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NEW YORK (Reuters) - "American Idol"'s final four was set at two guys and two girls on Thursday when Jacob Lusk was given the boot during the TV talent show's now-and-then themed week.
Of the finalists, only Lusk and Haley Reinhart had ever landed in the bottom three. For Lusk it was the third -- and final -- strike.
Lusk, 23, from the gritty Los Angeles suburb of Compton, was composed in defeat, saying, "I think Americans fell in love with me," and that he would now have a chance to put out more of the great R&B music that most inspires him.
Accordingly, he went out with a stirring rendition of "A House is Not a Home," a Bacharach/David hit for the likes of Dionne Warwick and Luther Vandross.
The judges, bloggers and mentor Jimmy Iovine all had some issues with Lusk's performances on Wednesday, when he sang "No Air" and "Love Hurts." Contestants each had to choose a new song and an older one this week.
Joining him in the bottom two was an emotional Lauren Alaina, who had tears streaming down her face long before she was spared elimination.
A pack of women singers went home in the finals' early weeks, but with four men going home in the last four weeks, the final four was down to two men and two women.
Decked out in glittery, midriff-exposing outfit and backed by a pack of muscular bare-chested men, judge Jennifer Lopez brought the audience to its feet with a performance of her hit single "On the Floor" from her newly released album "Love."
Lopez' new gig as a judge on the nation's top-rated show has injected new life into her career. Last month People magazine named her the most beautiful woman in the world.
Her performance was also followed by a video clip of her new single, "I'm Into You."
Grammy-winning country combo Lady Antebellum also returned to the "Idol" stage, with "Just a Kiss."
The four remaining finalists are 17-year-old country crooner Scotty McCreery, rocker James Durbin, Alaina and Reinhart, who had a good week after several times near the bottom.
"Idol" has recovered from several years of flagging ratings this season with new judges Lopez and Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler. The finale airs on the Fox network May 24 and 25, when viewers will choose the next winner and he or she lands a recording contract.
Past winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have gone on to major singing careers, while eliminated finalist Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for her supporting role in the big-screen adaptation of the "Dreamgirls" musical.
(Editing by Dean Gooodman)
