Dish Of Salt: Thursday TV Dish (Katie and Andrew Talk ‘Idol’ Elimination)

Last night, we said ‘So long’ to both Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia on “American Idol.” Both contestants spoke with reporters on a conference call this morning. What were the sweet words of encouragement from Katie’s mom that dried up her tears? How did Andrew make a living before the show? Plus, how you can score tickets to watch Betty White on “Saturday Night Live” (and attend the after party!). It’s all in today’s Dish.

Katie’s Kind Words

The tears were flowing on stage as Katie said ‘Goodbye’ to “American Idol” and her mom was waiting backstage was to help ease the pain. “Afterwards, when I was upset about the outcome she said, ‘You know what Katie? If you started out and you were at the stadium [auditioning] and they told you, ‘OK, Katie we are gonna let you be on the show but you are only going to make it to the eighth spot,’ would you have done it?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely.’”

Katie told reporters that she is looking forward to returning home to Connecticut, “Definitely I’m going to go back home, hang out with my friends, keep up with school so that I can graduate and get my diploma,” she said.

Unfortunately, Katie revealed that even though she was eliminated, she still most likely won’t be able to make her high school prom or graduation ceremony. “Because that’s when tour rehearsals will start,” she revealed.

You can’t give a girl one day off? Come on Idol Tour let a girl go to her prom and graduation!

Andrew’s Early Days

“Idol” fans know (from watching the show) that Andrew is a dad to two-year-old Caeland. He did the show in order to provide a better life for his son and now he has big plans, “I see me making an album, getting ready for the tour and promoting [myself] the best I can and just having fun.”

Prior to the show, Andrew was a stay at home dad who earned a living by performing acoustic shows near his Moreno Valley home. “That was my income, going out and playing shows for like 400 bucks a gig,” he revealed.

Of course, now he will have the opportunity to earn a few more dollars for his performances. “Going forward as an artist, I have my own music and I love doing whatever I can to do my originals.”

He plans on collaborating with his “Idol” roommate and new BFF Lee DeWyze. “We are hoping to write [together] on tour,” he said.

All season long, the judges (specifically Simon Cowell) have been slamming Andrew for being “boring.” Andrew told reporters that this was an unfair characterization. “On stage I was focused more on just performing,” he said. “They [the judges] don’t really hang out with me. So they can’t really talk about someone’s personality if they are not trying to hang out with me. If they hung out with me they will love me, guaranteed!”

“American Idol” Collection

Now available for pre-order on www.americanidolmusic.com is the season nine compilation CD. Available on May 11, the new compilation features performances by this season’s top 10. Fans that pre-order “American Idol Season 9” will also receive early access to the purchase tickets for the upcoming tour.

Track Listing:
1. Lee Dewyze – “Treat Her Like A Lady”
2 Andrew Garcia – “Forever”
3. Siobhan Magnus – “Paint It Black”
4. Crystal Bowersox – “Me And Bobby McGee”
5. Casey James – “Jealous Guy”
6. Aaron Kelly – “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”
7. Michael Lynche – “Ready For Love”
8. Tim Urban – “Under My Thumb”
9. Didi Benami – “Play With Fire”
10 Katie Stevens – “Let It Be”

Bid on Betty!

Thanks to a grassroots campaign, which started months ago, Betty White will finally host “Saturday Night Live” on May 8. Even better – Betty and “SNL” are auctioning two tickets to the taping of “Saturday Night Live”, as well as two tickets to the after party, to the highest bidder. Those after parties are legendary! I might bid myself! The auction is for a great cause. It will raise funds for The Broadway Dreams Foundation. Bidding is open until May 4 HERE!

Tomorrow, I’ll be one-on-one with Katie and Andrew. Got questions? Send them to me on Twitter! twitter.com/dishofsalt