Interview with American Idol's Danny Noriega

For 18-year-old Danny Noriega, school is the last thing on his mind.

The Azusa resident, who planned to start college this past fall, has pushed back his plans in order for a chance at fame. I recently interviewed the Sierra High School student over the telephone,  who of course had his trusty PR guru on the line to make sure he didn't answer any pressing questions. One subject he couldn't go into detail on was rehearsals, or of course, what song he would be performing during this Tuesday's American Idol show.

But I did ask him what he liked to do for fun, besides singing. He loves to dance, and often goes out to clubs with his friends. What club you ask? Well, for some reason Noriega didn't want to answer that either.

On Fox's American Idol website, the long-haired contestant claims to love artists Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson and Chris Brown.

This is the second season Noriega has competed to be named American Idol, which is in its seventh season. Last season, he said he was trying to maintain a look that he thought the judges wanted (shorter hair). Unfortunately, he wasn't what the panel was looking for. So this season, he came back as himself, he says, and made it through to the top 24.