American Idol's other noteworthy performances from the top six

There is no doubt that Candice Glover stole the show last night on American Idol, but Angie Miller and Kree Harrison also gave a performance a piece that I think are worth mentioning. Performances that very well may have solidified their place in the top three.

Tasked with choosing the one track she wish she wrote, the contestant went with “Love Came Down” by Kari Jobe — and it paid off with a standing ovation from Randy Jackson and Keith Urban.

“I love that for so many reasons… You tapped into the emotion. There’s something about you at the piano,” Jackson told Miller. “That was amazing. You saw us stand up. Unbelievable.”

Mariah Carey told her, “Angie, that piano and you, you never lose. Never lose. It’s just organic to you, and I felt that. And you sounded so — I can’t even express it. It was just perfect.”

Urban called the performance “beautiful,” and Nicki Minaj gave Miller props for returning to her strengths.

Kree Harrison sang the timeless Kris Kristofferson classic ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’ on ‘American Idol‘ Wednesday night (April 10), once again demonstrating her wide range of interpretation and earning accolades from the judges.

She chose the song as part of the theme of the evening, where contestants sang songs they wish they had written. She lauded the song and the long list of other singers who had covered it, noting that she knew she had to connect with it in a special way.

Which is exactly what she did. Harrison began with a simple vocal underpinned by minimalist chords, then built her performance up through the more powerful part of her range, demonstrating again that she can sing anything that comes in front of her with equal aplomb.

“That was beautiful,” Nicki Minaj said. “You are just at the head of the class.”

Randy Jackson gushed, “You are what I call a natural, natural singer.”

Mariah Carey noted that she had sung the song in a film appearance and struggled with it, saying, “That’s how the song should be sung,” while Keith Urban — who previously stated that Harrison could win this season of ‘Idol’ — said, “I predict that you will become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.”

Source: Taste of Country and Gossip Cop

Did 'Idol' just have its best performance ever?

"American Idol" contender Candice Glover may or may not take it all this season, but according to judge Randy Jackson, she's already given a history-making performance.

Her rendition of The Cure's "Lovesong" earned both a glitter bombing from Mariah Carey and a standing ovation during Wednesday night's show.

The top six "Idol" contestants were tasked with singing a song from Burt Bacharach, and then a song they wish they'd written.

Glover chose to first sing sing Dionne Warwick's "Don't Make Me Over," which was perfectly lovely:



But when it came time to sing Adele's cover of "Lovesong," Glover showed out and brought down the house:



As Rolling Stone recaps, Glover was just two notes in when she won the audience over.

"A song I wish I had written is The Cure's' Lovesong,'" she told the "Idol" audience Wednesday. "It was done over by Adele, and singing about love is my absolute favorite thing to do. If I was to record an album, I would definitely want to touch on that. Like, when you're alone with someone, and you just feel at peace because you and that person are so connected. There's no one in particular that I'm thinking of now as pertaining to that song, but I definitely know how that feels, and I think that's why I connect with it."

By the time she was done, Keith Urban had stepped out from behind the judges' panel to bow as his fellow judges and the audience stood on their feet and clapped in appreciation. The applause went on for so long that Glover began to cry.

"On behalf of all my judges up here," Randy Jackson exclaimed over the cheers of the crowd, "[that was] one of the greatest performances in the history, in the 12 years of 'American Idol!'"

Source: CNN, The Marquee Blog

Say hello to your new ‘Idol’ judge …

Mariah Carey is just full of announcements lately.

The 43-year-old singer and mom of twins recently revealed on Twitter that she has a new song, called “Triumphant,” set to arrive in early August, and she’s also confirmed that she’ll be a new judge on “American Idol.”


“It’s gonna be so much fun working on @AmericanIdol,” Carey posted Monday afternoon. “As a singer-songwriter, I’m excited to help find and nurture new talent.”

In a statement confirming Carey’s new gig, Fox’s President of Alternative Entertainment, Mike Darnell, called Carey “the real deal,” while “Idol” executive producer and creator Simon Fuller added how “proud” they are “to have one of the world’s greatest-ever female singers join our show. Mariah defines the word ‘Idol’ and will inspire every singer that has the honor of performing in front of her.”

Carey’s new role as an “Idol” judge has been widely speculated for weeks, to the point that her husband Nick Cannon even joked that the Fox series may not be able to afford her. “That’s a lot of money,” Cannon kidded with TMZ. “If they gave J. Lo $20 million, they might have to double that!” We’re sure the rumors on Carey’s payday will start flying any minute now.

Carey will join Randy Jackson, the one “Idol” judge remaining (for now, at least), at the judges’ table in January 2013. Earlier this month, both Lopez and Steven Tyler announced they were departing the show.

Source: CNN's Marquee Blog

Jennifer Lopez departs ‘Idol’: ‘The time has come’

After weeks of speculation — and some heavy hinting on “Today” Thursday — Jennifer Lopez confirmed on Friday that she’s leaving “American Idol.”

The 42-year-old actress/singer and mom to 4-year-old twins Max and Emme told “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest on his radio show that she had to take something off her plate, and it looks like that thing is “American Idol.”


“I honestly feel like the time has come, that I have to get back to doing the other things that I do that I’ve put kind of on hold because I love ‘Idol’ so much,” she explained. “I could just keep doing ‘Idol’ for the rest of my life, but that would be giving up a bunch of other things. I feel like we had an amazing run.”

Lopez, who has served as an “Idol” judge for two seasons, reiterated how difficult a choice this was for her. “It’s been a long thought process … I really have been torn,” she told Seacrest, adding later, “It’s really going to be hard for me to go.”

“I have my movies and music and my this and that … and it just gets more complicated, as the kids get a little bigger. It started feeling like it was a lot, and something had to give. And that’s, I think, where I am right now.”

Just yesterday, Lopez’s fellow “Idol” judge Steven Tyler announced that he was leaving the show to focus on his music.

“After some long…hard…thoughts…I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit,” Tyler said in a statement from Fox. “I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I’m back – but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band.”

The one judge left standing — Randy Jackson — is rumored to be on his way out as well, while Mariah Carey and Adam Lambert are among those rumored to be in the running to step in as new judges on the Fox show.

Source: CNN, The Marquee Blog