Farmington Hills native Jena Irene on to ‘American Idol’ top six
By Nancy McCauley Branstetter
Special to The Oakland Press
Defying odds, Jena Irene of Farmington Hills is one step closer to living her “Idol” dream. She is a leading contender as the final six head into to next week’s competition.
Dexter Roberts of Fayette, Ala., received the fewest number of votes and was sent home from the competition Thursday night.
The remaining seven “American Idol” hopefuls were at the mercy of their fellow contestants this week. Competitor’s Pick was the theme, which meant each of the hopefuls sang a song chosen by other finalists. Each was given a list of six possible songs. Jena Irene of Farmington Hills performed “Creep” by Radiohead, suggested by fellow contestant Caleb Johnson. TV viewers applauded by providing her with the votes to move forward in the race to become the next “American Idol.”
Sitting at the piano, Irene’s performance brought judges Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez to their feet, applauding.
“I loved it,” said Lopez. “You Jena-fy every song. You will be here for the long haul.”
Urban and judge Harry Connick Jr. also praised the performance, Connick calling it the best performance of the night.
In addition to a solo performance, the contestants teamed up to perform duets and a trio. Irene and Caleb Johnson rocked the judges with “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones. Lopez called the song an “American Idol” moment of the season.
“They will play the video of this over and over again,” Lopez said. “We had a moment. You two, it’s happening.” Urban said he was waiting for someone to break loose in Wednesday’s performance show and, “Jena you did it.”
Is a romance brewing among the leading “Idol” contenders? Teasing in a short video before her duet, Irene called 22-year-old Johnson her best friend on the program, and said she asked him to her high school prom.
“Yeah, I’m going to Detroit to go to prom,” said Johnson. “Crazy.” The prom will be May 28 and the “Idol” season is scheduled to wrap up May 20 and 21.
The Wednesday night show began with a short salute to Malaya Watson of Southfield, who was eliminated last week. Surrounded by the other finalists, she struggled through her farewell song, “I Am Changing” by Jennifer Hudson.
Watson arrived home last weekend and returned to Southfield High School, where she received a warm welcome. Her fans will have a chance to see her perform this summer on the 41-city “The American Idol” tour, scheduled to begin June 24 with a show at Soaring Eagle Casino Resort in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 7.
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