Last night in a dramatic results show, it was announced that Camile Velasco from Haiku, Maui, HI, and Matthew Rogers from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, were chosen by America to become the next two contestants to make the Top 12 on American Idol.
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Velasco and Rogers were the two top vote-getters in their group and have advanced to the finals, joining Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo in the Top 12. The third set of eight semifinalists will perform on Tuesday, February 24 (8-9 PM ET/PT) on FOX. They will return to the stage the next night to find out their fate, as the results are revealed during the weekly live broadcast on Wednesday, Feb. 25 (8:30-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed).
At the end of the February 24 episode, the phone lines will open and America can vote for their favorite contestant(s) via toll-free telephone lines until 11 PM ET/PT (10 PM CT/MT), subject to time zone restrictions. American Idol viewers who subscribe to AT&T Wireless may also use text messaging to vote by sending the word "vote" to the four-digit short numbers (5701, 5702 etc.) for the Idols of their choice each week. Each week, viewers will call or text one of the designated numbers -- each one corresponding to one of the performers -- to cast their vote.
The eight semifinalists who will perform next week include:
• Elizabeth LeTendre, age 20. Elizabeth is a dance instructor at Kara Anderson's Dance Studio in Sturbridge, MA, and a receptionist/salon assistant. Elizabeth was born in Southbridge, MA and has been dancing ballet, pointe, tap and jazz all her life. She thinks the AMERICAN IDOL judges make a great team as Simon pays keen attention to detail, Paula encourages the contestants and keeps the men in line, while Randy evens the team out with a mixture of both personalities.
• Jon Peter Lewis, age 24. Jon Peter was born in Lincoln, NE and now resides in Rexburg, ID, where he attends BYU-Idaho and studies pre-med. He speaks Spanish, some French, Catalan, and bits and pieces of a few Nigerian dialects. His favorite singer of all time is Sting. Jon Peter's advice to other singing hopefuls is to "Love the music in yourself, not yourself in the music."
• La Toya London, age 24. Married with stepchildren, La Toya currently lives in Hawthorne, CA and attends the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. La Toya has been singing for the past 22 years. She classifies her vocal style as soul and most identifies with India.Arie. If she couldn't sing, she would like to be a musician on the piano, guitar, bass and drums.
• Charly Lowry, age 19. Studying journalism and mass communications at UNC-Chapel Hill,Charly quotes Jay-Z as she advises other singing hopefuls to "…treat your first like your last, and your last like your first," because you never know when it could be your last performance. Hailing from the small town of Pembroke, NC, Charly proudly represents the Lumbee nation. She is Native American, loves fried cornbread, and thinks Mariah Carey's voice is unmatched by any other artist in the market.
• Jonah Moananu, age 21, goes by the nickname Mox. Jonah lived in San Diego, CA for 12 years, but recently returned to his birthplace of Honolulu, HI to teach drama with the Alliance for Education. Jonah likes to freestyle rap, beat box, and play the ukulele. He also earned the coveted title of Hawaii's emcee battle champion.
• Leah LaBelle, age 17. Leah is a full-blooded Bulgarian who was born in Toronto, Canada. She currently lives in Seattle, WA, where she is a junior at James A. Garfield High School. Leah's parents used their touring music group to escape from communist Bulgaria and she hopes their music will carry on through her.
• Amy Adams, age 24. Amy works as a professional makeup artist in Bakersfield, CA. Amy describes an American Idol as "someone with an unlimited amount of talent. A person who maintains a persona respected by the American public, with grace and elegance at all times. A person with a strong enough mental state to handle anything they may face while in the public eye." She most identifies her style with Celine Dion, Faith Hill, and Barbra Streisand. Amy was born in Kansas City, KS.
• Eric Yoder, age 24. A pilot who loves cooking, Eric's favorite pop artists are Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Eric graduated in the spring of 2002 with a degree in aviation science. He most identifies his musical style with Clay Aiken -- and the judges agree. Eric was born in Sullivan, IL and has been living in St. Louis, MO for the past six years. His advice to other singing hopefuls: "Practice, patience, and you have to believe in yourself."
Other semifinalists include:
• Donnie Williams (20 years old) from Livermore, CA
• Heather Piccinini (20 years old) from Spring Hill, FL
• Jasmine Trias (17 years old) from Mililani, HI
• John Preator (23 years old) from Provo, UT
• John Stevens (16 years old) from East Amherst, NY
• Lisa Wilson (23 years old) from Rome, GA
• Susan Vulaca (21 years old) from Phoenix, AZ
• Tiara Purifoy (22 years old) from Beloit, WI
American Idol Tuesday and American Idol Wednesday rank as the No. 1 and No. 2 programs of season among Adults 18-49 and Total Viewers.
