Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson will play ‘Idol’

updated 6:01 p.m. ET March 6, 2009

NEW YORK - “American Idol” is about to get a double dose of star power: Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson.

The Grammy winners will share the stage as performers during Wednesday’s elimination show.

West, making his first appearance on the top-rated Fox series, will perform his hit song “Heartless” from his latest album “808s & Heartbreak.”

Clarkson, the original “American Idol,” will sing her chart-topper “My Life Would Suck Without You,” off her new album that drops Tuesday.

West’s appearance is sure to thrill Anoop Desai, one of “American Idol’s” final 13, who dreams of working with the rapper.

Desai says he also wants to collaborate with rapper Ludacris and would faint if Stevie Wonder returned as a celebrity mentor on “American Idol.”

The 22-year-old college student from Chapel Hill, N.C., would appreciate style advice from West.

“I’m definitely going to pick his brain — we’ll see if he has anything to lend me too,” joked Desai, who loves R&B music and got the “Idol” audience moving with his performance of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.”

Desai joined fellow wild card finalists Jasmine Murray, Megan Corkrey and Matt Giraud in a teleconference Friday.

“I didn’t think I was going to make it through the first (audition),” said Corkrey, a 22-year-old single mother from Sandy, Utah. “I never even made a solo in choir in high school, so I didn’t think I was going to go anywhere.”

Tattoo you
Corkrey has emerged as one of this year’s quirkiest hopefuls. She said she has seven tattoos — including that ink-stained sleeve on her right arm, which she describes as a work in progress. She can’t explain her spastic dancing style.

“I really don’t know why that happens!” she said. “When I start singing, I just flop around, and it just happens.”

Corkrey’s biggest inspiration is Bjork, who also marches to her own beat.

“I fell in love with her when I was 16,” Corkrey said. “She’s changed my life. Her music is so beautiful and original different — and it’s so emotional, and I just love it. ... If I was allowed to, I would sing any Bjork song.”

Giraud, the soulful 23-year-old dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich., said he sang for his life Thursday night. His bluesy take on the Jackson 5’s “Who’s Lovin’ You” earned him raves from the judges — making up for his lackluster performance of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” which led to his (temporary) elimination.

“I definitely could not sleep that night. ... People thought I was gonna do well, and I kinda felt like I let everyone down,” he said. “It just wasn’t the right song, but that’s behind me.”

Murray, the 17-year-old high school student from Starkville, Miss., said she wants to explore different musical styles to figure out what kind of singer she wants to be.

“Since I’m so young, I don’t want to limit myself,” said Murray, who developed stage confidence on the beauty pageant circuit.

The other finalists are Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Scott MacIntyre, Jorge Nunez, Lil Rounds and Michael Sarver.

The competition’s finals will begin Tuesday — with one singer sent packing each Wednesday.

The show — a ratings juggernaut since it debuted in 2002 — has attracted numerous top artists as mentors and performers in recent seasons. Among them: Mariah Carey, Prince, Gwen Stefani, Dolly Parton and Jennifer Lopez.

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