‘American Idol’ features Oklahoma semifinalist
Matt Breitzke of Bixby made it to the semifinals on “American Idol.” Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi liked his singing and selected him from the thousands who auditioned for the Top 36.
Now, it’s up to viewers to vote him through to the next round.
For the next three Tuesdays, 12 different semifinalists will perform on “American Idol” (7 p.m. on Fox), and viewers will have two hours to cast votes for their favorites. On Wednesdays during the live results shows, the three contestants with the highest number of votes — one male, one female and the next top vote-getter — will secure spots in the Top 12.
So watch for Breitzke and offer your support if you enjoy his singing.
“I’m taking more of an edge rock angle than some of the folks here,” Breitzke, 28, said during a behind-the-scenes interview on the “Idol” set. “I definitely think I’m different than a lot of folks here.”
His strategy is to sing the songs that he would want to put on his album.
“As opposed to worrying about what everybody else would like, think about what you would want on your album,” he said. “That’s what we’re here for. We’re trying to make our own records happen.”
–Penny TV
Here are the Top 36 finalists vying for a record deal on the eighth season of “American Idol”:
Arianna Afsar, 17
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Currently Resides: San Diego, CA
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.
Kris Allen, 23
Hometown: Jacksonville, AR
Currently Resides: Conway, AR
Allen is a student at the University of Central Arkansas. He has been singing and playing the guitar since he was 13 years old.
Felicia Barton, 26
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Currently Resides: Virginia Beach, VA
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.
Kendall Beard, 24
Hometown: Lufkin, TX
Currently Resides: Austin, TX
Beard graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007. In addition to singing, she has been studying dance for 12 years.
Ann Marie Boskovich, 22
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA
Currently Resides: Nashville, TN
Currently pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter, Boskovich began singing before she could talk. She also plays guitar and piano.
Ricky Braddy, 25
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Currently Resides: Elizabeth City, NC
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.
Matt Breitzke, 28
Hometown: Bixby, OK
Currently Resides: Bixby, OK
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.
Casey Carlson, 20
Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN
Currently Resides: Minneapolis, MN
Carlson is in her third year at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring in Psychology. She began taking voice lessons in fifth grade.
Megan Corkrey, 23
Hometown: Taylorsville, UT
Currently Resides: Sandy, UT
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.”
Tatiana Nicole Del Toro, 24
Hometown: San Juan, PR
Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA
Del Toro studied at the Manhattan School of Music and attended the New York Film Academy. Her hobbies include theater, acting, writing and dancing.
Anoop Desai, 22
Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC
Currently Resides: Chapel Hill, NC
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.
Stephen Fowler, 26
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Currently Resides: Beachwood, OH
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.
Matt Giraud, 23
Hometown: Ypsilanti, MI
Currently Resides: Kalamazoo, MI
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.
Danny Gokey, 28
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Currently Resides: Milwaukee, WI
Gokey is the president and founder of a non-profit organization. In addition to singing, he plays the piano and loves salsa dancing.
Alexis Grace, 21
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Currently Resides: Memphis, TN
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.
Mishavonna Henson, 18
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Currently Resides: Irvine, CA
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.
Allison Iraheta, 16
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Currently Resides: Downey, CA
Iraheta is a junior in high school who began singing at age 5. She also enjoys playing the guitar.
Ju’Not Joyner, 26
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Currently Resides: Bowie, MD
A native of Maryland, Joyner owns his own business with his fiancée. He enjoys acting, comedy and songwriting.
Kai Kalama, 27
Hometown: Redlands, CA
Currently Resides: San Clemente, CA
Kalama began singing when he was 5 years old at his church. An accomplished musician, he also plays guitar, ukulele, bass, piano and drums.
Brent Keith, 29
Hometown: Blanchester, OH
Currently Resides: Nashville, TN
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.
Adam Lambert, 26
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA
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.
Jesse Langseth, 26
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Currently Resides: Minneapolis, MN
Langseth lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her 8-year-old daughter. In addition to singing, she also plays the piano and guitar.
Scott MacIntyre, 23
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
Currently Resides: Scottsdale, AZ
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.
Nathaniel Marshall, 19
Hometown: Malone, NY
Currently Resides: Malone, NY
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.
Kristen McNamara, 23
Hometown: Napa Valley, CA
Currently Resides: Nashville, TN
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.
Nick Mitchell, 27
Hometown: Brookfield, CT
Currently Resides: Brookfield, CT
Mitchell attended Marymount Manhattan College and Western Connecticut State University. He is a sketch comedian who performs in Manhattan and Connecticut.
Jasmine Murray, 17
Hometown: Columbus, MS
Currently Resides: Starkville, MS
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.
Jorge Nuñez, 21
Hometown: Cidra, Puerto Rico
Currently Resides: Carolina, Puerto Rico
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.
Lil Rounds, 24
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Currently Resides: Memphis, TN
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.
Michael Sarver, 27
Hometown: Jasper, TX
Currently Resides: Jasper, TX
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.
Von Smith, 22
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Currently Resides: Greenwood, MO
Smith plays piano and is fluent in Spanish. His other hobbies include dancing, acting and songwriting.
Jackie Tohn, 28
Hometown: Oceanside, NY
Currently Resides: Silver Lake, CA
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.
Taylor Vaifanua, 17
Hometown: Hurricane, UT
Currently Resides: Hurricane, UT
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.
Jeanine Vailes, 28
Hometown: Washington, DC
Currently Resides: Sherman Oaks, CA
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.
Alexander Wagner-Trugman, 19
Hometown: Studio City, CA
Currently Resides: Studio City, CA
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.
Stevie Wright, 17
Hometown: Phelan, CA
Currently Resides: Phelan, CA
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.
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