Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The American Idol finals start Tuesday night at 8 p.m., so it’s time to refresh fans with quick facts about the 12 singers still in the running.

Just for good measure, I’ve included links to stories from their hometown newspapers and to their non-Idol music in cases where it’s still available.

Aaron Kelly

* He’s 16 from Sonestown, Pa. (think Sullivan County, west of Scranton, east of Williamsport)
* He earned a chance to audition this year by winning at the new American Idol Experience attraction at Disney World.
* He attended Idol Camp in 2007.
* During the Road to Hollywood episode, he explained that he was raised by his aunt and uncle after social services intervened and nearly took him from his birth parents.
* He attends a cyber school and has been working ahead so he says he isn’t missing a lot in terms of school life because of Idol.
* Primarily a country singer, he’s been performing the fair circuit in Pennsylvania for years; you’ll find photos of him performing at the Clinton County Fair, the Jamestown Fair, the Bloomsburg Fair and Sonestown’s own Heritage Days on his MySpace.

Hometown story: Williamsport Sun Gazette
Music: “Broken Road;” “Cry Like Memphis”

Andrew Garcia

* He’s 24 from Moreno Valley, Calif.
* Prior to Idol, he performed with a progressive rock band called Ovid. Search for Ovid on YouTube and you can find several videos of him singing with the group.
* Says his motivation for auditioning for Idol was providing a better life for his son, who is about 2 years old.
* Credits his father, also a musician, for giving him his musical talent.
* Became an early frontrunner with a widely praised acoustic rendition of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” on the first day of Hollywood Week.
* Told Idol: “I change up songs. That’s what I do. I love doing it. I choose songs you wouldn’t expect me to choose.”
* In the semifinals, those unusual choices included Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle,” which wasn’t nearly as well received as “Straight Up.”

Hometown story: The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif.
Music: Michael Jackson tribute; “Dancing in the Dark” (with Ovid)

Casey James

* He’s 27 and from Fort Worth, Texas.
* He might never live down peeling off his shirt at Kara DioGuardi’s request during his audition or being labeled “ear candy as well as eye candy” by her in the first round of the semifinals.
* Was in a serious motorcycle crash at age 21 and, at one point, didn’t think he’d be able to play the guitar again.
* According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he hails from the Parker County town of Cool and once spent 3 months in jail for DWI.
* Neverthless, tells Idol he’s a big Star Wars fan. “I’m kind of a nerd. That’s my big secret.”
* Has been playing in bands in the Fort Worth area for about 10 years.
* Credits his mom with convincing him to audition. “She kind of pointed out the fact that it’s a freebie chance. Kind of like playing the lottery, but without even having to pay.”

Hometown story: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Music (both of Idol): “You’ll Think of Me,” “Heaven”

Crystal Bowersox

* She’s 24, from Elliston, Ohio, currently resides in Toledo.
* She’s a single mom with a 13-month-old son named Tony, whose name is tattooed on her back, where she also has a large sunflower tattoo.
* She’s a graduate of the Toledo School of the Arts.
* She was a winner of the Toledo Blade newspaper’s Battle of the Bands competition last summer.
* On MySpace, she classifies her music as acoustic/folk rock/blues. A singer-songwriter, she had several impressive originals there and on Reverb Nation before taking them down, as Idol semifinalists are required to do.
* Her friends have nicknamed her MamaSox.
* Says providing a better life for her son was a prime motivation to audition for American Idol.
* Crystal: “I think we need to get back to the roots of music.
with basic guitar and lyrically rich songs.”

Hometown story: Toledo Blade
Music: “Piece of My Heart” (cover); “Farmer’s Daughter” (original)

Didi Benami

* She’s 23, from Knoxville, Tenn. Now resides in L.A.
* Didi is her nickname. Her first name is Vered, which means Rose in Hebrew.
* Decided to move to L.A. to pursue her dream of singing after fellow singer-songwriter Rebecca Joy Lear, her roommate at Bellmont College in Nashville, died in a car accident in December 2005.
* On MySpace, describes her music as soul/country/pop.
* Once tried her hand at boxing, but says she wound up singing for the group instead.
* Told Idol she warms up for her performances by meowing.
* About Rebecca: “Rebecca was an incredible songwriter and had such an amazing, developed soul at such a young age — her music has gotta get out to this world. If it’s the last thing I do, I want to make sure that happens.”

Hometown story: AZcentral.com
Music (both from Idol): “Rhiannon,” “Terrified”

Katie Stevens

* She’s 17 and a resident of Middlebury, Conn.
* She’s a senior at Pomperaug High School, where they are selling Katie Idol t-shirts to benefit a scholarship fund.
* She was featured in the Boston audition episode, where she explained how close she is to her grandmother, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “She’s probably not going to remember me much longer. So I want her to see me succeed in my dream before she forgets who I am.”
* Her grandmother taught her how to speak Portuguese, and Katie told Idol she can say “kiss me” in six languages, but quickly added that she doesn’t go around asking for kisses.
* In January 2009, she won Miss Westbury’s Outstanding Teen Pageant. Later that year, she was first runner-up in the Miss Connecticut Outstanding Teen competition. Her talent was singing; she performed a Whitney Houston song.

Hometown story: Harford Courant
Music: “Bubbly;” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

Lacey Brown

* She’s 24 and hails from Amarillo, Texas
* Before auditioning for Idol, she was teaching classes at her parents’ church. Both of her parents are pastors at Victory Church in Amarillo, where they’ve been having Idol watch parties since the semifinals began.
* She made it to the judges’ mansion episode in season eight of Idol before being cut in favor of eventual finalist Megan Joy.
* She told Amarillo.com that she was painfully shy as a child. But she sang with her sisters at her parents’ anniversary when she was 14, and that helped her come out of her shell.
* In her season eight Idol video, she described her favorite music as blues, indie, “anything that has a unique sound and is pretty catchy.”
* Her mother was largely responsible for the fact that she tried out for Idol. Lacey says she’d been prodding her to do so for three years.

Hometown story: Amarillo.com
Music (both from Idol): “The Story,” “Kiss Me”

Lee DeWyze

* He’s 23, from Mount Prospect, Illinois
* Released two full-length CDs prior to Idol as leader of the Lee DeWyze band — “So I’m Told” in 2007 and “Slumberland” last year.
* Accompanied a buddy to the Idol auditions in Chicago and, since he’s a singer, decided to try out, too.
* Here’s how his music was summed up on his MySpace page: “Amongst the music genres of Folk, Emo, Pop, Rock, Alternative and Jazz there lies a space of sonic soundscape that Lee Dewyze inhabits.”
* Has received high praise from Simon Cowell as having the best voice among this year’s male contestants.
* Admits he made bad choices as a high school student and wound up being placed in an alternative school. “That’s not who I am today,” he told Idol.
* Says he enjoys watching cooking shows and scuba diving.

Hometown story: Mount Prospect Journal
Music: “Stay;” “Predicament”

Michael Lynche

* He’s 26 and from Astoria, N.Y.
* His wife gave birth to the couple’s first child while he was fighting for his Idol life during the Hollywood Week group round.
* He played football for the University of Central Florida and was a personal trainer prior to Idol.
* Has undergone a bit of an image transformation on Idol from the sunglass-wearing hip-hop R&B performer who is described as “part soul machine, part booty shaker, part baby maker” on his MySpace to a guy who occasionally wears plaid shirts and strums a guitar.
* Recorded several hip-hop songs, including “Mr. Incredible,” “Ballin” and “Southern Belle.”
* He’s been singing since junior high school and says he got his start in church.
* He’s also told Idol that he hasn’t lost an arm wrestling match since age 9 and has an odd hobby, collecting the only type of deordorant he’s ever worn.

Music: Go here to listen to the aforementioned songs; “This Woman’s Work” (from Idol)

Paige Miles

* She’s 24, from Naples, Fla. Now resides in Houston, Texas.
* She’s a 2004 graduate of the Community School of Naples, a college prep day school.
* Was a cheerleader — she describes herself as “bubbly” — and an after-school tutor in high school.
* After high school, she spent some time at the University of Central Florida.
* The mystery contestant among the female semifinalists. She’d been featured just once during previous episodes, during the group round in Hollywood.
* Mark Danni, her former drama teacher: “Soul is her vocal style. She’s got that big belty voice … And she’s got quite a stage presence.” Source: NapleNews.com
* Performed on stage for the first time at age 7. “At that moment, I knew I loved having that microphone in my hand. I haven’t put it down since.”

Hometown story: Naples News
Music: “Smile;” “Walk Away:”

Siobhan Magnus

* She’s 20 from Cape Cod, Mass., and currently resides in Marston Mills, Mass.
* She’s a 2008 graduate of Barnstable High School, where she was involved in a number of drama productions.
* She was a glass-blowing apprentice prior to Idol.
* A former lead singer for Lunar Valve, a group that described its music as progressive, alternative and happy hardcore.
* Shaved her hair into a mohawk while performing with Lunar Valve. You can check out the photos on MySpace.
* Writes on MySpace: ” I want to help change the world so that when I have kids, they can live without self-esteem issues just because they read an issue of Cosmopolitan (possibly one of the most filthy pieces of media out there).”
* Lunar Valve bassist Matthew Kohler: “She’s really into the punk scene. I think her preference is more rock stuff than the pop stuff.” Source: Cape Cod Times.

Hometown story: Cape Code Times
Music: MySpace music with Lunar Valve, “House of the Rising Sun”

Tim Urban

* He’s 20 from Duncanville, Texas
* He was a last-minute addition to the semifinals after Idol determined that Chris Golightly was ineligible for the competition.
* Persevered even though Simon Cowell reacted to his first performance by telling Tim the judges made the right decision in passing him over when selecting semifinalists.
* Turned around his fortunes with “Hallelujah” last week.
* Classifies his music as Christian / acoustic and alternative on MySpace, where you’ll still find five songs. Check out “Lullaby.”
* Says in his Idol video, he has never touched alcohol.
* He was home-schooled by his mother, along with his nine siblings. His little sisters nicknamed him “Bubba.”
* He’s been singing and playing guitar since age 13 and told Idol one of his jobs is singing in front of people at a hotel and restaurant back home.

Hometown story: Dallas Morning News
Music:The aforementioned MySpace Music page, “Still Almost There”

Coming tomorrow morning: Ranking Idols final 12.

Follow along Tuesday night during live blogging with song-by-song grades, followed by a recap summing up the first round of the season nine American Idol finals.