1/14/05 - 3:30pm (Portions Reprinted from UPN's official release)

Cori, a 21 year-old recent college graduate from Orlando, Fla., was the second performer eliminated from UPN’s new dramality series, THE ROAD TO STARDOM WITH MISSY ELLIOTT, reducing the pool from 12 participants to 11.

While at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady studios, judge/music producer Dallas Austin asked the performers to begin composing original lyrics to Missy's new music track. As the performers freestyled to the beat, rocker Cori stepped up and dove into new territory with a rap of her own, but it was Nyline's vocalization of her strong attraction to Nic that surprised everyone.

Later, during the road challenge, tour manager Steve Lobel tested the competitors' performance skills, giving them 30 minutes to earn donations from passersby on the streets of New York. Split into teams, Cori harmonized with Nilyne and Melissa. In the end, the trio of Eddie, Jessica and Deltrice made the most money, winning all of four teams' combined earnings and an evening of bowling with Missy and her dancers Holly, Eboni and Oth’than.

As the tour bus left New York and rolled into Maryland, the participants faced a second impromptu performance challenge to see how much progress they have made in creating a new song to Missy's track -- to determine who would get eliminated. After explaining that the music track could be their first hit single, the judges critiqued each individual's performance. After watching Cori struggle with her rendition of the song, Dallas said, 'You gotta make sure that the confidence comes through more…You could have made me believe whatever you were doing a lot more.'

Ultimately, the judges offered Cori and Nic, who receive criticism on the limited range of themes in his lyrics, up to Missy for final elimination. As Nic went in to plead his case, Missy exclaimed, 'So soon, Nic?…You just gotta be cool 'til the bitter end,' and asked him to freestyle something that showcased his more sensitive side. Meanwhile, Cori admitted to Missy, 'I just had a little trouble with (the track) because I'm trying to remain rock as much as I can.' After questioned Cori about the ability to merge musical styles, Missy had her sing something new. Missy summed up the song, 'Kinda remind me of a little Britney.'

So, despite her visible annoyance with Nic's cockiness, Missy declared, 'Cori, I feel like you're going places…and one of the places is home.'

We interviewed Cori after she was eliminated. Here is what she had to say:

ETV: Hi Cori, this is Steven Leser with Elites TV. How are you?

CORI: I'm great! How are you?

ETV: I'm doing well, thank you. I guess my first question is, I watched the episode, did you think you would be one of the two selected to go before Missy?

CORI: I'm not sure, but I had a feeling I would be selected. I didn't think it [the rap to the new track] was my best performance.

ETV: From everyone's reactions after their performance of the track, I think people expected Melissa to be eliminated. She (Melissa) was crying after her performance. Is that what you thought too?

CORI: I did think Melissa might, but she is very hard on herself. She had actually prepared something for the track that they didn't let her use.

ETV: Missy and the judges seemed to be concerned about the fact that you are more of a rock singer. How did you feel about that?

CORI: They didn't give me enough of a chance to show what I can do, but, really, I'm never going to be an R&B singer or a rapper. I was hoping that since Missy is an outside the box thinker with her music, that she might be more interested in seeing what I can do.

ETV: You were the second of the thirteen eliminated, but there was a lot more that you had to go through before any of you even got here. Tell me a little about that.

CORI: Well, I understand that twenty thousand people tried out so it does blow my mind that I got this far. Of those, 130 people were selected to compete in Los Angeles. Of the 130, all but 15 were eliminated from the group that got to New York. In New York, only twelve made it onto the bus.

ETV: Did you form any friendships or any other relationships with people on the show?

CORI: Yes, Melissa, Nilyne and Frank.

ETV: Are you going to stay in touch?

CORI: Yes, I still talk with them, we exchanged phone numbers.

ETV: Did you always live in Orlando, Florida?

CORI: No, I moved here from Delaware when I was three years old.

ETV: Oh, how funny, my wife is from Delaware originally, too.

CORI: Who, your wife?

ETV: Yes.

CORI: See, cool people are from there.

ETV: It says in your bio that you recently graduated from college, which one did you attend?

CORI: The University of Central Florida.

ETV: In what did you major?

CORI: I majored in Liberal Studies, which is a way of saying I took three minors.

ETV: Cool, well, what is next for you? Are you, I think I know the answer to this first part, are you going to continue to try for a Rap career, or any other type of singing career>

CORI: No Rap. I think I am going to sing some hard speed metal.

ETV:

CORI: No, seriously, I am working on a rock record right now.

ETV: Really? To whom would you compare your sound? Pat Benetar?

CORI: Yeah, Pat Benetar, someone like that. I'm going to go on tour to promote it when the record is complete?

ETV: Do you have a record label that has signed you or anything?

CORI: Oh, no, nothing like that.

ETV: Well, I'm in New York, I'd definitely like to come and see you play when you are out here.

CORI: OK, great. You can check my tour listings on my website, http://www.coriyarckin.com/

ETV: Oh, you have a website. Great! Do you mind if I include the address in my article?

CORI: No, that would be great.

ETV: No problem. A lot of the guys I work with wanted to know if you have a boyfriend and if you do, is it serious.

CORI: Well...I'm not married, let's put it that way.

ETV: OK, thanks a lot Cori, I know you have to be a little disappointed, but it sounds like you have a lot going on by yourself and making it as far as you did on the show was a big accomplishment. Do you have anything else you would like to say before we end the interview?

CORI: No, I think that's it.

ETV: OK, thank you very much for spending this time with me. Good luck with your record.

CORI: Thank you.


--------------------------------------------------
On UPN'S THE ROAD TO STARDOM WITH MISSY ELLIOTT, thirteen aspiring vocal performers travel coast-to-coast with Grammy Award-winning artist Missy Elliott, living together on the road in an austere tour bus and competing against each other for a record contract, a released single and $100,000. Missy leads the panel of music industry judges, including Grammy Award-nominated R&B artist Teena Marie, Grammy Award-winning producer Dallas Austin, and president of Violator Management Mona Scott.