'american Idol' Finalists Set

The third group of "American Idol" finalists was completed last night (March 11) with the conclusion of the Fox reality show/talent competition's wild card round. Viewers voted Jon Peter Lewis into the group of 12 who will vie for the title, while judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson chose George Huff, Leah LaBelle and Jennifer Hudson, respectively.

They join the winners of four weeks of viewer-voted rounds: Amy Adams, Fantasia Barrino, Diana Degarmo, La Toya London, Matthew Rogers, John Stevens, Jasmine Trias and Camile Velasco.

The final dozen will perform Tuesday (March 16) during a two-hour live broadcast from Hollywood, Calif. Each week, one singer will be eliminated from the competition via viewer phone and text voting. The third season finale is scheduled for May 26.

Ruben Studdard was on hand for last night's hour-long results show. The second-season "American Idol" winner performed his single "Sorry 2004" and shared advice with the nervous contestants awaiting their fate. For old times' sake, the judges offered comments after his performance, with Cowell taking a swipe at this season's contenders, saying, "I will pay you to re-enter."

As previously reported, Barry Manilow will appear on the April 19-20 episodes as a celebrity judge. Gladys Knight and Neil Sedaka are among the artists who appeared during the show's second season.