"American Idol" final pits personality vs youth

NEW YORK (Reuters) - "American Idol" voters kicked the most experienced professional singer out of the running on Wednesday to put a chirpy male contestant and a 17-year-old girl with a huge voice into the final round of the smash hit TV talent contest.

Melinda Doolittle, 29, a long-time backup singer who has stunned the show's judges and viewers with her voice since entering the competition as a super-shy contestant, was voted out in a closely fought contest by a telephone vote.

Her departure leaves Blake Lewis, 25, and Jordin Sparks, 17, as the finalists in the sixth season of "American Idol," which has produced a list of successful recording stars from its winners -- and its losers.

"You already have made it," said Paula Abdul, one of the three judges on the Fox network series that ranks as America's most popular television show.

Acerbic fellow judge Simon Cowell, who has backed Doolittle as a singer throughout the contest was full of praise.

"Congratulations to you. You are one heck of a singer," he said.

Doolittle, from Brentwood, Tennessee, entered the annual contest with years of experience as a backup singer while Sparks, of Glendale, Arizona, has won children's contests but cannot boast the same level of experience.

Lewis, who is a full-time musician, won over "American Idol" viewers with his personality.

"American Idol" has become such a phenomenon that even singers eliminated before the end, such as recent Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson from the movie musical "Dreamgirls," have made major inroads in the entertainment world.

Reuters/Nielsen