The laughter is appropriately large as Ruben Studdard, the big man with the even bigger heart, addresses the question.

No, he assures, he’s not planning on running for governor of his sweet home Alabama anytime soon. "I doubt it," the winner of "American Idol II" says.

It wouldn’t be a safe bet against his chances if he changed his mind, however, given the enthusiastic manner with which he promoted his state on the show, including wearing its zip code on his clothing.

"I’m not really into politics. We need politicians. I’m not the political type," Studdard says.

It wasn’t that long ago that he might not be considered the "American Idol" type either. Now he is touted as a role model for someone who might not fit the stereotype of what we consider a star to be.

That does seem to be a source of satisfaction to the soulful song stylist.

"I’m glad I can inspire anybody to be the best they can be. I always thought I had very good self-esteem about myself. I never changed through my life. I want other people to be like that. It’s a good feeling to inspire others, especially kids, to try to be the best they can be, and take advantage of opportunities they can have. I think the sky’s the limit for kids these days."

As to if he believes he is helping change the public’s thinking about perceptions of entertainers, Studdard suggests a look at the history of entertainment. "You have people like Pavarotti, who is the largest opera singer in the world in terms of size. Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Patti LaBelle, all are not like typical model types. People fail to understand that music is not about being wonderful (in appearance). Musicians don’t have to be models."

Viewers fell in love with him, he theorizes, "just as a real person." No one in the cast has changed, he adds. "People can see we are genuine people."

On the television series, one of America’s biggest hits in averaging 21 million viewers, Studdard says people related to the soul-infusion he gave to many of the songs he sang, regardless of genre. "I think people liked it. The show gave me an opportunity to show I was well versed," he adds. "All of us on the show did a wonderful job expressing our own individualism with songs from different time periods."

They are displaying that same individualism on the "Pop Tarts Presents American Idols Live!" tour that is underway across America. It presents nine of the contestants from the Fox Television series, including Studdard and his close second, Clay Aiken.

Kimberly Caldwell, Julia Demato, Charles Grigsby, Kimberly Locke, Carmen Rasmusen, Rickey Smith and Trenyce complete the concert cast.

The line-up was to include "America’s Favorite Marine," Joshua Gracin. The fourth runner up on "Idol" was required by the Marines to return to his military training.

Studdard promises the audience a good time. "The music is wonderful, we all are doing a particularly good job of singing good songs. The selections are great and the music is wonderful."

The concert features solo and group performances. "It’s power packed," he says. "I like to feed off the energy of the crowd and see their reaction."

While the tour does not come with the "Idol" judges, Studdard insists he never worried about the judges anyway. "The crowd was very exciting," he says. "I didn’t feel pressure. I just went out there and did my thing. I didn’t worry." – not even about the infamous and feisty Simon Cowell. "Simon is not such a bad guy. He’s pretty cool. He really is," Studdard says.

No less "cool," he suggests, was the experience of being on "American Idol." A total of 70,000 people auditioned.

"I just really went through the show with the attitude of whatever happens, happens. I really had a good time every week," he says. Every week he set a new goal to make it to the next level.

"It was an excellent time, something I’ll never forget. All the people were exceptionally nice to us and so helpful. It’s shown. All of us really love each other and are really close."

He believes "American Idol" can have a long television life. "As long as people like watching and being part of other people’s success I think it will go well," he says. "The show gives people a chance to gravitate to a person. It is more like the show has 12 characters. People like that. They look for someone who is similar to them. Even though someone may be voted off, they still have a tremendous amount of fans."

As Studdard prepares to enter the entertainment field in a big way, promoting his debut album after this tour, he says he hopes to inspire people to "do their thing." "I want my music to be something everybody can listen to. I want everybody to feel like they are part of my thing. I never want to leave anybody out."

Years from now, how does he think he will look back on this period in his life?

Studdard: "I’ll look back and thank God I had an opportunity to do all the things I wanted to do with my life."