Thursday’s night’s American Idol fake-out was perhaps just the latest example of network brass and series producers rewriting the rulebook. It is their show, after all, and they're certainly entitled and empowered to do so.
But while some viewers (and seemingly none of the press in attendance) were genuinely surprised by the night’s “shocker” -- a reprieve for the final four -- it seemed the girls on stage weren’t.
POISED FOR THE TOP:Fantasia gave a bravura performance of her current single, “Lose to Win,” on last Thursday’s results show, and people noticed. Before her return to the American Idol stage, the season three winner had been garnering airplay with this first single from her new album, Side Effects of You. “Lose to Win” had reached No. 7 on the airplay-based Adult R&B chart (this week the song rebounds 8-6, achieving a new peak position).
With American Idol ratings in a tailspin, producers are scrambling behind the scenes to keep the Fox franchise afloat with just four weeks to go until season 12 crowns a winner.
Who will it be: gentle Kree Harrison, fierce Candice Glover, sultry Amber Holcomb or peppy Angie Miller? At this point, does anyone really care who wins?
One thing you can always say about American Idol -- despite any behind-the-scenes drama, the judges and ever reliable host Ryan Seacrest always show up with their game face on and professionalism in check.
Certainly that was the case for Wednesday’s top 4 show, when finalists Kree Harrison, Amber Holcomb, Candice Glover and Angie Miller hit the stage for two solo numbers and one duet.
In the final stretches, American Idol is clearly putting pressure on the judges to crack down on coddled contestants who have a consistent track record of do-no-wrong performances.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all on American Idol, the 12-year-old series writes a new chapter. The newest page in the show’s history: the first all-female top five, which last week was narrowed down to four.
But that’s not a first. It happened once before, nine years ago. When George Huff was voted off in fifth place on Idol in season three, four females were left standing: Fantasia, Diana DeGarmo, Jasmine Trias and La Toya London.
Janelle Arthur’s American Idol road has been a long one -- some 12 years to be exact. The 23-year-old Tennessee native has been watching the Fox show since day one.
So it was fitting that her final night came featured vocal powerhouse Fantasia, since the season three winner inspired so many female singers to just go for it.
11:15 AM PDT 4/19/2013 by Michele Amabile Angermiller
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Season 12's CharlieAskew certainly didn’t fit the typical mold of an AmericanIdol semifinalist. He was quirky, wore his heart on his sleeveless attire, and picked decisively un-Idol-like material for his performances -- particularly a bizarrely wonderful rendition of Genesis' “Mama.”
The first moments of Thursday's American Idol made me want to turn off the TV: the final five, forced by the increasingly out-of-touch producers to perform another unwatchable and dated medley of '70s elevator music, moved awkwardly onstage as a pack of hyper-caffeinated back-up dancers writhed around them to a soundtrack of "Last Dance" (and other songs you never, ever, ever want to hear again, not in your lifetime, not at a wedding, not at an office Christmas party, not ever).
8:18 PM PDT 4/18/2013 by Fred Bronson, Shirley Halperin
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With the first of the girls cut loose (read about the results in our recap here), there still remain plenty of questions. Namely: who’s going to win? But before we get there: a few “who knew?” discoveries about the season 12 top 5.
'TONIGHT' TAKES OFF: It’s been happening all season, so it’s no surprise that following his return to American Idol, Scotty McCreery is having a great week on the Billboard charts. The season 10 champ introduced his new single, “See You Tonight,” on the April 11 results show, and now that track has debuted on a number of different tallies.
The first all-female top five in American Idol history took on divas and songs from their birth years for this week's themes. Did you watch the show at home on Wednesday night? Then, here are 11 things you didn’t see.
