EXCLUSIVE: 'Idol' Secrets
'American Idol' contestant Melissa McGhee, who appeared Tuesday night, is upset because she feels she's gotten less face time than her peers. But she's making up for that shortcoming by using her cell phone incessantly to vote for herself.
Almost every female contestant is disgruntled over what they believe is a double standard -- that Becky O'Donohue, who also sang on Tuesday, has been criticized for her sexy pose in 'Maxim,' yet 'A.I.' hunk Ace Young can strike sexy poses like he did last night, but he's viewed as "cool."
TMZ knows exactly where 'American Idol' contestants have been staying while in LA. It's a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, though we won't say which one. We are privy to exactly what went on as contestants watched 'A.I.' together, hung out in the hotel's restaurant/bar and the VIP lounge, and even what they did in elevators. To say the least, it's amusing.
-- Kellie Pickler, who performed Tuesday, started out very nice, but the lowdown is that she's getting downright arrogant. Pickler told the chef, "You're lucky to be cooking for me." In fact, Pickler is so taken with herself that she belts out tunes in the hotel elevator.
-- On Monday night, Taylor Hicks, who sang last night, hibernated in his room, ordering steak and milk for dinner.
-- Gedeon McKinney, who also sang last night, can not believe his good fortune. On Tuesday night he was on his cell phone telling someone: "I can't believe the rooms are $219 a night. Can you believe they pay that?" McKinney added: "I guess they're moving us to an 'American Idol' mansion cause it's so expensive here."
-- On Tuesday night, 10 of the contestants, including Brenna Gethers, gathered in the restaurant/bar to watch the show. When Gethers saw herself on TV, she jumped out of her seat and began dancing to her performance. When Simon panned her, Brenna began ranting at the screen. After that, she asked the chef to sprinkle some sugar on her dessert, commenting: "I need some sugar on here after all the remarks Simon gave me." She was also lobbying people in the bar (not contestants) for votes.
-- Hotel staff says they're fed up with the stage parents. One staffer says Will Makar's mom, who was featured last night, demanded that she wanted her dinner "in seven minutes."
When the group first arrived, they ate like there was no tomorrow. But they've suddenly become health-conscious -- the most conspicuous changes are that tuna has replaced steak as a favorite entree and asparagus has become the new french fry. Becky O'Donohue, who sang Tuesday night, has a new favorite slogan: "Do it right, do it light."
-- All of the contestants have Simon on the brain. No one talks about Randy or Paula.