Mount Prospect's Idol moves on to next round

Mount Prospect's Lee DeWyze breezed on to the next round in American Idol, while the two other Chicago-area contestants were voted off on Thursday.

Northbrook's John Park and Jermaine Sellers of Joliet won't return next week. On Tuesday, Park performed John Mayer's "Gravity" and Sellers, the church singer from Joliet, tried his hand at "What's Going On."

Both performances were panned by the judges.

DeWyze, on the other hand, rocked both his performances so far, garnering praise from the show's harshest critic Simon Cowell both weeks. On Thursday, his parents cheered him on from the audience.

"You may be the one to beat in this competition," said Cowell on Tuesday. "You are the best singer and you are head and shoulders above everyone else."

DeWyze took on Hinder's "Lips of an Angel" and though he admitted to struggling with nerves and pitch, all four judges loved the performance.

Sporting a leather jacket and clean shave on Thursday, DeWyze smiled slightly and nodded when Ryan Seacrest announced voters decided to keep him around.

The two girls voted off the show were Michelle Delamor, of Miami, and Haeley Vaughn, of Fort Collins, Colo.

As DeWyze continues to advance, Mount Prospect is getting more and more excited.

Capannari Ice Cream, 10 S. Pine St., is dedicating the shop's season opening on Saturday, March 13 to their favorite Idol contestant by calling the day "Capannari's Is Going Bananas for American Idol Lee DeWyze!" On that day, all customers who bring in their own banana will get 25 percent off a banana split, said Ken Dix, co-owner.

"We are so excited about our hometown American Idol, Lee DeWyze, that we thought we would celebrate," Dix said.

DeWyze and the other seven male contestants will perform on Wednesday and the girls will preform on Tuesday, before another two men and two women are voted off on Thursday, March 11.