'American Idol' has its 12 finalists

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Fox's "American Idol" is down to a dozen would-be superstars.

The four "wild card" candidates include one selected by an audience vote: Jon Peter Lewis, a 24-year-old Idaho resident whose dance-happy rendition of an Elvis Presley song had voters rooting for him.

The other three finalists were picked by the show's judges.

Randy Jackson selected Jennifer Hudson, 22, a cruise line singer from Chicago whose voice impressed the judges, even if her fashion sense didn't. Paula Abdul tabbed Leah LaBelle, 17, of Seattle. Cranky Simon Cowell chose George Huff, 23, a music education major who has performed in many Louisiana churches.

The four join finalists already selected: Fantasia Barrino, 19, High Point, N.C.; Diana Degarmo, 16, Snellville, Ga.; Camile Velasco, 18, Haiku, Hawai'i; Matthew Rogers, 25, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; La Toya London, 24, Hawthorne, Calif.; Amy Adams, 24, Bakersfield, Calif.; Jasmine Trias, 17, Mililani, Hawai'i; and John Stevens, 16, East Amherst, N.Y.

They will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a two-hour live show.

The starmaking game show announced the last four finalists Wednesday, settling two months of song-and-dance competition that will culminate in a new musical favorite in May.

The top four finalists will be announced May 5, with the series finale May 25-26.

More than 70,000 people turned out at "American Idol" tryouts nationwide for the third season, according to Fox.

Past "American Idol" winners were Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard, who both went on to have top-10 releases.

But the biggest Idol is 2003 runner-up Clay Aiken.

Studdard returned Wednesday to perform his latest recording, and even made Cowell nostalgic.

"I will pay you to re-enter," Cowell told him.