Diana DeGarmo

“My mom played me all kinds of music, from Ella Fitzgerald to Celine Dion. I listened to everything growing up, old and new.”

“I can't tell you how wonderful it is to hop in my car and drive home after rehearsal.”

“I got a hug from Kathleen Marshall, Sheryl Crow, and Barry Levinson all in the same day - and that was something pretty special!”

“Working with Dolly Parton was one of the coolest experiences of my life.”

“Honestly, I actually would really love to see more musical theatre actors do the movie adaptations of shows - I think that would be really great to see.”

“I'm definitely interested in acting. I've done it in my past. I know I can do it, let's put it that way. And it's so much fun.”

“After 'American Idol,' I got a lot of 'stuck up' rumors that just fueled the never-ending flames of high school drama. Thankfully, my real friends always stood up for me and knew I wasn't like that.”

“I appreciate the level of professionalism and talent that I get to be around every night, eight times a week.”

“With 'American Idol,' you are on your toes a lot. People don't realize the amount of work.”

“My mom is my manager and handles day-to-day business to keep the DeGarmo machine up and running! She's a huge, huge part of my career and my life.”

“I like my food. I would rather be a little bit on the heavier side than too thin.”

“I love all genres of music. I think it helps you become a better performer if you know the different types of music.”

“I liked school except for having to get up early and, of course, high school drama!”

“I love the challenge of singing something that's not that easy.”

“What I do is a little bigger than traditional country. I've been belting all my life, so I fit right in with the musical-theater style.”

“The New York theater community didn't like being invaded by reality stars - they still don't - but I got in there and auditioned just like everybody else. They hired me for 'Hairspray' to help sell tickets for a few weeks, but I ended up being there much longer than originally planned and started to carve a niche for myself.”