posted March 18, 2009 at 17:10 EST in Other Free Picks
American Idol Betting – 10 and Counting
by Mike Rose
American Idol Betting – 10 and Counting….
We swung and missed at a wicked curveball in last week’s American Idol betting elimination show. By no means did I have Jasmine Murray anywhere close to going, but she was tossed to the wayside in the first 15 minutes of the show. The judges felt her rendition of “I’ll Be There” just didn’t stack up to that of Michael Jackson’s and Mariah Carey’s versions, and evidently, the voting public was of the same belief. That said; I was 100% correct in thinking two males and a female would be in the bottom three, as the last two people on stage at the end of the show were Anoop Desai and Jorge Nunez. We would’ve cashed our tickets on Jorge if elimination odds were released last week, but that wasn’t the case.
Last night’s show was one of my least favorite of the season, but it always is since I’m by no means a country music fan. Texas native Michael Sarver kicked “Country Music Week” off with a Garth Brooks tongue twister, “Till the Sun Comes Up”. Michael had a heck of a time with all the words in his rehearsal with the legendary Randy Travis, but he nailed it under the big bright lights of the Kodak Theatre. He did a decent enough job for someone covering the song on Karaoke night, but I’m not sure it was good enough to advance. Michael just might find himself in the bottom three tonight, so grab some of him at +250.
Next up was 16-year old Allison Iraheta who simply amazed with her version of Patti Lovelace’s “Blame it on Your Heart”. Her unique rocker voice made the song all the more easier to listen to, and all the judges loved it. Allison will move comfortably into the round of 10.
After reintroducing himself to the competition by picking up a guitar last week, Kris Allen showed us his tender side with Garth Brooks’ “To Make You Feel My Love”. The ladies loved it, and Simon thought it was terrific and stated, “That performance leads me to believe you can do very well in this competition”. You’re pretty much always safe when Simon applauds you, so move Kris into the top 10. Kris was one of three contestants that dramatically improved their stock last night.
Lil Rounds found herself completely out of her element on this week’s show. Her voice just isn’t suited for country, or it’s just not suited for the song she chose last night, “Independence Day”. The effort was by far her worst of the competition, but it was by no means bad enough to send one of the competitions favorites packing. She might get a scare in the bottom three, but Lil will certainly be back next week.
Adam Lambert is a very original fella, and he certainly didn’t disappoint his fans with his version of Johnny Cash’s classic “Ring of Fire”. I thought it was pretty cool. When Randy Jackson compared it to Nine Inch Nails, I belted out laughing because I was thinking Trent Reznor to myself throughout the entire performance. Randy Travis might have hated it, but you’d put Randy and Adam on completely opposite sides of a spectrum if you were to compare them. The competition favorite is moving on with ease…
My significant other is madly in love with Scott Macintrye. She thinks he’s cute as a button. I’m not of the same belief. I belief his story has gotten him this far, and the story is getting a bit old right now. His act has already gotten old for me, and for a couple of the judges. We all want to see more. He doesn’t have to worry about being voted off yet, but he really has to start amazing if he’s to compete with some of the competition’s power voices.
Alexis Grace showed us that she just doesn’t own the pipes or the body frame to tackle Dolly Parton. She stumbled throughout her performance of “Jolene” and could find herself in big trouble this week. This is the best of the best now, and at +1000 to go tonight, I have to take a stab!
Danny Gokey struggled terribly in rehearsal with Randy Travis covering Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel”, but he succeeded wonderfully on stage. His outfit was tough to look at, but his voice is a joy to listen to; especially when he belts it out. I’d actually buy a bit more of him at +275 to win the entire competition. Adam might run into a problem when it matters most due to his creativity, and Gokey backers will be right there to reap the rewards.
It was really tough watching Anoop Desai cover “Beat It” last week, but he was a joy to watch when he covered Willie Nelson’s classic “You’re Always on my Mind” last night. Randy thought the performance was “Dope”, Kara stated it was her favorite performance of the night, Paula proclaimed “Anoop is back!”, and Simon said he went form a zero last week to a hero this week. Shockingly, Anoop is moving on and will tour with the Top 10 AI’s once the season comes to a close. He was the second contestant to really improve his stock.
Next up was the influenza B stricken Megan Joy Corkrey who stood and wiggled her way through “Walking after Midnight”. I had Megan booted from the show last week, and I’m going down that road again this time around. Yes she’s pretty, yes she has a cool sleeve tattoo, and yes she’s got a spunky personality. However, her voice just gets to me and her dance moves are flat out awful. At +300, I gotta take a stab since she’s the worst of the remaining four females, but it wouldn’t shock me if she’s given a mulligan and returns next week by the voting public; certainly bottom three material though.
The show concluded with Matt Giraud covering another Carrie Underwood song. Simon stated it best when he said, "You’re not getting enough credit for your vocals; you out sang Gokey tonight!” It was Randy’s favorite performance of the night and both of the ladies just gushed over him. Matt was the third and final contestant to really improve his stock this week, and he’s moving into the final 10 with ease because of it.
My bottom three: Michael Sarver +250, Megan Joy Corkrey +300, Alexis Grace +1000
Though none were flat out terrible, we’re down to the nitty gritty of the competition and somebody has to go. Check back next week as we continue to pad our bankroll for the remainder of March Madness betting and the beginning of the 2009 MLB betting season at BetUS Sportsbook
