www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MG...le&cid=1137835276818 (to see photo of Elliott & family)



Mom is proud of her 'Idol'
Richmonder's mother has become a celebrity herself in 'wonderful' whirlwind

BY DOUGLAS DURDEN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 11, 2006




American Idol

Claudette Yamin doesn't get to spend much time with son Elliott these days. She's sharing him with more than 30 million TV viewers of Fox's "American Idol" every week.

But she says he sends her a message.

"Before every show, he blows me a kiss. When you see him blowing a kiss at the audience, that's for me."

'AI' THIS WEEK
TONIGHT: 8 to 9 p.m., Fox, performances

TOMORROW: 8:30 to 9:32 p.m., Fox, voting results

Yamin, who like Elliott lives in Richmond, flew to Los Angeles in February when the 24 finalists were announced and competition began for a $1 million recording contract. Two months later, Elliott is still in L.A., performing live on Tuesday nights and finding out on Wednesday nights whether he survived another round. So is she, staying with various friends there.

"Being the mother of an 'American Idol' contestant, personally, it's keeping me well. I haven't felt better in the last three years than I do now. I'm a celebrity. I have no right to feel that way. But people recognize me. I'm living vicariously through my son. What can I tell you?

"I met Whoopi Goldberg. I met Chris Rock. That was exciting. I went right over to them. I have more guts than brains. My maiden name was Goldberg. So I asked Whoopi if we were related."

When you first meet Claudette Yamin, who'll turn 64 next month, three things are immediately obvious.

She is intensely proud of all her children. The others are Scott, Elliott's younger brother; and Jodi, their half sister, who lives in California.

She is tiny. Three years ago, she weighed about 265 pounds. Today, after gastric bypass surgery, she's down to 105 pounds.

Her responses to questions are quick and unfiltered.

"The only days that I rest are Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But on Sundays, I'm starting to get nervous. What song is he going to sing? Sunday and Monday, I'm nervous. Tuesday, I'm really nervous. I really try to concentrate on his singing.


"And Wednesday, forget it all together. I'm bananas; the stomach is upset. I get very quiet. And when I don't talk, there's a problem."

She's not alone. She's sharing her nervousness with family members and friends of the other competitors. Sometimes, they even share the five show tickets allotted to contestants. One night, when a larger-than-usual number of Yamin friends and family wanted to see the show, she got in on one of Bucky Covington's tickets.

"It's tough. It's hard. It's your child. It is a crapshoot out there. So you don't know."

She was speaking, in particular, of last Wednesday. For the first time in the competition, Elliott landed among the bottom three vote-getters. As part of "American Idol's" calculated suspense, one of the three is told he or she is safe, leaving two contestants standing and wondering.

Elliott was one of the remaining two, Mandisa the other -- contestants who had previously been popular with judges and audience alike. When Mandisa was eliminated, the audience was visibly and audibly shocked.

Why do bad things happen to good singers?

Marketability, says Claudette Yamin without hesitation.

"Ace may not be the best singer, but he's a hunk. Mandisa is a great singer, but marketability-wise, I'm not sure her wardrobe was picked out right for her. I also think that a lot of the people voting are teenagers.

With contestants required to perform Queen songs this week, she thinks her son will shine. "But there's no telling what the audience will think," she said.

The Yamins' "American Idol" journey began in July when Elliott, 27, went to Boston to audition.

"I don't know what possessed him this year, maybe the age limit," said Claudette Yamin, referring to the rule that contestants can't be older than 28 when they audition.

"What has held him back was rejection. You've got to have thick skin to handle rejection, and I think Elliott had to deal with that," added Yamin, who sang professionally herself while still a teenager in Richmond.

July brought another event -- a reunion with the daughter she gave up for adoption 38 years ago when she was unmarried and living in Los Angeles. You may have seen the daughter during the show -- she has dark, curly hair and she's smiling broadly -- as the camera pans across the audience to show family members.

"It's just been a whirlwind of wonderful things," Yamin said of the past nine months.

The biggest change in watching Elliott blossom from a shy singer into a judges' favorite and one of eight finalists has been in his looks.

"Elliott is cute; he's getting cuter every week. From the side and the back of his head, I don't recognize him anymore. They have so much product on his hair. But he's still my Elliott."

Yamin recently heard from an Elliott fan in Minnesota. She was calling on behalf of her 8-year-old daughter, who, like Elliott, has diabetes. The family was going to Los Angeles. Could she help them get a spot by the red carpet?

"I told Elliott about them -- and he's terribly busy -- but he called them. He got wrist bands for them and they were able to take pictures and get autographs. You would have thought I gave them $1 million.

"Those are the things that make me very proud. He's on a real high right now. But there's nothing phony about him. He deals with the show of that evening and not, 'Will I be the next American Idol?'"


Contact staff writer Douglas Durden at ddurden@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6359.
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