‘American Idol’ top 3 song spoilers: Jena Irene – Alex Preston picks; plus, Harry Connick Jr. news

We’ll start this “American Idol XIII” article with what has to be the biggest news of the day: Confirmation that Harry Connick Jr. is going to be back for another season as a judge! In what is a rare case these days, the announcement came before a drawn-out summer full of negotiations.

In the end, Harry was probably smart enough to know that there was no good at all that would come from him confirming that he would return to the show late in the summer. This keeps people from pressing the panic button. It also helps the show with some stability. While there have been some moments lately where Harry has tried a little hard with some of his shenanigans, this is far and away a better panel than last year’s, and he is the primary reason why.

Now, some bonus song spoilers from tonight’s episode! Here are the repeat performances that the top three are going to do.

Alex Preston – “Story of My Life” by One Direction. Good choice. If nothing else, it ensures that all the of the boy band’s fans come out and cast votes his direction.

Caleb Johnson – “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin. We’re not going to criticize this one much, mostly because we feel like Caleb knows his audience pretty perfectly here.

Jena Irene – “Creep” by Radiohead. This wasn’t our favorite song that she did, but we know that there are a ton of people out there who really like it.

Are you glad to hear the news from Harry, and what do you think about these reprises? Share some of your thoughts below, and click here to see where we ranked some of the contestants going into this show. Also, be sure to sign up if you want to get some more news worth singing about sent right to your email.

Photo: Fox