This is Elliott Yamin, from Henrico County Virginia.  According to several sources, Elliot has made the  Top 24.   He auditioned in Boston, so watch out for him this Tuesday when Boston–the best of all the audition cities, according to  producer Nigel Lythgoe, will be featured.   Richmond, VA  channel 8  News  did this  little story  Ãƒâ€š  on him.  Ãƒâ€š  Ãƒâ€š  Thanks to Grr from my  home board,  and C, le  Mod from Sucks for the  last name and the TV 8 story.   Elliot appears to have TWO idol domain registrations,  Ãƒâ€š  EFRAYMYAMIN.COM and ELLIOTTOFFICIAL.COM..

  

  

  

Here is  a list of the Rumored Top 24 so far, compiled from several sources–including spoilers found on Sucks and Idol Forums.

1a. Ayla Brown   1b. Heather Cox   1c. Becky O’Donahue   1d.  Kellie Pickler   1e. Paris Bennett   1f.  Lisa Tucker
2a. Kinnik   2b. Ace Young   2c. Chris Daughtry   2d. Patrick Hall   2e. Taylor Hicks   2f. Bucky Covington
3a. SWAY (Jose Penala)   3b. Elliot Yamin   3c. Bobby Bennett   3d. David Radford
Gedeon McKinny (no picture)

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Gideon McKinny is the  only contestant who I can’t confirm through several sources.   I feel pretty confident about the  others.   Hilariously, SWAY doesn’t seem to  think the confidentiality agreement holds when talking to international press, like here–where the article mentions that he’s in Hollywood right now rehearsing.

  

A few of you have left comments, curious about rumored Top 24 contestant, Patrick Hall.   We’ve barely seen him, except for a little glimpse at the end of the Las Vegas episode.   Here’s a picture of Patrick for the curious.   Thanks so much to Ellen, who provided the photo!

  

  

  

  

For your viewing and reading pleasure–some articles and websites  featuring  rumored top 24/44/48 contestants:

The following links come via  grrr from my home board, and  C,  mod from  Survivor Sucks:

Kinnik – Photos, Bio,   resume  and  music, from  this  rumored Top 24 contestant’s sorta defunct web page.  Ãƒâ€š  

Kevin Covais  -   Kevin sings   “Tears from Heaven”  on this poor-quality video.

Antonio Bridges - Appeared  on Gimme the Mike, Seattle.

Crystal Stark -  Ãƒâ€š  A  bio.   She is or was a vocal instructor at the Arizona Jazz Academy.

Brianna Taylor  -  Her  My Space. Thanks to an anonymous reader.

And from my Google travels:

Let the pimping begin!   A local Boston TV station has already done a feature story  on rumored Top 24 contestant Ayla Brown.   Oh, and what a coincidence, Ayla’s mommy just happens to be a news anchor there!

YAWN. More information on Swaygate.   Jose “Sway” Penala is a member of   6th Day.   The band is rumored to have a recording contract–which could technically disqualify the SWAY.    Anxious Idol fans around the net have been asking–OMG, will  SWAY be disqualified?   The answer? Oh hell no, considering he’s one of the pimped ones.   I  figured the producers would find a way around the problem, if it indeed turned into a dilemma.   Here’s what Idol producer Ken Warwick  had to say about the “controversy” when asked if SWAY had a recording contract:

“When the thousand turn up you canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t go into their backgrounds, you canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t check everything…Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s still on the show.   Yes, absolutely…I mean as far as I know he at this moment in timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦the minute he went forward we then get into it and say have you got any recording contracts.   Now, if he did have and lost them the minute he got through to the second round then, you know, at the time he got through then he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a contract, he tells me, so we checked and at this moment in time and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all we can really do, he does not have a recording contract.   So you know thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦that..you know we have to take it at face value, he is not contracted to anybody and anybody who progresses in the competition canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be under contract to anybody else for obvious reasons and he is not to our knowledge.   We look into it and the affairs look into it so I have to take it as ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s told to me.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Ãƒâ€š  

Errrr,  huh?   I think the translation is: “Rules, schmoolz, we do whatever the f*** we want.”  Ãƒâ€š  

She’s not on any of the Spoiler lists, but I thought I would note that another Idol contestant, Halicia Thompson, has a criminal  record, according to Reality TV Magazine and TMZ.   In two separate incidents, Halicia was arrested for Criminal Trespass, and Disorderly Conduct respectively.   Ms. Thompson appears to have some Anger Management issues.   Favorite line from Halicia:   Screaming “F*** the children”   during the first incident, when  a cop  told her  she couldn’t use profanity in a public place around kids.   Here’s the police report  and court documents  for the first incident.   Court documents  for the second incident.  

In Other News:

Found this story  from the Dallas Morning News at TWOP.  Ãƒâ€š  You’d never know  from the episode, but due to fallout from Hurricane Katrina, Randy, Paula and Simon did not travel to Austin to audition Idol hopefuls.   Instead, contestants were flown out to San Francisco to audition in front of the celebrity judges.