GARY KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Visitors and Maui residents filled the International House of Pancakes in Kahului last week to watch Camile Velasco, a waitress at the restaurant, perform on "American Idol."
Velasco’s backers
call for support
"American Idol"
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If there were ever a time to rally behind Camile Velasco, tonight would be it. So say the supporters of the Maui singer whose exhilarating run on TV's "American Idol" will be monitored closely tonight by a nationwide audience.
Unlike Jasmine Trias, the other Aloha State product, whose appraisals by Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell have been largely positive, Velasco has received mixed reviews from the show's celebrity judges.
Last Wednesday, Velasco found herself on the verge of elimination when it was revealed that she, along with Diana DeGarmo, of Snellville, Ga., and Matthew Rogers, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., were among the bottom three vote-getters. The contestant with the fewest viewer votes is eliminated each week. Rogers was the unlucky one last week, although Velasco was right behind him in votes.
"I think people in Hawaii got lazy with their votes," ventures 20-year-old Alison Masuda, of Salt Lake, a devout "AI" fan, citing reports that calls to "American Idol" numbers dipped last week to nearly half the previous week's total. According to Verizon Hawaii, land-line calls during the "American Idol" voting period reached 2.98 million two weeks ago, compared with 1.86 million last Tuesday.
"I admit I wasn't staying by my phone as long last week," Masuda said. "The week before, I just kept calling and calling for almost two hours. I guess I thought Camile would just make it through again. This week, I'm gonna keep calling for her 'cause she probably needs the votes."
Cowell's long-standing opinion that Velasco suffers from stage jitters may have contributed to turning supporters away. While it was painful for Velasco's fans to watch her endure the harrowing prospect of near elimination last week, Masuda felt she's beginning to show more confidence.
"She looked really relaxed when she was talking to (host) Ryan Seacrest after she sang, so I don't know what Simon was talking about," Masuda said. "In fact, Paula said she was getting a lot better."
"She wasn't nervous at all," said Velasco's stepfather, James West, in a phone call from Los Angeles, where he has remained in close contact with her throughout the elimination stage. "In fact, Camile's really excited about performing (tonight) because she really wants to do her best and give her best performance.
"The other night, when we went to this Japanese restaurant, she was just really excited because she feels she's going to do a great job and show everybody. She feels really good about this week."
Another point to remember, say the Velasco faithful, is that Ruben Studdard, a singer who ended up in the "American Idol" finals last year, found himself in the bottom three at various times last season.
"So we'll see," says West. "You never know."
More "Idol" talk
"American Idol" contestants were chased out of the series' Hollywood Hills mansion last week by insects.According to the TV show "Celebrity Justice," the contestants were forced to flee their temporary home after finding the property was infested with termites. The house was reportedly also contaminated with animal feces.
The contestants are temporarily living at a hotel while the house is disinfected and fumigated.
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