X Factor final perfs

TRIPLE X: It’s now up to the American public.. X Factor finalists Melanie Amaro, Chris Rene and Josh Krajcik made their case to voters last night with a pair of performances each as tonight, a winner will be named and awarded first prize of $5 million, a Pepsi Super Bowl commercial and a recording contract. Amaro remains the online favorite, but the race tightened up considerably after her performance with R. Kelly of “I Believe I Can Fly,” followed with a reprise of the audition song that first got her noticed, Beyonce’s “Listen.” Rene dueted with his mentor L.A. Reid's signing, Avril Lavigne, on “Complicated,” then leaned into his own “Young Homie,” again the song he originally performed that got him on the show. Dark horse Krajcik was joined by Alanis Morissette for her “Uninvited," then accompanied himself on guitar for the wrenching, soulful version of Etta James’ “At Last” he used to win over the judges way back on the first show. Simon Cowell’s horse in the race is Amaro, with L.A.’s prodigy Rene and Nicole Scherzinger’s heartland Joe Cocker. Who’ll win? Damned if we know, but the result will undoubtedly be a referendum on three dominant American pop music styles past and present--the traditional R&B diva vs. the hybrid blue-eyed hip-pop crooner vs. the classic rocker. May the most popular win. (12/22a)