More updates on James

I think Mr. Durbin had a very successful post-elimination press tour. In addition to the Regis & Kelly appearance, he visited the Today Show, MTV's "The Seven," Fox's "Good Day New York," and "The Ellen Show." He made a surprise appearance on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" as a special guest of Randy's, and he, Randy, Jimmy, and in-house band The Roots jammed to Journey's "Any Way You Want It." On youtube I found video of in-studio chats with Fox News Radio's Tom Sullivan and radio personality Billy Bush. KISS FM's website has a live in-studio performance of James singing part of "Heavy Metal"

He sang "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" on Regis and Kelly, with a piano accompaniment and James on guitar. Access Hollywood also had him sing WYSLMT, with Michael Orland on piano and no guitar. The show only showed a snippet of the performance, but the full video is on the Access Hollywood website. He was interviewed on both shows as well, but the Access Hollywood intervew was abbreviated for television; the full interview is on the website. Ellen interviewed him, and then he sang an abbreviated version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Michael Orland on piano. He earned a standing ovation from the studio audience for that performance.

James' personality really had a chance to shine in these interviews. He was polite ("yes sir" and "no sir" to Leno and Regis, hugs for Kelly and Ellen), charming, witty, thoughtful, and candid. Without the Idol camera angles and editing, and exacerbated by tbe stress and fatigue of the press junket, James's tics were much more apparent. He spoke at some length about his struggle with Tourettes on "Good Day L.A.", "Access Hollywood" and the Billy Bush radio show, revealing that he stopped taking medicine for the disorder when he was sixteen. He now uses meditation, herbal remedies, and occasionally accupuncture to manage his symptoms. He also spoke openly about the bullying he endured when he was younger. His mood was more somber on the Friday interviews, due to a combination of lack of sleep, dissapointment about his elimination, and most importantly, sadness that he would not be able to have his homecoming as planned. But he was very upbeat during his Tonight Show appearance, which he told fans later was when he learned that Durbin Day was back on. And he was in great spirits during his Ellen appearance, telling her, "I don't think any number could have been better for me than #4."

A Fan