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The Sarasota Herald Tribune, March 12, 2008

Flock of Faneshas gathers to cheer on Idol contestant by Thomas Becnel

SARASOTA --

Restaurateur Paul Mattison is converting the former Lone Star Steak House in south Diana and Maria Namer, a mother-daughter team of  Syesha Mercado  fans, left the house Tuesday night.

It was a risk they had to take.

The good news is that they got to wear matching Syesha T-shirts to an American Idol party at Mattison s City Grill on Main Street. The bad news is that they were not home to carefully tape the show and frantically call in votes for Mercado, a 2005 Booker High School graduate.

Tonight, we left my husband in charge of the VCR, Diana said. I don t know ...

A few dozen Sarasota fans crowded into Mattison s for the party, sponsored by WSRZ, 107.9, and the Herald-Tribune. SNN News 6 cameras were there, along with a crew from the Fox television affiliate from Miami, where Mercado started her career as an actress and singer.

Johnnie Mnich, her voice teacher at Booker High, was breathless after she opened the Beatles-themed program by singing Got to Get You Into My Life.

There s a surrealism ... when you ve worked with someone and then ... Mnich said. She s always wanted this, or something like this, and now it s in her hands.

Maria Namer, now a Manatee Community College student, sang with Mercado at Booker High. She would not hear any criticism of the Tuesday night performance.

I thought she was great, she was wonderful, she said. I think she did a great job.

The Sarasota crowd cheered and swayed to Mercado s song. They grew quiet when judge Randy Jackson said it started out a little rough and was just all right.

Then they roared when judge Simon Cowell came to her defense: I thought that was better than all right, Randy.

During commercial breaks, Mercado fans -- Syesha s Faneshas -- were entertained by David Jones and Christina Crane, the morning team at WSRZ.

They led sing-alongs and tossed T-shirts to fans who answered American Idol trivia questions.

Jones joked about having to do a night show when they have to rise at 4:30 a.m., but Crane brushed him off.

Nobody needs sleep, she said. We ll sleep when American Idol is over.