Rocker, country girl set for 'American Idol' finale

Rocker, country girl setfor 'American Idol' finale
NEW YORK -- And then there were two. Vonzell Solomon, a 20-year-old singer from Fort Myers, Fla., who became known affectionately as "Baby V," was knocked off Fox's "American Idol" this week. Solomon's exit paved the way for a showdown between the two contestants many have long expected to be in the finals: Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. A postal letter carrier, Solomon endeared herself to fans with her emotional openness. Always an underdog, she had tried out once before for "Idol" but was rejected. This time, she made it all the way to the top three, which is sure to yield her a recording contract. "My 'American Idol' journey has been crazy -- a lot of emotions balled up into one. But it's been all worth it," Solomon said in a video montage played after host Ryan Seacrest announced that she had received the fewest votes.
Next Tuesday, Bice and Underwood will perform for one last time before the winner is crowned Wednesday. Though Underwood, a 22-year-old college senior from Checotah, Okla., has for weeks appeared the odds-on favorite, Bice's a capella performance of Badlands' "In a Dream" Tuesday may have catapulted him into the front-runner position. The long-haired 29-year-old from Helena, Ala., floored the audience and the judges in what is being considered the performance of the season. "You may have just put 34 musicians out of work," said judge Simon Cowell.
Cruise says he's in love
LOS ANGELES -- The Tom Cruise publicity juggernaut advances, crushing all who dare defy his talent for laying it on thick. "I love this woman," Cruise, 42, says about Katie Holmes, 26, in an interview to air Monday on "Access Hollywood" that was carefully "leaked" to the media. "She's magnificent. "I was looking at her [like], 'Man, you are so cool.'"' Also Monday, Oprah will ask Cruise if he'll promote Holmes from supporting player to lead as his wife.
De Rossi home in escrow
LOS ANGELES -- Actress Portia de Rossi's home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, listed at about $3.5 million, is in escrow. The Spanish-style house, built in the community of Laughlin Park in 1922, has a master-bedroom suite with a spa. The four-bedroom home, owned at one time by silent-screen-star-turned-producer Raymond Griffith, also has park-like grounds with an outdoor fireplace, a 50-foot-long lap pool, fountains and a rose garden. The actress, 32, came to Los Angeles from her native Australia in 1995. She co-starred from 1998 to 2002 on the Fox series "Ally McBeal." Since then, she has appeared in films ("Cursed") and the TV series "Arrested Development." She is in a relationship with actress, comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Minor surgery for Cronkite
NEW YORK -- Former CBS newscaster Walter Cronkite underwent a minor medical procedure on his right heel last week and was reported doing well. Cronkite, 88, was given a preliminary skin graft to repair a wound related to surgery on his Achilles tendon three or four years ago, his chief of staff, Marlene Adler, said Thursday. He had injured the tendon playing tennis. He felt "very well" but was advised to limit his activities for a week, Adler said. If the procedure is successful, he could undergo a second graft, she said. Cronkite underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery in 1997 and had knee replacement surgery in 1996. He anchored the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 until he retired in 1981.
Osbourne home up for sale
LOS ANGELES -- Rock star Ozzy Osbourne, who just released a 52-song package of hits and demos called "Prince of Darkness," and his wife, Sharon, have listed their Beverly Hills home of nearly six years at $11.9 million. The pair, featured on MTV during a three-year run of their reality series filmed mostly in the house, are in escrow to buy a Beverly Hills-area home with a guesthouse and more land. The house they are selling was built in 1988, but the Osbournes gutted it and had it remodeled over the course of a couple of years. The gated Mediterranean has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms in about 12,000 square feet. The rock star, 56, is set to embark on a 15-date European tour as part of Black Sabbath in early summer. The group will headline Ozzfest 2005 from July 15 through Sept. 4.
Today's birthdays
Movie reviewer Judith Crist is 83. Singer Charles Aznavour is 81. Actor Michael Constantine is 78. Conductor Peter Nero is 71. Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 67. Actor Frank Converse is 67. Actor Michael Sarrazin is 65. Former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw is 65. Actress Barbara Parkins is 63. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 55. Actor-producer Al Corley is 49. Singer Morrissey is 46. Country musician Dana Williams (Diamond Rio) is 44. Rock musician Jesse Valenzuela is 43. Rhythm-and-blues singer Johnny Gill (New Edition) is 39. Rock musician Dan Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 38. Model Naomi Campbell is 35. Actress Alison Eastwood is 33. Singer Donell Jones is 32. Actress A.J. Langer is 31.