‘American Idol’ season 13: Harry Connick Jr. sings National Anthem the right way, earns praise

For all of you out there wondering whether there is a right or wrong way to perform the National Anthem, Harry Connick Jr. may have just taken all of you to school. The singer and newly-minted “American Idol” judge took to the field in St. Louis tonight for Game 5 of the World Series, and performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” in a way that almost anyone really should perform it: With class, with perfect pitch, and also without doing so much about the song that it is suddenly you trying to make a mark on a song that really doesn’t need anyone making a mark on.

Harry obviously got this gig thanks to his booking as a judge, but he seems at the moment to really understand his role in almost everything, whether it be as an anthem performer or a reality TV personality. He’s not looking to steal thunder; he’s just looking to do a good job. Where does some of that come from? We imagine that it may just be maturity and hard work.

By the time that “American Idol” ends this season, we have a feeling that Harry is going to have a ton of fans that he didn’t have before. People who have loved him the past two decades will continue to love him, and then some others who have never heard of him will hopefully start to think of him as a reality TV father figure. He’s just an honest, laid-back guy, and he is one of the reasons why we are so optimistic about the show being much-improved this year versus where it has been in the past two years.

What do you think about Harry’s performance? If you want to read some more news related to “American Idol,” just be sure to check out the story over at the link here.

Photo: Fox, video via Mjsbigblog