Blake survives

The nation’s heart keeps thump-thump-thumping for Blake Lewis.

Bothell’s beat-boxing dynamo survived as one of two finalists on Fox television’s “American Idol” on Wednesday night.

After nearly 60 million votes were cast by TV viewers across the country, Lewis, 25, beat out soulful singer Melinda Doolittle. Next week, he’ll face 17-year-old Jordin Sparks to see who will be crowned the country’s next top singer.

Diehard fans had a three-hour head start on the news Wednesday night, reading results online and getting text messages and phone calls after the conclusion of the East Coast broadcast.

“I was freaking out! I started bawling,” said Kristi Redman, co-founder of the Blaker Girls fan club and a longtime friend of Lewis. “I’m just so excited!”

Viewers across the country have been voting for Lewis for months. Fans point to Lewis’ beat-boxing – vocal imitations of electronic drum beats and record scratching – as what set him apart from the other contestants. Clad in grandpa golf pants and tattoos, he’s spiced up the show with his eclectic arrangements of songs.

Lewis’ hometown of Bothell and his fans shared the TV spotlight this week in scenes from a special parade held last Friday that paid tribute to the rising pop star. An estimated 7,000 fans were drawn to Bothell’s Main Street for the parade and a concert at the city’s riverside amphitheater.

“I think all of us are going to remember it for a lifetime,” said Bothell Mayor Mark Lamb, a longtime watcher of “American Idol” who appeared with Lewis on TV.

Lamb’s brother in New York City text-messaged the news that Lewis was in the show’s finale.

“Jordin is in. Blake is in!” Lamb said, reading back the messages. “I think it’s fantastic news. I’m proud for Blake, proud for his parents and proud for Bothell. It shows good things can happen to good people.”

Lewis has become a celebrity crush for young girls, many of whom screamed for him at his concert and parade Friday. Each week, they said, they spend hours casting their telephone votes for Lewis until their arms cramp up.

“I want him to stay in,” said Kendra O’Keefe, 13, of Langley. “I voted probably like 450 times, and my brother voted 105 times. I counted. I wrote it down on a piece of paper.”

Lewis will perform on the show again at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with final voting results expected Wednesday during the 9 p.m. show.

“All of his friends are now trying to find plane tickets to L.A. and hoping to God we don’t get fired from our jobs,” Redman said. “I’m only half kidding.”

Like other “American Idol” contestants, the television exposure of his talent is expected to be a springboard to a record contract, fans said.

Even if Lewis doesn’t win the competition next week, he’s got a legion of fans who want to hear more.

“I hope that he makes a CD of the style that he wants to, and he is successful,” O’Keefe said.

“I know he’ll be successful with whatever he does. He’ll definitely get signed by a record label. He’s good. A lot of people know him now. People would be stupid not to pick him up.”

After next week’s finale, Lewis and the rest of the top 10 singers will be on a summer concert tour that will bring them to Tacoma July 27.

The tour includes 56 shows in 79 days at arenas and state fairs across the country between July 6 and Sept. 22. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.

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