Ace Young, who sang 'That's All,' is out

4/20/2006
BY ERIKA RAY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Ace Young of Denver is the latest to be booted off 'American Idol.'
Ace Young of Denver is the latest to be booted off 'American Idol.'

Ace Young found himself with the unlucky hand on American Idol last night because he was dealt off the popular Fox talent contest.

Even though critical Judge Simon Cowell said Young delivered a "charming performance" with "That's All" on Tuesday, it wasn't enough for America to allow the 25-year-old from Denver to continue playing the game.

Judge Randy Jackson also gave Young positive feedback after his performance, and said his high falsetto voice was "money."

"When it started out, I liked the vibe," he added. "But you had a little bit of a problem in the bridge."

Judge Paula Abdul said she liked Young's new look on Tuesday, when he was decked out in a suit and blue tie with his signature wavy hair slicked back into a tight ponytail.

"It's a whole new Ace in a different light," she said. "This is a magical night. You did great."

On Tuesday, the seven remaining contestants tackled songs from the legendary Rod Stewart's Great American Songbook series on an Idol episode that critics have hailed as the best to date.

Very few negative comments left the lips of the three judges on Tuesday, prompting host Ryan Seacrest to allege that Cowell, who is typically tough on the contestants, was "sipping the happy fuel, I think."

Before contestants had to sing in front of America, Stewart coached them through their chosen songs. "I'm not going to criticize anybody because I think they're all bloody marvelous," he said.

After a short interview with Seacrest near the beginning of last night's results show, Stewart performed "The Way You Look Tonight" of his series' first album.

Then came the inevitable elimination. Before Young knew he was the bottom vote-getter, the seven contestants were divided into two groups of three, leaving 29-year-old Taylor Hicks from Birmingham, Ala., as the lone contestant whom Seacrest said was safe.

Then Hicks was told to stand next to the group he thought was not the bottom three vote-getters. He chose correctly, revealing that joining Young in the bottom three were Paris Bennett, 17, from Fayetteville, Ga., and Chris Daughtry, 26, of McLeansville, N.C. Daughtry, who sang a smooth "What a Wonderful World" on Tuesday, had never found himself in the bottom three before.

The six remaining contestants will be crooning to classical love songs with help from tenor Andrea Bocelli next Tuesday.

Finalists will battle it out live each Tuesday, and one will be sent home every Wednesday until the American Idol is crowned on May 24.