American Idol: Top 36, Bio's, How To Vote, And More February 12, 2009
Auditions ended last night for the eighth season of AMERICAN IDOL as the Top 36
semifinalists were revealed by Simon, Paula, Randy and Kara. It's now up to America
to decide who advances in the competition and moves one step closer to becoming the
next AMERICAN IDOL. The 36 hopefuls will be split into three groups of 12, and for
three consecutive weeks, one group will perform each week. The live performance
shows air Tuesday, Feb. 17 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), Wednesday, Feb.
25 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), and Tuesday, March 3 (8:00-10:00 PM ET
live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.
At the end of each performance show, AMERICAN IDOL viewers will be able to vote for
their favorite contestant(s) for at least two hours in their region. Fans can use
the branded toll-free telephone numbers (1-866-IDOLS-01, -02, etc.) until 12:00 AM
ET/PT (11:00 PM CT/MT), subject to time zone restrictions. Additionally, for two
hours at the end of the show in their region, AT&T Wireless subscribers can use
their cell phones and text the word "Vote" to the four-digit short number (5701,
5702, etc.) representing the contestant of their choice.
Then on the weekly live results shows airing Wednesday, Feb. 18 (8:00-9:00 ET
live/PT tape-delayed), Thursday, Feb. 26 (8:00-9:00 ET live/PT tape-delayed) and
Wednesday, March 4 (8:00-9:00 ET live/PT tape-delayed), Ryan Seacrest will announce
the three semifinalists - the top male, the top female and the next top
vote-recipient - America has chosen to move on in the competition.
On Thursday, March 5 (8:00-9:00 ET live/PT tape-delayed), the special "Wild Card"
episode will feature the judges' favorite remaining contestants battling it out live
for a coveted spot in the next phase of the competition.
Grace has been singing since she was 7 years old. She was a member of the Concert
Choir at the University of Memphis, and enjoys dancing, playing the guitar and
taking care of her daughter.
Allison Iraheta
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Currently Resides: Downey, CA
Age: 16
Iraheta is a junior in high school who began singing at age 5. She also enjoys
playing the guitar.
Ann Marie Boskovich
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA
Currently Resides: Nashville, TN
Age: 22
Currently pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter, Boskovich began singing before
she could talk. She also plays guitar and piano.
Arianna Afsar
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Currently Resides: San Diego, CA
Age: 17
Afsar is a senior at Westview High School. She has been singing since she was 7
years old, and loves acting, dancing and playing piano.
Casey Carlson
Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN
Currently Resides: Minneapolis, MN
Age: 20
Carlson is in her third year at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring
in Psychology. She began taking voice lessons in fifth grade.
Felicia Barton
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Currently Resides: Virginia Beach, VA
Age: 26
Barton lives in Virginia Beach, VA, with her husband and son. She began singing
before she could talk, and her first public performance was at age 2.
Jackie Tohn
Hometown: Oceanside, NY
Currently Resides: Silver Lake, CA
Age: 28
Tohn resides in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake. She holds an
associate's degree in psychology from Santa Monica College. Her hobbies include
acting, performing comedy and playing guitar.
Jasmine Murray
Hometown: Columbus, MS
Currently Resides: Starkville, MS
Age: 17
Murray lives in Starkville, MS, and attends The Mississippi School of the Arts. She
loves being on stage and has been singing since she was 3 years old.
Jeanine Vailes
Hometown: Washington, DC
Currently Resides: Sherman Oaks, CA
Age: 28
A recent arrival to Los Angeles, Vailes began singing at age 4 and had her first
solo performance in church at age 9. She also enjoys songwriting, motivational
speaking and doing voiceover work.
Jesse Langseth
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Currently Resides: Minneapolis, MN
Age: 26
Langseth lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her 8-year-old daughter. In addition to
singing, she also plays the piano and guitar.
Kendall Beard
Hometown: Lufkin, TX
Currently Resides: Austin, TX
Age: 24
Beard graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007. In addition to
singing, she has been studying dance for 12 years.
Kristen McNamara
Hometown: Napa Valley, CA
Currently Resides: Nashville, TN
Age: 23
McNamara is a singer/songwriter originally from Northern California. She loves to
dance and has been performing her whole life. Her hobbies include playing guitar,
piano, painting and baking.
Lil Rounds
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Currently Resides: Memphis, TN
Age: 24
Rounds lives in Memphis, TN, with her husband and three children. Music has always
been a part of her life, and she began singing when she was 3 years old.
Megan Corkrey
Hometown: Taylorsville, UT
Currently Resides: Sandy, UT
Age: 23
Corkrey lives in Sandy, UT, with her 2-year-old son, Ryder. She has been singing
since age 3, and is a self-professed "foodie."
Mishavonna Henson
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Currently Resides: Irvine, CA
Age: 18
Henson has been singing since she could talk and sang publicly for the first time in
church. Her hobbies include horseback riding, acting, dancing and playing piano and
guitar. She also takes classes at a junior college.
Stevie Wright
Hometown: Phelan, CA
Currently Resides: Phelan, CA
Age: 17
Wright is a junior at Serrano High School. She works in a coffee shop and sings in a
band with her youth group. Her real passion is singing, but she also loves to dance.
Tatiana Nicole Del Toro
Hometown: San Juan, PR
Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA
Age: 24
Del Toro studied at the Manhattan School of Music and attended the New York Film
Academy. Her hobbies include theater, acting, writing and dancing.
Taylor Vaifanua
Hometown: Hurricane, UT
Currently Resides: Hurricane, UT
Age: 17
When Vaifanua was 2 years old, she and her family moved to Samoa and lived there for
five years before returning to Utah. She is a junior at Hurricane High School, and
her hobbies include sports, singing and dancing.
MALES:
Adam Lambert
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA
Age: 26
Lambert grew up in San Diego but currently lives in Hollywood. He began singing at
age 10, and has been involved with musical theater for the past eight years.
Alexander Wagner-Trugman
Hometown: Studio City, CA
Currently Resides: Studio City, CA
Age: 19
Wagner-Trugman is a sophomore at the University of Miami. He began singing in high
school, and he plays piano and guitar. His hobbies include playing video games and
basketball.
Anoop Desai
Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC
Currently Resides: Chapel Hill, NC
Age: 22
Desai is working on his master's degree at the University of North Carolina. During
his undergraduate years, he was a member of the UNC Clef Hangers, an a cappella
group.
Brent Keith
Hometown: Blanchester, OH
Currently Resides: Nashville, TN
Age: 29
A guitar player, Keith lives in Nashville, TN, with his wife. He has been singing
all his life but started performing publicly when he was 13 years old.
Danny Gokey
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Currently Resides: Milwaukee, WI
Age: 28
Gokey is the president and founder of a non-profit organization. In addition to
singing, he plays the piano and loves salsa dancing.
Jorge Nuñez
Hometown: Cidra, Puerto Rico
Currently Resides: Carolina, Puerto Rico
Age: 21
Nuñez is in his fourth year at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. In
addition to English and Spanish, Nuñez is also fluent in French.
Ju'Not Joyner
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Currently Resides: Bowie, MD
Age: 26
A native of Maryland, Joyner owns his own business with his fiancée. He enjoys
acting, comedy and songwriting.
Kai Kalama
Hometown: Redlands, CA
Currently Resides: San Clemente, CA
Age: 27
Kalama began singing when he was 5 years old at his church. An accomplished
musician, he also plays guitar, ukulele, bass, piano and drums.
Kris Allen
Hometown: Jacksonville, AR
Currently Resides: Conway, AR
Age: 23
Allen is a student at the University of Central Arkansas. He has been singing and
playing the guitar since he was 13 years old.
Matt Breitzke
Hometown: Bixby, OK
Currently Resides: Bixby, OK
Age: 28
Breitzke spent his childhood in Hobart, IN, and later attended flight school in
Tulsa, OK. He has been singing and playing the guitar since the fifth grade.
Matt Giraud
Hometown: Ypsilanti, MI
Currently Resides: Kalamazoo, MI
Age: 23
Giraud is a life-long resident of Michigan who graduated from Western Michigan
University in 2007. He sings and plays piano in local clubs and hotels.
Michael Sarver
Hometown: Jasper, TX
Currently Resides: Jasper, TX
Age: 27
Sarver is married with two children and works on an oil rig. He has always dreamed
of being a singer/songwriter. Sarver also plays the piano, drums and guitar.
Nathaniel Marshall
Hometown: Malone, NY
Currently Resides: Malone, NY
Age: 19
Marshall began singing at age 2, and sang publicly for the first time in his high
school choir. He is a cosmetology student in New York.
Nick Mitchell
Hometown: Brookfield, CT
Currently Resides: Brookfield, CT
Age: 27
Mitchell attended Marymount Manhattan College and Western Connecticut State
University. He is a sketch comedian who performs in Manhattan and Connecticut.
Ricky Braddy
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Currently Resides: Elizabeth City, NC
Age: 25
Braddy graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, TN, with a degree in
Commercial Vocal Performance. He began singing when he was 4 years old at his
church.
Scott MacIntyre
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
Currently Resides: Scottsdale, AZ
Age: 23
MacIntyre earned his bachelor's degree from Arizona State University at age 19, and
attended graduate school in London, England. He also plays piano, guitar and drums.
Stephen Fowler
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Currently Resides: Beachwood, OH
Age: 26
Fowler has been married for six years and has two sons. He has been singing his
entire life, and began playing piano at 11 years old. He is a full-time musician who
teaches piano at the Rainey Institute in Cleveland.
Von Smith
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Currently Resides: Greenwood, MO
Age: 22
Smith plays piano and is fluent in Spanish. His other hobbies include dancing,
acting and songwriting.
AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19
Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia
North America; and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America.
Send Press Releases, Tips, News, Gossip:Click Here
All articles are the intellectual property of and copyrighted by the individual authors.
By submitting an article to Reality TV Calendar you are granting Reality TV Calendar
permission to display the article in perpetuity.
