Danny Noriega Elimination Interview

'American Idol' Interview: Danny Noriega

Were you surprised by your elimination?
I was semi-surprised. I always go into the results not knowing what to expect because they are so unpredictable. I had a little bit of confidence because you get all this fan mail from these kids and you think you're doing something right for a second.

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What did you think when Simon called you 'grotesque'?
I was kind of shocked because I didn't know what grotesque meant for a second there. Then I was pretty upset because I thought he was going to kind of like me and say something a little positive. But you brush it off after.

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Did you get advice to tone down your personality?
I got that a lot and I didn't really listen. I wasn't trying to be different, it just came naturally, I guess. It is always important to stay true to yourself and I think that's the main key to this competition.

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How did you react to all the speculation over your sexuality?
I think your personal life and your job are two separate things. People should respect that and know that there is a fine line between that. Privacy is really important. I know a lot of celebrities don't get that, but I just think it has nothing to do with your job.

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How close are you to Ramiele and what's that half-heart hand gesture you two make?
She and I are, like, best friends right now. We started talking at the end of Hollywood week and we grew to be very close. We have a lot in common. She's my little twin. The whole little half heart thing ... we call it "corazon," which means heart in Spanish. I don't know ... it is a cute little half a heart thing that we just do.

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You and Kady got completely opposite critiques about your personalities. How did you become friends?
Kady and me are like freakin' brother and sister. I started talking to her and I was like, "She acts just like me. It's like she's a girl version of me." It is weird. We do the same things, we talk the same, we both have like ADD ... we're the little 'Charlie's Angels' of the group.

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What kind of role model do you want to be for your fans?
I really love the fan letters that I'm getting from these little kids who are telling me that they admire me. I showed them that you can be different and still be successful on 'American Idol.' I really like to inspire those little kids who think they can't do certain things because they are different in certain ways, whether it is sexuality or their race or anything like that.

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