So many thoughts rushed through my head when my A&R guy, Steve Ferrera, asked that question.

          I couldn’t believe that I was going to get to do my own tour this summer.         

“Kellie!” I said.  “We’ve got to get Kellie Pickler to go on the tour with me.  I mean her album is doing pretty well on the country charts, isn’t it?”

          “Yes, as a matter of fact, it is,” Steve said.

          “Well, don’t you think that would be a good mix?” I said.  “We could both take advantage of our different fan bases.  We could do some things together on stage.  I think it would be a really fun show for people to see.  Plus, I’d love spending some time with Kellie.  I haven’t seen her in awhile.”

          Steve gave me the go ahead to make the call to Kellie myself.  I felt that it was appropriate for me to extend the gesture to her plus I hadn’t spoken to her in awhile so I wanted to catch up.

          “Hello?” Kellie said sounding half asleep.

          “Kellie?”

          “Yeah, this is her.”

          “Oh my God, Kellie!  It’s Katharine!  You won’t believe what my record people just told me.”

          “What?  What did they tell you?  It must be good.  You seem excited about whatever it is.”

          “They said that they are going to send me on a tour this summer!”

          “That’s great, Kat.  I’ve seen how great your album is doing.  I’m so happy for you.”

          “Thanks, Kel, but the best part is that they asked ME who I wanted to perform with on the tour.  And I said I wanted Kellie Pickler!”

          “Me?”

          “That’s your name, isn’t it?”

          “I guess it is!  Wow, I’ll have to think about that.  It sounds like it would be a lot of fun.”

          “Come on Kellie!  What’s there to think about?  We would be able to put on a great show together.  Plus we would have so much more freedom to do whatever we want compared to last summer on the Idol tour.  Just think we wouldn’t have to do the same songs every night!”

          “That would be nice.  I can’t tell you how many times I did that Grease song with Bucky.  I think I was ready for something new before you joined us on tour Kat.”

          “Yeah and we still had two months to go after that.”

          “Got that right!”

          “So you do want to do it, right?” I said.  “I know you’ll have to run it by all of your music people but I can’t see why they wouldn’t jump at the chance of sending you on a tour with me.  It’ll be great for both of us.”

It looked like we would have about 30 dates in two months.  The venues were generally smaller than we went to on the Idol tour.  Most of them were 5,000 seats or less.  However, I noticed something strange on the tentative tour schedule.  Steve had just told me that we would be going to smaller venues and I see this:

          Thursday, May 24 – Staples Center, Los Angeles.

          “Uh, Steve?” I said.  “Staples Center seats almost 20,000 people; I thought we were going smaller.”

          “Well, yeah mostly,” he said.  “But we figured you could probably fill Staples and it would be a great way to create buzz for the rest of the tour.”

          I was flattered and excited by the prospect of opening my own tour in my hometown.  I couldn’t help but remember the Idol stop at Staples.  That was such an emotional night.  All my family was there, I had just received clearance to perform without that obnoxious boot on my foot anymore a few days earlier.  Then when I got on stage, I saw a bunch of orange things in the crowd.  They were orange glow sticks my fans had made huge arrangements to pass out and get to as many people as possible for my homecoming.

          I later found out that what I saw was only a fraction of what I was supposed to see.  I guess my fans had planned to hand out about 10,000 orange glow sticks to the crowd that night.  The Idol tour planners weren’t too keen on the idea so my fans had to get creative.  They still managed to sneak in around 2,000.  This was more than enough for me to notice when I was on stage.

Kellie called me back later that night while I was watching the Top 10 Boys perform on American Idol.

          “Hey Kat, just wanted to let you know that they gave me the go ahead to do the tour with you this summer.  My record people think it would be a fantastic idea.”

          “That’s wonderful Kellie.  Hey, you watching Idol right now?”

          “It was already on here Kat,” Kellie said.  “You do remember I live in Nashville, right?”

          “Sorry, silly mistake.  I forgot about the time zones.  Don’t tell me what happens!”

          “I won’t.  So Ryan said you are going to be on there tomorrow night with the girls?”

          “Yep, I’ll be opening the show with “Mystery of Life” and then I think they want me to sing with the girls too.  I’ll find out when I get there tomorrow.”

          “I love that song, Kat, can’t wait to see it.”

          “Thanks, Kel.”

          “Katharine?”

          Kellie never calls me Katharine, I knew she wasn’t feeling good about whatever she was about to say.

          “I don’t wanna pry, but I read about what happened with you and Nick.  You want to talk about it?”

          “Not really,” I said.  “I mean, there isn’t much to talk about.  He just decided that it would be best for both of us if we were just friends.  He’s probably right.  If it was up to me we’d still be together but he said something about needing more than I can give him right now and…”

          “Yeah, I know how that is,” Kellie said.  “Same thing happened to me.  It’s hard to make something work when your schedule gets so crazy.”

          “That’s pretty much what happens.  Alright, I’ll talk to you later Pickles.”

          “See ya on TV tomorrow, Kat.  Talk to you later, bye.”

          I arrived at the Idol studios early the next day to do some rehearsing and get prepped for whatever else the producers wanted me to do for the show.  It was all kind of strange being back in that small studio they use for the part of the show that whittles the field from 24 to 12.  The memories of my “Since I Fell For You” performance came flooding back into my mind.

          While I was rehearsing for later that night I suddenly heard a male voice coming from behind me.

          “Hey Kat!” he said.  “Don’t feel bad for making me look at your butt the whole time back here.  I don’t mind at all.”

          “RYAN!” I said.  “I haven’t seen you in so long.  I thought you had a crush on me and then you never call or write.  You are such a tease!”

          “I DID have a crush on you Kat, but rules are rules and you did have a boyfriend after all.”

          “I guess you’re right but I don’t have a boyfriend now.”

          “Katharine!  Are you asking me out?  You know I can’t do that.  Even though you aren’t on the show anymore, I can’t.  It still wouldn’t look right.”

          “I understand,” I said with a smile.  “I was just kidding.  Maybe.  Alright, I need to get back to work here.  See you tonight Ryan.” 

          I finished rehearsals and then went into a meeting with the Idol producers to go over everything.  They outlined how they were going to have me open the show with Mystery of Life and then the ten remaining girls on the show would take the stage immediately after I finished for a group number.

          I nodded with a clear understanding of all of that.  Seemed pretty simple to me, what I really wanted to know about is how they wanted me to work with Randy, Paula and Simon.

          That’s when I was told that Paula was fighting a case of laryngitis and while she would be there for the show, they needed another female voice on the panel.

          “Would you be interested in being Paula for the night?”

          “Well, I don’t know if I could be Paula exactly, but I can try.”

          “Don’t worry, she’ll sit next to you.  She’ll probably scribble things down for you to say for her.  It should be fun.”

          “Alright, I’ve always wanted to be in their shoes, at least for one night.  Let’s do it!”

They explained that they just wanted me to react to the contestants naturally and not feel any pressure to say something controversial to outdo Simon.  They stressed how everybody loves my genuine candor and that would be plenty entertaining enough for the show.  I thought, “Yeah, my “genuine candor” has gotten me into plenty of trouble in the past.”

          The hours went by heading toward the 5 p.m. start time for the show and I just felt so good about everything.  It was such a surreal thing being back on this show that had given me so much but the weirdest thing was this:  I wasn’t nervous at all.  I had always been such a nervous wreck before I’d perform each week on the show that it was just exhilarating not to have those butterflies in my stomach right before going on.

          I finished Mystery of Life without any problems; the girls followed me with a rendition of No Doubt’s I’m Just A Girl.  I was impressed with them.  Most of them handled it well.  Nobody tried to steal anyone else’s spotlight; they just did their parts and let their talent speak for themselves.

          During the commercial break I took my seat in between Paula and Simon at the judges table.  I didn’t have a chance to talk to them before the show so I wasn’t totally sure what to expect.

          Paula gave me a hug and a kiss (on the cheek this time), Randy did the same and Simon playfully just shook my hand.  Then before we knew it Ryan was introducing the first contestant of the night.

          We made it through the first six contestants without too much excitement.  I thought everyone was pretty good but nobody really stood out as a potential winner to me.  Then Ryan introduced a girl from La Jolla, California named Kendall Miller.

          I was immediately drawn to her because we are both California girls but she got on stage and I was transfixed by her.  Not sure what it was exactly but she just had that “it” quality about her.  She sang Etta James’ At Last and did it wonderfully.  Funny thing about that is I remembered telling TV Guide that no future Idol contestant should ever do that song when they asked me for advice for hopeful Idols.

          Both Randy and Paula were floored by Kendall’s performance.  While Randy was doing his “We got a hot one tonight!” routine, Paula was furiously scribbling things down for me to say for her.  I looked over at Randy as he finished.

          “Paula says that she thinks you are going all the way to the end,” I said.  “I think she told me that once, too.  Right Paula?”

          Paula nodded with a huge smile on her face.

          “Kendall, that was amazing,” I said.  “That’s just such a difficult song to do and you really nailed it.  I don’t have much else to say other than I’m proud of my fellow California girl.”

          Then it was Simon’s turn.  I should have known this was coming at some point.

          “Impressive Kendall,” he said.  “Dare I say that was better than even you could have done, Katharine?”

          I punched Simon’s leg under the table.

          “Well, she was great,” I said.  “That’s all I have to say.”

          “Yes, she was,” Simon said.  “Kendall, you have nothing to worry about tonight.  You are sailing through to next week.”

          Ryan did his post-judges comment interview with Kendall and asked her how great all of that felt (something I remembered him asking me after my first Idol performance).

          “It feels fabulous,” Kendall said.  “I just want to say that I’m such a fan of yours Katharine.  You inspired me into believing that someone from Southern California could actually do well on this show.  I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

          “Thank you so much, that’s so sweet.” I said.

          The rest of the girls performed and only one other one really caught my attention.  A girl from South Carolina named Kasey Phillips.  She reminded me a little of Kellie.  She had that same Southern charm and country feel.  I thought she could do well if she could find a way to navigate herself through all the different genres Idol throws at you.

          “KAT!” he yelled.  “Don’t leave yet.  I have something to tell you.”

           My mind was racing in those moments he was walking toward me.  Was he reconsidering what I’d said earlier in the day?  Or maybe he just had something for me that he found in my dressing room.

          “I just wanted to say how great it was to see you again,” he said.  “You don’t realize how much I looked forward to watching you perform each week last year.  You were always my favorite.  I think you know that but I just thought I’d tell you.”

          “Well thanks, Ryan,” I said.  “You have anything else to say?”

          “Why?” he said coyly.  “No, I don’t.  Sorry Katharine.  You know I love you but I just can’t go there.”

          “Alright, at least I tried.”

          “Yeah, maybe if circumstances were different but you know how it is.”

          “Yeah, I know how it is.”

          He hugged me and then just as he let go I snuck in a quick kiss on his lips.

          “Oh Katharine, why do have to do this to me?” he said.

          “Well, at least I can drive you crazy since you won’t go out with me.”

          “Fine, we’ll leave it at that,” he said with a grin.

          As I turned around to head for my car a second time I was stopped again.  Kendall Miller had been watching Ryan and me talk the entire time.

          “Sorry, I don’t mean to be nosy,” Kendall said.  “Ryan is cute, isn’t he?”

          “Well, yeah,” I said blushing a little.

          “I just wanted to tell you that I meant everything I said on the show.  That wasn’t just for television.  You really are an inspiration to me.”

          “Thanks Kendall.  I think you are a talented young woman and you could really win this thing if you play your cards right.”

          “Hope so, not sure if I’m going to make it through.  This schedule is nuts and we aren’t even to the Top 12 yet.”

          “Well, it gets worse but you’ll be fine.  Don’t worry.  I’ve gotta go Kendall.  It was a pleasure meeting you.  Good luck.”

Rehearsals for the Katharine & Kellie tour began in early May.  They were giving us three weeks to get everything right for the tour.  Things went well for the most part.  Kellie and I were going to do two songs together as a bridge between our two sets.  We focused on working on that the most early on because our schedules were going to keep us apart some as we got closer to our May 24 kickoff date.

          Every Tuesday night during our rehearsals for the tour, Kellie came home with me for dinner and to watch the final episodes of American Idol.

          This night we quickly ate dinner and then settled down to watch the final three contestants try to sing their way to the finale.  The final three consisted of a guy from Arkansas named Todd Hillmeyer and then the two girls I took notice of during my guest judging night, Kendall Miller and Kasey Phillips.

          The week before Kellie told me that she thought that Kendall reminded her just a little too much of me.  I didn’t really think a whole lot of it.  I mean there were so obvious similarities.  We are both from Southern California, are pretty tall and have dark hair.  But I didn’t think that she really sang like me that much.

          Then Kellie pulled a copy of Entertainment Weekly out of the bag she packed around everywhere.

          “You’ve got to see this,” she said.  “You won’t believe what some of the press is calling this Kendall girl.”

          I opened to the page Kellie had earmarked and there was a two-page story about Kendall Miller with the title, “Idol finalist a Kopy Kat?”

          I read the story with great interest obviously and they detailed all of these similarities between my Idol performances and Kendall’s.  I hadn’t been watching the whole season so I missed the night when she performed Against All Odds.  I wondered why nobody told me about it.  I guess I didn’t make that much of an impression with my own performance of that song.

          Kellie chimed in, “See, I told you she’s just like you.  You just don’t listen to me.”

          “Yes, I do Kellie.  I just didn’t think about it much.”

          “Sure, ya do,” she said with a wink.

          All of a sudden we heard that familiar music come to our television set --  The American Idol theme song we’ve probably heard a thousand times by now.  We both stopped talking and got ourselves settled in to watch the show.

          There was Ryan doing usual thing setting up the show.  He explained to the audience that this final three will go to same way it did last year.  Clive Davis picks a song, the judges pick a song and the contestants get to pick one.

          Kellie was excited to see what her girl Kasey was going to do.  She was naturally drawn to her because of Kasey’s Carolina roots (albeit South Carolina, not North like Kellie) and southern charm.

          All three of the contestants successfully managed their way through Clive Davis’ picks as well as the judges’ picks.  I didn’t think there was a particularly standout performance in the bunch but I didn’t think anyone fell on their face either.

          So we reached the final songs of the night, each Idol’s own choice.  Simon said to Ryan after Kendall closed out the judges’ picks with his choice of Aretha Franklin’s Respect by saying that the competition was wide open for any one of them to take hold of.

          Good to see that Simon agreed with me I thought.  Kind of scary actually.  Although I did always think that Simon was the most fair of the judges, even if he puts on that act of his.

          Kellie was getting nervous for Kasey during the commercial break.  She asked me, “What do you think she’s going to sing?”  I shrugged my shoulders.  “I hope something that shows everything she’s got.”

          Kasey chose to sing Faith Hill’s Breathe.  I thought this was a fantastic choice.  It allowed her to show her country roots with a mainstream bent.  It was a pretty song that showed her vocals but still showed her personality.  As it turned out, Kasey did beautifully.  The judges loved her.  They all said that she kicked the door to the finals down.

          “Uh oh,” I told Kellie.  “That’s the kiss of death when they start telling you that.  I’d rather have them tell me I was awful I think.”

          “Ah, you don’t mean that,” Kellie said.  “Even though I know you think the judges saved you last year by hammering you on Elvis night, you can’t tell me you liked hearing them slam you.”

          “Well, I guess not.  But there are some benefits, especially late in the season after you’ve already got a fan base.”

          Todd was up next.  He chose to sing the Beatles song, Let It Be.  Another good selection I thought.  I also thought that these guys had learned a lot more about song choice than we did.  It seemed like they were nailing these choices.<