13 is Lucky for American Idol Anoop Desai in Wild Card Round

by Tina Kells | March 6, 2009 at 02:14 pm

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Who says that 13 is an unlucky number? For American Idol contestant Anoop Desai, in the wild card round Thursday night 13 was one very lucky number. In the previous 7 seasons of America Idol only 12 finalists were chosen to compete but season 8 the judges decided to mix things up a bit.

All four hopefuls in the wild card round of the American Idol audition finals were chosen to compete on the prime time show making the number of contestants 13.

"We decided - recently - we're going to make this a top 13," Cowell revealed.

The three other wild-card finalists were Jasmine Murray, the big-voiced 16-year-old high school student from Starkville, Miss.; Megan Corkrey, the quirky 22-year-old single mother from Sandy, Utah; and Matt Giraud, the soulful 23-year-old dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich.

The previously dismissed foursome were selected by the show's judges.

Desai's last-minute selection wasn't the night's only seemingly unscripted moment. After oh-so-emotional semifinalist Tatiana Del Toro performed Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love For You," she kneeled and pleaded for a spot from the judges. Then, host Ryan Seacrest came on stage and told her she didn't have to get up off her knees.

Why the big change of heart from the American Idol judges? Could it be because in 2009 13 is a magical number?

Friday the 13th occurs 3 times in 2009. To commemorate this rare trio of Friday the 13ths a remake of the original Friday the 13th movie was release in February... on Friday the 13th.

Despite its bad rap, the number 13 isn't always associated with bad things.

In 1978 California passed Propsition 13 to help homeowners keep homes that had risen in value too quickly.

Proposition 13 has greatly benefited homeowners whose homes have appreciated in value since it was passed, particularly those (such as the elderly) whose incomes have not risen as fast as property values.

13 is the age at which children become teenagers and in many cultures it also represents the coming of age into adulthood. In Judaism 13 is the age at which a boy becomes a man and is marked by a special celebration called a Bar Mitzvah.

There are other very positive associations with the number 13. In Judaism God has 13 Attributes of Mercy. In Sikhism 13 is pronounced "tera" which has the same meaning as "yours" and is associated with a closeness with God. In Karma 13 is a Karmic Debt Number associated with positive returns.

Perhaps the most interesting tie to the American Idol 13 and the number 13 is a mathematical one. 13 is a prime number and in numerology prime numbers are lucky.

To add to the intrigue of the mathematical connection this is the 8th season of American Idol and the number 13, when spelled out in English, has 8 letters. 13 the smallest integer with only 8 letters in the English spelling of the word.... and American Idol is performed mostly in English... a bit of a cosmic connection there!

The sports world also claims several lucky associations with the number 13. In Rugby League each team has 13 players and Rugby League enjoys greater popularity in Australia than Rugby Union.

Several famous athletes have worn the number 13 on their jersey:

Alex Rodriguez (NBA)
Dan Marino (NFL)
Wilt Chamberlain (NBA)
Shaquille O'Neal (NBA)
Steve Nash (NBA)
Mats Sundin (NHL)

So with all this good luck and karmic success associated with the number 13 season 8 of American Idol may just yield the biggest star yet. Perhaps it will even be the 13th wild card contestant, Anoop Desai, who takes the title.

If numerology is any indication this just may be Anoop Desai's year. He is 22 which in numerology is a master number associated with reaching the top and exuding an inner passion that others can plainly see.

Extremely capable of reaching the very top of his/her chosen profession

An inborn understanding of material problems and their forces

Very perceptive in most things

The inner fire of a 22 is visible to all he/she comes into contact with

The nervous tension felt by a 22 cannot often be hidden

Born on December 20, 1986, Anoop Desai's numerology number can be calculated as 11 (1+2+2+0+1+9+8+6) which is another master number in numerology. Since this is determined by his birth date it is also the his life path number. As an 11 he is destined for success.

While this master number has added to him or her a higher perception and awareness along with more enhanced capabilities of understanding it will still take much effort on the eleven's part to develop these gifts before fully capable of applying them to his life path.

Once developed this individual is capable of far more attainment than most others will ever be. Thus attaining higher material goals along with insights to the more esoteric pursuits in life.

Desai won the 13th spot on American Idol and in numerology 13 is reduced to 4, a number that is also associated with talent, fame, and success.

Whether or not 13 will be a lucky number for Anoop Desai remains to be seen. The 13th American Idol contestant begins his climb to stardom next week (Tuesday and Wednesday night) when the competition really heats up.

The 13 contestants competing in American Idol 8 are:

Kris Allen
Danny Gokey
Alexis Grace
Allison Iraheta
Adam Lambert
Scott MacIntyre
Jorge Nunez
Lil Rounds
Michael Sarver
Jasmine Murray
Megan Corkrey
Matt Giraud
Anoop Desai

The winners and runner-ups in the previous seven seasons of American Idol are:

Season 1: Winner, Kelly Clarkson, runner-up Justin Guarini
Season 2: Winner, Ruben Studdard, runner-up, Clay Aiken
Season 3: Winner, Fantasia Barrino, runner up Diana DeGarmo
Season 4: Winner, Carrie Underwood, runner-up Bo Bice
Season 5: Winner, Taylor Hicks, runner-up, Katherine McPhee
Season 6: Winner, Jordin Sparks, runner-up Blake Lewis
Season 7: Winner David Archuleta, runner-up David Cook

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Blue Crush

at 15:30 on March 6th, 2009

Great write up, Tina. I enjoyed reading it!

sara star

at 16:48 on March 6th, 2009

It will be interesting to see if any of them win.

Sammikens

at 17:33 on March 6th, 2009

I've been a fan of Mats Sundin for a long time, although I am not a fan of the Leafs. When my friend wrote to say she had tickets to his one and only appearance in Toronto this season, off we went! I wasn't sure what to expect from the crowd, the hockey boards were loaded with opinions both for and against Sundin's decision to leave the Leafs. When he game out for the warm up, there was a huge amount of booing but there were many Canucks' fans in attendance and they balanced it out. When the game started and the Leafs' organization showed a tribute video of Mats' career, things changed. He was given a very much deserved standing ovation and when he scored the game winning goal in the shoot out, you would have thought the Leafs had won the game! He was also named the first star and received another ovation when he came on the ice. He was really touched by the response and stayed out for a long time, waving and bowing to the fans. It was really nice to see and I have to commend the Leafs' organization for the tribute. The various ownership groups/individuals have done some bad things over the 40+ years I've been a hockey fan, but this is something they did really well.

Sammikens has contributed a photo to this story.