Idol Chatter & Voice Views

She seems like one of Idol’s most likable contestants ever.

The camera is absolutely in love with her smile.

And I think she might have shocked some conference call interviewers Friday afternoon when she interrupted the moderator with a very loud and boisterous “Hi!” as she was being introduced.

So, hey, Megan Corkrey, what’s up with that tattoo? The one that covers most of your right arm?

“It’s a castle,” she explains. “There’s a night sky above it. And it’s my fairytale.”

Hence, there’s a wizard, representing her brother. There’s a fairy godmother, representing her mom. There’s a prince, representing her son.

And there’s a stained glass window, through which you can see a queen and a king.

“That’s me, and who knows (who else),” says Megan.

And you can just tell she’s smiling as she says it.

The tattoo has been two years in the making and isn’t done yet. Megan says she can’t draw, but she told an artist just what she wanted, and the artist has followed directions well.

And the sleeve is just one of seven tattoos, joining two stars on her back to represent Megan and her mom; her son Ryder’s name, which is tattoed on her wrist; her middle name Joy, which graces her hip; and, in Megan’s words, “a jumble of things I love on both of my feet.”

Having spent so much time in a tattoo artist’s chair, it’s little wonder Megan doesn’t have nearly the singing experience of many of her Idol counterparts.

And, yes, the 22-year-old from Sandy, Utah, is a little shocked and pleasantly surprised to be heading into Tuesday’s finals given her modest musical resume.

“I didn’t think I’d make it through the first thing,” she says, reflecting back on her audition. “I mean, I never even made a solo in choir in high school. I didn’t think I was going to go anywhere.”

Yet the judges are clearly enamored with her. It was pretty clear early on in Thursday’s wild card show that she would be selected as one of the finalists.

Oh, and back to that middle name for a moment — the very fitting Joy.

She’s now substituted it for her last name, preferring to go by Megan Joy rather than Megan Corkrey. In fact, she’s identified as Megan Joy on the finalist bios posted on America Idol’s Web site Friday.

“I just decided … well, Corkrey is my ex-husband’s name, and I just kind of want to get past all that and start new.”

So Idol fans, shout out a boisterous “Hello” to Megan Joy.

Note: For more on Megan’s interview with the media, check back later this weekend.