Teen star Selena Gomez has been forced to cancel two upcoming state fair concerts in Delaware and Ohio after straining her vocal chords.
The Wizards of Waverly Place star has pulled out of planned performances at the Delaware State Fair on Wednesday (28Jul10) and the Ohio State Fair on Thursday (29Jul10).
The singer lost her voice on Monday (26Jul10) and had to use the latest technology during an appearance on U.S. late-night TV show Lopez Tonight to speak to host George Lopez.
The teen Latina refused to cancel her appearance on the show - and instead asked the host to send his questions ahead of time and programmed all her answers into a DynaVox robotic voice machine.
The Disney favourite began the awkward, disjointed chat by pressing a button and the DynaVox voice said, "I'm sorry, I'm so upset, but at least it's funny, right?"
The silent 18-year-old also used the odd device to explain how horrified she was to find three grey hairs on her head recently.
Her robot sidekick explained, "I freaked out. I ran to my mum and asked her what I should do. I asked if I should pluck them and she said I shouldn't - it's bad luck."
To thank her for not scrapping her appearance on his show and to celebrate her recent 18th birthday, Lopez presented Gomez with a Wizard of Oz gift basket - the film is the actress' favourite.
The DynaVox device Gomez used on the show will be donated to Los Angeles' Children's Hospital.