But my husband came from a small town and hardworking parents like I did, and I don't think we've lost that mind-set. We don't have a bowling alley in our basement. We don't have houses on the beach and one in New York and one in L.A.

And he don't know...that I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seats. I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires...Maybe, next time he'll think before he cheats.

It's kind of impossible not to, especially in such a media-driven world.... But, yeah, I'll go home and one of my friends will say, "Oh my gosh, those shoes are so cute." And I'll say, "Oh, they're Christian Louboutins." And they're like, "What?" So yeah, I've definitely learned more names.

When I'm on stage, I feel like a performer, for sure. I know people are looking at me and taking pictures and singing along, and that part's wonderful.

American Idol transcends age, gender, ethnicity, everything.

My hometown is extremely supportive of me and I feel blessed to be able to create something as a way of giving back; to say thank you.

I love being on camera. And I love knowing what's going on in the world. Diane Sawyer is my favorite. She never seems to lower herself to get the job done. She just always carries herself well. I really admire her.