The Arts Council is on Team Joshua!

In case you haven't turned on the television in the past several weeks, Westlake native Joshua Ledet has taken FOX29's American Idol by storm! After showcasing his incredible vocal talents, Joshua has made it to the top five, but he needs your help in continuing his journey. Southwest Louisiana is rallying together to make our hometown singer a star.

A graduate of Westlake High School, Joshua started singing at the age of three in his father's church. Before he won over the hearts of the judges and the country on American Idol, Joshua worked for the Calcasieu Parish Recreation Center in Westlake.

Catch Joshua each Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on FOX29 or head over to Westlake for the viewing/voting party at the Westlake Multi-Purpose Complex at 6:30 p.m.  Be sure to vote for Joshua after each performance! If Josh makes it to the top three, American Idol will make a special trip to Southwest Louisiana to film Josh's hometown return to meet his supportive fan base. Voting opens after the performances each Wednesday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., so make your voice heard and vote for Josh!

There are three easy ways for you to vote:

1.  Toll-free Voting:  To vote, simply watch American Idol on FOX, from 7-9 p.m. and dial Josh’s assigned telephone number starting at 9:01 p.m. until 11 p.m. Votes are unlimited when calling or texting.
2.  AT&T Text Voting: Joshua Ledet will be assigned his own SMS/text message short code number each Wednesday. AT&T wireless customers only may text the word ‘VOTE’ to Joshua’s 4 digit short code numbers.
3.  Online Voting: If you have a Facebook account, you can also vote online at www.AmericanIdol.com. Online voting is limited to 50 votes per account.

Voting will open at the end of each performance show on Wednesday night at 9:01 p.m. You will have at least two hours to cast your votes.  The results will be broadcast on FOX Thursday at 7 p.m.