Michael Sarver did not ask for clemency despite his song choice, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and was the latest American Idol to be axed. The judges considered using their veto power to save the oil rigger and family man from Texas, but running out of time, Simon made an executive decision to end Michael’s Idol hopes. Michael will now get to spend a few weeks with his family before returning to Los Angeles for the finale and tour rehearsals in about a month.
Surprisingly, Matt Giraud, the soulful piano player and one of the best from this week was in the bottom two with Michael Sarver, while the visually impaired piano man Scott MacIntyre rounded out the bottom three. MacIntyre was immediately sent back to the safety of the bleachers where Giraud really belonged.
Matt Giraud did not look comfortable waiting his fate, but I would have been shocked if he was voted off. I would have been more shocked if the judges did not dub him the chosen Idol and give him the one pardon of the season. But alas, he was safe and the judges’ save is still waiting to be used.
We had a celebrity-packed evening of performances including Ruben Studdard, Joss Stone, Smokey Robinson and lots of love from Stevie Wonder. Stevie sang a medley of his songs and was able to sneak in a shout out to President Barack Obama.
Next week, American Idol will return to the normal time slot.
What do you all think? Do you think that Matt Giraud deserved to be in the bottom?
American Idol’s Top 10 grooved to 50 years’ worth of Motown hits with Smokey Robinson mentoring tonight’s show.
Matt Giraud started off the night with Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” I loved his falsetto and soulful licks. The judges are now official fans and he joins the front-runner club.
Kris Allen impresses Smokey and the judges with his unique and easygoing “How Sweet It Is.” Simon thinks he needs Simon lessons in swagger.
Scott MacIntyre sang Diana Ross’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.” He chose to stick with the piano and go against Paula’s advice from last week. Simon has finally turned on him with a classic “rubbish” review and has now given America permission to say what they have really been thinking about his performances.
Megan Joy sang in her standard style “For Once In My Life.” This really didn’t have any great standout moments, and she seemed to drown in the song. It really was not good.
Anoop Desai stayed with his serious sensitive side singing “Oooo Baby Baby.” He continued his return to favor with a clean solid performance. I agree that now he has found his vocal sweet spot, he needs to start bringing his showmanship back into his performances. If he can merge the last two weeks of great vocals with his first couple of weeks of energy then he is in the running for Top 5 or higher.
Michael Sarver attempted “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” He just didn’t hit his stride, and it felt as if he was fighting with the song the entire time. He admitted as much to Simon … sometimes we as performers just know it isn’t going to work as we walk on the stage. I thought he handled the judges well.
Lil Rounds sings “Heat Wave” in the classic Motown way. She obviously can sing, but I was hoping she would do something a little more relevant, more reflective of something that could be on her album. I think she really lost an opportunity to jump back in the front of the pack by not giving America a “moment.”
Adam Lambert reigned in the craziness and tenderly sang Smokey’s own, “Tracks of my Tears.” He cleaned up his image, literally taking off the black nail polish, and sang the entire song in his great falsetto. This is one of the first times that I not only appreciated his talent, but enjoyed it.
Danny Gokey used his Michael McDonald voice to give America “Get Ready.” I liked it – but no secret that I really love his voice. The judges didn’t think it was his best of the season but for the most part thought it was solid.
Allison Iraheta wailed out “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” I really love this girl’s voice. She came out and used her pipes to SING! She was by far the best of the night.
Scott MacIntyre, Megan Joy and Michael Sarver should be nervous about continuing on to next week. We only have three females so I don’t think Megan is in real trouble and despite his lackluster performances, I really think America has a spot for Scott so my prediction is that Michael will be sent packing … I’m sure the “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and Judges’ Save Jokes are being written right now.
What do you all think? Who do you think will be sent home?
Alexis Grace is the latest axed from American Idol. The judges told the pink and blonde-haired mom that if she impressed with her farewell song, they would save her. She did not perform up to the judges’ standards and is on her way home. And if being sent home was not bad enough, she just missed a spot on the national “American Idols Live” Tour later this summer.
Alexis Grace sang Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” but the Dolly comparisons ended with Alexis’ blonde hair and pretty face. The judges believed Alexis didn’t put enough “dirty” rock edge into Tuesday night’s performance, something they believe has carried her through the competition to this point.
The remaining final 10 Idols can now breathe a sigh of relief because they have secured a spot on the official Idol tour. As a finalist during season six, I was able to go on the tour, which is a huge advantage in securing a record deal and media coverage. But more importantly, I was able to sing for the fans. It really is an amazing experience to travel the country for three months and meet the people who helped keep you on the show. Tonight’s “Kiss Off” party, the final get-together highlighted on tonight’s show, will be bittersweet since everyone but Alexis will be on the tour.
This is one of the strongest Top 10 we have had to date. The semi-finals left some people doubting if this crop of Idols would be able to step up and deliver a great season with a superstar winner.
One of the reigning queens of country and American Idol superstar, Carrie Underwood, returned to the stage that made her famous singing with fellow Opry member and this week’s mentor, Randy Travis. They showed the Idols what America expects from winners!
Next week only, American Idol will air Wednesday at 8 p.m. and Thursday at 9 p.m. on Fox.
We had a “shocker” tonight … our beloved Top 12 is now Top 13. I think this is an olive branch the producers have given us after putting us through the horrid wild-card process. I’ll take it. I personally prefer contestants being voted out instead of in the finals. I think great talent didn’t have the face time needed and fell through the cracks this year. Also, I don’t like the judges handpicking 30 percent of the Top 13. I feel gypped! And who are we kidding – the judges/ producers already knew who was going through before tonight began. Do they really think we believed they picked almost a third of the finalists during the last commercial break?
Now to the good stuff … Jasmine Murray, Megan Joy Corkrey, Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai have been added to the Idol roster rounding out our Top 13.
Matt Giraud’s performance was great. He picked a great song that really showed his personality but more importantly what kind of record he will make. Before the judges begin critiquing him I was confident he would be in the Top 12. I only doubted myself after Matt came head-to-head with Anoop for the final spot.
Anoop has been a shoo-in the moment he was passed over by voters. I believe he has a huge fan base and will go far in the finals. That being said – WHY did he repeat the same song? I think the judges’ comments telling him it was OK to repeat a song after just cutting on Tatiana for the same thing was unfair. I think it was just their way of covering the bases knowing he was going to sail through. Anoop will go far- I predict Top 3.
I didn’t love Megan Joy’s performance. There was nothing really bad about it; it just felt strained or that she was fighting for her life. I completely understand this and as a former contestant can only say I’ve been there! But the judges loved it and sent her through. I think she could go far. She reminds me of the edgier Brooke White.
Jasmine Murray did a nice version of my daughter’s favorite Mulan song, “Reflections.” Showing the judges a bigger voice really paid off. The finals need more girls, and young is always a plus so she is in!
I couldn’t leave you all tonight without mentioning Tatiana, back in all her glory! The drama queen brought the same Whitney and I think the same disco dress with her. I talked to some of my sources at Idol and they LOVE her. Don’t worry, my sources are more middle management, thus not responsible for her amazing staying power. They say she entertains them to no end and can actually sing. Her appearance tonight was not a surprise as was her theatrical reaction to not making it.
Well, we are done with all of the characters and on the real competition! Let the games begin!
We are only one episode away from the live performances. An interesting thing has been added this season. During the chair episodes, they are letting people they are undecided about have a sing-off to earn their spot in the semifinals. I like this because it is tough to get eliminated once you’ve made it through Hollywood Week and haven’t performed for the judges since…. I don’t like it because it seems very awkward for the contestants. I would have hated to be in any of the sing-offs, whether I won or lost.
I remember being at the hotel the night before the chair episode and that was awkward enough because you know people are being eliminated. The truth is that I never expected to make it through Hollywood Week, so I can honestly say that I was hoping the best for everyone. When I made it through, I was terribly excited to be on the show, but also terribly guilty for having taken someone else’s spot.
I can tell you that there are people that the other contestants aren’t rooting for. On my season, there were a few people from Hollywood Week that did not stand out to us at all. We came back for the chair episode and wondered how in the world they made it into the semifinals when some of our friends who were great got cut. It wasn’t until we saw their original auditions that we understood how they had made it through.
Consider Joanna Pacitti. She’s a great singer, but she forgot her lyrics every time she sang in Hollywood. The other contestants can’t possibly know how great she is just yet.
Or consider Tatiana Del Toro. She’s a good singer, but she couldn’t be any more annoying. I think the other contestants are a little frustrated that many other great singers have been cut so they can feature her on more episodes.
At the end of the day, most of the decisions were expected. Here is a list of the top 36:
Anoop Desai
Von Smith
Alex Trugman
Adam Lambert
Taylor Vaifanua
Jasmine Murray
Arianna Asfar
Casey Carlson
Megan Corkrey
Mishavonna Henson
Stevie Wright
Joanna Pacitti
Kendall Beard
Kristen McNamara
Alexis Grace
Scott Macintyre
Lil Rounds
Jesse Langseth
Allison Iraheta
Danny Gokey
Ricky Braddy
Matt Giraud
Ju’Not Joyner
Jorge Nunez
Brent Keith
Stephen Fowler
Norman Gentle, or Nick Mitchell
Jackie Tohn
Tatiana Del Toro
Nathaniel Marshall
Jeanine Vailes
Kai Kalama
Anne Marie Boskovich
Kris Allen
Matt Breitzke
Michael Sarver
I was a little upset to see Jamar Rogers get cut. He’s an outstanding talent. The fact that Norman Gentle is there instead of him makes it all feel a little off. Don’t get me wrong, I like Norman. But I haven’t heard him sing anywhere near as good as Jamar. Who knows… Thoughts?
By Phil
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Tags: Adam Lambert, Alex Trugman, Alexis Grace, Allison Irahetta, American Idol, Anne Marie Boskovich, Anoop Desai, Arianna Asfar, Brent Keith, Casey Carlson, Danny Gokey, Jackie Tohn, Jasmine Murray, Jeanine Vailes, Jessie Langseth, Joanna Paticci, Jorge Nunez, Junot Joyner, Kendall Beard, Kia Kalama, Kris Allen, Kristin MacNamara, Lil' Rounds, Matt Breitzke, Matt Girrard, Megan Corkrey, Michael Sarver, Mishavonna Henson, Nathaniel Marshall, Nick Mitchell, Norman Gentle, Ricky Braddy, Scott Macintyre, Stephen Fowler, Stevie Wright, Tatiana Del Torro, Taylor Vanifanua, Von Smith
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