Q&A: More than just TV chatter

Ayla Brown sat down in her family's living room recently with correspondent Charlie Russo to talk about what it's like to be returning to normal life after her brush with fame as a contestant on the "American Idol" TV show.

Q. What was more difficult, the process of scoring 2,000 points or the singing process?

A. I would say the singing process was a lot more difficult. Basketball was something that I'd been playing for so long it just was a gradual upgrade every year. Points kept getting totaled and finally got to 2,000, whereas singing was so sudden. It was one of those things that was a sudden impulse to try out and I wasn't really sure whether I was going to do it. Finally, throughout all the processes, I made it onto the show. It was one of those things where it was spur of the moment.

Q. Is Simon Cowell really a jerk or does he just play one on TV?

A. I have no idea. We didn't get to interact with them, any of them, on a personal level, at all. So I have no idea what he's like or if he's mean or not. I just know what he's like on TV. And that is he knows what he's saying -- it's just the way he says it. He definitely has a lot of points to make and he makes them without any hesitation.

Q. Of the two areas people probably know you from, basketball and ''American Idol," which would you say you have the most room to grow?

A. I have a lot of growing to do in both of them. For basketball I have so many things to work on: my ball handling, defense, shooting, almost everything. Same thing with singing, I have a lot to work on my stage presence, my vocal range, the way I dress myself and present myself. So it's definitely all related. I have a lot to work on in both fields.

Q. Do you think you were the one who deserved to be eliminated on March 9?

A. No, I don't. I think it was unexpected. I had no idea I was going home, probably just like anyone thinks before they get eliminated. They don't think they're going to be the ones to go. But I had thought because I picked such a modern, contemporary song that it would have been more beneficial for me. Because Simon had said the week before for us minors to choose songs that were age-appropriate. Me being 17, I said, 'OK, I'm going to pick a young song, make sure I do it well, and it's a recent song so people will like it.' I think I might have taken that for granted.

Q. Have you settled back into a routine, or is everything still a whirlwind?

A. A little bit of both. Emotionally I've gotten over the fact that I've become eliminated from ''American Idol." It took a little while, took about a week to kind of get over my emotions. But now I'm just really glad to be home and glad to be interacting with people every day. I've been doing appearances and speaking at children's schools, just having a ton of fun interacting with people. And that's what I love to do most. It's almost second nature to me. But I also have school. I'm back at school. People don't treat me differently there. It's just Ayla Brown, the same old Ayla Brown that I was before. It's nice to be back in an environment where people don't really look at me differently.