The American Idol 2013 season premiere is less than two weeks away! Can you believe it is already time for American Idol season 12? There are lots of changes in store for the new crop of hopeful contestants, including a brand new panel of American Idol 2013 judges: Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and — the only returning judge — Randy Jackson.
American Idol 2013 hopefuls Photo Credit: FOX Television
In addition to an almost entirely new panel of American Idol season 12 judges, there are rumors of other major changes to how things may work this time around. One strong rumor in particular indicates that it will be the judges, not the voters, who narrow the field down to the top 10 or 12 to make sure the ‘right’ kind of finalists end up going into the live shows.
The American Idol 2013 premiere is still two weeks away, but the top 40 contestants’ names have already been leaked. American Idol 2013 spoilers for season 12 are flying hot and heavy on the Internet as we approach ever closer to the the new season. Read on if you want to find out the American Idol spoilers for the season 12 top 40, or run away quick before the spoilers catch you!
American Idol 2013 judges Photo credit: FOX Television
WARNING: AMERICAN IDOL 2013 SPOILERS
This post contains American Idol spoilers for the top 40 contestants for season 12! Leave now if you don’t want to know!
Rumor has it American Idol 2012 will be the last season of the show for judge Jennifer Lopez. Recently named Forbes magazine’s ‘most powerful celebrity’, Jennifer Lopez reportedly wants to spend more time with her growing twins and just has too much going on to return for American Idol 2013.
Gossip has been swirling for days about whether or not Jennifer Lopez is leaving American Idol after the season ends. Lopez also waffled last time around about whether or not she would do American Idol 2012, but she did eventually come around when Fox handed her a $20 million one-season contract. Lopez only earned $12 million for her first season on American Idol, so that was quite the hefty raise.
Former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler is now officially engaged to boyfriend Kyle Jacobs. Pickler says Jacobs proposed to her on June 15 under the sunset on a beach in Florida.
Kellie Pickler on AMERICAN IDOL (FOX)
Kellie Pickler and Kyle Jacobs, a songwriter, met through friends have been together for over two years. Jacobs proposed to Pickler on a very special day for the country music star; the birthday of her late grandmother. Pickler was raised by her grandmother after she was abandoned by her mother and her father ended up in jail.
“It turned out to be the most amazing day of my life,” the former American Idol contestant told People. “My whole world changed. We both feel like we got my grandmother’s blessing.”
“I remember saying to Kyle, ‘Baby it’s like I’m dreaming – but if this isn’t real, I’m going to be very upset!’†Pickler said.
American Idol auditions will launch in July and this year hopeful contestants as young as 15 will be able to try out for a spot on the show. While Idol will have to deal with more of those scary stage moms, maybe Fox thinks it can find the next Justin Bieber for the new season. Or maybe they just want to make fun of more whiny teenagers during audition week.
AMERICAN IDOL 9 winner Lee DeWyze (FOX)
“A lot of young, talented people are now seeking careers and representation before they turn 16,†Cecile Frot-Coutaz, executive producer of American Idol said in a press statement. “Lowering the age limit allows us to tap into this talent pool.â€
American Idol auditions this year will kick of in Nashville on July 17. Check out the full schedule below. Idol hopefuls will also have the option of posting videos on MySpace if they can’t make it to one of the audition cities.
July 17: Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena July 21: Milwaukee, WI – Bradley Center July 26: New Orleans, LA – TBA August 3: East Rutherford, NJ – IZOD Center August 11: Austin, TX – Frank Erwin Center August 19: San Francisco, CA – AT&T Park
Meanwhile, until the new season of American Idol starts, fans can still check out their favorites from last season on the American Idol Live Tour.
The performances on American Idol last night were rather surprisingly good overall, a nice change from the abysmal mess most of the contestants seem to be from week to week. Once again, Crystal Bowersox was our favorite of the night, giving a sexy, quirky groove to her version of “Come Together.” The biggest shock of the night, however, is that we didn’t actually want to wash our ears out with bleach after Tim Urban took his turn on the stage.
Crystal Bowersox on 'American Idol' (FOX)
Yes, we love to pick on Tim Urban. He may be one of the least talented contestants to ever appear on American Idol. Still, last night we didn’t hate him as much as usual. His performance of “All My Loving” was certainly not something we care to hear again, but it was at least passable for a change.
Crystal Bowersox once again rocked it out. We absolutely adored her performance of “Come Together” and thought it was a great song choice for her. We especially loved the addition of the didgeridoo to the song arrangement. That’s what makes Bowersox special, she always throws something unique and different into the mix.
Â
Our pick for the worst performance of the evening on American Idol this week was actually Aaron Kelly, not Tim Urban. His take on “The Long and Winding Road” was off pitch and uncomfortable. We weren’t too fond of Andrew Garcia‘s “Can’t Buy Me Love” rendition either; it just didn’t click and sounded weird.
Normally we love Michael Lynche and his big voice, but we couldn’t quite get into his performance of “Eleanor Rigby,” especially with the memory of David Cook‘s hot-as-hell version ringing in our ears. We think once a song has been slammed out of the park by a previous contestant, it really should be retired from the song list. Otherwise it just sounds like a pale copy in comparison.
As for the rest of the performances, they were relatively decent in general, although we do have to ask – what the hell was Siobhan Magnus wearing? Seriously, that outfit was atrocious. Even worse, it was paired with plastic hair and one of Magnus’ most boring performances of the season. All around just not the best night for Siobhan.
American Idol alumni Chikezie Eze has been charged with attempted grand theft by the L. A. County District Attorney. Eze, who placed 10th on season 7 of American Idol, is also facing charges of misdemeanor identity theft.
Chikezie Eze on 'American Idol' (FOX)
The charges against Chikezie Eze stem from an arrest last February when the American Idol finalist allegedly attempted to buy two bottles of cologne at the Beverly Hills Neiman Marcus using fraudulent credit information. Store employees turned Eze over to police for attempting to use a card flagged as “stolen”.
After his arrest, Eze said in a press statement that he was using a brand new Neiman’s card of his own when he tried to make the purchase and had no idea why he was arrested. He denied any credit information regarding the card he attempted to use was stolen.
The L. A. County District Attorney, however, apparently didn’t buy Eze’s story. We’re not sure if we do either. Regardless, trying to make off with a couple of bottles of over-priced cologne is a lame reason to end up in jail.
