In the first shocker of the 2009 "American Idol" season, Alexis Grace was sent packing and, despite some big-time drama, the judges decided not to use their once-in-a-season save to keep her in the competition.
Some were outraged, some were bummed but not entirely surprised, but it was pretty clear Alexis didn't expect to be where she was on Thursday -- talking on the phone to reporters from across the country about the end of her run on "American Idol."
Keep reading to see what she had to say about her future plans, going back to her family, and her thoughts on whether the judges might have saved her.
On her future with music back home...
I'm going to go back home and spend some time with my family, but I'm going to get to work and I'll be talking about doing some music and getting some of it out there.
On pushing her "Jolene" performance harder the second time around...
I think it was just what I was feeling the second night, it wasn't like I was trying to do anything a certain way. I was just trying to show them that I wanted to stay.
On what she found most challenging...
Probably being away from my family, my daughter especially. Because I went from being a single mom to not talking to her at all. It was tough being away from her.
On whether she should have had a better chance for the judges' save if she got to sing a different song...
Probably, I'm going to be honest. I think it could have, if I sang the first song that I sang, "Never Loved a Man," that maybe I would still be there. I don't know. I think that "Jolene" is a beautiful song and I love to sing it. I don't think it was their favorite performance. So I kind of didn't really get to really show them and remind them why they picked me, and why America picked me. So I probably would've chosen a different song if I could.
On what the singers said to each other about the judges' save...
We actually think it's a good idea. It's there to help people who need a second chance, so we thought it was a good idea.
On whether she thought about the judges' save when she landed in the bottom three...
Yeah, of course I did. I was thinking, "Maybe they could save me." Possibly. It is really early in the game, and it probably wouldn't be good for TV if they did so early. So in the back of my mind, I was like, "Oh maybe not. Maybe they want to save it." It just wasn't the right timing.
On whether it made her feel better to know they were thinking about saving her...
No, I liked the fact that they told me that they were thinking about saving me, because it let me know that they actually believe in me and they thought that I could do it.
On whether, in hindsight, she would have done a different song for country week....
I did consider doing a Carrie Underwood song, but there were already two people who were singing Carrie Underwood, so I thought that would be too much Carrie Underwood in one night. So I went with "Jolene" because it's a really beautiful song and I love the lyrics.
Subject: American Idol : Alexis: 'It Just Wasn't Right Timing' 
Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:14 am
