Lynche giving 'everything I've got' on 'Idol'

Michael "Big Mike" Lynche is ready to show people what he can do Wednesday night in the first round of "American Idol" competition where the viewers' votes count.

After weeks of rumors that he had been disqualified for a technicality, "Idol" producers let him put the record straight Monday.

"I am going to give it everything I've got on Wednesday night because I'm in this to win," he said in a telephone interview.

The 305-pound personal trainer and aspiring singer who grew up in St. Petersburg said the rumors about being disqualified were not a distraction.

He had bigger things on his mind. His wife, Christa Angelelli, gave birth to daughter Laila while he was auditioning during Hollywood week.

"The baby came a week early and I was trying to focus on the competition and take it one day at a time," he said.

"Idol" gossip sites incorrectly reported that he was booted from the show because his father told a newspaper that his son had made the top 24 before it became official. That could have been seen as a breach of confidentiality rules.

But Lynche said he has not had a relationship with his father in some time, and that his father apparently was repeating online rumors.

"He would not sabotage my career, and I feel bad that he was getting blamed for something that didn't happen," said Lynche, 26.

Known as "Big Mike" to "Idol" fans, Lynche played football at the University of Central Florida and moved to Queens, N.Y., to pursue a musical career. He said he has been home once since Laila was born.

Lynche said he and his wife are keeping in touch via Web cameras.

He couldn't say what he will sing when he competes Wednesday.

"I'm pretty versatile," Lynche said. "I can sing anything across the board and bring it in to my world."

His mother, Michele, was a columnist for the St. Petersburg Times. She died in 2004 from cancer.

Lynche said he still considers St. Petersburg home and has received a lot of support from Tradewinds Christian Church, where he was a worship leader.

"It's all been a crazy adventure so far and I feel really blessed," he said.

FAVORED STATUS: There's a widely held theory that "Idol" producers pick a handful of favorites every season and give them more face time with profiles and back stories. For example, viewers have seen more of Lynche and Tampa resident Janell Wheeler than others such as Naples native Paige Miles.

Who? The 22-year-old former Community School of Naples cheerleader has flown under the "Idol" radar, getting only a few seconds of face time.

Viewers know about Wheeler, 24, a wine sales rep who grew up near Orlando and is the "Sunshine Cowgirl."

But there has been no back story for Miles, who began singing in church when she was 5.

Miles, who lives in Houston, got a smattering of attention last week when Ellen DeGeneres announced her name and Simon Cowell said, "You are a really, really good singer." But she has only been featured singing once in group competition.

Tonight at 8 she will have one performance to make an impression to make it past the first cut; Wheeler has been shown singing at least four times.