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Kieran, turn out the lights.

Our American Idol “journey” has come to an end, but let us not weep for what’s been cancelled, let us instead go to iTunes and download the Season 15 winner’s new single. Hey, from a songwriting vantage point, it may not be “Home,” but it definitely ranks above “No Boundaries” and “Inside Your Heaven” — and we bought those, too. And if this show can produce one more bona fide radio/touring superstar, maybe the inevitable reboot will happen sooner than expected, no?

RelatedFarewell for Now, American Idol, and Thanks for All the Memories...

Blood flowed like it was spilling forth from The Shining‘s elevator doors on Thursday night’s installment of American Idol — except there was no need to cover your eyes in horror.

The carnage, as it turns out, was mostly self-induced. “Big Ron” Wilson threw shade at band leader Rickey Minor like he’d bumped his head and woke up channeling Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls. That bespectacled chick with the purple hair garbled her words and then went the “America’s the one who lost out!” route after she got sent to the guillotine.

RelatedAmerican Idol Recap: Sleepless?...

The “American Idol Live!” 2013 tour touched down in Newark, NJ, Wednesday night, with many of Season 12′s familiar themes — the undeniable awesomeness of Candice Glover and Kree Harrison, the inscrutable warbling of Lazaro Arbos (and its Pavlovian effect on teen girls) — in tact.

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t surprises — good and bad — from the Top 10 finalists (plus sing-off winner Aubrey Cleland). Among them: Amber Holcomb’s mojo disappearing faster than Nicki Minaj at the end of the Idol season; Devin Velez developing a stage presence that (almost) matches his powerful pipes; Angie Miller getting torn between two...

Timing is everything in the music business. That’s a lesson Holly Tucker learned when she got rejected during an open-call audition for The Voice back in Season 1. “They said I had a lot of potential, but they wanted to see me grow a little bit more,” recalls Tucker.

Undeterred, the Waco, TX native tried out for The X Factor, American Idol and even America’s Got Talent, coming close in several instances but with the same “no cigar” outcome.

Related | Ratings: Find Out How The Voice Finale Fared Opposite NBA Finals

“Finally, I came back to The Voice for...

Kree Harrison‘s life philosophy is simple: “Be yourself and nothing else.” There are worse things that can happen in life than Group Round drama on American Idol. Winning is as simple as scoring a Twitter follow by the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Those were just a few of the life lessons Kree shared when she stopped by TVLine HQ for an Idology exit interview* that covered everything from her Hollywood Week solo of “Stars” to Nicki Minaj’s marriage proposal to the joy she felt at getting to show her blues, pop and soul influences over the course of the competition.

Candice Glover is the new "American Idol" winner. The 23-year-old beat out Kree Harrison to take the "American Idol" crown for Season 12.

Glover is the first female winner since Jordin Sparks won "American Idol" Season 6. Third time's the charm it seems, this season was the third time Glover tried out for "American Idol."

Glover's vocals brought the judges to their feet and to tears over the course of Season 12. At one point, judge Mariah Carey glitter bombed the contestant.

The "American Idol" finale opened with group number featuring the Top 10 contestants singing The Wanted's "Glad You Came" to an audience filled with past "Idol" winners and contestants. Janelle Arthur took the stage with The Band Perry and the Top 5 "Idol" boys sang a medley with surprise guest Frankie Valli.

Mariah Carey finally took to the "American Idol" stage to sing a medley of hits, including her current single "#Beautiful."

In addition to Frankie Valli,...

“Either way, we’re gonna celebrate tonight.”

With six simple words, Kree Harrison summed up what most American Idol fans have been feeling for the last fortnight. I mean, seriously, once we got down to what Loleatta Holloway once referred to as “the reeeeeallll nitty gritty” of the competition — by which I mean a righteous Top 3 of Candice Glover, Kree and third-place finisher Angie Miller — how could you really be too upset about where the chips ended up falling?

Oh sure, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe stacked the Top 20 deck with powerhouse ladies and guys with questionable voter appeal in his...

It all comes down to this! Tonight, American Idol finalists Candice Glover and Kree Harrison will find out which of them will be the season 12 winner!

And we're live-blogging it for you here at TV Fanatic! 

It's sure to be a star-studded, jam-packed night leading up to the big reveal, so let's get started now!

The season 12 contenders have returned for tonight's finale, which is also a preview of the American Idol summer tour. In what has become custom for the first number of the finale, they're dressed in all white. They're also not all singing "Glad You Came." Oh look! A Paul Jolley sighting! Lazaro Arbos is still a sweaty mess.

The Band Perry, whose song Kree Harrison covered last week, is in the arena singing their song "Done." Janelle Arthur, season 12's other country girl, joins them on the stage. She's so electric I have chills. Put this...

Season 12 of American Idol has come down to a battle between Candice Glover and Kree Harrison — the exact two women that my cohost Melinda Doolittle and I identified as our early favorites way back in March. So how come we’re in full-throttle diatribe mode on the latest installment of Idology?

Related Video | Idol‘s Janelle Arthur on Her Song-Reinvention Process, Group-Round Insanity and the Judges’ Tough Feedback on Her Duet With Kree

Mainly it’s because Candice and Kree — along with their worthy opponent Angie Miller — were denied a “Contestant’s Choice” round during Top 3 Week, and that meant...

Life is not a fairytale. Yes, yes, that was the title of American Idol Season 3 champ Fantasia Barrino’s 2006 autobiographical Lifetime movie — don’t try to act like you didn’t watch it, too! — but it was also a subtitle that could be applied to any possible outcome on Season 12 Top 3 results night.

Indeed, whether you entered the night rooting for a Candice/Kree, Angie/Candice or Kree/Angie finale, there simply couldn’t be a 100 percent feel-good happy ending after the credits rolled, the “19″ logo sparkled and twinkled and Fox switched over to the season finale of Glee.

Related...

Janelle Arthur is not interested in being “a carbon copy” of any other singer — and that’s one reason she tried to put her own stamp on tunes from artists as varied as the Supremes, the Beatles and Dolly Parton during her American Idol Season 12 run.

The fifth-place finisher stopped by TVLine HQ to talk about the thought process that helped her flip “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” into a plaintive ballad (at the tender age of 14), her frustration that the Idol judges didn’t credit her for amping up the rock volume on “Dumb Blonde” and the original ditty...

We're just weeks away from crowning our next American Idol, and for the first time in years we know it will be a girl. 

But the fun doesn't end on May 16 because the Top 10 soon embark on American Idol Live for their summer 2013 tour. And BuddyTV wants you to see Amber Holcomb, Burnell Taylor, Angie Miller, Curtis Finch, Candice Glover, Devin Velez, Janelle Arthur, Kree Harrison Paul Jolley and Lazaro Arbos in person. And don't forget the fan vote, Aubrey Cleland! ...

"In just a bit, I will announce some shocking news that will affect the judges and turn the competition upside down," Ryan Seacreast dramatically announced at the beginning of Wednesday's "American Idol" elimination show.Well, in typical hyped "Idol" fashion, "just a bit" ended up being the entire show, and the "shocking news" was something I predicted: no one was sent home. Basically, "Idol" was running ahead of schedule because the judges didn't use their one save of the season, so there had to be a non-elimination week before the mid-May finale.A true shocker would've been having Jennifer Lopez join the judging panel, which was reportedly being negotiated. But as I wrote yesterday, that would've been ridiculous at this point in the season.Instead, viewers were treated to a nice but forgettable group number, even more forgettable performances by alumns Stefano Langone and Lee DeWyze (whose new single is...

Tonight! It’s the results show, with one shocking twist! A shocking twist that you can actually kind of predict if you think about it for two seconds: Since the judges didn’t use their last chance at the save on poor Janelle Arthur last week, and since there are still four weeks left in this drunken elephant of a season, it’s fairly clear that the shocking twist will be that all four will make it to next week. The shocking twist is that nothing will happen.This week, you probably read the story about the American Idol producers trying to switch Mariah Carey out for Jennifer Lopez in an attempt to reverse this show’s ratings freefall, and listen: I’m sure that would have been a great idea. Obviously the youth of America have been saying, “I would be into this show if only a different zillionaire...

Now that her American Idol run has come to an end, Janelle Arthur is facing a tough decision: what to name her new guitar.

Check out our interview with Arthur, and hear the story behind the guitar she played for her breakout performance of "You Keep Me Hangin' On." Plus, vote on what she should name her next one!

Read More >...

There are four weeks and four contestants left on Season 12 of American Idol — but it won’t be the Judges’ Save that prevents the competiton from ending before the scheduled May 16 finale.

“Officially, the [Season 12] Judges’ Save is no longer,” a source close to the show tells TVLine. “But there’s always been a contingency plan if the Save was not used.”

Video Interview | Idol‘s Lazaro Arbos on Sassing the Judges, Smuggled Whitney CDs, and ‘Courage’ Critiques! Plus: ‘No Way 5 Guys Could’ve Left in a Row’

For those of you whose math skills max out making change at the grocery store (fret not,...

Tennessee native Janelle Arthur may be the latest American Idol (TV) contestant to be eliminated, but she's far from over. The 23-year-old country girl has struck a chord with fans and fellow artists alike, all of whom grew to love her more each week on Fox's hit show. Finishing in a respectable fifth place, Janelle now looks ahead to her future; one that promises to be bright. The producers-that-be are already buzzing about her in Nashville, and with a solid endorsement from all four Idol judges, the girl has good reason to be optimistic. Janelle sat down with journalists following her departure last week in order to answer some questions about her Idol experience. In this revealing new interview, the singer talks about her friendship with fellow contestants, her desire to revive "old country" and the gracious support she received from her own idol, Dolly Parton. Here's what she had to say.

And the revenge of the nerds continues! Not only are the original episodes of The Big Bang Theory beating onetime ratings juggernaut American Idol on Thursday nights, but repeats of the CBS hit sitcom are also topping the Fox reality series! Idol's top five results show, which saw the ousting of Janelle Arthur, attracted 11.9 million viewers and a 2.9 rating in the adults 18-49 demo. Pretty solid numbers, right? They are...until you see the numbers two repeats of The Big Bang Theory pulled in!   The comedy, which stars Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco, garnered 11.2 million viewers and a 3.0 rating at 8 p.m., while the 9 p.m. repeat episode brought in 10.8 million viewers and a 3.2 rating in...

"American Idol" contestant Candice Glover blew the judges away with her bluesy rendition of former judge Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" on Wednesday night's performance show.

Judge Mariah Carey called the song choice "genius," adding, "Nobody can do what you do" and apparently, Paula was a fan too. Though Randy Jackson said that he hadn't heard from Paula about the performance, the former "Idol" judge emerged from the back of the stage during the results show on Thursday in a bright red dress to surprise Candice.

"I've been watching this remarkable young lady captivate the audience week after week," Paula said. "Candice, I was really moved that you shared your beautiful vocals on a song that's been a best friend to me. I've been a big fan and I gotta tell you, I’m the biggest fan ever right now.”

The current judges and remaining "Idol" contestants were on their...

"American Idol" served up some surprises on Thursday when one of the show's favorites landed in the Bottom 2, and a blast from the past made an appearance.

(Spoiler Alert! This story contains the results of the "Idol" elimination show.)

Photos: 'American Idol' Alumni: From Kelly Clarkson To Scotty McCreery

It was not the exit of country crooner Janelle Arthur, who was set free after the judges were split down the middle - two for, two against - over whether to use their save, that was the surprise, but rather Kree Harrison's first time in the ...

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And then there were four... Four what? With all this awful news in Boston and Texas, is anyone watching "American Idol?" From Fox Tonight, the Top 4 finalists . Candice Glover, Kree Harrison, Amber Holcomb and Angie Miller . were revealed. It also was announced that Janelle Arthur was eliminated. Tune in next week, Wednesday, April 24 (8:00-10:00 Pm Et live/Pt tape-delayed), when the Top 4 return to perform for America.s votes, as they get one stiletto closer to becoming the next American Idol. Don.t miss the live results show the following night, Thursday, April 25 (8:00-9:00 Pm Et live/Pt tape-delayed), when one woman.s Idol journey will end and the final three will be announced. The Top 4...

Is Showtime’s Dexter finally coming to an end? Is Kris Jenner getting her own talk show? And why does Tom Cruise have high hopes for his apocalyptic film, Oblivion, this weekend? All this in today’s First Dibs.

Country sweetheart Janelle Arthur was voted off American Idol last night. Arthur gave a stunning rendition of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” as her “Save Me Song”, but the judges were split in half on whether or not to use their save, so she is now out of the competition. [Us Magazine] Showtime just confirmed that the upcoming eighth season of Dexter will in fact be the final season of the acclaimed series. For a sneak peak of the new-and final–season, check out the clip below featuring Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter and a grocery store: Kris Jenner is getting a show of her own! Instead of expanding the Kardashian’s reality empire,...

It was a nostalgic night on "American Idol," with two alums returning and a special appearance from none other than original judge Paula Abdul!Season standout Candice Glover had performed Paula's hit "Straight Up" on Wednesday night. Judge Randy Jackson said he tried to reach his former colleague for her opinion, but couldn't get it. Paula then surprised everyone when she appeared on stage, telling a delighted Candice, "I was really moved that you shared your beautiful vocals on a song that's been a best friend to me."The five remaining ladies were treated by performances from Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, and Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino. Sadly, after they were inspired by the "Idol" success stories, it was time to reveal which two had the lowest votes.Shockingly, it was the two country singers: Kree Harrison and Janelle Arthur. It was Kree's first time in the bottom two. Janelle ended up having the fewest votes,...

The "Idol" results are in and Janelle Arthur is out.

Kree Harrison joined her in the Bottom 2 for the first time in the competition. The two contestants, who are close friends, held hands tightly and faced each other as the "Idol" results came in: Janelle had to sing for the judges' save.

She performed The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On," which was a hit earlier in the competition, but on Thursday, it wasn't enough to keep Janelle in the race."This has been the toughest debate," Randy said, explaining that two of the judges wanted to keep Janelle in the competition and two didn't.

Candice Glover, who blew the judges away with her renditions of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" and Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston's "When You Believe" on Wednesday, was the first to move forward into the Top 4. Former "Idol" judge Paula Abdul stopped by to...

Janelle Arthur is the first female contestant to be eliminated on the twelfth season of American Idol. The 23-year-old Tennessee native was given the boot Thursday, Apr. 18, after landing in the bottom two with Kree Harrison. "I'm sad because I wasn't ready to go," Arthur told Us Weekly post-show. "I was already thinking about songs for next week and I think it would've been really good." The judges chose not to save Arthur from elimination, though the aspiring musician had hoped they might. "I thought they were [...]...

Although many thought the judges would use the save to keep all five girls of the "American Idol" Top 5, that wasn't the case. Country singer Janelle Arthur ended up on the bottom and was therefore eliminated.

We talked to Janelle right after she got her results. Check out the interview to find out why she expected to go home tonight, what sort of music she plans for the future, and how it was to hear from Dolly Parton.

How are you feeling?

Janelle Arthur: I'm okay. I really am. I mean, I'm sad 'cause I wasn't ready to go. I was already thinking about songs for next week and it would have been really good.

Did you suspect that you would be eliminated?

Janelle Arthur: Yeah, I told [Candice] right before we walked out. And I don't know if the camera caught it or if they didn't. I think...

It was an all-girls club this week on American Idol, following last week’s elimination of last boy standing Lazaro Arbos. But on Thursday’s results show, the Fierce Five shrunk to a Fab Four. The fallen idol spoke to EW.

Janelle Arthur was sent home.

Arthur didn’t appear too dismayed about her elimination during the taping, and she was still all smiles when talking with press after the show.

“I thought they were going to use the save, just not on me,” Arthur said. She also shared what she told fellow contestant Candice Glover before they walked onstage...

We knew Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey on the same page was too good to last. The dueling American Idol judges seemed to call a truce after last night's performance show but they couldn't agree tonight to use the coveted judges' save on Janelle Arthur. Backstage after the show, Janelle left little doubt as to which female chart-topper was the holdout.  "Throughout the live shows, I've felt the most connected to Mariah," she told us. "On results shows, she's always like lookin' at me. When I'm over on the couch, she's always just like glancing over and she'll give me some sort of wink or like a 'you look pretty,' and it makes me feel so...

After last night's performances on American Idol, one thing's for sure: these are some talented ladies. But one of them must go home tonight, marking the first female of the season 12 Top 10 to leave the competition.

That is, unless the judges use their save, of course. This is the last week the save is in play, but will they decide to use it? Let's get to the results and find out now...

The five remaining girls open the show by performing a medley of Donna Summer hits to pay tribute to last night's Diva theme. They've brought in a troupe of all-male back-up singers to balance out the fact that there are five very, very different female voices on that stage. They all have great moments and they all have not so great moments. Group sings are weird.

Tonight's results start with Angie Miller. Jimmy says that Angie's a great...

It's down to all women on "American Idol" -- who will be the first one to leave the Top 10? By all accounts, it should be Janelle Arthur, but we have a sneaking suspicion it'll be Amber Holcomb. Let's find out!

But first -- a medley of Donna Summer hits. Woo, disco! "She Works Hard for the Money" is particularly fun. Love these ladies as performers.

And then -- Paula's there! Omg, Paula Abdul! That's a really fun surprise, it's so nice to see how touched she is to be there. Love it.

Now we have Clay Aiken. We must tell you, our mom was just obsessed with him and she made us go see him at the Iowa State Fair once. True story. Anyway, he's still got some chops on "Bridge Over Troubled Water," though his pronunciation kind of grates.

Fantasia is there to perform. We'll say, we've never really...

Now it gets interesting.

Week after week, we've watched American Idol's male finalists leave the competition. It hardly mattered in which order the guys went home – an all-female final five was basically preordained from the beginning. But after Lazaro Arbos left last week, all bets were off for Thursday's elimination night.

It says something about the quality of this season's finalists that any of them could win the competition – and they will all probably find some niche in the music industry after the show.

But before we got the results, we heard from a lot of old-school Idol contestants.

Now it gets interesting. Week after week, we've watched American Idol's male finalists leave the competition. It hardly mattered in which order the guys went home - an all-female final five was basically preordained from the beginning. But after Lazaro Arbos left last week, all bets were off for Thursday's elimination night. It says something about the quality of this season's finalists that any of them could win the competition - and they will all probably find some niche in the music industry after the show.But before we got the results, we heard from a lot of old-school Idol contestants.

American Idol 2013 eliminated Janelle Arthur in April 18th show tonight. Tonight's elimination show,kicked off with another group performance from the final contestants that are still left in this thing. Then they showed recap footage for Angie Miller along with Jimmy Iovine brutally honest critiques. Next, they did the same thing with Candice Glover. However, we were able to see a return cameo appearance from the great Paula Abdul,since Candice sung her "Straight Up" song last night. Paul told Candice, she loved her rendition of the song,so that was an awww, moment. Ryan also had Paula sit with the judges,and she greeted Mariah, Nicki,Randy,and Keith. So, that was interesting. After a break, former contestant, Clay Aiken, returned to the stage to sing "Bridge Over Troubled Water." And I swear, I couldn't remember a time when I was more bored. I mean, I literally just couldn't...

American Idol‘s math has always been fairly simple: He (or she) with the most viewer votes wins. The one with the lowest weekly tally meets a fate uglier than a Lazaro Arbos key change. And the ratio of judges’ feedback to actual contestant performances is roughly 237 to 1.

But in Season 12, one set of numbers simply hasn’t made sense: With a finale set for May 16 and a mere 10 finalists in the mix, only a Judges’ Save or a non-elimination week — without a subsequent double exit — would stop the season from ending prematurely. And you know Uncle Nigel and his...

American Idol is down to one of its fabbest fours in years. In addition to more silent feuding-by-lowering-eyes-while-the-other-is-talking from Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, last night featured fair-to-terrific performances from Candice Glover, Kree Harrison, Angie Miller, Janelle Arthur and Amber Holcomb. And Thursday, one of those ladies had to go—after singing songs that came out the year they were born, no less! First, however, Candice was rewarded for her smooth rendition of "Straight Up" with a visit from the artist herself, Paula Abdul. "Oh my God!" Candice cried. "I've been watching this remarkable young lady captivate the audience...

Did you know that a woman hasn’t won American Idol (3.3/9) in six years? That will not be the case this year with the five remaining finalists all female. Which is why it was Ladies Night on Idol on Wednesday. What that actually meant for the live two-hour show was that Angie Miller, Janelle Arthur, Candice Glover, Kree Harrison and Amber Holcomb sang songs from the 1989 to 1994 years of their respective births. It also meant there was some more tension between female judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey with the former disagreeing with the latter’s assessment of one contestant with a “simmer down, sir.” Last night’s Idol was also up from last week. It rose 3% from the fast nationals of its April 11 show and, because there was no change last week, the same from that broadcast’s final numbers. This is the fourth broadcast in a row that Idol has seen consecutive growth.

It’s been six years since a girl won ‘American Idol’ and I think it’s Angie’s time to shine! With a heartfelt tribute to her hometown of Boston and her beautiful rendition of a Beyonce classic, she is in it to win it!

The top five girls sang two songs each — one from their birth year and one from a diva. Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Randy Jackson judged throughout but it’s up to You to determine the top four! Do you agree that Angie stole the show tonight? Keep reading for the full recap of the April 17 show.

The Top Five Sing Songs From The Year They Were Born

Candice Glover was born in 1989. She put her own twist on “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul. “It’s so effortless for you. You set the bar high for all the other girls,” Keith said. “Unpredictable.

Here we go -- it's on like Donkey Kong on "American Idol" now. Janelle Arthur has lagged behind the other women some weeks, so we'd love to see her make smart song choices and make this a real dogfight for who moves on.

For theme, Round 1 is Year of Birth and Round 2 is Divas. Year of Birth has ceased to be that much fun anymore, now that everybody is like 12 years old. Kidding, kidding -- but not really.

1. Candice Glover, 1989, "Straight Up"

She's doing the slow-jam, R&B-bordering-on-reggae version of Paula Abdul's big hit. It's ... interesting. We don't hate it and her voice is smooth as butter, as per usual, but for that year, we wouldn't have minded Candice having a nice ballad moment on "If You Don't Know Me by Now." Yeah, we wish she had done that Simply Red number.

That was a great vocal, we just...

America got its first glimpse of American Idol's first all-female top five Wednesday night, but it was two other women – Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj – who briefly stole the show with their unexpected verbal catfight.

The tense exchange happened when they were critiquing Kree Harrison, who had just performed her first song of the night, "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes.

Mariah liked the performance and said, "You can sing anything and I love to hear you sing." But she felt like Kree might have been trying too hard to perform: "My favorite Kree moments are when...

America got its first glimpse of American Idol's first all-female top five Wednesday night, but it was two other women - Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj - who briefly stole the show with their unexpected verbal catfight. The tense exchange happened when they were critiquing Kree Harrison, who had just performed her first song of the night, "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes. Mariah liked the performance and said, "You can sing anything and I love to hear you sing." But she felt like Kree might have been trying too hard to perform: "My favorite Kree moments...

Now that Lazaro Arbos has gone home (finally) to set his sights on Glee (please, no!) it's Ladies' Night every night on American Idol. If there's one way to ensure that this year's winner isn't another white guy with a guitar, having no guys left in the competition is certainly it.

Tonight the ladies will sing a song from their year of birth and then sing a song by a Diva, with a head nod from Ryan to Mariah. Will anyone be brave enough to pick a song by Mimi? We'll see...

Round One: Songs From the Year They Were Born (aka, the round that makes me feel old)

Candice Glover was born in 1989. She's chosen a song by former Idol judge, Paula Abdul: "Straight Up Now Tell Me." This is a really interesting take on the song. It's a little Bluesy with an infusion of something I can't quite put my finger on.

Pay no attention to the man alongside the curtain!

Yes, folks, this week on American Idol, Jimmy Iovine surrendered his “mentoring” role and pre-performance “advisory” sessions and instead put on his Justin Bieber Bigboy Collection (Tm) cap to bark like a snake-oil salesman and rally a nation of speed-dialers behind Angie Miller and Amber Holcomb after their Round 1 “Songs From the Year They Were Born” numbers.

Did Jimmy possibly pre-tape his commentary before the live Top 5 telecast? It sure felt that way, considering his effusiveness about Amber’s moderately successful stab at Mariah Carey and Angie’s vocally dubious Pretenders...

Tonight, Idol did its best to downplay the reign of Candice Glover — she sang powerfully, but the judges raved more about both of Kree Harrison’s songs as well as the second offerings of Angie Miller and Amber Holcomb. Janelle Arthur no longer exists.

During the first round, Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey engaged in a tedious tiff re: who was disagreeing with whom (no one, really, since the judges’ comments are blending together at this point), which was perhaps appropriate as tonight was Diva Night — full recap here. Nicki made sure to politely pay homage to Mariah’s royal status in round two.

Five ladies under one roof is a lot of estrogen, but apparently not too much for American Idol's season 12 finalists, who seem more like a sisterhood than competitors. People caught up with each woman - Amber Holcomb, Kree Harrison, Janelle Arthur, Angie Miller and Candice Glover - on Tuesday in L.A., where they gave us a behind-the-scenes look at their lives vying for one of the biggest honors on TV ... while still remaining best friends. Read on to find out five things about this season's Idol finalists that you won't learn from watching the show: 1. Candice is surprisingly...

Five ladies under one roof is a lot of estrogen, but apparently not too much for American Idol's season 12 finalists, who seem more like a sisterhood than competitors.

People caught up with each woman – Amber Holcomb, Kree Harrison, Janelle Arthur, Angie Miller and Candice Glover – on Tuesday in L.A., where they gave us a behind-the-scenes look at their lives vying for one of the biggest honors on TV ... while still remaining best friends.

Read on to find out five things about this season's Idol finalists that you won't learn from watching the show:

1. Candice is surprisingly the jokester of the bunch

On TV,...

Now that Idol’s gotten rid of all those pesky males they never even wanted to let through security, it’s up to Angie, Candice, Janelle, Kree, and Amber (left to right) to prove that the winner of season 12 should be a woman even if the concept of blatant producer manipulation did not exist. So let’s hear it, ladies! Tonight the Top 5 will take on two themes: “Divas” and “Birth Year.” My Power List is below — leave your own in the comments….

5. Amber Holcomb Her wide-ranging voice can soar, but as a performer, the bottom-two-dweller has yet to make a real impact.

With the tragic events that happened in Boston, hometown girl Angie Miller and her fellow ‘American Idol’ hopefuls shared their thoughts on what they have planned to pay tribute to the people and families that were put in this tragic act of terrorism.

The remaining five American Idol contestants gave HollywoodLife.com their exclusive thoughts on what they should (and will) be doing for those affected by the April 15 Boston bombings. In times of tragedy, many people look for solace in entertainment. And with American Idol now down to the final five, the contestants’ songs can help in that process. HollywoodLife.com spoke exclusively with the remaining Idol hopefuls to find out what they’d like to see done for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Angie Miller Discusses Her Tribute

“I don’t know about a group number, but for me personally, definitely from being from there, I...

This season of "American Idol" has not lived up to its executive producer's hopes.

"That got off to a bad start and that didn't help anything," Nigel Lythgoe tells Zap2it of the friction between judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey.

"The guys themselves are, goodness me, I don't think you could find two nicer men," he says of judges Randy Jackson and Keith Urban.  "Randy is loved by America, and Keith is the nicest man you could hope to meet. Individually, every single one of them has something to offer."

Collectively, however, he says, "for me it is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle that doesn't quite fit."

Lythgoe realizes that some panels had great interaction among the judges, and this one just never came together as a unit.

"I don't think we have good chemistry with the judges," he says. "And that saddens me. They are good individually,...

For the first time in the show's history, "American Idol" has a Top 5 made up only of girls. Kree Harrison, Candice Glover, Angie Miller, Amber Holcomb and Janelle Arthur beat out all of the guys in the Top 10 so we could have an all-female race to the finale.

This is pretty cool by itself. But how much cooler would it be if "Idol" somehow managed to work The Spice Girls into the mix?

Think about it: The most popular girl-band of all time was made up of five beautiful, singing women. "American Idol" Season 12 is made of up five beautiful, singing women. The match is just about perfect!

It gets even more perfect when you think about the identities of each member of the Spice Girls and try to match that with an "Idol" singer. What do we get from that?

Candice = Scary Spice (the singer with a big voice...

Let's hear it for the ladies! For the first time in its 12-season history, American Idol has an all-female Top 5. While they all have the talent to win the competition, only one can be crowned American Idol. Here's why each singer could take the title – and why you should be watching.

1. Kree HarrisonAge: 22

Hometown: Nashville

Why She'll Win: One of the most consistent singers, Harrison delivers an old-soul country sound that had judge Keith Urban predicting she'll be in the Grand Ole Opry. Though her talent seems effortless, this struggling musician has lived through tough times, including the death...