Idol Chatter & Voice Views

No, Michael Sarver will not be heading back to an oil rig and the world’s fifth most dangerous job.

Instead, he plans to pursue a career as an entertainer, which just might be the world’s most fickle occupation.

Of course, if wholesome appeal and family values mean anything, Michael Sarver might just beat the odds.

The media got another reminder of that Friday afternoon, during Michael’s conference call interview, held the day after he got the Idol boot.

The moment of elimination leaves many departing Idol contestants in tears.

As for Michael … yeah, he admitted, that was a smile on his face Thursday night after his fate became clear.

Not that he welcomed his departure from Idol. But once he knew he was departing, he immediately started looking forward to a reunion with his wife and two young children back in Jasper, Texas.

“There was a smile because of the idea that I’m going home,” the 27-year-old said. “I’m not relieved because there’s nothing to relieve me from. I was there on my own accord, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

“But, once I found out I was going home, the best part of it is that I have an incredible family to go home to. And I couldn’t be more excited than to find myself on a plane headed in that direction.”

As for the time between now and the start of American Idol tour this summer …

“Well, number one, I will not be going back to the oil rig,” Michael said. “I don’t think it would be a great idea to get out there and take a chance on hurting myself and not being available for the tour. I’m going to take some time off to spend with my family. I believe they deserve my undivided attention for a little while, and that’s exactly what they’re going to get.”

As for the future, Michael plans to record music. He sees himself making music that’s a combination of R&B, pop and soul, maybe a cross between Justin Timberlake and Gavin DeGraw.

Apparently, he’s got plenty of material to choose from. The guy who looks like he belongs on a football field … or an oil rig … says he’s written more than 890 songs since the age of 14.

Those songs include stories from “a hard-lived life, a good-lived life and the happiness that I experience in my life now, and I plan to share it,” said Michael, who served as a lead vocalist at Harvest Church back home before his Idol run began.

Ask him about his most memorable moment on Idol and the answer is again surprising … but a little less so because it’s coming from Michael.

Since he was the low vote-getter, Michael was forced to sing at the end of Thursday’s show. And he was singing for his Idol life, knowing the judges had the power to save him, but at the same time knowing that was highly unlikely.

How could such a pressure-packed couple of minutes become his favorite Idol memory?

It’s pretty simple, the way Michael sees it.

“My favorite moment, really, truthfully, is a brand new moment, when I got sing on the same exact stage, on the same exact night, as Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone and Smokey Robinson. Those guys are no joke in the music business, and I have so much respect for them,” he explained.

“If I went home, then that meant, bummer, I had to sing on the same stage as those guys. A huge memory for me.”