Elise Testone Earned J.Lo's 'Respect' On 'American Idol'

Jennifer Lopez calls latest castoff a 'fighter' for speaking her mind during the show.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Christina Garibaldi

Elise Testone
Photo: MTV News

Elise Testone's ouster from "American Idol" last week wasn't exactly shocking — after all, she'd practically built "a vacation home" in the bottom three (thanks Jimmy Iovine!). But that doesn't mean she ever really expected to go home either.

"I never really allowed myself to think about it," Testone told MTV News. "But, you know, it happened. I don't take it to heart; it's a TV show, you know? It's dramatic. People agree, they don't agree. No matter what you do, people are going to respect you and people aren't."

It's telling that Testone mentioned the whole agree/disagree thing, mostly because, during her time on the show, it seemed like the "Idol" judges could never truly agree on their critiques of her performances. And, of course, that led to Testone frequently disagreeing with their assessments. And now, much like fellow castoff Erika Van Pelt, she's letting her displeasure about that fact be known.

"I can look at it like they're contradicting themselves, or it could be mistaken for I'm just not finding the balance," she said. "So, they'll bring one thing to your attention, and then they'll pull back and they'll bring another thing to your attention, [and] that might contradict the other thing, but it's probably because I'm not balancing out the advice that they're giving, if that makes any sense. Sometimes it didn't make sense. ... I have to say my least-favorite comment was 'Elise is back!' because I'm like, 'I really never went anywhere.'"

Still, Testone said she's eternally grateful for her time on "Idol" — she mentioned bonding with Stevie Nicks as a highlight, joking, "She's basically my best friend at this point" — and added that she's exiting with her head held high, mostly because she never was afraid to speak her mind.

"[I talked to the judges] on a few occasions, especially J.Lo," she said. "I was like, 'Are you mad at me? I'm not trying to talk back in a rude way!' It's just that, being older, and knowing the direction I want to go in, I feel comfortable. Maybe because of my experience with music or my age, I thought I could talk to [the judges]. And I thought that people would respect that in a way, like, 'This girl is speaking up for herself, trying to figure out a clear answer.'

"And Jennifer was OK with that," she continued. "She was like, 'No, I totally understand. I like that you're a fighter and you stand up for what you believe in. That makes me respect you more.' She always says she respects me as an artist, so that's great."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Related Photos

• 'American Idol' Season 11 Performances

Related Artists

• Jennifer Lopez

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Microsoft Makes $300M Investment In New Barnes & Noble Subsidiary To Battle With Amazon And Apple In E-books

Barnes & Noble has found a new, major partner in its fight to get an edge over Amazon and Apple in the market for e-books and the devices being used to consume them: it is teaming up with Microsoft in what the two are calling a strategic partnership, name yet to be determined. It will come in the form of a new subsidiary of B&N that will include all of its Nook business as well as its educational College business. Microsoft is making a $300 million investment in the subsidiary, valuing the company at $1.7 billion in exchange for around 17.6 percent equity in the subsidiary. The news leaves the door open for B&N to eventually spin these off into a separate business altogether -- or even sell them to Microsoft. And it leaves a load of questions about what B&N will do next with the Nook, which is currently built on a forked version of Google's Android platform.

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The Avengers Global Box Office Haul: Record-Breaking!

Take cover, Katniss Everdeen and the cast of Think Like a Man, The Avengers is coming for you.

While this Marvel blockbuster doesn't open until May 4 in the United States, it's international box office haul from this weekend portends a record-shattering few days ahead in America, as The Avengers raked in $178 million worldwide from Wednesday to Sunday.

The Avengers Trailer (Official)

For some perspective:

• That's more than Battleship grossed in in its first two weeks abroad, and nearly what The Hunger Games has earned in over a month.
• That figure alone would make The Avengers the third highest-grossing film of 2012 domestically.
• It garnered the most from Great Britain, $24.7 million
• It hasn't even opened yet in such huge markets as China, Japan or Russia.

Or the U.S., of course. Are you excited for The Avengers?

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Logitech introduces spill resistant keyboards for the feds, prevents Bauer flip-out

Logitech might be in the midst of a corporate revolution, but it still has time to produce peripherals just for the G-men (and women). The Swiss company has produced a keyboard and mouse that satisfy all TAA guidelines and, most importantly, answered "no" when asked if they are, or were ever a member of the communist party. The pairing can be picked up by federal IT buyers for $35 and are fully "spill resistant," so we can't blame the forthcoming robopocalypse on a wayward cup of coffee.

Continue reading Logitech introduces spill resistant keyboards for the feds, prevents Bauer flip-out

Logitech introduces spill resistant keyboards for the feds, prevents Bauer flip-out originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's Alpha A37 and NEX-F3 pose for the camera, reveal more angles, details

Well, well, talk about déjà vu! It was just yesterday that a corner of Sony's 16.1 megapixel NEX-F3 leaked onto the interwebs and now more photos have surfaced, along with a previously unannounced shooter, the Alpha A37 SLT. The pictures come courtesy of Yang Canggih, which says it had a chance to demo the two devices yesterday at Sony's Partner's Conference in Jakarta (curiously, the NEX-F3 post isn't live as of this writing, but Sony Alpha Rumors has the images up). Starting with the F3, the mirrorless camera has lost a smidgen of the curves found on its older sibling, the C3, adopting a slight bit of the angular edges that once made the NEX-7 the badass standout in the lineup. You'll notice that the shutter button and grip have an uncanny resemblance to the 7's, not to mention that it's clearly gained a pop-up flash -- a first for the lower-end NEXs. Past that, the rumored -- and self-portrait friendly -- 180 degree tilt-screen is also present, which'll likely give the C3 an edge over its siblings when it comes to composing shots. Also worth note, some of the buttons on back have been slightly repositioned.

Moving along, those hoping for a successor to the A35 will apparently have their wish granted with the 16.1 megapixel A37. According to Yang Canggih, it features the articulating display from the last generation of NEX cams, Auto Portrait Framing (first introduced with the A57), four more effect modes than the A35 (up from 11) and an ergonomic grip in the vein of the A77. Sadly, that's about all that's currently known, so hopefully we'll get an official introduction to the cameras soon. Head past the break for a shot of the A37 and then check out the links below for even more of both.

Continue reading Sony's Alpha A37 and NEX-F3 pose for the camera, reveal more angles, details

Sony's Alpha A37 and NEX-F3 pose for the camera, reveal more angles, details originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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?Shut-up and let us run the country,? they explained (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Rochester sailors helped split the South (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

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Animated video shows Orion spacecraft in orbit

NASA may have pushed back the Orion spacecraft's test flight to 2014, but you can get an early glimpse of the capsule in orbit thanks to this animated video from Full Werks studio. You'll see the capsule circle the planet before touching down in the Pacific -- all with a much better view than you can expect when that actual launch date rolls around. The animation features audio clips from the original Apollo and, as any NASA-related video worth its salt should, includes a vintage voiceover from space sage Carl Sagan.

Continue reading Animated video shows Orion spacecraft in orbit

Animated video shows Orion spacecraft in orbit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus 2X my way: Richard Devine

 

Following on the series, it's time to give you guys an insight into how I use my Android phone. Generally, I have two phones on the go, and up until recently one of those was a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I've now waved goodbye to the Nexus and welcomed into my life a shiny new (and white, most importantly) HTC One X. It would be a pretty short read featuring the One X, so we'll focus on my other daily driver -- my long serving LG Optimus 2X. The 2X is still the phone that runs my "normal" phone number, it's the one that people actually call and text me on -- yeah, people do still do that apparently. So I never leave the house without it. 

After the break, i'll take you through it. 

read more

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Justin Bieber Album Cover: Released!

It is here, Beliebers.

Justin Bieber released the album cover for his upcoming CD last night, Tweeting two versions of the photo (regular and deluxe), along with the hashtag #53DAYS. It will be available for purchase on June 19.

Think you might buy a copy?

Bieber has said the tracks on the album will be more grown up than his usual fare; one will also have been written with Taylor Swift, while another - which might not make it on to the song list - was actually written with Mariah Yeater in mind.

Expect to see Justin giving many interviews and playing many concerts in the days leading up to the release. He'll be featured on The Today Show June 15, for example.

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