American Idol Cuts Down To 12

Last night, "American Idol's" pool of potential winners got a little bit smaller, cutting from sixteen to twelve. And the lucky finalists have the most colorful backgrounds of any season to date.

Syesha Mercado, for instance, is a 21-year-old actress with past acting credits including a Ford Automobile commercial, while David Archuleta, a seventeen-year-old crooner, has a 2003 "Star Search" win under his belt.

And that's not all… David Hernandez was outed by his former Dick's Cabaret manager as having done some stripping in his pre-Idol days. But he still made the cut.

During last night's elimination round, Kady Malloy, Luke Menard, Asia'h Epperson, and Danny Noriega were all given the boot, leaving a dozen contestants to carry on in next week's competition. As a side note, they'll be singing Lennon-McCartney Beatles songs, as a result of a long negotiation process with Sony/ATV Music Publishing (of which Michael Jackson is a part).

The remaining American Idols are as follows:

- David Archuleta, 17, Murray, Utah
- Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, Texas
- David Cook, 25, Blue Springs, Mo.
- Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, Ore.
- Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, Calif.
- David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, Ariz.
- Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles
- Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, Fla.
- Syesha Mercado, 21, Sarasota, Fla.
- Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, Ind.
- Carly Smithson, 24, San Diego
- Brooke White, 24, Mesa, Ariz
Fropki.com

Enjoy the pictures from the American Idol Final 12 party (March 6).