‘American Idol’ finalist Carrie Underwood came home Friday to Checotah, Oklahoma as a crowd of about 8,000 cheering people lined the streets as she passed by. The 22-year-old Northeastern State University senior got the opportunity to come home for a day after breaking through to the final three contestants on the show. “Thank you guys so much,” Underwood told the audience, her voice choked with emotion. “I could have never done anything I have done without all of you standing behind me.”

Simon Cowell spoke with ‘Entertainment Weekly’ about how he sees Carrie Underwood as the favorite to win this season’s ‘American Idol’ – citing Republican influence on voting. “I think ‘American Idol’ has always been a red state competition,” Cowell explained. “I think mainly it’s a Southern competition. I think Carrie is reflective of what’s going on in this country. There are a lot of girls saying, ‘I’m bored of girls dressing like sluts.’…There’s a difference between what the record industry thinks and what Wal-Mart customers think. That’s one of the reasons why Carrie is doing so well.”