Twilight's Nikki Reed Dating Paul McDonald: "It's Officially True," Confirms American Idol Eliminee

Looks like Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart aren't the only ones K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

By Aimee Curran Apr 15, 2011 7:00 PMTags
Nikki Reed, Paul McDonaldJohn Shearer/WireImage.com; Mark Davis/PictureGroup via AP IMAGES

Looks like Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart aren't the only ones K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

Even though Paul McDonald was sent packing from American Idol last night, he told us he has plenty to smile about. For one thing, he's dating a movie star: Twilight's Nikki Reed.

Read on to hear what else the cute crooner told us about his romance with the brunette beauty, his elimination and his promising career ahead...

Since their first meeting on the red carpet of Red Riding Hood, Nikki and Paul have been the target of romance rumors and speculation. Showing up to more than a few show tapings and spotted backstage, Nikki hasn't been too far from Paul...and now we know why!

"Yes, me and Nikki are dating. It's officially true," Paul told us Friday morning. "She's super cool. She's super smart, so I'm happy with it. We've been hanging out here and there. We're both pretty busy, but it been fun so far."

When asked if Nikki is bummed about his elimination, Paul laughed and said, "I'm pretty sure Nikki is a pretty big fan, but she's super cool."

Paul's exit from the Idol stage didn't come as a huge shock to him. He was able to handle his elimination with grace and style, but says he may have lasted longer if he stayed true to his gut instincts when it came to picking his performance pieces.  

"When I first tried out for this, it was just kind of for fun, and I didn't even expect to get this far in the competition," he said. "So when I got here, I kind of listened to some people when I probably should have stuck with my guns. I'm actually not very good at singing other people's songs. There's only so much you can do singing other people's songs to get them across. I wish I had done more obscure artists, more of the vibe of music I was into. I didn't feel comfortable a whole lot of the time up there because it felt like it wasn't me all the time but it was an amazing learning experience doing all this TV." 

Even though his time on Idol is over, Paul and his megawatt smile, which he credits to good genes and Crest 3D Vivid White toothpaste, won't be fading into obscurity anytime soon. 

"It's good to be an artist that can write and showcase what you do as an individual," he said. "That's something I always wanted to do because that's my main thing. I've been writing tons of material while I'm out here, which I probably shouldn't have and that's why I got kicked off already, but I've been focusing a bunch on writing and working hard on stuff that's coming out after Idol."

Are you bummed Paul got voted off? Would you buy his record? Will you go see him on the American Idol tour this summer? Let us know in the comments!

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