Fan Fare

Who is bound for the “Idol” finale?

Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai sang their swan songs Wednesday night on “American Idol,” meaning the singing competition lost its two most uniquely named contestants in one fell swoop.

Nostalgia for “Little” and “Anoop Dogg” aside, their joint offing was hardly unexpected. Lil, a 23-year-old mother of three from Memphis, struggled to gain the judges’ respect through most of her time in the show’s Top 13. Desai, a 21-year-old from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, meanwhile, was among the show’s Bottom Three vote-getters for four straight weeks.

Now, the show is down to five singers, and the big question is which two will make it to the season finale. Adam Lambert has emerged as the frontrunner, but who could challenge him?

Allison Iraheta‘s chances appear slim, after having thrice landed in the Bottom Three, including this week. She is also by far the show’s youngest contestant, at just 16. But could Allison benefit from being the only woman left standing?

Matt Giraud also seems unlikely to make it, having been eliminated from the show twice already by viewers (and each time saved by the judges) — once in the Top 36, and once last week. The fact that he is still around, however, means he must have something going for him. He could prove to have nine lives, after all.

Kris Allen, the show’s “pretty boy” contestant, is a big hit with women viewers. The guitar-strumming Arkansan’s performances, however, have also won huge praise from the judges nearly every week. To use an “Idol” word, he could be among the most “commercial” of the remaining contestants.

Danny Gokey, like Lambert, has been a frontrunner since his first “Idol” audition in Kansas City. The widower and church choir director, whose personal story has pulled at viewers’ heartstrings, is also considered among the best vocalists left in the competition.

Adam Lambert keeps “Idol” judges entranced

Before he went on stage, the camera swooped down on “American Idol” contestant Adam Lambert as he stood beaming in the crowd. But as usual, Lambert was more than just a face in the crowd on Tuesday night, as he again wowed the judges and solidified his frontrunner status.

It was Disco Week on “Idol,” and true to the theme Lambert sang the Bee Gees hit “If I Can’t Have You,” effortlessly hitting the high notes and inspiring judge Paula Abdul to gush that his performance made her feel his “pain.” Abdul was not alone. All the judges said they loved the performance, with alpha judge Simon Cowell commending Lambert for surprising him by picking a Bee Gees song.

“I would have put $10,000 you were going to do Donna Summer, but that’s what’s so good about you, you did something we weren’t expecting,” Cowell said.

Speaking of betting, it seems the smart money is on Lambert. Online betting firm BookMaker.com, which usually confines itself to sports gambling, said on Tuesday that the “Idol” title appears to be Lambert’s to lose, if he does not slip up.

At the other end of the spectrum, embattled singer Lil Rounds continued to leave the judges unimpressed. She sang the Chaka Khan hit “I’m Every Woman,” and although her performance was energetic and confident, judge Randy Jackson faulted her for a lack of vocal control. Lil said that she had a good time with the song, which only gave Cowell an opening to tear her down.

“I’m glad you had fun, because I think this is going to be the last week we’re ever going to see you,” Cowell said.

Cowell had a similarly biting critique for Anoop Desai‘s version of the Donna Summer song “Dim All the Lights.”

“Idol” reject Scott MacIntyre thrilled by near save

For eliminated “American Idol” contestant Scott MacIntyre, just coming close to being saved was a victory on Wednesday night.

“I was actually thrilled that it was a split decision between the four judges, and that was something very nice to walk away knowing,” MacIntyre said in a conference call with reporters on Thursday.

MacIntyre, 23, a blind singer and pianist, came close to being saved by the judges after he lost the “Idol” viewer-vote count. The judges must vote unanimously to save a contestant, and just two judges were ready to use the panel’s one-time-only save on MacIntyre.

MacIntyre described this year’s Idol contestants as particularly friendly with each other.

“I’m going to miss the camaraderie, I’m going to miss how we all make fun of each other before the show starts, I’m going to miss having dinner when people leave and wishing them well,” MacIntyre said. “Even though we’re competing, we have so much fun even the second before we walk on stage, it’s amazing.”

Like some other eliminated “Idol” contestants, MacIntyre said he has written many songs that he hopes to share with his fans, and that he looks forward to joining the ”Idol” Top 10 on tour.

MacIntyre was born in California and spent part of his childhood in Toronto, Canada, where he studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music, before his family moved to Arizona, where he lives now. He also obtained a master’s degree at the Royal College of Music and Royal Holloway University of London.

Who would the “Idol” judges save?

Top 9 contestant Megan Joy danced off the “American Idol” stage on Wednesday night after she said midway through the show that she did not care that judge Simon Cowell disliked her performance on Tuesday night. Cowell responded later on by telling her: “Megan with the greatest respect, when you said you don’t care, nor do we.” So with no chance that the judges would save her, when Megan sang Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low” one more time, it was all about the pathos.

When will the judges step up and use their save? Although there was some lively discussion on the panel last week when oil worker Michael Sarver sang his last song, few were surprised when the judges declined to save him.

Megan acted goofy all night, waving her arms and crowing like a bird as she was sent to the Bottom Three stools, where she was soon joined by Allison Iraheta and Anoop Desai. When host Ryan Seacrest asked Cowell how many singers in the Bottom Three were worth saving, the alpha judge said one, but did not specify who.

A single mother of one, Megan made a style out of quirkiness, singing with her hips and arms swaying in what a Washington Post writer called a Wash Cycle Dance. When Cowell said they would save one of Wednesday night’s Bottom Three, did he mean Allison or Anoop? And with the judges not ready to save Megan, who would they pull out of “Idol” banishment?

“Idol” Top 9: Cowell zingers and a turnaround for Scott

“American Idol” is already down to nine singers, and as the contestants have honed their performances, judge Simon Cowell has refined his famous one-liners. This week he was in top form, sparing only a select few from his special brand of humiliation.

Here were his top proclamations of the night for each contestant:

Anoop Desai, who performed Usher’s “Caught Up”

Simon: “It was a little bit like a college boy wanting to be a pop star and failing. It actually gave me a headache.”

Megan Joy, who sang Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low.”

Simon: “All of the things we liked about you are disappearing.”

(In fairness, Randy Jackson had the most devastating line for Megan: “It was like watching paint dry”)

On “Idol,” country night takes down frontrunners

“Country Week” is always a mixed bag on “American Idol”, alternately filling viewers with anticipation and dread.

Tuesday night’s tribute to the “Grand Ole Opry,” with country icon Randy Travis as guest mentor, certainly didn’t buck that trend, taking several of the show’s frontrunners down a notch and allowing dark horses to emerge.

“Anoop Dogg” delivered the night’s biggest surprise when his version of Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind” received universal praise from the judges. And yes, that included Simon Cowell, who last week said Anoop didn’t deserve his coveted spot in the Top 13.

“Glad to have you back, Anoop,” Cowell said.

Kris Allen was also a fave, earning the title “Tender Dog” from Randy Jackson for his version of the Garth Brooks ballad “To Make you Feel My Love.”

Matt Giraud’s rendition of Carrie Underwood’s “So Small” also made him one to watch in the competition, the judges said.

“Everyone’s been talking about Danny and Adam,” Cowell said to Giraud after his performance “I think you are quite similar to Danny. Tonight, I think you outsang him.”

A new rule, but no salvation for Jasmine and Jorge on “Idol”

“American Idol” unveiled a bold format change on Wednesday night, allowing the show’s four judges to “save” a worthy contestant from elimination once this season, potentially altering the singing competition’s final outcome.

The change marks a major shift for “Idol,” which has always allowed viewers to vote by phone and text message for who will stay. The idea, host Ryan Seacrest said, is to prevent shocker rejections such as when Chris Daughtry, now one of “Idol’s” most successful alumni, came in fourth place during the show’s fifth season.

But despite a rule change that promises to change the course of one lucky contestant’s “Idol” run, the judges declined to wield their new power on Wednesday night, allowing Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez to be the first victims among the show’s Top 13 singers.

“Sorry, baby, you’re headed home,” Judge Randy Jackson said to a tearful Murray after the judges deliberated on whether to save her.

On Tuesday, a night when contestants performed songs from the Michael Jackson catalogue, Murray, a 17-year-old from Starkville, Mississippi, underwhelmed the judges with her rendition of “I’ll Be There.” Puerto Rico’s Nunez, 21, also received low marks for his version of “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

Neither performance received the unanimous panning of Anoop Desai’s take on “Beat It.” Nevertheless, “Idol” viewers granted Desai’s wish to come back and show the judges his stuff once again. Lucky for “Anoop Dogg,” too, as it’s safe to say that if he had been voted down, the judges wouldn’t have saved him.

So who would the judges save? And is this new rule change fair?

13 becomes Anoop Desai’s lucky number on “Idol”

And then there were……13??

The judges expanded the “American Idol” top 12 to include Anoop Desai and make it a top 13 for the first time in a suspense-generating stunt.

 But Tatiana Del Toro, with all her tears, ambition, drama and unpredictability, will have to find a stage other than “Idol” to emote on. Is the show better off?

Instead, we get Anoop, who has emerged as Mr. Likeability with the judges. But does he have the same rapport with viewers, who eliminated him in week one in favor of Alexis Grace, Danny Gokey and Michael Sarver.

 Along with Anoop, the judges also brought back Jasmine Murray, Matt Giraud and Megan Joy Corkrey.  Bringing them back is a way for the judges to correct the tyranny of the “Idol” majority, but do they have the chops to survive without a helping hand from the judges?

It’s a diverse line up, with Anoop, blind singer Scott McIntyre and Puerto Rican Jorge Nunez, along with teens Allison Iraheta and Jasmine.  Paula Abdul told Iraheta, 16, she reminded her of season one champion Kelly Clarkson.

Clarkson herself will perform on “Idol” next week when the competition at last gets down to serious business. Rapper Kanye West will also make a guest appearance in what could be a sign of the star quality to come over the next few weeks.

Did the judges do right by “Idol” comeback hopefuls?

Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre and Jorge Nunez moved on to the next round on “American Idol” Wednesday, but none of those names came as a surprise and the focus moved to the eight contestants who will compete in next week’s “wildcard” round.

Did the judges pick the right contestants?

 The always-dramatic Tatiana Del Toro immediately burst into tears again at getting a second shot while Anoop Desai, who Cowell called “original, likeable, talented”, looked stunned when his name was called.

The judges also brought back Megan Joy Corkrey, with judge Simon Cowell saying she was one of their favorites from the audition rounds and that it came as a surprise when the bubbly blond was eliminated in week two.

 When the “American Idol” crew reconvenes on Thursday night, the judges will make their pick of the top three from the eight. The wildcard round — brought back this season after being left out for a few years – gives the judges a chance to rectify mistakes made by the voters.

Did they hit the mark, and who should now go through to join the Top 12?