Orlando’s Janell Wheeler offers this preview of tomorrow’s “American Idol”:
“I can tell you it’s going to be awesome,” the “Idol” contender says. “I had a rehearsal yesterday, and the ladies are amazing this year. I was blown away by everyone.”
Wheeler and the other 11 female hopefuls perform at 8 p.m. Tuesday on Fox. The 12 males follow at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The first results show will be at 8 p.m. Thursday, and four singers will be ejected.
Wheeler, who is 24, said she couldn’t say what she’s going to sing, but hinted that it’s “something from the time I was growing up.”
Wheeler was born in Orlando, grew up here and graduated from Apopka High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theater from the University of Florida. And she wants to set the record straight about her relationship with former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.
“We were definitely in the same group of friends, and he is definitely not my boyfriend,” she says.
And she’s not interested in talking about him, thank you. “This is about me,” she says. “He’s got that Heisman. I’m on ‘American Idol.’ ”
Yes, you are. What’s it like?
“It’s a whirlwind. It’s like Candy Land for a musician,” she says. “It’s everything you could ever ask for.”
Wheeler, a songwriter who plays guitar, describes her style as country-pop, then adds, “I’m not really, really country, but country has reinvented itself. That’s my goal: to reinvent country. I want to add some flavor.”
Wheeler was working as a wine sales rep in Tampa when she tried out for “Idol” in Orlando.
“They’re putting me on a leave of absence,” she says of her employer. “They’re making it work. I didn’t burn any bridges. They’re all so supportive of me, but I’ve got this hunger for this. I don’t know if I’m going to go back to selling wine.”
Are you planning to attend Idol dress rehearsals this year? If so, I need your help! I need reporters willing to call me right after dress with song spoilers. Contact me if you are interested!
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Damn, I might have change my pick for Idol. Tebow would have been a plus in her column. Im glad I got to use some of my Tebow/Wheeler material last week. http://bit.ly/bUYd5O