Louisa's Thompson moves into Top 7 on 'Idol'

May 2—ASHLAND — Noah Thompson was all smiles Sunday night when he sang "You've Got A Friend in Me" from the Disney movie "Toy Story" for his performance on "American Idol" on Sunday night.

The Louisa resident's performance earned him a spot in the Top 7, advancing him to the next round of competition and gaining him a standing ovation from all three judges.

The song was dedicated to Arthur Johnson, Thompson's friend who signed him up for "American Idol."

"Noah, I think that was my favorite song you've sung, beside the Rihanna song, like you reinvented that," Judge Katy Perry said. "Randy Newman sings it incredibly friendly and it's such a sing-along song, but you just went for it. You gave it so much character and color and country crooning and it was just some of your best vocals ever."

Judge Luke Bryan said his performance showed his advancement as a performer.

"(It shows) me tons of promise in the future for you, I mean, if you can kind of own the fly of putting your little sparkle on that song. The sky is the limit on what you can do throughout your whole career, so, great job!" Bryan said.

Judge Lionel Richie agreed.

"The beauty of Disney is that it's familiar, it's family, it's home, and for you to kind of come out and give us that impression of you, which you are definitely," Richie said. "It was just perfect, perfect song choice. More importantly, your attitude was wonderful because it was a sing-along moment, but I loved it!"

Before his performance, Derek Hough, a judge on "Dancing With The Stars," suggested during a visit to Disneyland, Thompson visualize singing the song to Johnson. That's when Johnson entered and surprised Thompson.

"What the heck?!" Thompson shouted.

Hough assessed Thompson's stage presence. "One of Noah's greatest strengths is his personality, it's just who he is. If he can capture that on stage, it'll make America feel like we're just one of his buddies singing along with him as well," Hough said.

In addition, Thompson expressed his feelings about being in Los Angeles and seeing the sights.

"I've never been to Disneyland, Disney World, nothing, and I am blown away," Thompson said. "I would love to have Walker here. The last time I seen him was about a month ago. It's been so hard to even go to sleep sometimes I just miss him so bad."

In another surprise appearance, Thompson's girlfriend showed up with son, Walker, at Disneyland.

"I was not expecting that," Thompson said, holding back tears after getting to hold his nearly 1-year-old son for the first time in over a month. "It means the world to me for him to be here. It feels like home almost, there ain't nothing like it. This is just a little glimpse of what I could do for him. This can completely change everything for him, for me, for my family. I really needed that to be honest."

American Idol airs every Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC.

(606) 326-2661 — lward@dailyindependent.com