So, will we have Paris in May?

“American Idol” contestant Paris Bennett has a singing voice that is mature beyond her years, and polished beyond her church choir training – one she feels is good enough to take her to the finals of the nation’s hottest competition.

But her speaking voice sounds young, even for a 5-foot-tall, 17-year-old girl.

Bennett accepts her Betty Boop voice, like the success she’s gained on Fox’s hit reality show, as a blessing.

This season, she’s been all the rage among “Idol” judges and fans.

“It reminds me of the excitement of Fantasia,” said series guest Stevie Wonder, comparing Bennett to “Idol’s” 2004 winner.

In a phone interview, Bennett discussed how she feels about her unusual voice, the advice performers in her family gave her, and why she expects to come out on top in the May finale:

Q. Did you ever get teased because of your speaking voice?

A. No, I never got teased for how I talk. That’s what makes me unique. I’m little, and it goes with my height.

My voice is a gift … It’s just like you see a candy bar, and you open up the package, and it doesn’t look like the outside. The chocolate bar has peanuts and everything inside, but you don’t see that on the outside.

Q. Why did you enter ‘American Idol’?

A. Yeah, my mom and my grandmother are in the music business, but this is something I wanted to do for myself and make my own name, so people could see that you don’t always have to take the easy road. I like to be more competitive.

Q. You looked so genuinely surprised when they told you that you were advancing to the finals. Do you remember how you felt?

A. It’s not every day that people get chosen to be in the top 24 when hundreds of thousands try out. It’s a big blessing. I was very happy, very happy.

Q. Your mother (recording artist Jamecia Bennett) and your grandmother (Grammy Award-winning artist Ann Nesby) are both performers. Have they given you any advice, or are they just letting you do your own thing?

A. Just to stay humble and just to be me … just to keep God first, stay humble and have fun.

Q. Have you thought about what’s next if you don’t win ‘American Idol’?

A. I don’t really have that thought in my head. My thought and my prayers are that this is my year, this is my season. I am the next ‘American Idol.’ I don’t really have negative thoughts.

The birthday bunch

Actor Austin Pendleton is 66. Actor Michael York is 64. Director Quentin Tarantino is 43. Singer Mariah Carey is 36. Singer Fergie (Black Eyed Peas) is 31. Actress Emily Ann Lloyd (“Something So Right”) is 23. Actress Taylor Atelian (“According to Jim”) is 11.