LOS ANGELES – Stefano Langone isn't closer to becoming an "American Idol." The smooth 21-year-old singer from Kent, Wash., received the fewest viewer votes on the Fox talent contest Thursday, despite impressing the judges with his voice - and dance moves - on Ne-Yo's "Closer."
Langone, a wild-card finalist rescued by the "Idol" judges, appeared as one of the show's bottom-three vote getters a total of four times.
"It's the start of my career," Langone told "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest after his dismissal. "You can't put a price on that."
Langone was joined in the bottom three by Jacob Lusk, the booming 23-year-old vocalist from Compton, Calif., who powered through a technically challenged performance of Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father," and Haley Reinhart, the growling 20-year-old college student from Wheeling, Ill., who tackled Adele's "Rolling in the Deep."
Before the elimination, the seven finalists split up for group performances. Lauren Alania, the 16-year-old country princess, joined Langone, Lusk and Reinhart for Train's "Soul Sister," and 22-year-old rocker James Durbin, 16-year-old country crooner Scotty McCreery and 20-year-old renaissance man Casey Abrams performed Coldplay's "Viva La Vida."
David Cook, the seventh season "Idol" champion, returned to "Idol" to debut his new single, "The Last Goodbye."
Katy Perry also unleashed a laser-filled rendition of "ET" with Kanye West before Langone was booted from the competition.
The remaining finalists will perform songs by Carole King next Wednesday, with another singer dismissed Thursday.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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