QUOTE
In the 10 days since "Idol" ended, Yamin got to watch Madonna perform from the second row at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas ("It's a great show, a little intense. But the whole technical side . . . she's a hell of a performer"), walked a Vegas block to the Empire Ballroom to catch Prince's show, then hit New York to sing on "Live With Regis and Kelly."
Adding to the emotional whirlwind, his mom, Claudette, herself a minor celebrity, underwent hip surgery here. She's expected to be released from post-op rehab this week so she can finally return to her Richmond apartment. While stationary, though, she downloaded her son's version of "Moody's Mood For Love" from the new "American Idol" CD as the ring tone on her cell phone."I'm so very, very proud of him," she said. "I sit here and think of all of these things that have happened . . . it's excitingly crazy."
Yamin visited his mother Thursday night, before leaving the next day for L.A. "I asked him, 'Have you missed singing?' And he said, 'Yeah, I really have.' This tour is going to be so different for him, no cameras or anything," Claudette said.
Yamin is curious about the challenges of the impending tour. There's a new band to get acclimated to, group performances to coordinate and some scary choreography to learn. "I have rhythm. I can move, I can dance," Yamin says. "That's one of the things I did all the time here, go out and cut the rug up. But it's like someone who can play the piano but can't sing at the same time. It's a very meticulous process. It's hard for me to keep track of everything."
He and fellow Southerner Chris Daughtry became good friends for many reasons, but their dislike of coordinated movement was a definite bonding experience."Chris, he didn't want to dance at all. We would both dread it together and just make fun of it," Yamin said Thursday afternoon.
On June 30, the top 10 finalists will fly to Manchester, N.H., for a few days of fine-tuning before the tour launches there July 5. With shows through Sept. 24 -- many of them second dates added after immediate sellouts -- "American Idols Live" is among the five tours generating the most interest, according to Pollstar, a concert industry trade magazine. The road show makes a sold-out stop at the Richmond Coliseum on July 29, nine days after Yamin turns 28.
But it is after the "Idol" jaunt, when Yamin's ties to the show are severed, that has fans concerned. Unlike "Idol" winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee, Yamin hasn't talked of any record deals. That's mostly because for 90 days after the finale, he's still bound to the show's contract and can't officially entertain any offers.Though all he could say last week was that "there are some positive things being talked about," some other clues were inherent in his response to whether he'll return to Richmond or L.A. once the tour wraps.
"There is a strong possibility I'll be out in L.A. for a good while," he said. "I'll be in the studio, utilizing the opportunity to record music. The studio is my haven. It's any artist's haven. You get to put forth all of your creative efforts. Everyone who comes in contact with me says they can't wait to buy my CD. It's almost inevitable that's going to happen."
What's also inevitable is that at least in the near future, Yamin will live the type of celebrity fishbowl life that results in propositions to name the Maymont bear after him ("It's very flattering and cute . . . it's cool in a way," he says) and fanatical fans naming their babies after him, something a pregnant woman told him during his visit to The Diamond last month that she planned to do.
Yamin is also well-aware of the public scrutiny and criticism attached to being a pop star. Not everyone is a fan, and those who aren't are often more vocal than the devotees.But Yamin is handling the harsher side with well-reasoned maturity, and a little humor.
"It didn't bother me, really," he said of the disparaging remarks made about him during the show. "It went in one ear and out the other. Although it was only heard by one ear," he laughed, referring to the 90 percent hearing loss in his left ear. "But I understand that people have the freedom to write what they want and think how they want to think. If you're willing to take the good, you have to take the bad. I realized that going into it."I've heard everything in the book. You become very thick-skinned very quickly. You have to be secure and know that what you're doing is right. You just have to be comfortable with yourself"
Adding to the emotional whirlwind, his mom, Claudette, herself a minor celebrity, underwent hip surgery here. She's expected to be released from post-op rehab this week so she can finally return to her Richmond apartment. While stationary, though, she downloaded her son's version of "Moody's Mood For Love" from the new "American Idol" CD as the ring tone on her cell phone."I'm so very, very proud of him," she said. "I sit here and think of all of these things that have happened . . . it's excitingly crazy."
Yamin visited his mother Thursday night, before leaving the next day for L.A. "I asked him, 'Have you missed singing?' And he said, 'Yeah, I really have.' This tour is going to be so different for him, no cameras or anything," Claudette said.
Yamin is curious about the challenges of the impending tour. There's a new band to get acclimated to, group performances to coordinate and some scary choreography to learn. "I have rhythm. I can move, I can dance," Yamin says. "That's one of the things I did all the time here, go out and cut the rug up. But it's like someone who can play the piano but can't sing at the same time. It's a very meticulous process. It's hard for me to keep track of everything."
He and fellow Southerner Chris Daughtry became good friends for many reasons, but their dislike of coordinated movement was a definite bonding experience."Chris, he didn't want to dance at all. We would both dread it together and just make fun of it," Yamin said Thursday afternoon.
On June 30, the top 10 finalists will fly to Manchester, N.H., for a few days of fine-tuning before the tour launches there July 5. With shows through Sept. 24 -- many of them second dates added after immediate sellouts -- "American Idols Live" is among the five tours generating the most interest, according to Pollstar, a concert industry trade magazine. The road show makes a sold-out stop at the Richmond Coliseum on July 29, nine days after Yamin turns 28.
But it is after the "Idol" jaunt, when Yamin's ties to the show are severed, that has fans concerned. Unlike "Idol" winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee, Yamin hasn't talked of any record deals. That's mostly because for 90 days after the finale, he's still bound to the show's contract and can't officially entertain any offers.Though all he could say last week was that "there are some positive things being talked about," some other clues were inherent in his response to whether he'll return to Richmond or L.A. once the tour wraps.
"There is a strong possibility I'll be out in L.A. for a good while," he said. "I'll be in the studio, utilizing the opportunity to record music. The studio is my haven. It's any artist's haven. You get to put forth all of your creative efforts. Everyone who comes in contact with me says they can't wait to buy my CD. It's almost inevitable that's going to happen."
What's also inevitable is that at least in the near future, Yamin will live the type of celebrity fishbowl life that results in propositions to name the Maymont bear after him ("It's very flattering and cute . . . it's cool in a way," he says) and fanatical fans naming their babies after him, something a pregnant woman told him during his visit to The Diamond last month that she planned to do.
Yamin is also well-aware of the public scrutiny and criticism attached to being a pop star. Not everyone is a fan, and those who aren't are often more vocal than the devotees.But Yamin is handling the harsher side with well-reasoned maturity, and a little humor.
"It didn't bother me, really," he said of the disparaging remarks made about him during the show. "It went in one ear and out the other. Although it was only heard by one ear," he laughed, referring to the 90 percent hearing loss in his left ear. "But I understand that people have the freedom to write what they want and think how they want to think. If you're willing to take the good, you have to take the bad. I realized that going into it."I've heard everything in the book. You become very thick-skinned very quickly. You have to be secure and know that what you're doing is right. You just have to be comfortable with yourself"
for someone who hates dancing, Chris still looks so adorable when he dances (ala Ellen). i think he just hates the choreography (can't blame him, its too cheesy) so he always resorts to his oh-so-hot foot stomps (love it!).
... and his little foot stomps