ENTERTAINMENT

'American Idol': Casey Bishop sings 'Over the Rainbow,' wows judges — and America's voters

Charles Runnells
Fort Myers News-Press

For weeks, Casey Bishop has brought rock ‘n’ roll thunder to “American Idol.” But the Estero teen changed it up for Sunday’s episode. 

Instead, she turned down the volume for a classic Hollywood ballad: “Over the Rainbow” from the movie “The Wizard of Oz.”

“Idol” viewers apparently loved what they saw. They voted on Sunday’s live episode and put Bishop in the show’s Top 9 singers. She’ll return to perform again May 2.

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The voters weren’t the only one’s impressed by Bishop. All three judges stood up and clapped after her performance with a string ensemble.

Katy Perry echoed something fellow judge Luke Bryan said on an earlier episode: Bishop is a frontrunner this season — and she just might win the whole thing.

“You can do anything you want!” Perry told her. “You can sing rock, you can sing R&B, you can sing standards, you can sing Judy Garland. It’s all inside of you, and it’s so beautiful.”

Casey Bishop sings on the April 12 episode of 'American Idol,' when she was chosen as a member of the Top 10.

Judge Lionel Richie said he’s constantly amazed at Bishop’s young age — the same age Garland was when she was cast as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.”

“I keep looking down at 16, wondering what the heck the DNA is made of,” Richie told her. “Because you are hell under pressure. … You’re controlling every facet of your delivery. Rock to ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’ It’s just unbelievable.”

Previously:'American Idol' announces Top 10 singers, including Estero's Casey Bishop

Casey Bishop has always loved 'Over the Rainbow'

Bishop said she’s always loved the song “Over the Rainbow.” She’s been singing it since was 3 years old and first watched “The Wizard of Oz."

“‘Wizard of Oz’ was my first movie I’ve ever seen,” she said on the show. “I really have an emotional attachment, because it reminds me of my mom and my family. We’d watch it over and over and over, and every time it ended, I’d cry.”

Sunday was a movie-themed episode with contestants singing Oscar-nominated songs.

From karaoke to 'Idol':Estero teen  started singing at 5 and never stopped

Casey Bishop performs on the April 12 episode of 'American Idol.'

Host Ryan Seacrest announced the live voting results at the end of the show. Nine singers moved on to the next round, and the three remaining singers got sent home.

After Monday's episode, that Top 9 will grow to a Top 10. Contestants from last season will return for an episode called “The Comeback," and one winner will be chosen to compete with the rest of this season's top singers.

Sunday’s winners won’t return to the show agaiuntil Sunday, May 2, according to a show publicist. “Idol” takes a break April 25 and 26 for the Oscars and a TV special on “Sesame Street.”

“American Idol” usually airs at 8 p.m. Sundays and Mondays on ABC. Learn more about the show at abc.com/shows/american-idol.

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