LOS ANGELES — A sequel has been greenlit for Matt
Giraud on "American Idol."
The 23-year-old piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich.,
who crooned Bryan Adam's "Have You Ever Really
Loved a Woman?" from "Don Juan DeMarco" for his
movie song performance Tuesday, received the
fewest number of viewer votes Wednesday on the
popular Fox singing competition. However, the judges
decided to use their one-time power to save him from
elimination.
"`Idol' history has been made!" host Ryan Seacrest
exclaimed following the salvation.
With the other three judges excitedly gathered around
him, Simon Cowell seemed to be foreshadowing
Giraud's exit by telling him that his last-chance
performance was not as "good as you were last night"
and that Giraud did not "really have any chance of
winning the competition." But Cowell relented and
delivered Giraud's good news _ and then some bad
news.
"I wouldn't be so quick to congratulate him," he
prattled as the other singers huddled around
Giraud.
Cowell said because Giraud was rescued this week,
two finalists will be dismissed after next week's disco-
themed performances, as stipulated by the new rule
introduced this earlier season. The other bottom vote-
getters were 24-year-old mother of three Lil Rounds
from Memphis, Tenn., and 22-year-old college student
Anoop Desai from Chapel Hill, N.C.
