Former season seven finalist, Michael Sarver, filmed some behind-the-scenes action as the Top 13 prepared to take the stage for the last two episodes of American Idol this year.
Unfortunately, as is the case with most things related to this show, there is a bit of a “scandal” going around regarding this video.  Michael originally uploaded it to his MySpace account but pulled it down after he realized that something was said that could be considered offensive. Danny Gokey (talking about Michael) said he “I love this boy to pieces” and then realizes that it could be taken out of context …read more

Matt Giraud, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre were in the bottom three this week.  Scott was the first to be sent back to the couch and then the results were revealed – Michael Sarver had the lowest number of votes. 

He had to sing for his life and he did a better job than he did last night.  There was an actual debate about whether to save him but Ryan kept reminded the judges that another show was coming on.  Finally, Simon stopped the deliberations and without consulting the others, he told Michael that he was going home.
*sob*  He’s …read more

It was Motown Week on American Idol and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Honestly, in the past there have been some real disasters in the past with this genre but it was pretty good.

Matt Giraud kicked off the night with his rendition of “Let’s Get it On” and, I thought it was pretty good, but I did think there were some flaws.  Still, I love Matt’s voice but I just don’t find him all that exciting.  The judges really liked his performance, though.
Kris Allen followed with a quirky, adorable version of “How Sweet …read more

Michael Sarver chose to sing “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and I thought it was a pretty good song choice for him until he actually started singing.  I think he would have done a much better job if Smokey Robinson had let him just perform the song the way he wanted to without telling him to be more aggressive. 

Paula said it was a tough performance because it felt a little “Las Vegas old lounge-y.”  She said that some of the notes didn’t work out for him.  Simon said he couldn’t wait for it to end.  He said it just …read more

The Top 10 contestants from the eighth season of American Idol have been named.  Now we know who you’ll be seeing if you go to see one of the shows when they go on tour!

Here’s the Top 10 (listed alphabetically):

Adam Lambert
Allison Iraheta
Anoop Desai
Danny Gokey
Kris Allen
Lil Rounds
Matt Giraud
Megan Joy
Michael Sarver
Scott MacIntyre

What do you think?  Do you agree with this list?
image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX

Michael Sarver sang one of my favorite country songs Garth Brooks iconic classic “Ain’t Goin’ Down Till The Sun Comes Up” and, while I liked it, I think he should have picked a song that allowed him to show off his vocals a little more.  He flubbed the lyrics a bit in the middle but it was a lot of fun.
Randy loved the song but wasn’t sure it brought out his vocals.  Kara said it was fun but she missed his big notes.  Paula said that the genre suits him so well.  Simon said he couldn’t understand a single word …read more

Michael Sarver chose to sing “You Are Not Alone” and I felt the emotion behind the words (yeah, I got the warm and fuzzies) despite a the few imperfections I heard. 

Yes, I will admit to being biased because I’ve liked him since the very beginning.  Simon said it best when he said that Michael isn’t the best singer in the competition but he makes up for it with passion and heart.

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX

We saw the fourth day of Hollywood Week tonight on American Idol and, except for a couple things, I wasn’t really surprised.  What did you think? With 72 contestants competing to be among this year’s finalists, it was good to see some people taking risks.  The Idol hopefuls were allowed to use instruments during their performance (most didn’t).  As usual, the performers were split into four rooms after another day of auditions and, of course, you could see how nervous they all were.
I had a good laugh when Tatiana Del Toro, one of the most emotional contestants I’ve ever seen …read more

The first week of auditions is over on the eighth season of American Idol.  What did you think?  Any favorites emerge for you?
From the Phoenix tryouts, I liked the following people the most:

Emily Wynne-Hughes (age 21) of Los Angeles, California sang Heart’s “Barracuda” and did an excellent job.  She had great control which is saying a lot since the song is hard to sing.
JB Ahfua (age 16) of Taylorsville, Utah stunned me when he sang Idol-winner Ruben Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings.”  I loved the tone and quality of his voice.  I’m hoping things go well for him in Hollywood.
Arianna Afsar …read more

Here’s a recap of last night’s American Idol auditions from Phoenix, Arizona!

Last night’s American Idol auditions kicked off with Tuan Nguyen of Spring Valley, California.  The 20-year-old cashier attempted to sing “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson and I think it started okay but things just went downhill from there.  He didn’t make it through.
Emily Wynne-Hughes (age 21) of Los Angeles, California sang Heart’s “Barracuda” (a song that’s enjoyed some considerable  “second-time-around” success due to its’ inclusion on the song list of Guitar Hero III) and I thought she did an excellent job.  She was given …read more