Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Prior to his time on American Idol, Heejun Han worked as a nonprofit organizer, helping kids with special needs.

“I want to show them that if you believe in yourself, you can be someone,” the 22-year-old from Flushing, N.Y., told Idol after receiving his golden ticket.

And the guy known for his deadpan comedy seemed totally serious this time.

Heejun accomplished quite a bit on Idol.  He survived “crazy cowboy” in Hollywood and became an Idol star in the process.

He made it to Vegas and breezed through the semifinals.

And he did well enough in the finals to qualify for the Idol summer tour.  On Friday, Heejun talked with the media about his Idol experience.

*  Heejun says the Idol house is huge.  “It took me about 20 minutes to find my own room.”

*  Jennifer Lopez told Heejun she tried to convince the other judges to save him, but lost her argument.

* If Heejun had his own sitcom on FOX, he’d want it to be about an Asian guy who’s dating a pretty blond girl.

* And Heejun would be up for a sitcom.  “I’m not going to be choosy.  I want to make something out of this.”  He’s up for film roles, music, dancing, whatever, he adds.

*  Heejun says any question about whether he took the competition seriously is silly, since he waited for hours and hours to a audition.

*  At this point, since he didn’t make it all the way through the competition, he’s hoping no one wins.  Of course, he’s joking.

*   “I’m just an ordinary guy who made it to number 9 on American Idol,”  Heejun Han said, explaining a comment last week about not trying to be a star.  He said the comment was made in reaction to Jimmy Iovine’s rather harsh critique of his Top 10 performance.  He was trying to express his humility.

*  That said, Heejun wouldn’t mind making Jimmy regret his comments.

*  In spite of the criticism, he thinks his best performance was Billy Joel’s “My Life.”

*   The message he’d relay to other contestants — “Why be so serious?”  Only one person is going to win, he says, so why not have fun, develop a thick skin and be yourself.

*   He plans to have “crazy” fun on the summer tour, even crazier than on Idol because they won’t be being judged anymore.

*   He says his favorite mentor was Stevie Nicks, who came prepared and gave him the best advice — to tell a story through music and not worry what others thought.

*    He vows not to enter another reality competition, unless it’s “America’s Next Top Model.”