I told you all to be sorry. Now, sixth-place Idol finisher Siobhan Magnus fielded a round of questions during a post-elimination conference call, and I can officially confirm: All you Michael Lynche zealots screwed a major pooch with your dumb votes. You schtupped a mastiff and we all saw. The five best quotes from Siobhan's conference call (which come complete with five new reasons to love this girl) render us weepy and breathy -- like a lovestruck glassblower noticing her reflection in a gleaming pool of silica.
1. She ranks Courtney Love and Rob Zombie among her prime influences.
Question: "You've said that one of your favorite female artists was Courtney Love and that you also admired Rob Zombie. Is this a musical direction you'd like to take? Do you think it would cause a bit of nervousness in some of your fans and record executives?" -- Matt Stone, Kelowna Daily Courier
Answer: "It easily could. I can understand that being a cause of concern, but my tastes are in no way limited to that style of music. I love every kind of music that moves me, and I hope to be able to create a sound that is my own because it takes from everything that I love, from jazz and soul and R&B and blues to rock and punk and oldies, big band. I love everything. I'll hopefully eventually be able to create something that is my own sound but that also takes from everything that I ever loved, not just Courtney Love and Rob Zombie."
2. As a glassblower's apprentice, she often schooled the master.
Question: "I want to know a little bit about your glass blowing apprenticeship, and I want to know if glass blowing has actually helped develop you voice because I know you have to have really good pipes for that too." -- Monica Gorske, Flash News
Answer: "Yes, I started working in the glass shop about three years ago. It was such an incredible job because you learn so much every day. It's all chemistry. It's all science, but it's happening in your hands, and I love that about it. I could sit for hours and watch my boss make the most amazing things. He'd tell me what he was doing and how he was doing it. Then if the shop was slow and we didn't have a lot of customers, he'd have me get on the torch, and he's say, "Okay, you try," and he'd tell me how to do something. There were times when he'd be working on a huge piece, and he'd need me to come over and hold the other end and blow in it because he couldn't reach."
3. She's one of those wicked Bostonians.
Question: "What Massachusetts band, Boston area band that you grew up with or maybe your father were favorites of yours?" -- April MacIntyre, Monsters and Critics
Answer: "Love Dropkick Murphys, I love their Boston pride, their Red Sox pride, and my dad's wicked into them too. We've gone to see them together."
4. Her aspirations range from opera to horror.
Question: "You talked about having some big ideas. Can you tell us a little bit about what some of those things might be?" Debra Yeo, Toronto Star
Answer: "I do aspire someday to be in something like Phantom of the Opera or Jesus Christ Superstar, like any kind of opera or Broadway-type musical because I love acting and singing, and the two of them together is just so much fun. I also am a huge horror movie fan, and I definitely aspire to at least make an appearance in a wicked gory kind of horror film with all the stops and the special effects makeup that I'm just so fascinated by... My oldest brother, Rory, is an extremely talented filmmaker, and someday I'd love to be in one of his films, and we could all come together and create a Magnus work of art."
5. She's already the American Idol for high school underdogs.
Question: "You really defended your right to be an individual this season and not let the judges put you into a box or pigeonhole you. Is that something that you really wanted to instill in your fans and the people who supported you that it's okay to be unique and it's okay to be different?" -- Gina Scarpia, realitywanted.com
Answer: "The positive feedback that I received from fans and viewers was tremendous. I couldn't ask for anything better than receiving letters from younger girls who said to me, 'I get made fun of at school because I'm different, but watching you has helped me accept the fact that it's okay and it's a good thing to be who I am and not back down just because other people intimidate me.' I've received letters where I've been brought to tears just because I achieved something that has been a goal of mine for so long to be able to influence the lives especially of young girls in a positive way and just to show them that who you are on the inside is a beautiful thing."