TVSquad

Last night I went to taping of MTV's Rock the Cradle at CBS studios. We reviewed the season premiere of the show here at TV Squad so I was excited to see the show taped live and meet some of the performers.

After the show I got to talk to Chloe Lattanzi, Crosby Loggins, and Lucy Walsh. All were very nice and very gracious, considering they just walked off the stage. Find out what they had to say about the competition and the other contestants after the jump ...

First I talked with Chloe Lattanzi, one of the final three contestants.

Kristin Sample: What did you learn about yourself in throughout this competition?
Chloe Lattanzi: I learned how strong I am. I feel like the more that you push through fear in life, there's this incredible ... you're like a tree (it sounds really cheesy) but human beings can be anything that we choose to be. And I've chosen to face fears and to accept myself. And as an artist it's made me grow (and as a person) in such a big way. I like myself as I am.

KS: What was your favorite week?
CL: I think when I revamped my mom's song "I Honestly Love You." I put a Marilyn Manson twist on it with a Nine Inch Nails beat, sort of trashy. And I made it really my style and got really high scores. [laughs] So I guess that was my favorite week!

KS: Who helps you choose your outfits?
CL: [laughs] Just me!

KS: Who are you closest with in the cast?
CL: I'm pretty close with Jesse Snider. Him and I over the last two weeks have become close. And the first girl to go, Jessie Money.
KS: So the two Jesses?
CL: Yeah, the two Jesses!

KS: What's on your iPod?
CL: "Closer to God" by Nine Inch Nails. I have one of my own songs. I have Manson's "The Dope Show." I have a lot of electronic stuff and industrial things.

Next I sat down with Crosby Loggins, another of the final three contestants.

Kristin Sample: Who do you think is your biggest competition?
Crosby Loggins: I think Jesse Snider's probably my biggest competition. Chloe has a huge fanbase too.

KS: Who is your toughest judge?
CL: I am by far my biggest judge. The first thing I said when I stepped off stage after getting "Untouchable" was how marginal I felt about what I had done.

KS: What was your favorite week so far?
CL: I think this was my favorite week. I really had a good time last week. There was just firsts in the last few weeks. I've always had great players in my band so I've never taken a lead solo before. And I took a little solo last week. And I haven't played piano on stage since I was eight. So that was a good step. And it pushed me to see that even though I write a little bit (in the closet) on the piano, that I can actually step out.

KS: Who are you closest with in the cast?
CL: I was closest with Akeiba. Akeiba was a fantastic person. She was really humble, really talented. It just didn't come off right. They put us on in-ears a day before the show started. Any performer will tell you that they usually spend weeks on in-ear monitors before they perform. She was just great. Her family is so wonderful.

KS: Do you have any plans for what you are going to sing next week?
CL: I do have plans but I'm getting some opposition from MTV. There are bands that I care about that are not "MTV" bands like Wilco, Ryan Adams, Elliot Smith. And those are who I feel are the most influential writers and performers of my generation. So they have a lot of plans for what they want me to sing next week and I'm figuring out whether this is the right place to fight that battle.

KS: Who's on your iPod?
CL: Wilco, Ryan Adams, Elliot Smith, The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt. James Taylor, Jackson Brown, Paul Simon.

Finally I got to talk to Lucy Walsh who was eliminated last night. I interviewed her with a few other members of the press in her dressing room.

Press: How do you feel about this whole experience? Was it worthwhile for you to do this show?
Lucy Walsh: It was very worthwhile for me to do this show. I'm really happy. And at first I said "no" because I absolutely hate reality TV and I don't watch television. But as long as it's focusing on talent, I'm comfortable. And I wanted to do the show for the mass exposure that comes from a television spot. And I got what I came for. I've gotten almost 100,000 listens on my MySpace page (and I was already at half a million) since the show started. And I've been doing music my whole life so this was just one step for me.

Press: What was your favorite week?
LW: My favorite song was tonight's. "My Immortal" by Evanescence. And I've been saying this whole week, more than winning to me, I just really want to be able to perform that song because this is the first time in this competition that I have stepped into my performance emotionally. And I could feel that switch and it's because of what I've gone through over the season with having to be judged and having to look at myself and be willing to grow. And I'm finally getting there. And I could not be happier. I really had a good time. And I went out on a great note.

Press: What's after this for you?
LW: I'm going to make a record. I'm going to get on the road. And I will be doing music my entire life. I think that the real artists stand the test of time. And I think that the people with no talent can only go as far as the hype will alow. And at some point you really have to have the talent to make this your life work.

Press: Who were you closest with in the cast?
LW: I would say Jesse Snider, obviously I told everybody to vote for him. Crosby came up afterward and he was like, "Thanks a lot." [laughs] Me and Crosby have known each other our whole lives and actually my stepfather is Crosby's godfather. And he's a great muscian but I think Jesse Snider is an incredible performer. And I think he's the most exciting of the bunch.

Press: What have you learned from this experience?
LW: I have learned to listen to my instincts. It's really terrifying to get up there every week in front of America, on live television and have judges, who don't know you personally, pick you apart. And sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wrong. I have learned to really believe in myself when I know that I'm doing what's in my heart.

Press: Who's your least favorite judge?
LW: My least favorite judge is Jamie King. I think the guy [Brian Friedman] we had last week was incredible and I wish that he had been on the whole season. And he said that he wants to choreograph my tours and [laughs] I want to tell him to call me. I think that Jamie King, a lot of his comments were very fluff. He didn't give good notes. He didn't give anything constructive that you could really work with. And I've never even met the guy. He never made an effort to come meet us behind the scenes.

Other bits:

• Chloe Lattanzi wore a plaid school girl skirt as her tribute to Britney. She mentioned it in our conversation.
  
• Backstage after the show, Landon Brown congratulated Crosby Loggins on his second performance noting his stepping off stage and singing in the audience.
  
• The contestants get their songs on Sunday and have to perform the following Thursday. I wonder how that compares to Idol.
  
• It's a surprisingly small stage. I pictured it bigger from what I saw on TV.
  
• Jesse Snider and Lucy Walsh *might* be romantically involved. They were hugging a lot and the body language definitely suggested that they were attracted to each other. After she got eliminated and just before he sang, Jesse ran up to her, hugged her and gave her a peck right on the mouth. Hmm.
  

The finale of Rock the Cradle is next Thursday at 10 p.m. EST on MTV. Tune in and find out who wins: Crosby, Jesse, or Chloe.