American Idol Update: And Then There Were 12

American Idol eliminated four more contestants on Thursday night to get down to its 12 finalists.

Kinnik Sky, Ayla Brown, Will Makar and Gedeon McKinney were given the boot on the most recent show. As a farewell present, Bo Bice, the runner-up from last year's show, sang them "The Real Thing."

The final 12 contestants are: Paris Bennett, 17; Katharine McPhee, 21; Kellie Pickler, 19; Mandisa Hundley, 29; Lisa Tucker, 16; Melissa McGhee, 21; Taylor Hicks, 29; Ace Young, 25; Chris Daughtry, 26; Bucky Covington, 28; Elliott Yamin, 27; and Keven Covais, 16.

The popularity of American Idol, now in its fifth season, only seems to be picking up speed as the years go by. The show attracts 25 million to 30 million viewers per episode and members of the public voted 46 million times to determine the top 12 along with judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and the brutally honest Simon Cowell.

 The American Idol finals begin airing on March 21. The show will now run twice weekly, with the final Idol being named on May 24.