Jennifer Lopez had an on-camera melt-down when she had to tell Chris Medina that he hadn't made the American Idol top 24 on Wednesday night's episode. But Medina, whose story of caring for his fiancee after her crippling car accident touched viewers, thinks J.Lo handled things just right.
"She gave me a hug and that made it all better," Medina tells the Hollywood Reporter. "I heard about Jennifer (crying). I didn't get to see it in person, otherwise I probably would have started crying. I'd heard all these rumors about her being a diva, but she's not that way at all."
And the Oak Park, Illinois native, 26, couldn't stop gushing about Steven Tyler either. "It's amazing that someone so iconic with such superstar power can be so down to Earth!"
Among those moved by Medina and Juliana Ramos' love story was producer Rodney Jenkins, who penned a new song "What Are Words," for Medina. The video premieres on aol.com today. Says Medina, "The song embodied what I'm going through and the promises that I kept."
But Medina, who works as a musician and Starbucks barista, claims it's hard to know what the future holds for him and his girlfriend of eight years.
"I've already told myself it's okay that she's in a wheelchair — it doesn't mean anything to me," says Medina. "It's okay if she has a hard time speaking. What's not okay is if in a couple years, we can't have a conversation with each other; that's the essence of a relationship. I don't mind helping her into her car, but I don't want to be feeding her or taking her to the bathroom everyday from this day forward. But to say, 'We're not going to get married until you get better' is unfair to her, too. So the only thing I say is: 'Babe, if you keep trying, I'll keep trying.'"
And as to whether Medina will give singing competitions another shot and audition for Simon Cowell on The X Factor?
"My performance on American Idol wasn't really strong enough," admits Medina. "I would be terrified to audition in front of Simon!"
