out there that do like me, and I just thank them so much for voting and supporting me. I wouldn’t be here without them.
- What’s next for Haley? I’m open for anything that comes my way. This is such a great experience and great exposure, so I’m up for anything. I would love to get a record deal. That’s what we all kind of want, so that would be a dream come true. But I’ll try anything, so we’ll see.
