Erika Van Pelt -- the 10th place finisher on this season's "American Idol" -- says Donna Summer gave her a huge leg up in her music career ... and now she wants to honor the Disco Queen's memory on the upcoming "A.I." concert tour.

Van Pelt tells TMZ ... she opened for the singer during a fundraiser in Dallas last summer ... and feels she owes a huge chunk of her success to the experience.

Erika says she wants to pay tribute by singing the Donna Summer classic, "On The Radio" during the "Idol" live tour ... but ultimately, it's up to the producers to sign off on the plan.

Van Pelt says she's already reached out to "A.I." honchos ... and now, she's crossing her fingers until the official lineup is announced.

Joey Lawrence is taking it all off ... or most of it at least ... because the 90s heartthrob just inked a deal with the man-stripper crew at Chippendales in Vegas.

A rep for the beefcake brigade tells TMZ, the 36-year-old former "Blossom" star will don the legendary bow tie ... and not much else ... for a special engagement at the Rio from June 7th-24th.

We're told Joey will sing, dance ... the "whole nine yards."

Joey's celebrity MC predecessors at the famed strip show include 98 Degrees singer Jeff Timmons and former "Bachelor" star Jake Pavelka.

It's unclear how much Lawrence is getting paid for the gig -- but in those parts, there's only one currency ... singles.

The three "American Idol" finalists earned nearly uniform votes of confidence Wednesday from the show's judges. Now it's the audience tally that will determine which two compete for glory in next week's finale.

If the night had a teacher's pet, it was Joshua Ledet, 20, who delivered what Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler deemed flawless performances. Each contestant performed three songs: One picked by the judges, one by producer-mentor Jimmy Iovine, and one chosen by the singers themselves.

Ledet's gritty version of Etta James' "I'd Rather Be Blind" had the judges on their feet, a common reaction to the Louisiana gospel singer. He also impressed the panel with John Lennon's "Imagine" and Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama."

"This is another Joshua moment," Tyler said after the James cover, adding that Ledet sounded like an "American Idol" winner.

Jessica Sanchez, 16, of San Diego, didn't disappoint the judges on their pick for her, Mariah Carey's "My All." It drew what verged on another Tyler prediction.

"When you sing, you make people hang on your every note. ... You'll be the last one standing here, I believe," the rocker said.

There was praise as well for Sanchez's take on "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," from Tyler's band Aerosmith, but Randy Jackson found her performance of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" just "OK," differing with his colleagues.

Bluesy, guitar-strumming Phillip Phillips, 21, of Leesburg, Ga., had the audience swooning over his version of "Beggin'" by Madcon.

"Can you believe this guy?" Tyler said, gesturing toward the cheering crowd and suggesting that Phillips could be the "next Springsteen" if he wrote his own songs.

Phillips faltered with Matchbox 20's "Disease," which the judges deemed subdued and unimpressive, but he rebounded with Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight."

"The perfect song, at the perfect time, and your best performance on the show ever," gushed Jackson.

The audience vote will be announced on Thursday's show, which is to feature Lisa Marie Presley and former "American Idol" finalist Adam Lambert.

Hometown victory laps by the trio of finalists were chronicled Wednesday, starting with Ledet's trip to Westlake, La.

"They are really acting like I'm Barack Obama," a wide-eyed Ledet said of the police escort that shepherded him from the airport.

Sanchez, who got a lift from Los Angeles to San Diego by helicopter, was cheered during a dockside visit to the USS Midway and saluted her father, who she said served overseas as a naval reservist.

Phillips had an emotional reunion with his dad, Phillip Phillips Sr.

"To see your children doing what they love to do with integrity and passion, it's a dream come true for me," the elder Phillips said.

Copyright Associated Press

Ryan Seacrest has snagged Ellen DeGeneres' amazing Beverly Hills estate, which was listed for a cool $49 million, and he paid close to the asking price ... TMZ has learned.

Seacrest, who is reportedly worth $125 million and rakes in $45 million a year (these reports are sometimes off -- he probably makes more) ... will be the proud owner of the 9,200 square foot main house, 3 guest houses, and a couple of cement ponds. The estate sits on 2.87 acres -- for Bev Hills, that's huge. It basically covers an entire block.

Our sources say Ryan is paying within a couple of million dollars of the asking price. The deal is in escrow and it will close this week.

One realtor -- Kurt Rappaport -- repped both Ryan and Ellen in the deal ... nice commission.

The house was formerly owned by Max Mutchnick, co-creator of "Will and Grace." Ellen paid $29 mil, but then purchased the adjacent properties.

It pays to have 20 jobs.

Nick Stahl -- the actor who played John Connor in "Terminator 3" -- is missing ... this according to his wife.

Law enforcement officials confirm ... Stahl's wife filed a missing person's report with the L.A.P.D. on Monday ... saying she last saw the 32-year-old actor on May 9.

Sources tell TMZ ... it is believed Stahl had been frequenting the Skid Row area of Downtown Los Angeles recently ... and there are concerns he may have gotten himself involved in some bad stuff.

Back in February, Nick's wife had filed court papers, expressing serious concerns that Nick may be using drugs ... and sources say she fears drugs may have something to do with his disappearance.

Stahl's rep declined to comment on the situation.