[EXCLUSIVE] Murtzcellanious: Murtz Jaffer Interviews Canadian Idol's Carly Rae Jepsen

Interviews, Shows

It was a pleasure talking to Carly Rae Jepsen, who was my favorite Canadian Idol contestant this season. Unfortunately, instead of talking to her this week… I was hoping that I would be interviewing her next week after she had been crowned the champion. In any event, this is just another great chat with her and we discuss my prediction, what she will be doing next and how we think the finale will go.

Carly Rae Jepsen: How are you this morning Murtz?

Murtz Jaffer: Not too bad, not too bad. What’s going on?

CRJ: Your prediction is wrong! I have got a beef with you here now.

MJ: That was actually the thing that I was going to say to you. I was going to be like ‘I don’t know who took your elimination harder, you or me!’

CRJ: (Laughs). I am sorry I let you down! I know you have been on the money for so long. The thought crossed my mind halfway through it. I was like ‘oh no, I have ruined Murtz’s prediction.’

MJ: You don’t understand! I am NEVER wrong on reality shows. I am like 300-0*.

CRJ: I am sorry to let you down.

MJ: I was sitting in the crowd and the thing is you can’t have a reaction when you’re a reporter. You have to keep a stone face.

CRJ: (Laughs)

MJ: But then when Ben said, I am like ‘nooooooooooooooo!’ I said it so loud and I e-mailed everybody. It was the funniest thing ever.

CRJ: Aw, well thank you. You have been such a sweetheart.

MJ: So Dwight left last week and now you. What happened to my final two prediction?

CRJ: (Laughs). Well, I was kind of like, you know when they were doing the whole like long pause? I was trying to picture any other name but mine. Ben was like “and the person who is going home next is…” and in my mind I am like “Brian, Jaydee, Brian, Jaydee, Brian, Jaydee.” I was trying so hard to picture it, I couldn’t even imagine it. It just felt right that it was my name.

MJ: Right, right, right.

CRJ: And I was like… you want to go as far as you can. Honestly? Top three is pretty friggen awesome. I am happy.

MJ: Totally, totally. I remember, when we talked before, I asked you if you thought that you were going to win and you said that you didn’t think so. Were you surprised at what happened on Monday?

CRJ: I wasn’t surprised. I would have been more surprised if Brian or Jaydee had gone home. I would have been way more surprised. The thing is that I have been in the top three. I have been in the bottom three enough now. My fear of being there or having to go home isn’t as scary because it’s like ‘well, I have sort of like flirted with that idea for awhile now so it’s okay. I was never in my head ever even thinking that I was going to be the Canadian Idol. I was thinking ‘hey, I’d love to be around for as long as I can.’ I don’t know if that’s necessarily the best thing for me. I don’t know what is and it would have been cool but this is also cool. It’s kind of exciting because I don’t know what I am going to do next but I am going to definitely try something.

MJ: You know what shocked me? I thought that you were more emotional when you sang “At Seventeen” than you were when Ben said that you were going home.

CRJ: Well because I was surprisingly okay. I didn’t know how I was going to react. I was nervous about that because I was like ‘I know that I am going to have to go eventually’ but I really knew that I didn’t want to cry and I knew that I didn’t want to think of it as a sad thing or as like by any means as a thing that I needed to be upset about.

MJ: Yeah, because it’s weird. The girls always cry when they are eliminated so you kind of shocked me.

CRJ: Really? I wasn’t sad! That’s the thing. Because in my mind, I was like ‘okay. I am not going to cry even if I need to cry, I am not going to.’ The truth is that I really didn’t need to cry. I didn’t feel like crying. Everyone’s cheering and it feels like, I don’t know. In a really weird way, it feels like you have been on a roller coaster that was really scary and was really fun. You finally get to stop for a second and say ‘wow, that was insane.’ It’s okay. It’s okay.

MJ: Do you think Canada was just ready for a male Idol after Melissa and Eva won the last two competitions?

CRJ: I don’t think that Canada had any pre-designed sex for the Idol. I think Canada is just always looking for good talent and they have got it. Jaydee and Brian are awesome.

MJ: Were you happy with your performances on Monday? Do you think it just came down to who had a bigger support base?

CRJ: I don’t know really what makes people decide. I know that they probably just vote for their favorites and I think that they didn’t make a bad choice. I felt really happy with how I did on Monday and I am thankful to those people who did vote for me but I mean somebody’s gotta go home. That’s part of the game right?

MJ: Do you think that the people who have been voting for you up to this point, do you think that they are now going to have to pick between Jaydee and Brian or are they just going to say ‘well Carly is out, so we’re not going to vote anymore?’

CRJ: I don’t know what the rules are on that. I’d be happy if they did keep watching the show and if they continued to support our Idols because they are both deserving guys.

MJ: What’s next for you after the finale? Do you plan on releasing an album?

CRJ: I mean I plan on doing a lot of things. I would love to release an album with my original songs on it. Yeah, that would be amazing.

MJ: Well, since my prediction is out… I think now it is time for the roles to reverse. It’s time for you to make a prediction between Jaydee and Brian.

CRJ: I am curious to know what yours is, really.

MJ: Are you really?

CRJ: You have got one mulligan and now you need to get it right.

MJ: (Laughs). Man, it’s like you went to journalism school. Answer a question with a question.

CRJ: (Laughs). Is that the rule?

MJ: Whenever you get a question that you don’t want to answer, you have to ask a question in response.

CRJ: Oh really?

MJ: That’s totally the rule!

CRJ: I was just actually sincerely curious. I haven’t asked anybody this, but I am asking you because you are the predictor.

MJ: It’s kind of like a science for me and I feel like after getting the Dwight/Carly Rae thing wrong, I feel like you will not be impressed if I get this wrong.

CRJ: (Laughs). I’ll strike you out? No, don’t worry. I don’t work that way. I am very forgiving.

MJ: I am going to go with Brian but I am not sure, because what’s bothering me is Melissa was from Alberta, Kalan Porter was from Alberta and Jaydee has never been in the bottom. So that’s what’s weighing on me. However, if we go with momentum, and I am sure you have heard on Monday how loud it is for Brian…

CRJ: Yeah, yeah.

MJ: I think it’s going to be Brian. Take that with a grain of salt because clearly my sterling record is no longer sterling after Carly’s dismissal.

CRJ: I think it’s equally as confusing for me. I have no idea who is going to win. Because they are just so opposite. I feel like it’s not about momentum and not about where they are from but if you actually just think of the type of musicians that they are, they are at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Very hard to compare.

MJ: The thing is that when it was down to you three, I broke it down like this. The guys were voting for you. The 18 and under females were voting for Brian and the over 50 women were voting for Jaydee.

CRJ: Oh really? Wow, you have a theory on this!

MJ: I do.

CRJ: I don’t know if it works that way. I hope that it’s not just based on that. I would hope that they vote on what type of music they put out.

MJ: It’s also the music, don’t get me wrong but I also think that’s how the demographics shake out. So I feel like whoever the guys vote for… the guys who were voting for Carly Rae, I feel like whoever they vote for is the person that’s going to win.

CRJ: Oh really. I don’t know. We’ll see.

MJ: We will definitely see. That’s it for me. I will see you at the finale.

CRJ: Thank you by the way. You have been very sweet through all of this.

MJ: I always wear a purple suit to the Canadian Idol finale. It’s kind of tradition. However, because of your elimination, I feel like I am going to wear black this time.

CRJ: (Laughs). No! It’s a celebration! I demand that you wear purple.

MJ: (Laughs).

CRJ: (Laughs).

MJ: Great to talk to you.

*Exaggerated for dramatic effect.

Murtz Jaffer is the world's foremost reality television expert and was the host of Reality Obsessed which aired on the TVTropolis and Global Reality Channels in Canada. He has professional writing experience at the Toronto Sun, National Post, TV Guide Canada, TOROMagazine.com and was a former producer at Entertainment Tonight Canada. He was also the editor at Weekendtrips.com.