American Idol singer bios

Tale of the tape

JORDIN SPARKS

Age: 17

Hometown: Glendale, Ariz.

Favorite artist: Christina Aguilera

Defining performance: “I Who Have Nothing”

Favorite judge: Simon Cowell, because he’s brutally honest and thinks she’s “sweet”

Best mentor encounter: Barry Gibb said she would be one of the best female vocalists of our time.

Other performances: “Star Search,” “American Juniors” and “America’s Most Talented Kids”

Fan sites: www.jordinsparksfansite.com— Want a hoodie or a T-shirt? This Sparks haven offers tons of merchandise and information on the star.

BLAKE LEWIS

Age: 25

Hometown: Bothell, Wash.

Favorite artists: Bjork, Fiona Apple, Imogen Heap, Ella Fitzgerald, Sade, M-Pact (Season six top-24 contestant Rudy Cardenas’ a capella group)

Defining performance: “You Give Love A Bad Name”

Favorite judge: Randy Jackson, because, despite his limited vocabulary, he is a musician.

Best mentor encounter: Jennifer Lopez must have had a little crush on the beat boxer when she asked him in to set the rhythm for Haley Scarnato during a rehearsal.

Other performances: Member of a capella group Kickshaw from 1999-2002

Fan sites: www.blakergirls.com — A group started by some of Blake’s female friends. They sell merchandise and give 50 percent of the proceeds to a children’s charity.

www.singers.com/contemp/kickshaw.html — Find a picture of Blake in Kickshaw here.