American Idol Season 12 Episode 8 , Watch American Idol Season 12 Episode 8 online here as "I'm always excited to watch the show and definitely will throw in some votes of my own. I would like to see another female take it home, I think it's time."
While men have taken home the top honors in the past five seasons, it was the women who started off the franchise with a bang. Kelly Clarkson won the inaugural season of "Idol," followed by Fantasia Barrino winning Season 3. Carrie was the winner of Season 4, and Jordin Sparks was the last female to take home the top honors in Season 6.
Another interesting fact, Carrie and Scotty McCreery are the only two country singers to win the majority vote, although Kelly Clarkson has certainly made her mark in country music via duets with Reba McEntire, Vince Gill and Jason Aldean.
While the judges do not make the final decision, they do choose the singers who will perform for the "Idol" viewing audience. But during the live competition, it's viewers who determine the finalists. Carrie believes the judges have a hard job, as there's no set formula for who is and is not an "American Idol."
"I think you know what will work when you see it," the singer explains. "I don't know if you can have a checklist saying what you are looking for. I know when I was on there, I can guarantee you they were not looking for a little blond country girl from Oklahoma singing country music! I think the judges may see something in people they may not expect to see, things they didn't know they wanted. They will only know it when they see and hear it."
First off, thanks to HitFix's Liane Bonin Starr, who did a terrific job of recapping while I was spending my evenings watching obscure documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival. If you loved Liane's recaps more than mine, feel free to complain and I'll force her to add "Idol" to her recapping plate full-time.
Til then, for the 11th straight season (I didn't have a venue for recaps in Season One, plus the Internet wasn't really recapping "American Idol" back then), I'm ready to spend some quality time with Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest and lament the passing of such favorites as Dunkleman, British Guy, Ditzy Girl, Angry Songwriter Girl, The Fish From "Finding Nemo," The Mummified Remains of Steven Tyler and The Co-Star of "Parker."
But let's see what Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey and Nicole Kidman's Husband have to say about "American Idol" auditions from Long Beach and San Antonio... Shall we?
8:03 p.m. ET. We start in San Antonio with returning contestant Vincent Powell. Should I remember Vincent Powell? I don't. He loves Mariah Carey. This is notable. He sings "Rock Me Baby" and he's got a very pleasant voice. Actually, as he progresses, it becomes clear that he's got more than a pleasant voice. Apparently, Vincent made it to the end of Hollywood Week last year, blaming Randy for distracting him by taking a sip from his Coke. The reason I don't remember Vincent is because he's added thick-rimmed glasses this year. "I think you can take what you do and fuse it with what you want to do," Keith Urban says. "I can only imagine what a gospel CD from you would do," says Nicki Minaj. "You obviously know what you're doing and you sing like an angel," Mariah Carey agrees. And Vince Powell is returning to Hollywood.