Melinda Visits Our Old Stomping Grounds!
Stretching out
by: MATT GLEASON World Scene Writer
Sunday, August 30, 2009
8/30/2009 4:11:41 AM
Soon, "American Idol" favorite Melinda Doolittle will return to Union High to sing the national anthem for her alma mater as its football team battles visiting rival Broken Arrow High.
During halftime Friday night, Union's former mascot will have the faithful swaying to her soulful "Declaration of Love," complete with Union dancers.
Since graduating from Union, Doolittle has transformed herself from a shy background singer in Nashville to an R&B and gospel star.
Although Jordin Sparks won the 2007 Idol season, Doolittle's fans knew she had much in store for the future. They were right.
This February, Doolittle released her debut album, "Coming Back to You." Entertainment Weekly gave it a B-plus and said, "Doolittle channels Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin over live-band arrangements that feel fresh-faced and old-school at the same time."
Beyond music, Doolittle accompanied then-first lady Laura Bush to Zambia in 2007. The pair raised awareness about Malaria No More, which battles a preventable disease that claims approximately 1 million lives every year.
While in Tulsa for the football game, Doolittle plans to speak with students at Union High and McAuliffe Elementary School, where she attended the sixth grade. Doolittle's full speaking schedule has not been confirmed.
Doolittle said in a recent telephone interview, "I'm like, 'Can I just hit every place that I went, so I can say hello and thank you?' "
A reception is planned at Union before the football game.
In advance of her visit to Tulsa, Doolittle, who lives in Franklin, Tenn., answered a few questions.
Tulsa World: Whose idea was it for you to sing the national anthem at the Union game?
Doolittle: They approached me Obviously, I absolutely love my high school and Tulsa. I was looking for a wonderful reason to come back. It was so perfect. I'm really excited. Once they said we would have dancers, I was like, 'Oh, definitely 'Declaration of Love.' That's my dance anthem, if I could dance, but I can't. I'm clumsy, so I'll stand in place and let them dance.
As Union's American Indian mascot, what do you remember about the football rivalry between Union and Broken Arrow?
Oh man, all I know is we always want to beat Broken Arrow and Jenks. For me, those were the ones where I was like, 'Oh, we're going to take them down.'
What are some of the most important lessons you want to convey to students you meet?
For me, my motto is to dream big, so definitely dream big and then prepare yourself. Once you dream big, you need to be prepared for the doors that could open because of your dreams, and because of the work you've put in.
What's the No. 1 question students ask you?
Normally, they're just like, 'How do I do what you do?' or 'What's Simon really like?' I tell them, 'Dream big and pray hard.' There's definitely a lot of prayer that goes into it, a lot of just going out for things and not always looking for 'Do I get paid to do this? or 'What's in it for me?'
Then I tell them, 'Simon's a teddy bear.' He's the same offstage as he is onstage, but when you get to know his heart, you realize it's coming from an amazing place. I call him my teddy bear.
While you're in Tulsa, what are some of the fast-food joints or restaurants that you can't wait to eat at again?
Is Zio's still there? They have this Oreo dessert. It's ice cream and cookies. And I want Braum's. I like the butter-pecan mix. I like sweets. I'm sure I should be naming actual food, but (she giggled.) Gosh, I haven't had Mazzio's pizza in forever.
Who are you looking forward to seeing while you're in Tulsa?
I'm really excited. I get to see my pastor from Rhema Bible Chuch, Pastor (Kenneth) Hagin, his wife and their kids. And my best friends Tiffany and Amber, who were very instrumental when I was on Idol. They were just huge supports. Hopefully, a few more friends and their parents.
Everyone has babies now, except for me, so I will live vicariously through them.
American Idol winner David Cook lived in Tulsa for a few years, have you gotten a chance to talk to him?
I'm such a huge David Cook fan. I think he's fabulous. I just joined his Twitter, because he just opened up. I met him when we were in Disney World opening up the American Idol Experience there.
My first experience with David Cook was I just rode the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster five times, and he was like, 'Well, then I'm going to beat you.' The next thing I knew was he said, 'Six, baby.' I was like, 'Man!' He's such a sweetheart and has always been so wonderful to me. That's a little Tulsa coming out.
Since American Idol, what is one of the best ways that your life has changed?
I think the biggest thing for me has been getting involved with Malaria No More. I've been to Africa twice because of it. I've been to the White House, been able to sing there, and travel with Mrs. Bush, and be a presidential delegate to Africa all because of such a wonderful organization. And we're saving lives daily for a $10 mosquito bed net.
Obviously, I love to sing and I can't believe this is what I get to do, but to have a platform to be able to do something even bigger is amazing.
What do you miss about your pre-Idol life?
I don't know, sanity and sleep are huge ones for me. I'm very much a tomboy, so I miss my tennis shoes and the days where I had no idea what kind of makeup I wore, or what designer made those clothes. It's definitely been a stretch for me, but it's been a welcome stretch. We've had fun with it.
by: MATT GLEASON World Scene Writer
Sunday, August 30, 2009
8/30/2009 4:11:41 AM
Soon, "American Idol" favorite Melinda Doolittle will return to Union High to sing the national anthem for her alma mater as its football team battles visiting rival Broken Arrow High.
During halftime Friday night, Union's former mascot will have the faithful swaying to her soulful "Declaration of Love," complete with Union dancers.
Since graduating from Union, Doolittle has transformed herself from a shy background singer in Nashville to an R&B and gospel star.
Although Jordin Sparks won the 2007 Idol season, Doolittle's fans knew she had much in store for the future. They were right.
This February, Doolittle released her debut album, "Coming Back to You." Entertainment Weekly gave it a B-plus and said, "Doolittle channels Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin over live-band arrangements that feel fresh-faced and old-school at the same time."
Beyond music, Doolittle accompanied then-first lady Laura Bush to Zambia in 2007. The pair raised awareness about Malaria No More, which battles a preventable disease that claims approximately 1 million lives every year.
While in Tulsa for the football game, Doolittle plans to speak with students at Union High and McAuliffe Elementary School, where she attended the sixth grade. Doolittle's full speaking schedule has not been confirmed.
Doolittle said in a recent telephone interview, "I'm like, 'Can I just hit every place that I went, so I can say hello and thank you?' "
A reception is planned at Union before the football game.
In advance of her visit to Tulsa, Doolittle, who lives in Franklin, Tenn., answered a few questions.
Tulsa World: Whose idea was it for you to sing the national anthem at the Union game?
Doolittle: They approached me Obviously, I absolutely love my high school and Tulsa. I was looking for a wonderful reason to come back. It was so perfect. I'm really excited. Once they said we would have dancers, I was like, 'Oh, definitely 'Declaration of Love.' That's my dance anthem, if I could dance, but I can't. I'm clumsy, so I'll stand in place and let them dance.
As Union's American Indian mascot, what do you remember about the football rivalry between Union and Broken Arrow?
Oh man, all I know is we always want to beat Broken Arrow and Jenks. For me, those were the ones where I was like, 'Oh, we're going to take them down.'
What are some of the most important lessons you want to convey to students you meet?
For me, my motto is to dream big, so definitely dream big and then prepare yourself. Once you dream big, you need to be prepared for the doors that could open because of your dreams, and because of the work you've put in.
What's the No. 1 question students ask you?
Normally, they're just like, 'How do I do what you do?' or 'What's Simon really like?' I tell them, 'Dream big and pray hard.' There's definitely a lot of prayer that goes into it, a lot of just going out for things and not always looking for 'Do I get paid to do this? or 'What's in it for me?'
Then I tell them, 'Simon's a teddy bear.' He's the same offstage as he is onstage, but when you get to know his heart, you realize it's coming from an amazing place. I call him my teddy bear.
While you're in Tulsa, what are some of the fast-food joints or restaurants that you can't wait to eat at again?
Is Zio's still there? They have this Oreo dessert. It's ice cream and cookies. And I want Braum's. I like the butter-pecan mix. I like sweets. I'm sure I should be naming actual food, but (she giggled.) Gosh, I haven't had Mazzio's pizza in forever.
Who are you looking forward to seeing while you're in Tulsa?
I'm really excited. I get to see my pastor from Rhema Bible Chuch, Pastor (Kenneth) Hagin, his wife and their kids. And my best friends Tiffany and Amber, who were very instrumental when I was on Idol. They were just huge supports. Hopefully, a few more friends and their parents.
Everyone has babies now, except for me, so I will live vicariously through them.
American Idol winner David Cook lived in Tulsa for a few years, have you gotten a chance to talk to him?
I'm such a huge David Cook fan. I think he's fabulous. I just joined his Twitter, because he just opened up. I met him when we were in Disney World opening up the American Idol Experience there.
My first experience with David Cook was I just rode the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster five times, and he was like, 'Well, then I'm going to beat you.' The next thing I knew was he said, 'Six, baby.' I was like, 'Man!' He's such a sweetheart and has always been so wonderful to me. That's a little Tulsa coming out.
Since American Idol, what is one of the best ways that your life has changed?
I think the biggest thing for me has been getting involved with Malaria No More. I've been to Africa twice because of it. I've been to the White House, been able to sing there, and travel with Mrs. Bush, and be a presidential delegate to Africa all because of such a wonderful organization. And we're saving lives daily for a $10 mosquito bed net.
Obviously, I love to sing and I can't believe this is what I get to do, but to have a platform to be able to do something even bigger is amazing.
What do you miss about your pre-Idol life?
I don't know, sanity and sleep are huge ones for me. I'm very much a tomboy, so I miss my tennis shoes and the days where I had no idea what kind of makeup I wore, or what designer made those clothes. It's definitely been a stretch for me, but it's been a welcome stretch. We've had fun with it.
Matt Gleason 581-8473
matt.gleason@tulsaworld.com
Associate Images: Melinda Doolittle will sing the national anthem at Union's game vs. Broken Arrow on Friday. Courtesy |
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