Jennifer Lopez's 6 Most Memorable 'American Idol' Moments (Video)

2:53 PM PDT 7/13/2012 by Michele Amabile Angermiller

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As the J. Lo era comes to a close on the hit Fox series, Idol Worship relives the moments that gave America "goosies."

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And then there was one.

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With American Idol Jennifer Lopez announcing her departure on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show this morning, it’s getting a little lonely at the judge’s table. “We had an amazing run," said Lopez. "It's one of those special things in your life that you don't want to walk away from."

The singer, who will turn 43 on July 24, had teased her impending decision in various media outlets for the past few weeks and as recently as Thursday on NBC's Today. On the same day, judge Steven Tyler fired first, announcing he was leaving Idol so he could get back to his band Aerosmith.

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Lopez’s time on the show wasn't unproductive for the multi-hyphenate star. In the last two years, she released a successful album (Love?), launched a new show with her then-husband, Marc Anthony, Q’ Viva: The Chosen , scored several hit singles with Pitbull (“On The Floor” and “Dance Again”) and a club hit produced by Taio Cruz (“I’m Into You”), spearheaded a clothing line for Kohls, was named “The World’s Most Beautiful Woman” by People Magazine, divorced Anthony after season 10, and flaunted her new boyfriend Casper Smart during season 11 finale. On the movie front, she's had plenty of work, including a role in the ensemble cast of What To Expect When You’re Expecting and as a featured voice in this summer’s Ice Age: Continental Drift. Finally, she’s on tour with Enrique Iglesias for the summer and she is developing an hour-long show about a lesbian couple and their children for ABC Family. Whew!

Now the status of longtime Idol fixture Randy Jackson remains in question, and even with Mariah Carey’s name being bandied about, we can’t help but already feel a bit nostalgic about the past two seasons.

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Indeed, we here at Idol Worship will miss what Lopez brought to the show: the glamour, the hair, her warm presence and obvious desire to bring out the best in the Idols (who can forget the teary goodbye to J. Lo favorite and season 11 hopeful Jeremy Rosado?), her laugh, and a million different ways to experience “goosies.”

Here are some of her best Idol moments:

Lopez was never outright mean while judging auditions, but her facial expressions often revealed her what she was thinking, as is demonstrated in this clip from the Los Angeles auditions (her reaction to the dentist is priceless):

Lopez had a knack for instantly connecting with contestants, whether by referencing her children, giving a cheery yes, or sharing her own emotions, as she did with James Durbin in Season 10. Here are some examples:

Lopez certainly wore her heart on her sleeve and teared up on several occasions when it came time to make cuts, like during the unexpected elimination of season 10's Chris Medina:

When it came to live performances, Lopez made plenty of headlines, as she did in the Season 10 finale delivering a sexy dance with then husband Marc Anthony:

In what was arguably the most dramatic judges' save in Idol history, Lopez famously rescued Season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez from elimination by dashing to the stage in a compeltely unscripted moment: