Lakisha Jones: The Single Mom
 |
Relationship Status: Single
Pre-Idol: The mom to 4-year-old daughter Brionne worked as a bank teller in Fort Meade, Md.
The Fame Factor: "I've had a couple of guys call me and say 'Hey, baby ... ' I'm like 'Are you kidding me? Baby? I remember you didn't give me a return phone call. You remember that? Stop calling me, dude. It ain't happening.' "
Idol Style: "I am a little self-conscious because I am the heaviest girl of the bunch. But I try to keep it classy. I'm not going the shorter skirt route again."
Hidden Talent: "I am a great cook! I do oxtails, collard greens, some gravy, crab salad. But I don't bake. Cakes and stuff always fall down."
Backstage Secret: "The hard part is not being able to put my daughter (who's bunking with Grandma in Michigan) in bed with me at night. She sleeps so wild, she's all over the place. I used to move her off me, but now I would love to feel her kicking me or slobbering on my arm, you know?"
Why She Auditioned: "I just want a better life for my daughter and me. I don't ever want to go home and have my lights shut off again, or where I'm calling my friends and going, 'Can I borrow $20?' "
 |
Sanjaya Malakar: The Shocker
Age: 17Relationship Status: Single
Pre-Idol: Seattle high school student
Winning Strategy: "There's never been an Indian American Idol," says Malakar. "I want to be proof of the melting pot that America is. My strategy is to be myself. I'd like to appear like a normal person because I am a normal person."
Fame Factor: "I don't want to be really angry or hurt, so I don't read what they say about me in the press or online."
Best Idol Bud: "Jordin and I have the high school thing going on, but I try to hang out with everyone."
Backstage Secret: "As soon as I get onstage, I have to pee. It never fails," says Malakar, who wears a lucky charm – his grandfather's wedding ring – to help calm his nerves.
Guest mentor he's psyched to meet: "Tony Bennett. When I heard he was going to be on, I was ecstatic."
NEXT: Blake Lewis: The Beat Boxer >
