2004-05-25 ::
America Selects New "Idol" This Week
 
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The winner’s song has been chosen and the stage is set for the performance night that will change the life of one young talented individual.

For the past several weeks America has cast its vote leaving “American Idol” contestants Diana DeGarmo, 16 and Fantasia Barrino, 19 competing until the end. This week viewers will select their third American Idol who will follow in the footsteps of series one winner Kelly Clarkson and series two winner Ruben Studdard. Diana DeGarmo and Fantasia Barrino are the youngest contestants to make it to the competition’s finals.

A fan favorite, Diana DeGarmo has the powerhouse voice while critics’ choice Fantasia Barrino has a unique sound and style. They will perform tonight and America’s choice will be crowned Wednesday night during a two-hour live broadcast from the Los Angeles Kodak Theater. The winner will land a lucrative recording deal and record the single “I Believe,” co-written by first season “Idol” contestant Tamyra Gray. If history repeats however, the runner-up may do just fine without a contract. In the last “American Idol,” Clay Aiken was beat out by Studdard by a mere 130,000 votes but he’s carried on quite successfully with a career in music. In fact, Aiken’s debut album, Measure of a Man sold 230,000 copies in just one week and has outsold the albums of Clarkson and Studdard.

Both contestants in this “Idol” series have been singing for many years: Barrino began wowing her congregation while performing gospel music at a young age; DeGarmo was a finalist on the NBC show, “America’s Most Talented Kid.” While Barrino had no troubles winning over the judges including record executive Clive Davis, DeGarmo has endured a fair amount of criticism about her talent. Sassy “Idol” judge Simon Cowell has retracted initial statements about DeGarmo being too young to perform in the competition.

DeGarmo will perform first tonight after a coin toss led Barrino to prefer second: each singer will perform three songs. To ensure fans have a chance to cast their vote, the show’s producers are extending the voting period from two to four hours following tonight’s show.

Our Thoughts

Several “Idol” competitors have released albums including Justin Guarini (series one) and Kimberley Locke (series two) but non-winners have not fared near as well as Clay Aiken, proving that winning “Idol” isn’t the end of possibilities.