JB-  How has your life changed since or because of Idol?  Positively and negatively?

JPL-  Positively it's changed in lots of ways.  I have family members that are talking to each other now that hadn't talked to each other before American Idol and because of it they've gotten in contact.  Those types of things changed.  I mean, I'm very connected with all of my family and I have a career now and I was a student when this all started.  Now I'm kind of on a career path and that's a huge jump.  I've grown up really fast as well and I'm not exactly sure which category to throw that into.  I don't know if that's the good category or the bad category - you know, it is what it is.  There are a lot of great things - I feel more comfortable as a musician, I feel more confident in that aspect.  Bad things… I don't know.  Let's see, let me think.  One of the worst things, I think, about it is knowing that I was involved in some of those song and dance numbers they did.  (laughing)  Those are definitely some of the worst moments to remember. 

JB-  The resemblance between you and Elvis, I must say, is shocking. 

JPL-  The funny thing about that is that (before American Idol) I had never seen an Elvis performance in my entire life.  I wasn't a huge Elvis fan.  I just heard "A Little Less Conversation" on the (motion picture) Oceans 11 soundtrack and I remember just kind of jumping around to it while it was playing and then the night before I had to go and choose my song for Idol, I was in my hotel room and I was listening to that song and just kind of had that same feeling and was just really excited about the song and wanted to do it and then after that everything went well.  I didn't want to redo any more of the songs because I didn't want to be pigeonholed.  Then all of a sudden it was movie week and I was strolling through some songs and "Jailhouse Rock" came up and the first couple lines of it just got me going and I just thought, "Man, I gotta do this."  And so I did it and that one I thought was one of my best. 

JB-  So were the moves rehearsed or did they just come out of you?

JPL-  Oh no.  You can't rehearse that kind of thing.  That stuff was just all kind of in the moment.  And I'm just kind of moving around and letting it kind of flow. 

JB-  Similar to, I guess, Taylor (Hicks) this year (on American Idol).

JPL-  Definitely similar to Taylor.  There's a whole lot of similarities between the two types.  We've been compared already, I think in the press… on more than one occasion.

JB-  So you see it too then?

JPL-  Yeah, absolutely, I see it.  I see a lot of similarities in what he does and what I do.

JB-  Are you still a big fan of the show since you've been on it?  Have you been following the last few years?

JPL- Yeah, I follow it now.  Everybody asks me about it everywhere I go so I might as well just kind of keep up with it and make sure I have something to say.  And aside from that, I don't mean to sound like I don't like the show, I think it's a fun TV show.  It's a great TV show.  I mean, I don't really think much of it as a musical experience.  You know, it doesn't do much for me musically but as a TV show it's pretty entertaining.

JB-  Do you find yourself sitting there saying, "Why are you doing that song?!?!  Oh, that sucked!"

JPL-  (laughing)

JB-  Come on, be honest here!

JPL- I'll be honest.  I think a lot of times I just… I do have this coaching kind of desire when I am watching these people.  I think, "Oh that is a dumb song to do" or "I think she's going to go (be voted off) this week."  I don't know, I just find myself doing that.  I think that's what the draw is for the show.  I think everybody does it, that's why people like it.

JB- And having been through that process, are you better at spotting things that maybe wouldn't work for the performers?

JPL- I don't know.  Some people think so.  I think only time will tell if I'm better or worse.  I definitely do see a lot of things that people don't think about.  They don't think about demographics or they don't think about who's splitting votes and all (those) types of things.  It's a lot like a campaign.  It's a lot like a presidential campaign, I think.

JB- Just as scandalous?

JPL-  Just as… well, almost! 

JB-  (laughing) 

JPL-  I remember the funny thing is that they were holding some sort of election at the time that I was on the show and I remember we received more votes than they did.  (laughing)  Although, I have to say people can vote multiple times (for American Idol).  It's still just kind of funny.  It's ironic. 

JB-  It's weird too.  You've got different groups voting.  You've got the people who are taking it seriously and wanting the best to win and then there's others - I believe there are websites where they are campaigning to vote someone out. 

JPL-  Yeah.  I think there's also people who campaign for the worst and they want to vote for the worst person on the show, which is kind of funny to me.

JB-  Going back to the point that you don't have to necessarily win the show to be successful.

JPL-  I think the biggest example of that is William Hung.  I think William Hung, he sold more records than most of the people who got on the show, you know, excluding the winners.

JB-  In Hollywood I've seen fridge magnets - actually I bought two of them - and William Hung greeting cards and lots of stuff.