‘Idol’ finalists Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai are out

LOS ANGELES — “American Idol” finalists Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai aren’t closer to becoming household names. Both singers were dismissed Wednesday after it was revealed they received the fewest number of viewer votes on the popular Fox singing competition.

“I’m so really disappointed,” Desai said after his ouster. “I really am.”

The third lowest vote-getter after this week’s disco-themed performances was Allison Iraheta.

For the past several weeks, the judges have not been favorable to Rounds, the 24-year-old mother of three from Memphis, or Desai, the 22-year-old college student from Chapel Hill, N.C.

While the panel seemed to prefer Desai’s rendition of Donna Summers’ “Dim All the Lights,” judge Simon Cowell called Rounds’ performance of Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” a “mess.”

“I’m actually going to miss your family screaming at us every week,” Cowell told after Rounds after she was eliminated.

The acerbic judge correctly predicted Rounds would be dismissed following her performance Tuesday. The once adored R&B crooner, who originally wowed the panel with Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do” at her audition, had been dubbed a copycat by the judges for the past several weeks. Desai had also fallen from grace after being selected as the judges’ final wild card pick.

Two finalists were sent packing Wednesday — instead of the usual one — because the judges’ used their new one-time-only power to save Matt Giraud from elimination last week.

Before the double dismissal, the seven finalists donned bell bottoms and shades to perform a group number of The Jacksons’ “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground),” which was choreographed by Paula Abdul. The five singers remaining in the competition are Iraheta, Giraud, Kris Allen, Danny Goeky and Adam Lambert. Another finalist will be booted next week.

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