'American Idol' -- Down to Two
 

For the fourth year in a row, a singer with Alabama connections is among the final two vocalists vying for the big win on "American Idol."

Either Taylor Hicks, 29, of Birmingham, or Katharine McPhee, 21, of Sherman Oaks, Calif., will be named America's new "Idol" in prime time next week, as the fifth season of the popular televised singing competition reaches its finish on Fox.

Elliott Yamin, 27, of Richmond, Va., was eliminated from the contest this week after he received the fewest call-in viewer votes, program host Ryan Seacrest announced on national television Wednesday night. The three finalists sang three songs apiece on Tuesday's broadcast, after which viewers voted for their favorite performers.

"The word 'close' doesn't even begin to describe the margin of difference between each of our contestants," said Seacrest, who revealed that more than 50 million votes were called in Tuesday evening.

Wednesday's show featured footage from the finalists' visits to their home states the prior week, when Hicks was treated Friday to a parade in Birmingham and a gubernatorial proclamation in his honor in Montgomery. The broadcast showed an estimated 30 million viewers the warm homecoming reception Hicks received from Alabamians during his hurried visit, which packed in performances by Hicks at an art museum in Birmingham and at a shopping mall in nearby Hoover.