LOS ANGELES— (BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2006--Prince wowed an expected television audience of more than 45 million viewers this evening, treating fans to a surprise live performance on the season finale of America's most popular TV show, American Idol. The hall of fame rock icon nearly stole the show with his trademark brand of mesmerizing rock and funk, thrilling 'Idol' viewers who have been waiting for months to find out who will emerge victorious in the final episode.

An email blast released by Prince on the eve of the show further fueled speculation, with news entities receiving a photo of Prince with the inscription First Corinthians 10:14. The exact text for the biblical passage reads: 'Therefore my brothers, have nothing to do with the worship of idols.' Industry bloggers have already mused whether the artist was 'urged' to perform by his record company, Universal Republic. Its no secret performances on American Idol by other rock giants have reaped tremendous public exposure.

Prince has been enjoying unprecedented acclaim of late due to the multi-format success of his new album 3121, recently garnering a nomination for the 2006 BET Awards in the category of Best R&B Male Artist. The artist is still basking in the global commercial and critical acclaim for the new disc, (the album hit #1 both here in the U.S. and on the European chart), and recently announced two surprise Las Vegas shows for fans eager to see him perform live renditions from 3121's repertoire, to be held on May 27 and May 28.

Inspired by Prince's numeric majesty, and billed as an evening with Prince and special guest Tamar Davis, The Empire Ballroom in Las Vegas has temporarily re-named the intimate hall The 3121 Club (1,500 seats) in honor of the Minneapolis native. Tamar Davis is the often buzzed about Prince protege who appears on the 3121 duet with Prince, "Beautiful, Loved, & Blessed," which will also be featured on her August 29 Universal Republic debut CD, Milk & Honey.

Cited by fans and critics as a return to 'vintage' Prince, 3121 has been hailed for its peerless blend of Prince styles, including "Beautiful, Loved, &Blessed," the hit single Black Sweat," the catchy funk of "Lolita," and the R&B-tinged "Incense And Candle."

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