Entertainment

Queens singer makes ‘Idol’ final 12

A muscular teddy bear from Queens and an adorable Connecticut teen made the final 12 of “American Idol” last night.

Michael “Big Mike” Lynche, a 26-year-old former college football player and personal trainer from Astoria, was considered a shoo-in even before four of his 15 competitors were booted from the hit Fox talent show.

‘IDOL’ WATCH: TOP 12 MAY BE WEAKEST EVER

But Katie Stevens, 17, of Middlebury, Conn., had been considered a likely candidate for elimination last night. It came down to her and popular, platinum-blond blues singer Lilly Scott, 20, of Littleton, Colo. Stevens got the nod.

This ninth season of “Idol” will be the last for judge Simon Cowell, the acid-tongued critic who draws millions of fans every week for his brutal putdowns.

The final 12 singers will begin competing again Tuesday night, belting out songs from the Rolling Stones. In addition to Stevens, the five other women named to the top 12 were: Crystal Bowersox, 24, of Ellison, Ohio, Siobhan Magnus, 19, of Cape Cod, Mass., Paige Miles, 24, of Naples, Fla., Didi Benami, 23, of Knoxville, Tenn., and Lacey Brown, 24, of Amarillo, Texas.

Along with Lynche, the five other guys still alive are: Casey James, 27, of Fort Worth, Texas, Tim Urban, 20, of Duncanville Texas, Lee DeWyze, 23, of Mount Prospect, Ill., Aaron Kelly, 16, of Stonestown, Pa., and Andrew Garcia, 24, of Moreno Valley, Calif.