L.D. hopes to make most of second chance

L.D. Miller made good on his second chance. After seemingly being eliminated in close first round competition on NBC's The Search for America's Most Talented Kid, the show conducted a wild card round, and Lafayette's littlest harmonica player won by 0.01 of a point to make it into Friday night's finals.

L.D.'s family/bandmates said the 9-year-old exuded confidence, which most likely helped his cause.

"He said he would win. He's like that. Boy, I tell ya, that was an experience," said Larry Miller, L.D.'s father and bassist in the Clayton Miller Blues Band.

Taped Wednesday with a large cash prize at stake, the finals will air at 8 Friday. The Millers will be at Riehle Bros. Pavilion, 2270 Concord Road, Friday for a public screening of the final episode of the Star Search-like program.

To preview the show, L.D. and the other finalists will appear Friday on The Today Show. The NBC news program starts at 7 a.m. The Millers will fly back to Indiana immediately afterward.

Larry and oldest brother, Clayton, said a few factors worked in L.D.'s favor last Friday. The kids were judged by the audience and not B-list celebrities, and L.D. was allowed to use a handheld "bullet" microphone for his harmonica while using a regular mic for the vocals. This allowed L.D. to move around on stage like during his concerts. In the first round, L.D. was stuck behind a mic stand for the whole performance.

"I think the first show, he didn't have his usual set up, which didn't give him the freedom he usually has," said Clayton, who advised his youngest brother to treat the wild card round like a regular gig.

L.D. received the highest score on the show as of yet with a 9.98.

"I thought I was going to have a heart attack," said Larry, who has been on the program to support his son as the scores are announced.

Larry expressed regret that L.D. had to beat a 12-year-old singer by the name of Morgan to get to the finals. The boys had become really good friends, and L.D. showed good sportsmanship by giving him a big hug after the results were announced.

The Millers were unsure what L.D. will perform in the finals. They also are unsure of the show's format as slight tweaks were still being made two days before taping. Although another panel of celebrities may judge tonight's final, Larry said he prefers the audience voting.

"I thought the audience would be more talent-orientated instead of focusing on cuteness," Larry said.

In between their three trips to Los Angeles in the past month, the Millers have squeezed in a handful of Midwest and East Coast gigs. They've noticed crowds have gotten a little bigger, and L.D. has been wearing out his hand signing autographs.

"L.D. takes it all in stride. It doesn't even faze him. He doesn't even care," Larry said.

L.D. was also a subject of a recent editorial cartoon in the Journal and Courier. Larry said L.D. thought it was " 'really cool someone would make a cartoon of me.' "

As their dramatic month nears an end, the Millers have been glad to be given the opportunity to showcase L.D.'s talent.

"The show has been good for the kids," Clayton said. "They're not getting critiqued. They give them candy and make sure they're having fun."

The Millers said they are looking forward to cooling their jets and playing some summer concerts in Greater Lafayette.

"It's really been very hectic," Larry said.