'Idol' No. 3?

Associated Press

Diana DeGarmo
Southern belter is stage veteran at 16

Diana DeGarmo modeled and appeared in commercials, TV shows and beauty and talent contests long before finding fame as an "American Idol" finalist. Fox 'American Idol' Tonight From 7 to 8 KHON-TV The voting period after the show has been extended to four hours for the finale. Tomorrow Season finale results show 7 to 9 p.m. KHON-TV

The 16-year-old jokes that when born, she "came out singing" — which is only a slight exaggeration.

In kindergarten, she impressed audiences enough to perform on a CNN talk show. By age 9, she was honing her skills at local restaurants on karaoke nights.

"People would think they were playing the CD or radio," said Alicia Stephens, a good friends of DeGarmo's mother, Brenda. "People would come out of the back room of the restaurant and they couldn't believe this little girl was standing there singing."

DeGarmo's reputation quickly spread, and soon she was singing the national anthem at Atlanta Braves and Thrashers games. She even earned the nickname "the national anthem girl."

"I remember when we opened our football stadium, she was only in the fifth grade, but she came over and sang," said Nancy Fowler, community school director at Shiloh High School, where DeGarmo is a junior.

Earlier this season, "Idol" judge Simon Cowell accused DeGarmo of being too young to compete on the show — but DeGarmo may have more experience in front of judges than the older contestants.

Last year, she was a finalist on the NBC show "America's Most Talented Kid," and she held the crown of Miss Teen Georgia 2002. She also has appeared in numerous other beauty contests, commercials and modeling gigs.

DeGarmo has finally won over Cowell heading into tonight's finale. Her official break, coming after the disco-themed night, was when Cowell said, "I'm gonna take that back," referring to his previous criticism.

"Now he's kind of seeing that I can hold my own," DeGarmo said.

Her previous experience before judges and TV cameras gave DeGarmo time to sharpen her skills in diplomacy. She is adept at sidestepping leading questions by reporters about Cowell or other contestants and instead spends more time bragging about her Southern roots.

Born in Birmingham, Ala., DeGarmo has spent all her school years in Snellville, an Atlanta suburb that has long advertised its motto: "Snellville: Where everybody is somebody."

When she returned to Snellville for a welcome-home celebration two weeks ago and was presented the key to the city by the mayor, DeGarmo said, "I miss sweet tea and Snellville and Southern talk. ... Southern people are the best people out there."

Snellville Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer is relishing the publicity.

"It's been really exciting," he said. "It has just exploded. The way she talks up the city, you couldn't ask for anything better."

Fantasia Barrino
Soulful singer knows the blues

Fantasia Barrino, 19, has overcome challenges as a single teen mother and high-school dropout to pursue her dream of being a singing star.

Sassy and energetic singer Fantasia Barrino has followed through on that promise, capturing a national following drawn to her raspy, soulful voice as she moved into the final trio on the televised singing competition "American Idol."

"It was prophesied at age 5 that she would go to the nation," Collins said. "That time has come."

Actually, the time still awaits the judgment of a fickle — and sometimes tone-deaf — American public. But Barrino already has bypassed a few roadblocks on her short and uncertain road to reality-show success.

Barrino, 19, spent many days in High Point, N.C., inside her close-knit community church, singing at funerals, weddings and Sunday services, and wrestling with how to achieve her dream.

Teenage motherhood could have derailed Barrino, who has a 2-year-old daughter, but she relied on her family and friends for support and prayer, and she moved on.

"Most teenagers do what they want to do," Collins said. "She wanted to get a taste of the world. ... We never thought about putting her away. We just prayed her up out of low self-esteem."

Barrino's run on Fox's star-making show has also paid off, Collins said.

"She is growing in age and she is growing in grace," she said.

" 'American Idol' has helped her character and ability as a young, unwed mother."

Heading into tonight's finale, she continues to reel in the praises of "Idol" judges. Randy Jackson has not only compared her to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson in terms of star quality, but said Barrino's performance of "Summertime" was the best performance of all three seasons.

"She's one of the only true stars we've had in the competition," Jackson said. "I would sign Fantasia right now — win, lose, draw, whatever."

But like most "Idol" hopefuls and their supporters, Barrino wants a win and the guaranteed record contract that comes with it.

"I think in this case Fantasia has such a beautiful spirit about herself and a voice that can reach out and touch many different people," said Bruce Davis, a family friend and Guilford County official. "She has such a uniqueness about her voice. A lot of people can sing, but there's something about her gift."

Barrino developed that gift as her family followed her father, Joseph, around while he moved for his job. She dropped out of high school in her junior year when the family moved to Charlotte, N.C.

The family's move back to High Point — and the church — brought a new sense of determination for Barrino.

And if history is any barometer of success, after jazz great John Coltrane, Barrino may be High Point's next musical claim to fame.

Her hometown has rewarded her sense of purpose by rallying support for the singer starting with the show's first episode.

Support for Fantasia has grown. The die-hard crowd started out as 40 people showing up at a viewing. More than 3,000 turned up when Barrino returned home two weeks ago to receive the key to the city — 1,600 people in the packed auditorium and an identical number waiting outside just to catch a glimpse of the hometown hero.

"I think she was absolutely blown away," said Bernita Sims, a City Council member who presented Barrino with a letter from North Carolina's lieutenant governor. "She didn't quite realize the level of support she had. We are very excited for her."

Generations of the Barrino family have been singers. And Barrino was even part of a family band — consisting of her mother, Diane, her father, two brothers and herself — that her grandmother said traveled all over and even produced CDs.

"She just come up out of the roots," Collins said.

Barrino struggled in fan voting two weeks ago, finishing in the bottom two ahead of surprising evictee Latoya London, an early favorite to win the title.

Friends, family and fans have been gearing up for tonight's season finale without letting conspiratorial reports of phone troubles and voting snags dampen their determination.

"Many fans were calling from New York, Baltimore and Washington (D.C.) and couldn't get through," Collins said. "But we're still determined. ... If it's for her, it is so."