Hip, hip, hurray: Matt Giraud lives!

For all those Idol fans out there... Matt Giraud is stayin' alive, an appropriate sentiment given that A) voters kicked him off the show last week, but the judges kept him by using their single save, and B) "Stayin' Alive" was the song he sang for America on Tuesday night that resulted in his earning another week on the show.

So hurray for him, and hurray for all the Michigan communities that have a place for Matt in their hearts. For those unaware of all that is American Idol gossip and knowledge, Matt hails from the Milan area and graduated from Lincoln High School. A great deal of his family members are still residents of Milan, Mich. and his father graduated from Milan High School in 1974. Also staking a claim to his residency card is Kalamazoo across yonder in Western Michigan. Coincidentally, he attended Western Michigan University where he graduated with a B.A. and was working as a dueling piano player at a bar.

Since we like local around here, I thought I'd plug him again so that people can keep voting for him. I watch the show regularly and he happens to be in my top three. I actually like his style more than Danny Gokey, even though the Gokester has a great voice, pitch, and tone. I can actually picture myself liking Matt's music longterm, when I can't do that for Danny. Of course, Kris and Adam are (unquestionably) the top two, IMO.

If you're interested in Matt or intrigued, you can check out some of his best recent performances here, **here**(actual live video with piano playing), here, here, and here. They are available for purchase on iTunes through the American Idol page, as are the works of the rest of the contestants.