Years ago, when Harry Connick, Jr. was a guest mentor on American Idol, I said he would make a great judge. Well it took some time, but Fox announced today that Connick will, indeed, be a judge this season.
According to today's announcement, Grammy
Award-winning and platinum-selling recording artist,actress, movie and
television producer and entrepreneur Jennifer Lopez will return to AMERICAN
IDOL XIII as
a judge. She
will be joined Connick, the Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning multi-platinum singer,
musician, songwriter, composer and film/television and Broadway actor.
The
two join the other two judges on the panel,
Keith Urban, the four-time Grammy Award-winning country artist who has
sold more than 15 million albums, and the returning Randy Jackson.
Ryan Seacrest will continue as host.
Kevin
Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company said,
“AMERICAN IDOL has always been about discovering the next singing
superstar, and next season
our judging panel will deliver a most impressive combination of talent,
wisdom and personality to do just that: Jennifer Lopez, the
triple-threat global superstar who loves IDOL and whom IDOL fans love;
Harry Connick, Jr., a bona-fide musical genius and fantastic
IDOL mentor whose honesty and expertise can help turn these hopefuls
into stars; Keith Urban, a multi-Grammy-winning artist who was such a
positive force on the show last season. We are also very excited to have
our friend Randy Jackson now in a new role as
mentor, and the captain of our team – the heart and soul of IDOL – Ryan
Seacrest returning as host.”
“#IDOL2014TheRemix,” tweeted Jennifer Lopez.
“I have always been a huge fan of
AMERICAN IDOL
and really enjoyed my time as a mentor on the show,” said Harry Connick,
Jr. “And I am honored that they’ve asked me to be a judge this season.
As an entertainer, I am truly excited to bring my perspective to
AMERICAN IDOL, and to help emerging performers find their way.”
“Surprise,
surprise! I am so happy to be back as part of this amazing show that
started it all,” said Randy Jackson. “Season 1-3 is the place to
be. The original
talent show is back with a vengeance and ready to discover the best
talent in America.”
“I
think this season of IDOL is gonna be a blast,” said Keith Urban. ”New
team, new energy and a whole new field of artists to be discovered and
given a chance!”
“I
couldn’t be prouder to be a part of the AMERICAN IDOL XIII family. Our
new producers, judging panel and mentor are all fired up for this
season,” said Ryan Seacrest.
“I’ve already witnessed some amazingly talented contestants from around
the country during our early auditions, cementing my belief that a new
superstar is well within our sights.”
IDOL
hopefuls will meet the AMERICAN IDOL XIII team when the auditions
travel to Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Detroit, Omaha, Salt Lake City and
San Francisco. AMERICAN
IDOL XIII debuts in January 2014 on FOX.
Universal
Music Group’s Interscope Records, under the direction of Chairman Jimmy
Iovine, will continue to release IDOL winner and contestant music.
IDOL’s impact on the entertainment industry resonates beyond the scope of television. The
series
has brought generations together with a common goal: to discover the
next music superstar. Over the past 12 seasons, IDOL finalists have
released more than 200 albums, scored 396 No.1 Billboard hits, garnered
more than 250 million iTunes downloads and have
been certified with 95 Gold and 83 Platinum records. IDOL contestants
have conquered Broadway, television
and film and have won numerous awards and accolades, including American
Country Music Awards, Country Music Awards,
Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.
About Jennifer Lopez:
Actress,
entertainer, music artist, film and TV producer, fashion designer,
entrepreneur and humanitarian Jennifer Lopez has been
called one of the most powerful and celebrated celebrities in
entertainment.
In 2012, Forbes Magazine named her the No. 1 Most Powerful Celebrity in the World.
Lopez
has transformed the global music scene. She has sold more than 75
million records worldwide and starred in multiple box-office
No. 1 films, including “Monster-In-Law” and “The Wedding Planner.” In
2001, “The Wedding Planner” was the nation’s top-grossing film, while
her album, “J.Lo,” was No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. The two
simultaneous No. 1 honors made Lopez the first
woman in history to have a No. 1 movie and No. 1 album in the same
week.
In
May 2011, Lopez released the album “LOVE?,” The first single, “On The
Floor,” also featuring Pitbull, became a worldwide phenomenon.
This song shot to No. 1 in 18 countries and became the most downloaded
song of her career. The music video set an all-time record, making Lopez
the first female artist on online video site Vevo to rack up 100
million views in the shortest amount of time. The
music video has become the most watched music video by any female
artist in the history of YouTube, logging more than 686 million views.
She
made her feature film debut in the highly acclaimed “Mi Familia,” then
earned widespread acclaim for her work in the title role
of “Selena,” which brought her a Golden Globe Award nomination. Her
film credits include Lasse Hallström’s “An Unfinished Life,” with Robert
Redford and Morgan Freeman; Oliver Stone’s “U-Turn”; “Maid In
Manhattan”; “Money Train”; Francis Ford Coppola’s “Jack,”
with Robin Williams; “Blood and Wine,” opposite Jack Nicholson; Luis
Mandoki’s “Angel Eyes”; “The Cell”; Steven Soderbergh’s “Out of Sight,”
with George Clooney; Michael Apted’s “Enough”; and “Anaconda.” Playing
the role of actress and producer, she starred
in the feature films “El Cantante,” a drama about the life of salsa
legend Hector Lavoe, and “Bordertown,” opposite Antonio Banderas. In
2011, she starred in the romantic comedy “The Back-up Plan.”
In
2012, Lopez was part of the ensemble cast of “What To Expect When
You’re Expecting,” and she lent her voice to the character
of “Shira,” a sabre-toothed tiger, in the animated film “Ice Age 4:
Continental Drift.” In January 2013, she starred opposite Jason Statham
in an adaptation of the crime/thriller literary series, “Parker,”
directed by Taylor Hackford.
This
past year, Lopez also partnered with NUVOtv, becoming the Chief
Creative Officer for the network. Nuyorican, her TV and film
production company, already has produced several specials and series
for the network. She also is executive producer of the hit cable series
“The Fosters.”
Lopez set the branding standard for celebrity fragrance, apparel and accessories. Last year, Lopez was named the celebrity with
the most successful fragrance line in history.
Her
commitment to making a difference and her passion for making this world
better is highlighted through her work with children, via The Lopez
Family
Foundation, a not-for-profit she started with her sister, Lynda. The
Lopez Family Foundation is dedicated to improving the health and
well-being of women and children, and raising the level of medical care
available to them. The foundation is currently working
with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on a telemedicine program that
will help underserved communities around the world to be treated with
state-of-the-art technology and by top doctors. The organization opened
its first telemedicine center in Puerto Rico in
2010 and seven new centers in Panama in 2011.
About Harry Connick, Jr.:
Harry
Connick, Jr. is a rarity in the realm of entertainment, exemplifying
excellence in every aspect of his multi-faceted career. He has won three
Grammy Awards,
two Primetime Emmy Awards and is a multiple-Tony Award nominee.
A
New Orleans native, Connick began his career as a performer at the age
of five. At 19, he signed with Columbia Records. His stunning piano
technique and vivid musical
imagination was easily recognized on his debut, self-titled album. Soon
after, he released his follow-up album, “20,” and then found
multi-platinum success with the soundtrack to “When Harry Met Sally…”
Connick’s
continued musical success has spanned over the course of 29 albums,
with sales totaling 28 million worldwide units. His most recent album,
“Every Man Should
Know,” was released in June 2013.
In
addition to his burgeoning music career, Connick also began acting
professionally. Among his feature film credits are “Little Man Tate,”
“Copycat,” “Hope Floats,”
“Memphis Belle,” “Independence Day,” “Life without Dick,” “Mickey,”
“Basic,” “P.S. I Love You,” “New in Town” and “Dolphin Tale.” His
voiceover skills also were featured in “My Dog Skip” and “The Iron
Giant.” Next fall, he will be seen in “Dolphin Tale 2,”
the sequel to 2011’s No. 1 hit family film.
On
television, Connick is perhaps best known for his recurring role on
“Will & Grace.” He also appeared in an arc of “Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit,” and has
graced audiences with his musical talents in several primetime
specials, including “Harry for the Holidays,” the Emmy Award-winning
PBS specials “Only You in Concert” and “Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on
Broadway” and the animated tale “The Happy Elf.”
His
Broadway career boasts equal recognition, having received Tony Award
nominations as both composer/lyricist for the musical “Thou Shalt Not”
and as the lead in
the Tony Award-winning revival of “The Pajama Game.” He also has
adapted “The Happy Elf” for children’s theater, starred in the Broadway
revival of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” and – on the 20th anniversary of his first Broadway concerts
at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre - brought his live show for an extended residency at the Neil Simon Theatre.
Not
surprisingly, Connick has used his influence as an entertainer to
further his charitable work. Following the devastation of Hurricane
Katrina, he created, along
with fellow musician and “New Orleanian” Branford Marsalis, the
Musicians’ Village in the Upper Ninth Ward. The village provides homes
for musicians and other displaced citizens, a community center with a
performance hall, recording studio and after-school
facility for kids. His contributions to the post-Katrina effort have
been acknowledged by a Redbook Strength and Spirit Award, an honorary
degree from Tulane University and the 2012 Jefferson Award for Public
Service.
AMERICAN IDOL XIII hopefuls also can audition at
www.americanidol.com,
by submitting an audition video online. Entrants should demonstrate
their stellar singing ability by performing a song of their choice a
cappella. Videos are limited to one submission per person. Please visit
www.americanidol.com for submission rules and terms and conditions.
AMERICAN
IDOL XIII is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media
Group, and FremantleMedia North America. The series is created and
executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment.
Cecile Frot-Coutaz for FremantleMedia; Trish Kinane and Per Blankens
for FremantleMedia North America; and Evan Prager and Jesse Ignjatovic
for 19 Entertainment.