Posted on: Tuesday, May 24, 2005
It's rock versus country on 'Idol'
Advertiser News Services
The country-side of tonight's showdown is Carrie Underwood, a blonde, small-town girl from Oklahoma. The rocker — which is no surprise given the judges' lavish praise over recent performances — is Bo Bice.
Two completely different styles going head-to-head should make for an interesting night of voting — and a new champion tomorrow night.
A little about each:
BO BICE
He hasn't traded his grandma-made rocker threads for Hollywood's designer labels just yet.
While fellow "American Idol" contestants change hairdos and fashion styles weekly, the Alabama native remains true to his down-home garb — sometimes fringed and earthy, at times glossy liquid leather — and his signature, shoulder-length locks.
"They tried to do highlights, they tried to cut his hair — Bo says no," said his mother, Nancy Downes. (Attempts at Willie Nelson-style braids and a run-in with a hair iron were also no-nos.)
Bice's fans in his hometown of Helena are watching closely for any changes. They don't expect any from the 29-year-old Southern heartthrob who still wears the vintage attire designed and sewn by his grandmother and jewelry created by a local bead artist.
"Pretty much everybody knows the Bo on TV is who you get," said John Cooper, bassist and backup singer in Bice's band, SugarMoney.
His loyalty is evident: He has a steady girlfriend, a menagerie of dogs, cats and turtles, and a town that defends him like blood — especially after he claimed
Helena as his hometown over metros such as his birthplace of Huntsville and better-known, nearby Birmingham.
The 10,000-population city stood by Bice during his two drug arrests over the past four years, which had little effect on his popularity on the show.
Bice has emerged as an unexpected favorite, steadily gaining respect from the three "Idol" judges. When fellow rocker Constantine Maroulis was knocked off in the April 27 episode, Bice stepped into the forefront as the judges' "true rock star."
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
In the small Oklahoma town of Checotah, ranchers who gather at Katy's Cafe for breakfast usually talk about cattle prices or whether the crappie are biting at Lake Eufaula.
Reality television typically wasn't part of the conversation — until Checotah native Carrie Underwood became a finalist on "American Idol."
"Carrie is probably the No. 1 conversation right now," said 76-year-old Lloyd Jernigan, director of the Chamber of Commerce for the town of about 3,800.
Friends and family of the 22-year-old college senior describe her as a polite, quiet, small-town girl with a beautiful voice.
"She never did do anything out of line," said Carl Shatswell, Underwood's grandfather. "You couldn't ask for any better youngster growing up."
And while Shatswell described Underwood as quiet and shy, that description changed when it came to her singing.
"I figured she'd make something of it, because she's sung all of her life," he said. "She went to Kansas one time and was singing on the bus. Her grandmother and me, we tried to get her to hush up, but the rest of the folks on there, they wanted her to keep singing.
"She was just 3 at the time."
Holly Paulsboe, Underwood's sorority sister at Sigma Sigma Sigma at Northeastern State University, said Underwood was a dedicated member and a good student who also has an eclectic taste in music.
"Some people think she's strictly country, but there are other genres she likes," Paulsboe said. "She listens to heavy metal, too."
It's not exactly Donny and Marie, but if you're feeling a little bit country — or a little bit rock 'n' roll — you have definite feelings for one of the contestants heading into tonight's final round of Fox's "American Idol."
