Jordin Sparks

"American Idol" Season 12 has crowned Candice Glover the winner, marking the first female to take the title since Jordin Sparks during Season 6.More news: American IdolAll the latest music and artist coverage from SoundSpike

*Back to acting, Jennifer Hudson is returning to the big screen for a new two-hour drama, “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete” Critics say the singer turned actress is brilliant and shows a different, darker side. She stars alongside Jordin Sparks as women facing the harsh conditions of inner city life in Brooklyn projects. Written by Michael Starrburry and co-produced by Alicia Keys, “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete” is a tale of survival through friendship between two young boys. Check out more here.

You voted — here are the best and the worst. 5. Jessica Lowndes At The Blue Cross Tea Party With 298 "FAB" votes. Source: FameFlynetUK / FAMEFLYNET PICTURES / via: fabordrab 4. Jordin Sparks At The Music Biz 2013 Awards With 300 "FAB" votes. Source: Angela Weiss / Getty Images / via: fabordrab 3. Emilia Clarke At The “PUNK: Chaos To Couture” Costume Institute Gala With 301 "FAB" votes. Source: Larry Busacca / Getty Images / via: fabordrab View Entire List ›

After a night of major anticipation and live-tweeting, there is finally a new American Idol winner! The season 12 finale was jam-packed with stellar performances from Idol alums Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert, tons of glitter (thanks, Mariah Carey) and of course a sad farewell to Randy Jackson. Candice Glover, who has auditioned for the show three times in a row, was crowned the first female AI winner since Jordin Sparks in 2007, and you can already hear the studio version of her new single, “I Am Beautiful.” We thought it was a satisfying end to the season, but what did the rest of the Web have to say? Check out our roundup of reviews below. :: Rolling Stone kept it blunt, noting the finale ”was a rewarding ending for fans and, undoubtedly, the producers, who hoped that a woman would take the title after five years of white men with guitars winning.” :: Crushable poked fun at the show’s infamous musical chairs of judges: “So last night Candice Glover won the 12th season of American Idol. Which not only ensures her at least 24 full hours of fame, but also the knowledge that she’s now going to be the answer to a trivia question at a bar night approximately 13 years from now. You know, when the American Idol judges get completely replaced by robots, Madame Tussaud’s wax statues and a dancing dog who made it to the final rounds of America’s Got Talent.” :: Hollywood Reporter raved about Jordin Sparks, especially her clever jab at that other singing competition show: “The best zinger in the package came at the end, when the season six victor advised the boys to cheer up, as ‘Idol leftovers have been doing really well on The Voice.’ Snap!” :: Many thought Candice Glover was the right choice, including The Los Angeles Times: ”At times, she seemed to want the win more than anyone else in the contest, to be willing to fight for it with performances that blew the competition away and to roll with the punches when things didn’t go her way.” :: According to New York Daily News, the endless beef between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey led to major karma: “the judges’ preening and squabbling may have drowned out the singers, but it appears they’ll suffer for it in the end. Randy Jackson has already announced his departure at the end of this season, and Us Magazine reports Minaj will ankle as well.” :: Mariah Carey‘s diva-tastic medley performance got everyone talking, including Pop On And On: “I loved everything about Carey’s Idol medley performance, the singer put the d-i-v-a in diva and here’s why — Her vocals were absolutely flawless. Her mic and stand were bedazzled as usual. She performed surrounded by a gathering of fans with signs that praised her Godly presence. She never moved the bottom half of her body more than an inch at a time, your fave could never.” :: Carey’s longtime rival Jennifer Lopez didn’t get as much love from Zap 2 It: “Well, we thought we were going to get out of here without a J-Lo performance, but no such luck. She’s there with Pitbull to sing and dance — and cackle in a weirdly maniacal way. Also, what’s with J-Lo and the dancers in those babydoll Greek superhero get-ups? Hmm.” What are your thoughts on the American Idol finale? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!

In Thursday, May 16th’s telecast, South Carolina’s own Candice Glover was crowned winner of American Idol season 12. The 23 year-old is the first female singer to win in six seasons, Jordin Sparks having been the last female to win the title. Candice, a native of the tiny island off of South Carolina, St. Helena, is the oldest of seven children, and has been influenced by music her entire life. She had previously auditioned in seasons 9 and 11, but the third time was a charm as she took the cake for season 12. The night was full of excitement and star-studded performances, including Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Lopes, and Emeli Sandé, to name a few, to mark the momentous event. One of the most spectacular performances of the beginning belonged to winner Candice, in a duet of “Inseparable” with former Idol-winner, Jennifer Hudson. Check the video of the performance below. CANDICE GLOVER PERFORMS WITH J.HUD MARIAH CAREY PERFORMS OTHER PERFORMANCES: – J. LO’S PERFORMANCE W/ PITBULL – EMELI SANDE & AMBER HOLCOMB’S PERFORMANCE ( PHOTOS: GETTY )

Candice Glover joined Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, and Jordin Sparks by becoming the newest “American Idol.” Only hours after the confetti fell from the “Idol” stage, the South Carolina singer had already announced her debut album. The 23-year-old excursions coordinator from St. Helena Island beat out country singer Kree Harrison in Thursday’s finale and performed a duet with her idol Jennifer Hudson. Glover, who cites Jazmine Sullivan and Christina Aguilera as inspirations, auditioned three times before winning. She was still soaking in the surreal moment. “I don’t remember [Ryan Seacrest] saying my name,” Glover told The AP. “I do remember confetti getting in my mouth.” The vocal powerhouse has signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/Interscope Records and will release her full-length debut Music Speaks on July 16. The album is available for pre-order on iTunes featuring her coronation song “I Am Beautiful.” Glover will hit the road with her fellow “Idol” contestants on the “American Idol” summer tour, kicking off June 29 in St. Louis. She is also set to visit “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” and “Live! With Kelly & Michael” during her press tour.

By now, you’ve likely already read the big news that Candice Glover was crowned winner of season 12′s American Idol, with fellow finalist Kree Harrison placing as runner-up after America voted on their Wednesday night finale performances. The two-hour finale came exactly four months after this season kicked off with new judges, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. It’s been an eventful season, and not just on stage. Spats between panelists Mariah and Nicki typified almost every episode, and the only original Idol judge, Randy Jackson announced that after 12 seasons, this would be his last. Auditions for the next season are already gearing up and it’s still up in the air who will be sitting on the judges panel. But I have to say, I’ve enjoyed the ups and downs this year, and hope the next is just as strange. But more importantly, let’s talk about the finale! This was a star-studded event, with performances from the golden honey angel princess, Mariah Carey, as well as Keith Urban, former judge Jennifer Lopez (accompanied by Pitbull), The Band Perry, Adam Lambert, Frankie Valli, Adam Lambert and Jessie J. Surprised? I mean, how else were they supposed to fill up two hours of “…and the winner is…”? The show kicks off by welcoming all of the Top 10 contestants with a performance of “Glad You Came” by The Wanted. Everybody’s decked out in white suits and dresses. Angie Miller is taking full advantage of this opportunity to show off her best hair whips. I have no idea how Kree and Candice are managing to look like they’re having fun. They have to be so over singing at this point. I know I would be. Ryan Seacrest reminds us that tonight there can only be one Idol to rule them all. Candice and Kree, who genuinely appear to be good buds at this point, tell him that regardless of the outcome, “We’re going to celebrate tonight.” Call me later, ladies. I’ll be the designated driver. Now, to kick off the guest performances are The Band Perry performing their single, “DONE.” And, remember country girl, Janelle Arthur? She joins them on stage and is doing just fine, thanks. If it weren’t for Janelle’s gold country boots, I would have thought from her head-banging that I was at an authentic ’80s heavy metal performance. Next Idol tries to get cute with the former five male contestants from the Top 10, Burnell Taylor, Devin Velez, Paul Jolley, Lazaro Arbos, and Curtis Finch Jr., joking that there was some kind of conspiracy to boot them early so there could finally be another female winner this year. I would grow weary of this, except that I’m just so happy this isn’t a Ford Fiesta commercial or reminder of Carly Rae Jepsen‘s new single. So I let it slide. Then the producers decide to have season 6 winner Jordin Sparks take a jab at The Voice. Look here, Idol, with your ratings in the toilet, I would think the last thing you’d want to do is remind viewers there are other singing competition shows on TV, but that’s just me. Then, the boys take to the stage to sing a medley of Frankie Valli’s hits. And don’t fret, Lazaro’s pants are just as ill-fitting as ever. Awww, I forgot how much I missed Curtis Finch Jr. and Burnell. When the boys croon, “No woman’s worth crawling on the earth,” from “Walk Like A Man,” I give each one of them a knowing wink. At the end, Frankie himself takes to the stage and, damn, if he doesn’t still sound good. And I want Keith Urban to never stop dancing. And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Screw the results, I’m talking about Mariah’s performance of a medley of her biggest hits. And to address any talk about lip-syncing, I have it on good authority from a credible source who attended her pre-taped performance that Ms. Carey was undoubtedly singing live. And I believe it. As

LOS ANGELES — The third time's the charm for Candice Glover on "American Idol."The booming 23-year-old R&B vocalist from St. Helena Island, S.C., won the Fox singing competition after auditioning a trio of times and making it to the finals this year. Glover looked stunned when "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest announced she bested soulful 22-year-old country singer Kree Harrison from Woodville, Texas.Glover said backstage after winning she learned to "have fun, live in the moment and be confident.""Because in previous years I wasn't, so that's definitely the key if you want to audition for the show or have a career," she said.After her crowning, an emotional Glover sobbed her way through her new single "I Am Beautiful."Glover's win marks the first time a female and a nonwhite singer has won the competition since Jordin Sparks dominated the sixth season in 2007. The previous five winners – Phillip Phillips, Scotty McCreery, Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen and David Cook – were all Caucasian guitar players, known to "Idol" fans as WGWGs, or white guys with guitars.The lack of a female champion for the past five years was mocked in a finale bit featuring the female finalists, in cahoots with Sparks, jokingly sabotaging this season's five male contestants."The good news is `Idol' leftovers have been doing really well on `The Voice,'" Sparks teased.Besides the coronation of Glover, Thursday's finale also served as a farewell for Randy Jackson, the show's last remaining original judge who announced last week that he's leaving "Idol" to focus on his record label and other business opportunities. Jackson served as a judge on all 12 seasons of "Idol." He first appeared on the panel alongside Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul when the competition debuted in 2002, becoming famous for his easygoing "yo, dawg" rapport with contestants."I love everybody that walked on this show," Jackson said. He added, "Hopefully, I touched their lives a little bit. They certainly touched mine."Grammy- and Oscar-winning former "Idol" finalist Jennifer Hudson returned for Thursday's finale to duet with Glover on Natalie Cole's "Inseparable.""I look up to her and, honestly, she is so successful after this show, and I really admire her," said Glover backstage. "I finally got a chance to not only meet her but sing with her."Hudson was among the guest stars who helped fill out the two-hour finale show, including Psy, Frankie Valli, Emeli Sande, Jessie J, Aretha Franklin and former "Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez. Current "Idol" judges Keith Urban and Mariah Carey – along with Jackson on bass – also performed.Jackson previously declared Wednesday's three-song showdown a dead heat between Harrison and Glover, who have both once been among the show's low vote-getters during the finals."The title is freaking amazing, and I'm so proud of Candice, but for me, I'm so thankful I could even stand next to her on the finale," said Harrison, who now lives in Nashville, Tenn.Last year's finale between Phillips and budding pop diva Jessica Sanchez brought in 132 million votes. The vote totals for Thursday's finale weren't shared with viewers.___AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report.___Fox is a unit of News Corp.___Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at . http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang

From the horrible lip-syncing to Randy Jackson’s departure montage to mediocre guests, the American Idol 2013 finale was the worst I’ve ever seen. The saving grace was the last 45 seconds or so when Candice Glover became the first female winner since Season 6′s Jordin Sparks. There were so many bad moments from the finale, the only way to really get into it is by creating a list. So that’s what I’m going to do. The Top 5 Worst Moments from the American Idol 2013 Finale 1. Mariah’s lip-syncing. ALL of the lip-syncing was bad, but Mariah’s was the worst. It was actually embarrassing. The recording had absolutely no imperfections. I’m talking not even the sound of her catching her breath. Her lip movements were off. And she was over doing her hand and head motions to pretend she was really singing. The worst part was when she put her hand over her ear to “hit” those high squeals at the end. And to make it worse, it was PRE-TAPED. It wasn’t live. Awful. Awful. Awful. 2. The #IdolSabotage montage. First of all, nearly ALL of those guys have gone to interviews and on Twitter to claim American Idol producers manipulated the season so they’d all go home one by one. And I believe them. But to agree to that little montage makes them look ridiculous. I would have refused. And the fact that Idol even went there is ridiculous in itself. Everyone knows producers did manipulate the season to get what they wanted. Well mostly what they wanted because they didn’t get the Amber/Angie finale they wanted, but they did get a female winner. So that’s close enough, I guess. 3. The Randy Jackson goodbye montage. First of all, let me say that I’m not a Randy fan. I think he should have been out the door before Paula Abdul. But the man has spent 12 long seasons on that show and his farewell montage was a big joke. What a slap. 4. Psy performing. Stop trying to make Psy happen. Seriously. That song sounded just like “Gangham Style” only it was somehow even more annoying. Couldn’t they have afforded someone else? Pink? Celine Dion? Someone they’ve covered this season? Weak. 5. Nicki Minaj not performing. Everyone else performed, so why not Nicki? I’m not complaining, exactly, but maybe she could have replaced Psy. Of course there were some decent moments, so instead of being a complete downer, here are those… The Top 5 Best Moments from the American Idol 2013 Finale  1. Candice Glover wins American Idol 2013. That speaks for itself. I was rooting for Candice for a big part of the season, so I think her win is a pretty good thing. A Kree win would have been good too, though. There could be no wrong outcomes with any of the Top 3. It was a weird season, but the ending was pretty sweet. 2. Jennifer Hudson and Candice duet. Your new American Idol had a nice moment tonight with former Idol contestant and Oscar Winner JHud. Their performance of “Inseparable” was a nice break from all the bad performances and even worse lip-syncing. 3. Angie Miller Performs With Jessie J. You could tell there wasn’t a lot of rehearsal time for this one, but it was still  a fun moment. Apparently Jessie J’s surprise decision to come to the finale got Angie’s performance of “Set Me Free” cut from the show. So Jessie invited Angie to come to the UK and record a performance of the single with her. 4. Aretha Franklin. OK, it was a little weird that she was being piped in from New York, but it was no worse than Mariah’s pre-recorded suck-fest. So to have the queen of soul at the Idol finale was very nice. And she can still sing. 5. Angie Miller and Adam Lambert duet. The lack of Idol winners perfuming was apparent, but we had a nice showing of past contestants who didn’t win. Luckily for us they were Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert. Angie’s duet with Adam with “Titanium” was pretty

From the horrible lip-syncing to Randy Jackson’s departure montage to mediocre guests, the American Idol 2013 finale was the worst I’ve ever seen. The only saving grace was the last 45 seconds or so when Candice Glover became the first female winner since Season 6′s Jordin Sparks. There were so many bad moments from the finale, the only way to really get into it is by creating a list. So that’s what I’m going to do. The Top 5 Worst Moments from the American Idol 2013 Finale 1. Mariah’s lip-syncing. ALL of the lip-syncing was bad, but Mariah’s was the worst. It was actually embarrassing. The recording had absolutely no imperfections. I’m talking not even the sound of her catching her breath. Her lip movements were off. And she was over doing her hand and head motions to pretend she was really singing. The worst part was when she put her hand over her ear to “hit” those high squeals at the end. And to make it worse, it was PRE-TAPED. It wasn’t live. Awful. Awful. Awful. 2. The #IdolSabotage montage. First of all, nearly ALL of those guys have gone to interviews and on Twitter to claim American Idol producers manipulated the season so they’d all go home one by one. And I believe them. But to agree to that little montage makes them look ridiculous. I would have refused. And the fact that Idol even went there is ridiculous in itself. Everyone knows producers did manipulate the season to get what they wanted. Well mostly what they wanted because they didn’t get the Amber/Angie finale they wanted, but they did get a female winner. So that’s close enough, I guess. 3. The Randy Jackson goodbye montage. First of all, let me say that I’m not a Randy fan. I think he should have been out the door before Paula Abdul. But the man has spent 12 long seasons on that show and his farewell montage was a big joke. What a slap. 4. Psy performing. Stop trying to make Psy happen. Seriously. That song sounded just like “Gangham Style” only it was somehow even more annoying. Couldn’t they have afforded someone else? Pink? Celine Dion? Someone they’ve covered this season? Weak. 5. Nicki Minaj not performing. Everyone else performed, so why not Nicki? I’m not complaining, exactly, but maybe she could have replaced Psy. Of course there were some decent moments, so instead of being a complete downer, here are those… The Top 5 Best Moments from the American Idol 2013 Finale  1. Candice Glover wins American Idol 2013. That speaks for itself. I was rooting for Candice for a big part of the season, so I think her win is a pretty good thing. A Kree win would have been good too, though. There could be no wrong outcomes with any of the Top 3. It was a weird season, but the ending was pretty sweet. 2. Jennifer Hudson and Candice duet. Your new American Idol had a nice moment tonight with former Idol contestant and Oscar Winner JHud. Their performance of “Inseparable” was a nice break from all the bad performances and even worse lip-syncing. 3. Angie Miller Performs With Jessie J. You could tell there wasn’t a lot of rehearsal time for this one, but it was still  a fun moment. Apparently Jessie J’s surprise decision to come to the finale got Angie’s performance of “Set Me Free” cut from the show. So Jessie invited Angie to come to the UK and record a performance of the single with her. 4. Aretha Franklin. OK, it was a little weird that she was being piped in from New York, but it was no worse than Mariah’s pre-recorded suck-fest. So to have the queen of soul at the Idol finale was very nice. And she can still sing. 5. Angie Miller and Adam Lambert duet. The lack of Idol winners perfuming was apparent, but we had a nice showing of past contestants who didn’t win. Luckily for us they were Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert. Angie’s duet with Adam with “Titanium” was pretty s