American Idol: Matt is out!

AP Photo/FOX, Michael Becker, File
In this April 21, 2009 file photo released by Fox, contestant Adam Lambert performs on 'American Idol' in Los Angeles.
Derrik J. Lang/ AP
LOS ANGELES: There was no saving Matt Giraud this time on "American Idol."The 23-year-old dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich., was rescued by the show's judges two weeks ago. But on Wednesday it was revealed that he received the fewest viewer votes on the Fox singing competition — just beneath this season's most formidable front-runner."I'll definitely remember being the cat with nine lives up here," Giraud said after his dismissal.At the start of the show, host Ryan Seacrest split the finalists: Giraud and Kris Allen on one side, Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta on the other. Seacrest then allowed seemingly unstoppable Adam Lambert to choose which group he belonged in. Lambert picked Gokey and Iraheta, but Seacrest dropped a bomb: Lambert was in the bottom three with Giraud and Allen."My mouth went open again," said judge Kara DioGuardi. "That's what happens with Adam."The drama was extended after Seacrest sent Allen to safety, leaving Lambert and Giraud as the bottom two vote-getters. While the judges were split on Tuesday's "Rat Pack"-themed show over Giraud's "My Funny Valentine" rendition, they all agreed that 27-year-old theater actor Lambert's "Feeling Good" performance left them feeling, well, really good.The Lambert alarm was all for naught, though. Giraud was sent packing.Gokey and Iraheta, who both recently celebrated birthdays, were safe from elimination, but the 29-year-old church music director from Milwaukee and the 17-year-old high school student from Los Angeles weren't totally out of harm's way. Video was shown of them tangling in a cake-making brawl that left their kitchen a mess.Gokey was served with the cleaning bill."You mean `American Idol' doesn't pay for this?" Gokey asked."Maybe we'll take care of it if you win," Seacrest responded.The four remaining finalists — Allen, Gokey, Iraheta and Lambert — will perform rock 'n' roll songs next week, two weeks before the two-part finale.

Tennis queen Safina into second round

STUTTGART: Russia's Dinara Safina celebrated her first match as world number one by needing just 51 minutes to blitz Italy's Sara Errani 6-0, 6-1 in the first round of Stuttgart's WTA tournament on Tuesday.
The Russian dominated to win the first set in just 26 minutes against Errani, ranked 37th, and it took the 21-year-old Italian 40 minutes to even win a game as the Russian hit five aces in her opening match here.
With plenty of power at the baseline blended with some delicate dropshots Safina, who turned 23 on Monday, began her Stuttgart campaign in style at the first indoor stadium on the WTA tour to host a clay-court tournament.
"I was quite nervous before the match, I was trying to do everything right and stay focused - it went well," said Safina, who will play France's Alize Cornet or Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova in the second round.
"I served well and I just want to enjoy my day off and rest up before the rest of the matches.
"It's the perfect preparation here for Roland Garros (which starts on May 23), it's fast like the courts in Paris and because it is indoors, you don't get the rain delays."
In contrast, Olympic champion Elena Dementieva needed more than two hours to survive a scare from local heroine Anna-Lena Groenefeld before winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 earlier in the day.
Having had few problems in the first set, the Russian pin-up was put under pressure in the second and could only defend one of the three break points against her.
But the Russian, who won gold at the Beijing Olympic Games last August, regained control in the third set before admitting she had found it hard going.
"It was a difficult match to play, she never lets you get into a rhythm," complained the 27-year-old.
"I lost my concentration in the second set and she was hitting the ball really hard.
"A first round match is always tough, especially as it was my first experience on clay for a while, so the second round should get better."
In the other first round matches, eighth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland needed a first set-tie break against Aleksandra Wozniak before her comfortable 7-6 (7/2), 6-0 victory over the Canadian.
China's Na Li beat compatriot Shuai Peng 6-2, 6-3 while Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova also took her place in the second round with a strong comeback as she won 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Italy's Alberta Brianti.
Seventh-seed Caroline Wozniacki booked her second-round berth as she beat Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic in straight sets while France's Marion Bartoli beat Croatia's Karolina Sprem 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 just before midnight.
Earlier, former world number one Jelena Jankovic admitted thoughts of defending the WTA title she won here last year are far from her mind as she looks to recapture her lost form.
The 24-year-old had a glittering 2008 season when she reached the US Open final as well as the last four at both Roland Garros and the Australian Open to finish the year as world number one.
But a change in her training over the winter break did not yield the rewards she was hoping for and, by her own admission, she has been slow around the court recently as Safina has claimed top ranking in the world.
"I won't be thinking about defending the title here, it's more important for me to just get back to playing good tennis," said Jankovic who plays Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the first round on Wednesday.
Jankovic beat Nadia Petrova 6-4, 6-3 to win last year's final here as part of a trio of consecutive titles she won at Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow.
But having won the low-key Marbella WTA tournament this year and only reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, Jankovic says recapturing form is her priority now having dropped to fourth in the rankings.
"When I walk on court I will have some memories of how well I was playing last year, but I need to get back to that level," she said with the next Grand Slam - the French Open - due to begin on May 23.