Never say Americans take democracy for granted. After more than 65 million votes poured in--more than half the number cast in the 2000 presidential election--FANTASIA BARRINO, a single mom from High Point, N.C., was crowned the third American Idol. It was a controversial season in which guest judge Elton John cried racism, frantic voters decried the jammed phone lines and the state of Hawaii just plain cried for its third-place finisher. Barrino, 19, a bluesy belter who had been an early favorite, beat Diana DeGarmo, 16, by 1.3 million votes in the finale. It was, aptly, a fairy-tale ending for a...
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