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'American Idol's' Megan Joy: 'I woke up with this feeling that I'd be going'

The morning after being eliminated, fallen "American Idol" singer Megan Joy still isn't making any apologies: not for herself or her brother.

Instead, after being told by Simon Cowell that she wouldn't be saved no matter how her final song went, Joy appeared to have a grand old time belting out Bob Marley's "Turn Your Lights Down Low" for the last time and making bird noises at the remaining contestants. 

She talked to Idoltracker this morning about how she got them to "caw" back, her brother's dissing of Kara DioGuardi, how she felt about telling Simon off and her secret passion for Cradle of Filth.

How are you feeling after what happened last night?
I am tired and very excited to see my son. It’s been a couple of months. Every minute that passes is harder.

You didn’t seem particularly sad. What were you thinking about?
I just woke up kind of knowing it was my time. I woke up with this feeling that I’d be going. So I decided to just have the best attitude that I could and get excited about what’s going to happen after.

So you were actually looking forward to moving on?
It’s never fun to get cut from a competition. I was excited to show America that I could belt songs out like the rest of them. I was bummed not to have that chance. But I get to go home to my son, so how am I'm feeling? It’s kind of a tossup.

Did you have a song picked out for next week?
I did. I was going to sing ‘Separate Lives’ by Phil Collins.

What’s the deal with the bird thing?
I love birds and I’m just a big dork. I love making animal noises, and sometimes people think I’m funny, and I just decided to make a couple people laugh. The two people that think I’m funny.

Was that an inside joke between you and Allison?
No, I just make noises all the time. All day yesterday I was like, ‘Guys, I think I’m going home. Please caw for me! Be my bird friends!’ And they were like, ‘Of course we will.’

During the elimination, your brother yelled ‘Broken record!’ to Kara and they squabbled off-camera. What happened there?
I didn’t get to see it. He told me about it later. I just think it’s hilarious. My brother’s just like me. He is who he is and he represents me. He can’t take it when someone’s tearing me down, so he voiced his opinion. I think he’s hilarious.

Talk to us about telling Simon that you didn’t care what he said.
I really didn’t mean to upset him. I had no idea that it was going to be like that. I didn’t want people to think I didn’t care about the competition. I just didn’t care that Simon didn’t like my song. I did care about what the judges thought because I wanted to keep progressing, but not personally for myself. If they don’t like what I do, that’s fine, but I’m not going to take it to heart, because I am who I am and I’m not going to change that. I sing how I sing, and if they don’t like it that’s cool. It’s not going to hurt my feelings.

American Idol Buzzmeter: Who will go home?

Which "American Idol" contestant will get the boot?

Our panelists* weigh in.

In order of most votes, their picks were:

1) Michael Sarver -- 11/19 votes

2) Megan Joy -- 5/19 votes

Do you agree with their picks? Sound off!

*Look at all the panelists and full results here.

View past American Idol Buzzmeters here.

Read the episode recap here.

Live from the Idoldome: The country battle lines

The country’s red state/blue state mentality cut a fault line across the “American Idol” stage Tuesday night as Grand Ole’ Opry night tested the 11 remaining singers’ reverence for the most traditional of American genres –- country music.

Many performers no doubt delighted “Idol’s” red state voters by kneeling at the altar of country standards; but others tempted the wrath of down home audiences with shocking re-interpretations that promised to please the bluer ends of the “Idol” spectrum. But in the end, it was those who performed between the two colors that seemed to carry the day.

Opry night saw contenders including Michael Sarver, Alexis Grace and early favorite Danny Gokey deliver solid, but respectful versions of country standards by Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood. They won fair to good reviews from the judges -- and the night’s mentor Randy Travis -- but perhaps were held back by their devotion to the material.

At the other end of the scale, favorite Adam Lambert alternately delighted and appalled the audience with a psychedelic, sitar-backed version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” which for better or worse, is destined to go down in “Idol” history as one of the show’s most daring performances. In the Idol-dome, the crowd seemed torn between wild applause and heated disdain.

“That was extremely disrespectful to country music,” huffed one visitor from Missouri.

However, the day seemed to have been won by Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai, who turned in earnest, soulful takes on “So Small” and “Always on My Mind,” respectively. Both offered a third way through the polarized "to do it country or not to do it country" conversation.

The night did have some backstage drama before the show thanks to quirky crooner Megan Joy (formerly Corkrey) who was felled by flu and had to miss the dress rehearsal. Ultimately, however, Joy delivered her strongest performance to date with an offbeat version of “Walking After Midnight.”

Going into the voting, Season 8 continues to be an impressive field with few disasters or clearly undeserved singers on the stage to provide easy elimination fodder in these early weeks. Those who make it through tomorrow night’s elimination will earn spots on the show’s national tour — and the hefty paycheck that comes with it.

More scenes from the Idoldome, after the jump.

 

Phil Stacey blog: Idol's first to fall

Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez have become the first to officially be voted off "American Idol" this season after Ryan announced the new "save" tweak in the rules. The judges now have the opportunity to unanimously "save" any one Idol voted off before Top Five Week, resulting in no one going home. If someone is saved, the following week two singers will end up on the chopping block. 

Ryan explained that this new rule change is to prevent one of America’s favorites from falling through the voting cracks.  He used Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson as examples of those who could have been saved.  I kept waiting for Ryan to mention my name.... I’m sure he just ran out of time since it is a live show.

Jasmine Murray was in the bottom with fellow wild-card pick Megan Joy Corkrey. Immediately after being cut, she was forced to sing for her Idol life.  I felt a little bad for her, but  I wasn’t surprised that she went home.  She is a beautiful young lady who now has some great experience under her belt to build on.

It was no shocker that Jorge Nunez and Anoop Desai were in the second bottom two.  Even though Anoop’s "Beat It" performance really was the worst of Tuesday night, I thought his fans would pull through for him.  I am rooting for him to redeem himself next week.

Kayne West and Kelly Clarkson rocked out for us tonight.  I loved seeing the original Idol coming back and reminding us why we love her!

Few people realize that due to the nature of putting on a live show, not all celebrity performances are shot live.  Sometimes these numbers are taped right before the show or after Tuesday’s show.  Clues that give away a pre-taped performance include judges not in their seats or there are no contestants on the stage.

We also saw where the Idol contestants are sleeping — a $40-million, 20,000-square-foot mansion!  Not quite as glamorous as the 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment I shared with three other guys, including the loudest snorer I have ever met — Chris Sligh!  But I wouldn’t trade my apartment for the mansion; I was able to sneak my wife and babies in and out of our building!

So what do you all think of the new super-save-power the judges now possess?  Do you think America made the correct choice by cutting Jorge and Jasmine?

NOTE: Please join us for a very special post-game chat with Idol's stage manager/den mother since the first season, Debbie Williams.  That will happen tomorrow, Thursday, 12:15 PT at latimes.com/idoltracker.

—Phil Stacey

Photo: Jorge Nunez has been voted off "American Idol."

Credit: Fox

The Rushfield Review: Live from the Idoldome

It has been a long time since were last here, on that balmy day last May when two Davids, just anointed the finalists, flipped a coin to see who would go first on the last show of American Idol's Season Seven. 

Whatever the controversy surrounding this season, the Idoldome was packed with a crowd ready to love again.  Waiting at the gate, a line stretched far back down the alley, almost silent with stifled anticipation. Near the front I see my first crowd sign of the season: “Alexis Rocks!”  A harbinger of things to come?  At the front of the line, a woman urges the guard to check the list one more time for her name. “It’s Lambert,” she pleads. “L-A-M-B-E-R-T.”  Just inside the gate, last season’s David Hernandez loitered with friends. A mild frenzy broke out amidst the 14-year-old-girl-heavy crowd waiting to take their seats just outside the Dome doors when amongst the dress rehearsal crowds disgorging from the theater, semifinalist Alexander Wagner-Trugman suddenly appeared. He waved sheepishly to the shrieking teens.

In the Idoldome, it was like a class reunion as old friends from the audience hugged crew members they hadn’t seen since last spring.  In the bleachers, former Idols Ace Young, Justin Guarini, Chikezie and Idoltracker’s own Phil Stacey mingled alongside Elizabeth Hasslebeck, Gordon Ramsay, and Posh and David Beckham’s children, sent under the charge of a nanny. (A high point of the night –- seeing Ramsay schmoozing during the break with judge Simon Cowell –- a veritable surly Brits convention.)

The set, with its 1/3 tweak and polish, somehow without appearing different in an any particular way, seemed bigger, sharper and projected a sense of energy beyond the expected thrill of the Idoldome.  Looking up at the stage, it is impossible not to look backward, to dwell on thoughts of the titans whose careers began under these lights   –- Clarkson, Aiken, Hudson, Underwood, Daughtry, Sparks, Cook and Smithson. 

But by the time the lights fell, the judges emerged from behind the giant screen and Ryan Seacrest descended on the set’s new showpiece, the illuminated stairway to paradise, all minds were very much in the present and for the children of Season 8, it was their moment.

Phil Stacey blog: return to the Idoldome

The semifinals are over and we have officially started the real competition phase of "American Idol."  The contestants have left the comfort of open song choice and have entered the hit-and-miss theme weeks.  Michael Jackson was our inspiration tonight, and I was pleasantly surprised at what we heard!

I am in L.A. this week for an upcoming tour and caught the show sitting in the audience!  Bumped into the L.A. Times' own Richard Rushfield.  I must admit that it was very weird sitting in the audience instead of singing on stage.  It was nice to see the children of contestants come out during their parent’s performance.  Mine always had to stay backstage in the green room.

According to the reaction of the judges and the studio audience, tonight’s obvious winner was Adam Lambert.  I was not fully convinced.  I felt like he was way to theatrical and has yet to show us anything different.  He obviously has an amazing voice, range and knows how to work a stage, but I have yet to hear something that would play well at radio from him.  He obviously will be around for a long time so I’m looking forward to see if he will do anything unexpected.

On the other hand, I thought that Matt Giraud’s performance of "Human Nature" was a great and showed his commercial viability.  And I really enjoyed his piano playing.  I see him gaining more and more fans as the season progresses.

Michael Jackson week on 'Idol'; who's heir apparent to the King of Pop?

Does anyone else feel drained, already? As if watching Michael Jackson’s own long career slide hasn’t been hard enough, “American Idol” introduced its finalists this week with a “King of Pop”-themed show that had more peaks and gut punches than seemed possible so early in the game.

The brazenly gifted Adam Lambert had all four judges and the studio audience ready to push his dyed bangs aside and pour anointing oil on his forehead after he turned “Black or White,” one of Jackson’s most confrontational songs, into a glam-pride manifesto.

Danny Gokey, who could face off against Lambert at season’s end, was also showered in judge-love for his rendition of “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” which accelerated from a falsetto kiss to a full-on soul man’s seduction.

And Allison Iraheta, representing for the rocker kids of Latino Los Angeles, dove headfirst into the pathos of Jackson’s lust-rocker “Give In to Me” and ended up the season’s official dark horse.

Then there were the heartbreakers — foremost among them Anoop Desai’s stumble on “Beat It,” a song that proved musically too much for the sweetly overconfident North Carolinian. Desai is a strong but basically tactless singer, the kind who could benefit from the trial and error of a few weeks on the show. But he may not survive this overstep.

Equally wobbly was Jorge Nuñez, who seemed to be chasing after the melody of “Never Can Say Goodbye” instead of reveling in it. It’s sad that these two contenders, who bring new perspectives to “Idol,” may not make it another week.

Their harried turns revealed the trickiness of Jackson’s repertoire. His hits are so familiar that we forget how intricate they can be. In some, a singer must be able to go from feather-light melodicism to heavy aggression in the span of a single breath; in others, the build is everything, and so easily overdone.

A pedestrian delivery, such as Jasmine Murray’s on “I’ll Be There” or Alexis Grace’s on “Dirty Diana,” recalls Jackson’s phrasing and begs unflattering comparison. A quirky one, like Megan Corkery’s on “Rockin’ Robin,” threatens to slip into caricature.

For the “Idol” bunch, Jackson’s music proved to be an obstacle course. Those who jumped in strong came out ahead. But beyond the star-making turns by the season’s new Top 3, several less showy achievements should not be forgotten.

So here’s to Matt Giraud, who treated Jackson’s most opalescent song, “Human Nature,” with kindness and grace; Kris Allen similarly triumphed by laying back on “Remember the Time.”

And here’s to Michael Sarver, who got the build just right on the inspirational “You Are Not Alone.” Lil Rounds also deserves credit for finding a musical story in a Jackson song, uncovering the classic Motown roots of his Jheri-curl era hit “The Way You Make Me Feel.”

Let’s hope subtlety continues to form the undercurrent of this “Idol” season, even as its more spectacular voices ride its wave forward.

NOTE:  Please join us for our post-game chat with out team of Idol experts, Wednesday noon PT at latimes.com/idoltracker.

— Ann Powers

photo:Fox

Top ... 13?! A report from the after-party

The blue carpet was bustling Thursday night outside the West Hollywood nightclub Area, where the "American Idol" Season 8 Top 13 were feted. Fresh from the show, which took place a hop, skip and a jump away on the CBS lot, Kara, Paula, bikini girl Katrina Darrell and the lucky 13 walked down the press line, some more shocked than others at their sudden and continuing fortune.

Adam Lambert, who's made a stir lately with some leaked photos online, was the picture of amiability, dressed in a black sequined blazer, teal button-down and thin black tie. When asked to describe himself as performer, he said, "I'm just Adam," and that he is. Black fingernail polish and all, he's definitely not backing down from his style. He said he was planning to perform more rock, and also pop and electronic music as Season 8 continues.

Another Top 13 contestant with rockin' style is 16-year-old Allison Iraheta, who described her performing style as "laid-back, chill" and "different." Citing influences such as Pink and Selena, Allison seemed very comfortable with her style, which includes her trademark cherry red hair and punky clothes.  She confessed to knowing her life would change in "every single way."

Puerto Rico's Jorge Nunez said he was inspired by the memory of his great-grandfather, who passed away a year and two months ago. Asked whether his grandfather sang, he said no, but that he danced. He plans to keep America voting for him with his "passion" and by "delivering beautiful music." I brought up the text message Marc Anthony sent to Ryan Seacrest praising Jorge, and he got immediately excited. "That was amazing!" he said with a big smile, telling me his first reaction was "What? Shut up!" He said that Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez are even more popular in Puerto Rico than they are here, so his thrill is most certainly warranted.

The Rushfield Review: The Top 12 takes shape

All will be revealed is the promise of many a current television epic, but Wednesday night’s "American Idol" featured enough curtain lifting to keep the online Idolsphere’s collective head whirling for a year.

Not only did we, as expected, fill out the final slots in the Top 9 (with the predictable Scott MacIntyre, Lil Rounds -- pictured at left on Tuesday's show -- and Jorge Nuñez) but the most puzzled-over mystery of the season was finally cleared up: The identities of the wild card contestants were unveiled.

Actually, this was the first truly suspenseful results show thus far.  While the sudden death element of each week of the semifinal rounds raised the stakes immensely, the contests ended up completely lopsided, with at least two of the three weekly chairs almost certain to go to the huge favorites (Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, MacIntyre, Rounds).  Due to whatever quirk of fate, the distance between the favorites and the field each week has been a mile.

On the flip side, each results show, we have been treated to the spectacle of those many, many who had fallen in their performance nights, trotted out to the death couch -- a grim march to  certain execution. It was, for instance, beyond tragic to watch the once-effervescent but now utterly deflated 16-year-old Arianna Afsar, whose trembling lips and tear-stained eyes gave no doubt she knew what exactly Angel of Death Ryan Seacrest had in store for her, forced to tell the Reaper, “Obviously, I have regrets.”

Thinking about what kind of Top 12 this season’s altered format will produce, it can be said that the above favorites would likely have made it to the big stage in any season in which they appeared, while the jury is very much still out on the remaining three (Nuñez, Michael Sarver and Kris Allen).