Posted by eliza gale on January 11, 2012 - 11:10pm
Ashley Sullivan was on "American Idol" Season 10 where she was best known for her very emotional audition. Here is a link to the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MlT6bxqj3I
1. You had one of the most memorable American Idol auditions in history, do you think it helped you or hurt you in the long run?
I don't think having been on national television could hurt me in any way. If anyone saw my behavior and thought I was funny, that is a win for me. If anyone thought I was an obnoxious-cry-baby, theatre-reject-pop-star-wanna-be, well... that is an even bigger win. Audiences always pay attention to people that are a thorn in their side - at least I do. I just want to entertain people. If it's by singing, that's great, if it's my personality that makes people notice me, that is even better.
2. Are you normally an emotional person or did being on TV intensify your emotions?
I have always been very sensitive. I don't remember ever being any other way. Being away from home did make me more on edge than usual, but to be honest, it just showed what really happens when I get overwhelmed. There was also a lot of time I spent NOT crying that wasn't aired on the show - that's not to say I was wrongly portrayed, but more that they show the interesting dramatic moments - and I would like to think of myself as both interesting and dramatic.
3. What are the American Idol judges like behind the scenes?
We didn't get to hang out with any of the judges on a personal level, although they were very nice, especially Steven. During breaks he would come over to all the contestants and tell us stories of how he felt when he was a starting musician. Steven Tyler is the real deal, man. What an amazing guy.
4. What do you like about Hollywood?
It's very different than I thought it would be. When I was a kid I thought of Hollywood as a glamorous place that would be so clean and ritzy - and everything would look like Disneyland - and Hollywood is not like that at all. I love everything about Hollywood. I love the lights, the fashion, the palm trees! I love the different kinds of people I see here. Artists and musicians everywhere. It's very different than Lowell, MA. In Hollywood, I can dress however I want and walk down the street singing as loud as I can, and it's just normal. It's just me "expressing" myself - and people are cool with it.
5. What don't You like about it?
I miss my friends and family back in Massachusetts - especially my sister, my mom and my nephew.
6. What do you hope to express though your music?
I want to make people feel something. I am very open to what that feeling is, as long as they feel something. Laughter, inspiration, indigestion - doesn't matter. As long as I have an affect on people, then I am happy.
7. What is your wildest Hollywood story?
I was with my friend, Curtis, at a McDonalds on Sunset and Vine a few weeks ago. We were waiting for our Egg McMuffins when suddenly we heard loud gunshots. Across the street we saw people screaming and running - then this man walked in front of our car waving a gun around and screaming. He was shooting into cars in the McDonald's parking lot. We ducked down and after he walked a few feet away from us, he shot a few more times. An off duty officer shot and killed the man in the middle of the street. Then the server at the drive-thru gave us our McMuffins and said "I hope your day gets better." Why we waited for our food, I still don't know.
8. What is it about Liza that you like so much?
What an amazing question. She is so quirky, and unapologetic for it. Liza truly is my hero - I would do anything to be able to make people feel, when I perform, what she makes me feel when I see her perform. Her voice makes me feel like I am being hugged or something. I hear her hit those big belty notes and I feel like I can do anything - it's empowering. The fact that she performs as an actress, not just a singer, is another reason I look up to her. She has fought through a lot in her life, having lost her mom around the age I lost my dad, as well as having a little sister the same age difference as my younger sister, Kerri - I guess I relate to her on a lot of levels.
9. What advice would you give to someone thinking of auditioning for American Idol?
A).Be Yourself
B).Have Fun
C).Don't Be Boring
10. What opportunities did being on a reality show lead to for you?
I headed out to Hollywood after I was eliminated from Idol. I lived in a tent in the woods for a month, when I first got to California. This past year has been about settling down in Hollywood with my husband. He is in film school now and I am working on my music - I got to write a few articles for the Hometown Weekly Newspaper (in Massachusetts) and I was very lucky to work with 91.5 WUML in Lowell, MA as a "Hollywood Correspondent" and I even had the chance to be a guest speaker for the Dan Kane Singers Summer Camp. - Thanks to Kim Saltmarsh, Dan Kane and Paul Stanton for those opportunities.
Please note; Eliza's interviews are done by email. All answers are unedited and come right from the lovely fingertips of her subjects:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MlT6bxqj3I
1. You had one of the most memorable American Idol auditions in history, do you think it helped you or hurt you in the long run?
I don't think having been on national television could hurt me in any way. If anyone saw my behavior and thought I was funny, that is a win for me. If anyone thought I was an obnoxious-cry-baby, theatre-reject-pop-star-wanna-be, well... that is an even bigger win. Audiences always pay attention to people that are a thorn in their side - at least I do. I just want to entertain people. If it's by singing, that's great, if it's my personality that makes people notice me, that is even better.
2. Are you normally an emotional person or did being on TV intensify your emotions?
I have always been very sensitive. I don't remember ever being any other way. Being away from home did make me more on edge than usual, but to be honest, it just showed what really happens when I get overwhelmed. There was also a lot of time I spent NOT crying that wasn't aired on the show - that's not to say I was wrongly portrayed, but more that they show the interesting dramatic moments - and I would like to think of myself as both interesting and dramatic.
3. What are the American Idol judges like behind the scenes?
We didn't get to hang out with any of the judges on a personal level, although they were very nice, especially Steven. During breaks he would come over to all the contestants and tell us stories of how he felt when he was a starting musician. Steven Tyler is the real deal, man. What an amazing guy.
4. What do you like about Hollywood?
It's very different than I thought it would be. When I was a kid I thought of Hollywood as a glamorous place that would be so clean and ritzy - and everything would look like Disneyland - and Hollywood is not like that at all. I love everything about Hollywood. I love the lights, the fashion, the palm trees! I love the different kinds of people I see here. Artists and musicians everywhere. It's very different than Lowell, MA. In Hollywood, I can dress however I want and walk down the street singing as loud as I can, and it's just normal. It's just me "expressing" myself - and people are cool with it.
5. What don't You like about it?
I miss my friends and family back in Massachusetts - especially my sister, my mom and my nephew.
6. What do you hope to express though your music?
I want to make people feel something. I am very open to what that feeling is, as long as they feel something. Laughter, inspiration, indigestion - doesn't matter. As long as I have an affect on people, then I am happy.
7. What is your wildest Hollywood story?
I was with my friend, Curtis, at a McDonalds on Sunset and Vine a few weeks ago. We were waiting for our Egg McMuffins when suddenly we heard loud gunshots. Across the street we saw people screaming and running - then this man walked in front of our car waving a gun around and screaming. He was shooting into cars in the McDonald's parking lot. We ducked down and after he walked a few feet away from us, he shot a few more times. An off duty officer shot and killed the man in the middle of the street. Then the server at the drive-thru gave us our McMuffins and said "I hope your day gets better." Why we waited for our food, I still don't know.
8. What is it about Liza that you like so much?
What an amazing question. She is so quirky, and unapologetic for it. Liza truly is my hero - I would do anything to be able to make people feel, when I perform, what she makes me feel when I see her perform. Her voice makes me feel like I am being hugged or something. I hear her hit those big belty notes and I feel like I can do anything - it's empowering. The fact that she performs as an actress, not just a singer, is another reason I look up to her. She has fought through a lot in her life, having lost her mom around the age I lost my dad, as well as having a little sister the same age difference as my younger sister, Kerri - I guess I relate to her on a lot of levels.
9. What advice would you give to someone thinking of auditioning for American Idol?
A).Be Yourself
B).Have Fun
C).Don't Be Boring
10. What opportunities did being on a reality show lead to for you?
I headed out to Hollywood after I was eliminated from Idol. I lived in a tent in the woods for a month, when I first got to California. This past year has been about settling down in Hollywood with my husband. He is in film school now and I am working on my music - I got to write a few articles for the Hometown Weekly Newspaper (in Massachusetts) and I was very lucky to work with 91.5 WUML in Lowell, MA as a "Hollywood Correspondent" and I even had the chance to be a guest speaker for the Dan Kane Singers Summer Camp. - Thanks to Kim Saltmarsh, Dan Kane and Paul Stanton for those opportunities.
Please note; Eliza's interviews are done by email. All answers are unedited and come right from the lovely fingertips of her subjects:)
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