A couple of weeks ago, the Yaminions.com blog was contacted to participate in a roundtable luncheon interview with Elliott and other celebrity, health and diabetes bloggers in the New York City area. When PoorMe and Laclos contacted me to be the Yaminions representative, I jumped at the chance. How often does the opportunity come around to interview Elliott?

When the big day arrived and I entered the lobby of the building where the roundtable luncheon would take place, a ripple of excitement passed through me when saw a sign welcoming Elliott Yamin and Bloggers!

Butterflies began fluttering in my stomach as I rode the elevator to meet the other bloggers before interviewing Elliott. It was a combination of nerves and excitement. Not only was I going to meet Elliott, I was going to have the chance to sit with him, hang out and ask him questions about his life and career.

The other bloggers included two representatives from Seventeen magazine, a representative from Conde Nast, a representative from Diabetes Self-Management and the owner of www.ImNotObsessed.com. We had a buffet of lunch and dessert offered to us, and we snacked and chatted until Elliott arrived for the interview.

Once Elliott arrived, he walked around the room and we each introduced ourselves to him. Of course, I introduced myself as being the representative of Yaminions. He grinned and looked genuinely surprised and happy. After the introductions, the video camera was set up to tape the interview. Yes, there is video! I will be receiving a copy of this later in the week, and it will be posted on the blog. There was also a table nametag with my name and Yaminions.com where I sat. Next to Elliott!

The purpose of this roundtable discussion interview was to highlight the program Inspired by Diabetes. Inspired by Diabetes is a creative expression competition in which Elliott has signed on to be the Global Ambassador and member of the judging panel. Anyone with diabetes or a friend/family member with diabetes can enter by sending in a piece of artwork, essay or musical composition inspired by how diabetes has affected your life. Each entry will raise money to be donated to the International Diabetes Federation’s Life for a Child program.

So, we began the roundtable interview by asking various questions regarding the program and how Elliott copes with diabetes. I asked him if managing diabetes has gotten easier and how the pump has improved managing his diabetes. His reply is that it actually has not gotten easier. He still has ups and downs, however, the pump has made it somewhat easier for him. While it is not for everyone, it fits his hectic lifestyle especially after American Idol.

I also brought up the Care Like Yamin It wristbands and introduced myself as the cofounder and seller of the wristbands. I told him that I had heard he wanted to use the name for his own charity! He responded with a grin and said that he definitely wanted to use that name as his own charity if it was okay for him to steal the name. My answer? “Yes, you should totally steal it!!!”

I’m going to save most of the other questions and answers for the video. I might break it up into sections because it was over an hour long. But for now, here are a couple of tidbits:

- He’s planning on participating in the upcoming USO Tour.
- He has an incredibly hectic schedule, and he is looking forward to January when he plans to
take an extended vacation with his girlfriend.
- He still keeps in contact with many contestants from AI Season 5, mostly Bucky and Ace.
- He hopes to release an additional single from the album, but they are still in discussion on
which song it will be.

Once the interview was over, Elliott signed some glossy photos for us. I got one for myself, and I also had one signed to give away. It says, “To my faithful Yaminion. Thanks for all the support!” I would like to have a drawing so one of you can have the photo. If you would like to be entered into the drawing, please email me at jennys2505@yahoo.com. I will leave this open for a week. Next Wednesday, November 14, I will randomly draw the name at 7pm EST. The name I draw will win the signed photo.



This was one of the best experiences of my life on multiple levels. I have been lucky enough to meet Elliott before, but everything was so hectic, I never really got to talk to him. It was really awesome to be able to sit and have a discussion with him. He seems very genuine and laid-back, and I am happy that he has had such post-Idol success. I look forward to seeing what happens for him in his future career, as well as with his own Care Like Yamin It charity!