People have been saying it to her for a while now: get ready for your time on American Idol to change your life.

There’s just one problem for 16-year-old Tampa resident Shannon Magrane. It’s already happened.

"I mean, American Idol created a Twitter account for me, and when I saw it was verified I literally threw my hands up in the air and did a little happy dance," said Magrane. "People come up to me in the mall and ask about being on the show. It already has changed my life."

Magrane and Valrico resident Jeremy Rosado, 19, perform this week as part of American Idol’s Top 24 semi-finalists; the first group of singers to be judged by votes from the audience.

And what distinguishes these Tampa Bay area teens so far, beyond their skill at singing, is the attention Idol has paid them – turning them into standout contestants in the process.

Rosado sings tonight along with 11 other males selected last week and a surprise, 13th guy revealed this evening. Magrane sings Wednesday during a performance episode where viewers vote afterwards. Both shows air locally at 8 p.m. on WTVT-Ch. 13

A sophomore at Blake High School, Magrane would have gained notoriety even if her only claim to fame was judge Steven Tyler leering in her first audition that the teenage singer was “hot, humid and happening” right in front of her dad, former pro baseball player Joe Magrane.

But she’s also become a focus on the show, wowing the judges with a soulful version of the ballad “What a Wonderful World” and singing a Kelly Clarkson tune well enough that judge Jennifer Lopez claimed she got goosebumps. Fans at Blake created t-shirts with her face emblazoned with “Magrane Fame,” showing support.

“I’ve been preparing for this since day one,” said Magrane. “I want America to see I’m not just a singer, I’m a performer,” she added. “I want to inspire people and I want to be an artist.”

Similar attention has fallen on Rosado, who Lopez told last week “there’s no way we wouldn’t want you” among the Top 24 singers.

Often it seems conquering nerves is the biggest challenge for Idol contestants, but Rosado said he had a special cure for that.

“For me, my faith is what pulls me through…God is my everything,” said Rosado, who serves as a worship leader in his church and sings in the choir. “I’m nervous until I finally start singing. It goes away, in that moment when I open my mouth.”

Told that St. Petersburg native Michael Lynche, who placed fourth on Idol back in 2010, advised him and Magrane not to take anything for granted while on Idol and realize “It’s that one shot which can change your life,” Rosado responded with gratitude.

“It’s wonderful to hear that and we certainly don’t take anything for granted,” said the singer, who auditioned for Idol four times before. “I’ve dreamt about being on that stage since I was 10 years old. Now, you give it all you’ve got and trust that God has it in his hands.” ... Read more

Their bright red noses and sunny attitude couldn't save New Port Richey couple Dave and Cherie Gregg, who saw difficulties with math knock them out of the running on CBS' reality hit The Amazing Race.

In the episode aired Sunday, the couple were stopped cold by a challenge in Buenos Ares, requiring each team to calculate the average weight of a head of cattle in a pen in a large market.

The most successful competitors worked together to solve the problems, but Dave Gregg, who volunteered to complete the challenge before knowing what it required, told TV Guide his dyslexia may have made it more difficult to complete the math.

The couple had already been delayed by four hours when the bus they rode from a previous challenge had a window shatter during an 18-hour ride.

"I'm laughing and crying at the same time," Cherie Gregg said on camera as the other teams completed the math challenge while her husband stood by, still calculating. "It's the tears of a clown."

Eventually, the workers at the market let all the cows leave and Dave Gregg completed the math, arriving at the show's pit stop last. Earlier, he had revealed that he was a cancer survivor, free of the disease since 2001, leaving him grateful for every moment.

The couple, married nearly 20 years, work as clowns for a program sponsored by the Ringling Bros. circus, living in New Port Richey near the circus' winter quarters.

One consolation: Because the episode aired against The Academy Awards telecast Sunday, maybe fewer people saw their ejection.

"So many thing in my life had to come together to be in this moment at my time," he said, tears welling in his eyes at the show's end. "We're the luckiest couple on Earth."

... Read more

Fans will argue for days over the results of this years Academy Awards: Viola or Meryl? The Artist or Hugo? Jean Dujardin or George Clooney?

But on this, there is no argument: The telecast Sunday was terrible.

Turns out, there is a reason Oscar show producers didn't talk much about what was coming before Sunday's event. Beyond the way-cool opening number, in which Clooney locked lips with host Billy Crystal during his obligatory insertion in all the Best Picture nominees, there wasn't much there to anticipate.

Many of Crystal's jokes fell flat, including a quip based on The Help which drew bucketloads of ire online: ""When I came out of The Help I wanted to hug the first black woman I saw," he cracked. "Which, in Beverly Hills, was a 45 minute drive."

The decision to give out a long string of lesser known awards at the show's start -- makeup, set design and editing among them -- meant 40 minutes passed before a high profile category was awarded -- providing viewers with plenty of incentive to bolt for an NBA game or the latest episode of The Walking Dead.

And some kind of odd auditory feedback kept popping up during the telecast. I remember a similar problem marred much of last year's broadcasts of The Voice, making the audio sound tinny and strange.

Those missteps further marred a ceremony which just felt a bit off-kilter, from Robert Downey Jr. indulging a too-long bit about filming a reality show while presenting an award and supporting actress winner Octavia Spencer being rushed offstage to make room for long montages of stars talking about why they love movies (forgive the snark, but I'm not surprised Seth Rogen wasn't able to articulate what makes a great movie).

Mostly, the long montages of past classics served to remind viewers how obscure modern Oscar nominees often are, compared to years past -- has anyone in the TV audience actually seen Best Picture winner The Artist?

And Crystal's shtick, once so freewheeling and effortlessly witty, now felt tired as some nominees looked by the time the show ended, more than 30 minutes late. (Nick Nolte, looking like a hobo wedged into an old Karl Lagerfeld tuxedo, looked like he was ready to shank somebody when Christopher Plummer won supporting actor award).

I'm not going to write the "Viola Davis was robbed" story. Thanks to the Los Angeles Times, we know old white guys do all the Oscar voting, but Meryl Streep's turn in The Iron Lady was a tour de force worthy of the honor. I just feel bad that Davis had to endure weeks of people challenging her for playing a maid in a major film, only to lose the award in a way some will use to validate their gripes about Oscar's unfairness.

I feel worse for Oscar producers, who have precious few highlights to hang their hats on in the show's aftermath.

Right about now, the original plan to have Eddie Murphy on as host doesn't look quite so bad.

... Read more

His voice already sounds a bit weary over the telephone, but American Idol alum and St. Petersburg native Michael Lynche was also excited while recounting the birth of his second child Tuesday in New York City.

Kingston Michael Lynche was born at 9:18 p.m. in New York Presbyterian Hospital, weighing 7 pounds and 2.5 ounces, just days before mother Christa Lynche's due date.

Michael Lynche, who placed fourth on American Idol in 2010, saw his daughter, Laila Rose, born in New York while he was auditioning for the show. She just turned two years old in January.

"Last night, was the first night we had him home," Lynche said of his new son. "And there was no sleeping in the house that night."

Lynche is also preparing for the August release of his first post-Idol record, to be called Lover's Symphony, on St. Petersburg-based Big3 Records. The singer said the material is R&B-oriented, a good collection of love songs developed for local mogul Bill Edwards' Big3 label, allowing Lynche lots of creative control.

And though he hasn't had time to watch the current edition of American Idol, he was heartened to hear that two Tampa Bay area residents were just named to the show's Top 24 roster of semi-finalists.

"I'd just tell them don't take anything for granted," Lynche added when asked if he had any advice. "It's that one shot which can change your life." ... Read more