She may have lost the competition - but then again, so did Clay Aiken.

And while American Idol runner-up Clay already has a massive following and his own CD out, Bermuda resident Jane Barnes also has plans in the works for her own Christmas CD, a website, and some on-air coverage from ZBM morning radio show host David Lopes.

Idol Online is the web spin-off of the popular international television competition where a group of aspiring singers are judged by a panel of judges and viewers in a competition to see who will be the next singing "idol". Perhaps the most famous version of the show is American Idol, which recently ended its second season.

It was 14-year old Stephen Barnes' idea to enter his mother into the online version of the show. The contest was open to anyone, anywhere around the world, though most entries were from North America.

The idea started out as a family joke, but to everyone's shock Mrs. Barnes, a 45-year old mother-of-two who had never taken a singing lesson in her life, whizzed through the rounds of competition to reach the finals. Her showdown with 20-year old Ohio native Ryan Severns was decided last week - and Ryan won.

While losing the competition in the final round was disappointing, Mrs. Barnes said it was also the right thing. "That was the only time I really wanted to win," she said. "Up until then I had just written myself off every time.

"But the more I think about it the more I think I'm fine with coming in second. Ryan is a more acceptable online idol."

Ryan is a 20-year old music student who wants a career in music, she explained. "Rather than a middle-aged woman who's never sung anything and puts family first. Things worked out as they should have.

"Now I've been given the opportunities without all the pressure coming from winning," she added. "It's Ruben and Clay (American Idol winner and runner-up respectively) all over again."

She hopes to talk with songwriters in Bermuda about some original music, saying that while she and her family have ordered some composing programmes, "those things are darn technical".

Her son Stephen has already come up with some good beats on the programme, she said. "But I'm like, where's the tutorial that comes with this thing."

Idol Online is putting together a compilation CD of music from the competition, she said, and Mrs. Barnes will also be putting out a CD soon. She plans on putting a song on the website her son created for her every week, and then putting them all on one CD by Christmas.

David Lopes has also contacted her to do some country songs, she added.

And Ms Barnes has agreed to be a judge for the second Idol Online competition.

"I'm wondering if some Bermudians have entered," she said. "I hope so, there's so much talent here."

While it is too late to sign up for the second round of Idol Online, she encouraged Bermudians to be ready for the next.

"The winner now gets a record deal," she said. "So I would assume the standards will go up."

Her involvement in the competition has changed her life, she said.

"It really is one of those things ... If someone had suggested this to me a year ago I would've laughed hysterically."

Now she is recognised by strangers on the streets and in the grocery stores, and her husband Peter told her he plays her songs every morning at work. "I said `you lying hound, you never do'," Jane protested.

The website created by Jane's son Stephen is at www.bermudajane.com, and the Idol Online website is

www.idolonline.org.