The 24 semi-finalists have been announced but it's going to be an uphill battle for 7 of them when they perform live next week. Up until last night contestants Leslie Hunt, Stephanie Edwards, Amy Krebs, AJ Tabaldo, Nicole Tranquillo, Sabrina Sloan and Jared Cotter had never appeared on the show. As the history of the show has shown in the past, for contestants who had no airtime (anyone remember Patrick Hall? How about Kinnik Sky?) they have very little chance of growing a fan base. So, they will have to sing their little hearts and give a rock solid performance as well as show some personality to even make it past week one. To help you decide where to throw your votes here's some Dish on all 24 contestants
ALAINA ALEXANDER -
· Auditioned in LA
· From Redlands, CA
· 24 years old
· Lives in West Hollywood, CA
· 2000 graduate of Redlands High school
· Got a tattoo of a dove after she made it through to judges
· Has a boyfriend
AJ TABALDO -
· Auditioned in LA
· 22 years old
· From Santa Maria, CA
· He is a supervisor for a shipping service
· Sang the national anthem for Showtime Boxing at Chumash Casino
· He is of Pacific Island decent
· Currently attends Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria
· 2003 graduate of St Joseph High school in Santa Maria.
· He has tried out for American Idol five times!
ANTONELLA BARBA -
· Auditioned in New York City
· 20 Years Old
· From Point Pleasant, NJ
· Attends Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
· Pursuing a degree in architecture
· Once toured with Monmouth Conservatory in England
BLAKE LEWIS –
· Auditioned in Seattle, WA
· 25 years old
· From Bothell, WA
· Lives in Seattle, WA
· He owns a company called Bshorty productions
· He is a beatbox champion
· He was once part of a band called Kickshaw in Seattle
· His mother and grandfather were professional singers at one point
· He toured with the Columbia Boys Choir in 8th grade
· 1999 Graduate of Inglemoor High school
BRANDON ROGERS -
· Auditioned in LA
· 28 years old
· From Pasadena, CA
· Was a backup singer for Anastasia
· Toured as backup singer for Christina Aguilera for two years
· Has shared the stage with artists like Patti LaBelle, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Earth Wind and Fire, Johnny Mathis, Black Eyed Peas, Anastacia, Angie Stone, and Usher
· Was a jazz vocal studies major at the world-renowned University of North Texas jazz program, where he performed alongside fellow UNT jazzer, a pre-fame Norah Jones
· Released a debut album entitled “Automatic”
· Also works as a voice coach and wedding singer.
· His mother is a published songwriter
CHRIS RICHARDSON –
· Auditioned in NYC
· 22 years old
· From Chesapeake, Virginia
· Attended Great Bridge High School
· He was # 42 on his HS football team
· He studied music composition at Christopher Newport University
· He attended Tidewater Community College
· His mother, Marilyn, was crowned Miss Great Bridge High school in 1975
· While working on his music, Richardson also has worked at the Hooters in Chesapeake, where in 4 1/2 years he advanced to kitchen supervisor.
· He was born in Belgium into a military family
CHRIS SLIGH –
· Auditioned in Birmingham & Memphis
· 28 years old
· From Greenville, South Carolina
· He was married in 2003 to wife Sara
· Has two dogs LG, a miniature dachsund and Tucker, a Jack Russell Terrier
· He is part of a band called Half Past Forever. The band has an album that drops February 20 called "Take a Chance on Something Beautiful".
· Attended North Greenville College in Tigerland, South Carolina
· Attends Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Was Phi Beta Kappa
· Attended Pensacola Christian College. Was Sigma Nu
· He is the son of missionaries
· Trained in classical music
· Lived in Germany with his family for ten years
GINA GLOCKSEN –
· Auditioned in LA and Memphis. Shown during Best of the Rest show
· 22 years old
· From Naperville, IL
· She is part of a band called Catfight
· She was born and raised in Tinsley Park, IL
· She attended Andrew High school
· She made it to the Hollywood round in 2005
· She is a dental assistant
JORDIN SPARKS -
· Auditioned in Seattle, WA
· 17 years old
· From Glendale, AZ
· She was named Arizona Idol in 2006
· Sparks is the daughter of former NFL football player, Phillippi Sparks She has a younger brother named PJ (Phillippi Sparks, Jr.).
· The daughter of an African American father and a white mother, she is multiracial. Manager: Pam
· Sparks acted in several plays, including recently starring in a dual role as characters Deborah and Bea in Magdalene at the Plumbline Theater in Franklin, Tennessee.
· Sparks auditioned for both American Juniors and Star Search in 2003 before appearing in America's Most Talented Kids twice in 2004 and winning in her first appearance. She was one of seven to appear in a special championship edition of the show.
· Sparks is a national anthem soloist, performing for various sporting events such as the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. She also sung in such events as Country Thunder, a famous country music venue.
· She has sung among such celebrities as Alice Cooper in his Christmas show in 2004 and has twice toured with singer Michael W. Smith.
· Sparks recorded an album titled For Now in 2003, a five-song album at the age of thirteen with Matthew Ward, a legendary Christian music artist and Gary Leach, an engineer who has worked on several of LeAnn Rimes' albums. She appeared in a compilation album titled Live at Mr. Lucky's in 2004. Sparks is in the process of writing and performing new material.
· Sparks is currently homeschooled.
· She was a plus-size model search winner for Torrid , a chain store owned Hot Topic
JARED “J.L.” COTTER -
· Auditioned in NYC
· 25 years old
· from Kew Gardens, NY
· Lives in West Orange, NJ
· His great grandfather, James Reese Europe, was the first African American Jazz artist to play at Carnegie Hall.
· He has performed on BET's "106 & Park"
· Has a degree in business management from Five Towns College
LAKISHA JONES -
· Auditioned in Birmingham, AL. Show on the Best of the Rest Show
· 27 years old
· Grew up in Flint, MI
· She has a three-year-old daughter named Brion.
· She lives in Fort Mead, Maryland
· Has been trained formally in classical music
LESLIE HUNT –
· 24 years old
· From Chicago, IL
· Lead singer in a band called Mark Twang based out of Chicago
· She is a dog walker
· Studying to become a dog trainer
· She plays the piano
MELINDA DOOLITTLE -
· Auditioned in Memphis, TN
· 29 years old
· From Brentwood, TN
· She is a backup singer
· Graduate of Belmont University in Nashville
· Has a bachelor’s degree in Commercial Music
NICK PEDRO –
· Auditioned in NYC
· 25 years old
· From Taunton, MA
· He is an Account Executive for a finance company
· He auditioned last year and made it to Hollywood round but quit because he forgot his words
· He has no formal vocal training
SUNDANCE HEAD -
· Auditioned in Memphis, TN
· 28 years old
· From Porter, Texas
· Dad was a singer named Roy Head who had a number one song in 1965 with “Treat her Right”. The song got knocked off the charts by “Yesterday” by the Beatles.
· Is part of a band called Headband
· He recently married his girlfriend of seven years
· He and wife recently had a baby boy over the holidays
· He can play five instruments
SABRINA SLOAN – shown at very end of 2/6 Idol walking out of room with golden ticket
· Auditioned in Minneapolis
· 27 years old
· Lives in North Hollywood, CA
· Raised in Orange County, CA.
· Has a dog named Teddy
· She is married
· Attended Northwestern University
· Bachelors Degrees in Musical Theater and Communication Studies
· 1997 graduate of Mission Viejo High school.
· Toured with “Hairspray” under her maiden name, Sabrina Scherff.
STEPHANIE EDWARDS -
· 19 years old
· Lives in Savannah, GA
· Has appeared on “It’s Showtime at the Apollo”
· Claims to have won every singing contest she has ever entered
PAUL KIM –
· Auditioned in LA. Shown on the “Best of The Rest Show”
· 25 years old
· From Saratoga, CA.
· He is a Pool maintenance technician in LA
· He was signed to EMI Korea back in 2003, but unfortunately it didn't work out
· He likes to garden
· Was roommates with Jared Cotter during Hollywood week. Considers him his good luck charm and is asking to room with him during rest of competition.
RUDY CARDENAS -
· Auditioned in Memphis and Seattle
· 28 years old
· Grew up in Denver, CO
· Part of a band call Mpact based in LA
· He is originally from Venezuela, South America
· Lives in North Hollywood, CA
· Has a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the Univ. of Northern Colorado.
PHIL STACEY –
· Auditioned In Memphis, TN
· 29 years old
· Lives in Jacksonville, FL
· Grew up on Cincinnati, OH
· He is married to wife, Kendra
· He has two daughters. Chloe and Mikalah
· Attends Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Pursuing his Masters Degree
· Attended Northwest High school in Wichita, Kansas
· Attended Lee University in Cleveland, TN . Sigma nu sigma fraternity
· He is a vocalist for the Navy
HALEY SCARNATO –
· auditioned in San Antonio, TX
· 24 years old
· She has been singing with a wedding band since the age of 15
· She recently got engaged
SANJAYA MALAKAR –
· Auditioned in Seattle, WA
· 17 years old
· He is a student
· From Federal Way, Wa
· Performed with the Hawaii Children’s Theater
AMY KREBS –
· 22 years old
· Lives in Federal Way, WA
· Attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City
· She is fluent in German
NICOLE TRANQUILLO –
· 20 Years old
· Lives in Philadelphia, PA
· Attends the University of the Arts
· Is a vocal major
· From Warnersville, PA
