By Lauren Bishop
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Matthew Metzger hopes the second time's a charm.

A little more than a year ago, the 23-year-old Miami University graduate auditioned for the second season of the hit Fox TV show American Idol, but was cut out after making it as far as a group of 48 finalists.

After getting that first taste of fame, Metzger decided he had to give it another shot. He traveled from Oxford to Atlanta last summer to audition for American Idol's third season (8 p.m. today, Channels 19, 45).

"As far as I'm concerned, when you hear no, it really means not now," he said last week.

His tryout this time around wasn't televised, but he impressed judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson with his performance of Stevie Wonder's "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer."

Soon he was on his way to Hollywood with 117 other Idol hopefuls, and last Wednesday night he became one of 32 finalists.

He's brimming with excitement about tonight, when he and seven of the other finalists perform live and put their fates in the hands of a nationwide television audience. Viewers will phone or text message Fox with their favorite contestants, and only two will advance to the next round.

Friends and fans have spent the past week trying to drum up support for Metzger. Shanae Tullis, who knew Metzger when she was Shanae Perkins at Hudson High School in Hudson, Ohio, volunteered to put together a Web site after chatting with other fans on American Idol 's Web site.

Down-to-earth guy

Tullis said she and Metzger were in choir and plays together. She remembered him having a nice voice and being a down-to-earth, caring and happy guy.

"There was always a smile on his face," said Tullis, now 26 and living in Washington state.

At Miami, Metzger sang in the Men's Glee Club during his freshman and sophomore years. Glee Club conductor Ethan Sperry said Metzger had both a good pop and classical voice, and particularly remembered a Backstreet Boys solo Metzger sang his freshman year.

"It was clear he was as talented a pop singer as we get at Miami," he said. "But you never got the sense that it went to his head."

Metzger, a marketing major, also was active in his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. The chapter adviser, Brian Breittholz, said he was thrilled when he saw that Metzger - whom he called a "phenomenal guy" - had made it to the finals.

"He's the kind of person who lights up a room by walking into it," he said. "He is one of the most good-natured people I have ever met."

Gaining a following

Like his competitors, Metzger is also gaining fans. On Internet message boards about the show, viewers have been gushing over his looks, comparing him to heartthrobs like 'NSync-er JC Chasez, Michael Vartan of Alias and James Van Der Beek of Dawson's Creek.

But unfortunately for his admiring female fans, he's very much taken. Metzger's engaged to 21-year-old Natalie Witwer, a Miami senior who was Miss Ohio 2002.

They've set a September wedding date, pushed back because of American Idol. Witwer flew to California last week, as did most of Metzger's family.

"I'm a lot more nervous, I think, than I ever was as Miss Ohio," Witwer said.

Even if he doesn't become the next American Idol, Metzger said he plans to continue working in the entertainment industry. But right now, he's concentrating on tonight.

"I'm going to do my best and do everything I can," he said. "But it's up to the public, and it's up to Cincinnati, to get on the phones and call."

E-mail lbishop@enquirer.com