The winner of American Idol Season 7 (in my mind) / Photo by Frank Micelotta, FOX

First, if you feel that Carly's departure from 'American Idol' was a disgrace to the entire show and, also, humanity as we know it -- have I got some great articles for you!

• From Entertainment Weekly: America loses its mind and votes Carly off 'Idol'

• From the Los Angeles Times: Elegy for Carly Smithson

Now, as promised, some notes from Carly's media conference call this morning.

On what she was thinking last night, before and after the announcement: "I feel that like everybody was kind of thinking they were gonna go home. Not one person feels safe anymore. We're all so grateful for the experience. I feel American Idol has given me such a gift." ... "I'm not that sad to be leaving. I enjoyed every minute thoroughly, but we're back in two weeks preparing for the tour."

On the timing of her departure from the show: "I think I made enough of an impact to be able to reach a good fan base. Now I just get to be me without a theme night and make a really cool record. I'm excited."

"Everybody keeps asking me why I'm not devastated ... I'm free to go make a record and start writing and be with my husband and be out in the real world." She further mentions that she's been writing a lot of songs lately and feels ready to get into the studio.

"I think the show is just amazing. I really think it's such a huge platform to launch yourself off from." ... "Sixth place, i don't think that's anything to be miserable about. I think that's amazing." She explains that the timing gives her the gift of two weeks to spend with her family before she starts rehearsing for the tour. "I'll get to go home and gather my thoughts. I'm just excited to get to start writing and get away from the cover songs."

Much more after the jump!

[More:]

On getting a second chance in the music business: "Everybody feels that it was a second chance ... I'm not sure that I even had a first chance. I did get signed before, but it just didn't really happen ... It just kind of crashed beneath my feet" ... "I understand it was a second experience but I feel like it was my first chance" ... "I just like to see this as the first real experience that I've really had"

"I just feel like such a different person ... I'm very proud of the first record I made, but at the same time, I was 15."

On her struggle building a fan base and gaining momentum on the show: "I think I kinda started out on the show with some bad press. I don't think it really helped me that much" ... "Early on people accumulate their fan base. Every week I gave as good as I could and I enjoyed every moment on the show. I really did."

"Women vote for this show... they vote for the boys. The boys are adorable. I definitely feel that the girls had more of a struggle this year with trying to get the popularity vote" ... "Everyone's very talented but I think it was definitely a struggle for the ladies."

"Maybe it was too late, but I realized not to take everything so seriously. But early on, they had set the standard so high for me. They were a lot harder on me than other contestants and I think it kind of got to me for a few weeks. I think by the time I met Mariah Carey, I kind of changed my mind. She was just so cool and so normal and so nice ... I come from a bar and I have no idea what a star is really supposed to act like." She explained that Mariah made her feel more grounded and helped her stop over-thinking how to act like a star.

On whether fame has or will change her: "I will work very hard and I will grab this opportunity by the horns, but me as a person, I'm not gonna change. I craved all the things I used to do. You know what I miss the most? My pots and pans ... I miss my kitchen so much."

On Simon's criticism: "[Simon] set this high bar for me straight away. And I was trying to beat myself every week to be better and better. I felt that I did a great job. I gave it everything that I had. I was satisfied with myself. I guess Simon just had a different idea in his mind." ... "I don't think they liked the whole pop/rock Heart idea I had about myself."

"He said to me the other night that he truly believes in me and I'm very good and he has high hopes for me."

On what she would have sang next week for Neil Diamond night: "I was planning to sing 'Sweet Caroline.'" She was planning on performing the song "balladish" with "a cello and a piano."

On why she took a break from singing for awhile: "I moved to Georgia in late 2003. I just decided to be a waitress. I worked really hard to break the music industry. I just wanted to kind of get away from it and love it again 'cause it started to kind of become something that was so out of my reach for so long ... I needed to leave it to love it more."

"Music to me, it's just everything. Whether I'm singing in my living room or on stage like idol, I love every minute of it ... It's such a hunger."

On her "Amy Winehouse" tattoo: "It's a geisha. It looks nothing like Amy Winehouse" ... "That was one thing in the show that really bothered me, that it wasn't finished. Her face will be white and her lips will be red. She'll look nothing like Amy Winehouse when it's finished."

On her fashion choices: "I kind of go out when I go shopping and I just look for something that's different ... Every week I just wanted to stand out a little bit more. Apparently Simon thinks I have bad fashion but I really don't care. I loved everything I wore." ... "The last dress I wore was definitely my favorite and the blue dress I wore on 'Come Together.'" She explains that what she wore did influence how she felt during performances, but ultimately she's not interested in setting any fashion trends herself. "I don't really think about fashion that much. I just like things that look cool."

On who she thinks will win: "It's kind of anyone's game. People have their favorites already. It could be anything. Castro could look into the camera and bat his eyelids and go into his falsetto voice. Brooke could just melt someone's heart." ... "They just give these amazing performances every week." ... "You never know what lies at the sleeve of American Idol."

Her favorite this season? "My favorite went a long time ago. My favorite was Amanda Overmeyer. I thought she was fantastic."

Closing remarks: "I'm so happy. I just feel like I've been given the greatest gift ever to be on the show." ... "I feel like I went out on a high note and I enjoyed every minute of Tuesday and Wednesday nights."