TOP 5 FINALISTS WILL PERFORM TWO SONGS EACH ONE FROM THE YEAR THEY WERE BORN AND ANY TOP-10 BILLBOARD CHARTS FROM THIS WEEK  ON NEXT WEEK'S PERFORMANCE SHOW TUESDAY, MAY 2, ON FOX Top 4 Finalists to be Announced on May 3 Results Show


The AMERICAN IDOL phenomenon continues as more than 47.5 million votes were cast this week after the Top 6 finalists performed their favorite classic love songs. Last night, international superstar Andrea Bocelli mesmerized the audience with his new song "Because We Believe," accompanied on the piano by producer David Foster. It was revealed that Kellie Pickler received the fewest votes after Tuesday's performance show, ending her quest to become the next American Idol. Pickler, from Albemarle, NC, sang "Unchained Melody." Next week, the remaining contestants will each perform two songs  one from the year when they were born, and any Top-10 Billboard charts from this week.
So far this season, AMERICAN IDOL shows incredible growth compared to the same telecasts last year, increasing +12% among Adults 18-49 (12.7/31 vs. 11.3/29), +10% among Adults 18-34 (11.6/32 vs. 10.5/30), +6% among Teens (9.3/28 vs. 8.8/27) and +14% in Total Viewers (30.6 vs. 26.8 Mil).
Next week, television's hottest show gets even hotter when the Top 5 finalists (Paris Bennett, Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin) sing two songs each as they compete head-to-head again on Tuesday, May 2 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). Tune in the following night to find out who receives enough votes to stay in the competition and who must go home on the AMERICAN IDOL results show Wednesday, May 3 (9:00-9:32 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.