Jasmine Trias flashed a "shaka" upon her return yesterday at Honolulu Airport, greeted by the news media and well-wishers.
‘I can’t tell you
how thankful I am’Hawaii Idol Jasmine Trias comes
home for a short visit and thanks
fans who vote faithfully and
frequently on Tuesday nights
Even without the proclamation, yesterday was Jasmine Trias Day in Hawaii.
Island idol faces
After spending the night at home in Mililani, Jasmine Trias will have another busy day today.
another busy dayShe has a morning interview on the Channel 2 Morning News at 6:30, then will visit her Maryknoll schoolmates at a morning assembly starting before 8, followed by a trip to radio station 104.3XME for an interview at 9:30.
Tonight, right before jetting back to Los Angeles, she will help with a torch-lighting ceremony in Waikiki, arriving via outrigger canoe at 7. Kalakaua Avenue, from Kaiulani to Monsarrat, will be closed, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Gary Chun, Star-Bulletin
The official designation from acting Gov. James "Duke" Aiona came on a day also shared with Hawaii residents who have felt Trias' every soaring high and this week's tearful low on "American Idol."
But the day belonged to those who dutifully went into full-tilt vote mode immediately after each telecast -- hitting their phones' redial buttons time and time again until their thumbs went numb, pushing Hawaii's favorite contestant through each succeeding week of the nationwide Fox-TV talent competition.
All were rewarded by Trias' brief visit back to her home state, one that ends tonight, giving her opportunities to offer her heartfelt mahalo.
The reason for her trip is because the show's producers are gathering video footage of the three remaining contestants at their respective home bases to be used on next week's program.
It's just that 17-year-old Jasmine Trias no longer belongs to just her family, but to the entire state of Hawaii.
THAT WAS evident when Trias entered the baggage claim area at Honolulu Airport. Wide-eyed, she greeted the eager news media.
Part of the greeting committee included airport workers, who spontaneously applauded and cheered for her during the impromptu news conference, as well as fans waiting to offer gifts and congratulations, some trying to take snapshots through the tightly huddled media.
Most "American Idol" fans expected Trias to be returning home this week under sadder circumstances. After a mediocre performance on Tuesday, Trias was told by judge Simon Cowell that this "definitely" was her week to leave the show, bringing her to tears.
But the call-in voters instead chose Trias; Fantasia Barrino, from North Carolina; and Diana DeGarmo, from Georgia, for the last rounds. The judges' favorite, La Toya London, was cut instead on Wednesday night.
At the airport yesterday, Trias' fan Shannon Yano, of Waipahu -- who was able to get in 50 votes for the Maryknoll School senior Tuesday night -- said that "she's genuine. She has charisma and stage presence. She's an awesome performer. She handled the judges' comments well, and I could feel how sad she was. I was tearing up with her, too.
"But I knew she was going to make it through. No way was she going down like this!"
Later, the "American Idol" top-three finalist met with Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona at the state Capitol to receive a "Jasmine Trias Day" proclamation signed by Gov. Linda Lingle, who is traveling.
While it's doubtful that Trias will fulfill her wish to go to the beach on her two-day trip home, she said she is happy to be home, and ready for "another week and another show."This has been the biggest change in my life," said Trias, dressed in an off-shoulder sky-blue knit top and jeans.
When asked about judge Cowell's comment to her afterward not to feel guilty over the shocking ouster of London, Trias looked serious for a moment and said, "Even though he basically bashed me during the show, what he said afterwards was really nice, and I feel better about it."
She then immediately looked back to the cameras and the assembled throng, put on that brilliant smile, extended her arms and proclaimed to the cheering crowd, "And I have you people to thank!"
AS TRIAS AND HER burly bodyguards swept through the baggage claim area on their way to a black sport utility vehicle limousine, her father and chaperone, Rudy Trias, as well as her grandfather Rudy Trias Sr. stayed behind to collect Jasmine's luggage.
Home for the first time since leaving for Los Angeles on Feb. 28, Rudy Trias admitted that after Tuesday's show, "it was probably in the back of my mind that she was going."
In fact, Jasmine had given out thank-you cards and macadamia nuts to the show's staff in preparation for her leaving, all before Wednesday's surprising turnaround.
Reflecting briefly on what has happened to her daughter, he said: "It's been a great experience, a dream come true, once in a lifetime. I'm so proud of her and all the support she's gotten. The people here have given her 110 percent. This really shows the aloha spirit."
A line of fans snaked around Tower Records yesterday afternoon -- in and outside the Keeaumoku Street building -- waiting for Jasmine Trias' autograph. Fans Heather Pereira and her daughter Tiana, 17 months, wore matching "Jasmine" t-shirts.
BY THE TIME Trias and the lieutenant governor walked into the news conference, a group of office workers from throughout the state Capitol had joined the Fox crew and the media -- with more waiting outside the immense closed koa doors."We obviously know who the star is here," Aiona began, in deference to Trias. "On behalf of everyone, we know how we feel about Jasmine.
"My interpretation of her ... is that we're looking at character, faith and a lot of love ... (plus) humility and respect."
In a brief question-and-answer session after receiving the proclamation, Trias admitted that "the pressure has been building every week" and that her crying after the judges' comments Tuesday was in response to that pressure.
"But I couldn't grasp how much support I got from the people of Hawaii until I came back, and I can't tell you how thankful I am."
When asked what advice she would give to "future Jasmines out there," she replied: "It's that anything's possible. I didn't think I could make a career out of this, but I remembered to never give up and always try your best."
COPIES OF "American Idol 3: Greatest Soul Classics" were being quickly restocked as fans were buying them while waiting in the afternoon mugginess outside the Tower Records store on Keeaumoku Street. Fifteen minutes before the scheduled one-hour autograph session, a little more than 90 people were lined up, eager to meet their homegrown superstar.
First in line, and already there for three hours, was Adam Thorpe, of Wahiawa.
"She's a good vocalist. She knows how to relax during her singing, and she's real on point. I knew even when she sang the Barry Manilow song weeks ago that she was going to win it all. I know she did good, hella good."
Thorpe said he was able to vote 75 times for her Tuesday night, going between his regular home phone and cell phone.
"It's Jasmine all the way," he confidently said.
With pictures in hand, 13-year-old Cameron Sison, of Aliamanu said he voted 167 times. "She has a great voice for a 17-year-old. She's very confident and has the charisma to be a star. She's done an excellent job and she's represented the islands well. She deserves to win."
Even though the people in line were told that she would be only signing the "American Idol" CDs, when things started at 4 p.m., she was also signing photos, handmade signs, T-shirts and her own trading card. ("Ugh, I hate that picture!" she said.)
Taking it all in was show producer Simon Lythgoe, who said that "this is a much bigger response than what Clay (Aiken) got in his hometown last year."
He said that with the right song, "Jasmine sings like an angel."
Flanking Jasmine at the autograph table was her father and 15-year-old brother Romel, a student at the University of Hawaii Lab School.
Romel said that during Tuesday's telecast, "I was really emotional but I didn't cry. And Wednesday was worst -- I felt bad the whole day. But now she's made the top three, and I hope she makes it all the way."
He will be flying back to Los Angeles with his sister, along with his dad. They'll rejoin Jasmine's grandmother, mother, aunts and cousins, who will all be in the audience to cheer Jasmine on next week.
Ever since she won the "Brown Bags to Stardom" contest as a high school freshman, Jasmine Trias knew she had a gift, her father said.
"I didn't know she'd get this far -- I mean, I knew she was good ...," he said, letting the thought trail off.
He then smiled and said quietly, "She's my idol."
BACK TO TOP |
A judge’s unabashed support
for Trias translates to 540
‘Idol’ votes this week
At least one judge is on Jasmine Trias' side.
No, we're not talking about "American Idol" judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul or Simon Cowell. As it turns out, Oahu Circuit Judge Sabrina McKenna is a HUGE Jasmine Trias fan.
H-U-G-E. As in "I-voted-for-Jasmine-540-times-this-week" kind of huge.
And the bulk of those "American Idol" vote calls were not even from her own phone. "It's my judicial assistant's phone," McKenna explained. "I don't have an AT&T cell phone."
Sabrina McKenna: The state circuit judge describes herself as a "super-fan" of Jasmine Trias
"On Tuesday, I started voting at 7:30 (p.m.) on the phone, and I got 40 votes in. ... Then, two minutes to 8, (the phone lines) started getting crowded. ... Then I switched to my co-worker's cell phone.
"I started text-messaging, and I know I got 500 votes in two hours."
McKenna, a state judge for the past 11 years, said that at first, like many local fans, she split her votes between both Trias and Maui's Camile Velasco.
("I have the 'A.I. Soul Classics' album, and Jasmine and Camile are the best," she noted.)
But after Velasco was ousted, McKenna started concentrating her efforts on Trias -- if for no other reason than to keep her and her 6-year-old daughter from tears.
"She cried when Camile got voted out ... and so did I," she said. "I am a super-fan.
"At first when I started voting, I was only getting through five to 10 times ... but I started getting better at it.
"Last week, I got 300 text messages out. ... This week was the most so far."
It's that sort of fanatical devotion that helped propel Trias past what looked like certain elimination Tuesday night.
Though the Fox Network doesn't release voting results, Verizon officials said 1.23 million calls to the show from Hawaii were completed during the two-hour call-in period following the program.
According to company spokesman Kevin Laverty, Verizon has "tweaked" its system to allow more Hawaii votes to get through.
"We have done everything we can to make sure calls generated in the islands get out and are completed," he said.
Hawaii ranked third in completed calls in the Verizon network, Laverty said. New York, where Verizon has 95 percent of the business, had 2.1 million completed calls, and California, where Verizon "is not dominant," had 1.4 million calls, he said.
New Jersey, which like Hawaii is 100 percent Verizon, had 15,000 to 20,000 fewer calls than Hawaii, despite a 2003 estimated population of 8.6 million compared with Hawaii's 1.26 million, Laverty said.
Of course, that's not to say that only people from Hawaii are voting for the local girl from Maryknoll School. McKenna said she knows of "lots" of people on the mainland who are also voting for Trias because they believe that she has "the best package."
"I love to sing, I love music, and Jasmine to me in the top three right now has the best voice," McKenna said.
And in a judgelike voice, she adds, "Jasmine deserves to be THE American Idol. ... She's the kind of girl that I consider a role model for my children."
Court adjourned.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
