NEW YORK – "American Idol" runner-up Diana DeGarmo is heading for Broadway. Following in the footsteps of Frenchie Davis, who appears in the rock musical "Rent," DeGarmo will join the cast of "Hairspray" on Feb. 7.
The 18-year-old DeGarmo, one of the FOX television series' most popular runners-up, will portray the heroine's best friend, Penny Pingleton, in the musical, which opened on Broadway in August 2002.
DeGarmo, of Snellville, Ga., finished second behind Fantasia Barrino in the third season of the popular Fox "American Idol" reality show.
"Hairspray," based on the cult John Waters' film, concerns a chubby Baltimore teen who wants to appear on a TV dance show. The show now stars Shannon Durig as the eager young woman and John Pinette as her full-figured mother.
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