Persistence pays off for Glover on ‘Idol’
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. “Three times,” exclaimed a weepy Glover under a wave of confetti.
After her crowning, an emotional Glover sobbed her way through her new single “I Am Beautiful.”
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.
Giffords tapped for Fulbright board
President Barack Obama is tapping former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for the board that selects recipients for Fulbright scholarships.
The Arizona Democrat resigned from Congress in 2012, a year after a gunman shot her at close range while she was greeting constituents in her Tucson district. Six people were killed and 13 others wounded in the shooting rampage. Giffords has since become a prominent advocate for gun control, testifying before in Congress and starting an advocacy group.
The Fulbright Scholarship Program is an international education exchange program. The federal government sponsors the program to increase mutual understanding with other countries.
Johansson making directorial debut
Scarlett Johansson will make her directorial debut with an adaptation of Truman Capote’s first novel, “Summer Crossing.” A publicist for the “Avengers” actress confirmed Thursday that Johansson will direct the long-lost book.
“Summer Crossing” wasn’t published until 2005, after the manuscript was recovered. Capote’s novel is about a 17-year-old debutant who, during a summer alone in 1945 New York, strikes up a romance with a Jewish valet parking attendant.
Johansson next appears in the independent film, “Don Juan,” in which she co-stars with writer-director Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
The birthday bunch
Singer Taj Mahal is 71. Singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester is 69. Actor Bill Paxton is 58. Actor-comedian Bob Saget is 57. Sports announcer Jim Nantz is 54. Singer Enya is 52. Talk show host-actor Craig Ferguson is 51. Singer-musician Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) is 48. Actress Sasha Alexander is 40.