Idol Chatter & Voice Views

With the new season of American Idol just days away, think back to last year’s finale for a moment.

That was a star-studded show, wasn’t it?

Kiss performed with Adam Lambert. Jason Mraz sang with Kris Allen.

Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart, Steve Martin and the Black Eyed Peas took the stage. So did former idols David Cook and Carrie Underwood.

It seemed like everyone was on hand, including many of the season eight semifinalists.

Two even received awards.

Including Tatiana Nicole Del Toro, the California gal and Puerto Rican native Idol made famous during Hollywood Week and the semifinal rounds.

I spoke with Tatiana from her Los Angeles home recently and she admitted to being a little surprised when she got the call asking her to take the stage during the season eight finale.

“I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? You want me back for the finale?’ I thought they wanted me to sing,” Tatiana recalled.

“So I was going to sing something really hard, do something really serious and redeem myself (for not making the finals). I’m going to do something really cool. I wanted to sing like ‘Black Magic Woman,’ but they gave the song to someone else.

“And then, when I got there, they said, ‘No, no, no, no, no. You’re going to win an award for singing ‘Saving All My Love for You’ and you’re going to run across the stage, grab the trophy from Ryan,then run to the exit singing the same song a cappella.’ Like this crazy idea.”

What’s more, Ryan Seacrest was going to make believe the show was running short on time — not so far-fetched for anyone who watched much of season eight — and try to hurry Tatiana off the stage.

Only Tatiana wasn’t about to be rushed. She was going to sing “Saving All My Love for You” for the third time, having performed it during the semifinal and wild card rounds.

So Ryan summoned some security guards to help get Tatiana off the stage.

It was all part of the gag, of course.

“They’re actually main producers of the show,” Tatiana said. “They’re not security guards. And I had to like run past them. And they had smirks on their face. They’re like choking back laughter. It was the craziest idea.”

Of course, Tatiana wasn’t clued in to everything that would happen that night. For instance, there was the video that introduced the nominees for the category she won — outstanding female performance.

“When I saw the video, we were live on the air. I didn’t know what was going on. I sat down. I was so nervous. They play the video. Everyone was singing really bad. And I’m like, ‘What is this? What kind of award is this?’ And then it was me, and they were making fun of me, and I was a little bit mortified. But it was funny.

“They spoofed Randy. They spoofed Simon. They spoofed Paula. That show was just one big spoof.”

Of course, Tatiana had already gotten tons of airtime on Idol. Producers showcased her laugh. They showcased her crying with joy over making the final 36. They seemed to delight in any drama that surrounded Tatiana.

Did she have any reservations about returning for the finale?

Hardly.

“What else would I have done that day if I hadn’t have done that? Would it have been as much fun? I don’t think so. I wasn’t about to say no.

“And I feel really honored and grateful that they had so much fun with me and loved me enough to invite me back and to have a little fun. Basically, I didn’t do anything that day but run around. I mean, I felt like a 5-year-old. Like, you’re asking me and paying me to be a 5-year-old today? OK, you got it. You got it. Of all the other things I could be doing today, I can act like a 5-year-old on American Idol.”

Check back early next week for the rest of the Idol Chatter interview with Tatiana, where she talks about plans to promote her pre-Idol CD and to record new music.

I’ll also take a look back at all of last season’s top 36 contestants, providing an update on what they’re up to, where possible.

And, for some fond memories, go here for a photo gallery from last year’s finale and here for the Kris Allen victory photo gallery.