AMERICAN IDOL: It's on! Cook vs. Archuleta
Did you hear that huge, nervous sigh of relief from "American Idol" headquarters? In a season of worrisome declining ratings, the producers at least got the title fight they yearned for: The Battle of the Two Davids.
Well, there was very little doubt, after Tuesday's performances, that Syesha Mercado was headed for the exit. More than 56 million votes were cast this week, and Syesha got the deflating news Wednesday. She just didn't have enough fire power to finish ahead of either "D" locomotive that pulled most of the load fueling interest in Season 7.
I'll give Syesha this much: She was the last woman standing in a female field that included gifted Carly Smithson and the season's true original, rocker Amanda Overmyer. I mean, how many times was Syesha in the Bottom 2? Or among the lowest vote-getters? I still can't figure out how she came in third. (Can you imagine if she had competed against past winner Fantasia? The Season 3 champion's guest appearance Wednesday was an explosive force of nature.)
But now it's Cook, the ex-bartender who can style up a song, vs. Archuleta, who's apparently been groomed from birth by his stage dad for a moment like this. AI producers, I'm sure, want to replicate the Season 2 showdown of Ruben Studdard vs. Clay Aiken. And both Davids have the vocal gusto to live up to the moment. Stage presence? Well, Archuleta needs to work on that one. But let's hope they both let rip with something memorable for this sagging season's finale ... Please!
UPDATE: Donald Munro reacts to Wednesday's results.
Well, Felicia, not much suspense there. I'm glad I already wrote half my Sunday Spotlight column this afternoon on it being a David vs. David match-up in the finals. (My deadline is Thursday, so I could
have changed it if Syesha had made the cut, but I was feeling lazy today and figured I'd go with our "AI" punditry gut opinions.) I guess now is as good a time as any to reveal that you, Felicia, will be on
VACATION next week, you lucky thing, so it will fall on me alone to experience the Double D's and write about it for the Beehive. (I'm thinking of blogging it live, so perhaps I can get "AI" expert Stephen to keep me company online.)
As far as Wednesday night's show, I thought it was a pretty good time (and the look of shock and awe on Simon Cowell's face as he watched Fantasia's frantic performance was priceless), and for a moment, as I
got caught up in the three different visit-the-hometown stories, I even forgot what a lousy time I had watching the contestants sing the night before. Perhaps that's the secret to "American Idol" contentment: Skip the actual competition nights and only watch the results.
Comments:
Aw, you called ME an AI expert.
I'm just an expert ranter when it comes to reality tv (don't get me STARTED on Project Runway moving to Lifetime).
Actually, next Wednesday I'll be at the REAL local expert's home, Debi Ruud, as she celebrates her birthday along with the results show.
But on Tuesday? I'll be watching!
What, doesn't Felicia own a laptop? Vacation/Shmaycation. Hey, make MikeOz fill in! That'll be punishment for whatever he might have done wrong in his life...
Posted by: Stephen at May 14, 2008 11:44 PM
Hey guys, I DESERVE a vacation after sitting through "I-Dull" this season (credit that term to Keith Olbermann's show). I'm betting the producers make changes for Season 8 to shore up the show's flagging ratings. They can start with better theme weeks. Neil Diamond? Dolly Parton? Yes, they're talented stars, but how many in AI's demographic target audience load those artists'songs on their iPods? Hey, I love old school stuff, but I recognize AI's theme weeks need to be more contemporary and trendy. And, oh, how about less Ryan Seacrest? The unfunny banter between him and Simon Cowell is getting so old.
Posted by: felicia matlosz at May 15, 2008 9:36 AM
Finally, we arrive at the long-overdue, inevitable conclusion. That was probably the biggest drag on this season, there was no drama because we all knew back in February or March that it would be David v. David in the finale. As a fan of neither one, I'll still watch for sake of seeing the thing through, but that 15 year old Filipina girl they had singing Whitney Houston on Oprah the other day was a far better performer than either of these chumps.
Felicia, I know we should want them to be contemporary, but we got a taste of that this week and it stunk. David Cook stumbled through a Switchfoot cover, Syesha bounced around trying to liven up a tuneless song from Happy Feet and Archie embarrassed himself trying to cover Chris Brown. Maybe it would work, though, with better contestants?
I figured you guys who've also been following along all season might enjoy this piece by Andrew Sullivan if you haven't seen it yet:
Excerpt:
"The general buzz on American Idol this year has been that it's a dud. I disagree...I've been most engrossed in the character contrasts, which is what reality shows are best at. David Cook is a fantastic poseur, very talented but so obviously straining for Seriousness it's painful to watch at times.
And then Jason Castro: the kid who didn't really want to be there. How wonderful was that? He actually seemed comfortable being himself. He didn't need this shebang. And to see that personal security on network television - a walking (well, meandering) rebuke to the need for external validation and celebrity culture - evoked pure wonder.
And then poor David Archuleta. He is obviously the best singer in the competition, is almost certainly going to win it, but just as obviously is totally lost."
Read the rest here: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/05/are-you-a-david.html
Posted by: Jason at May 15, 2008 1:21 PM
I have to say that Fantasia's performance last night was horrible. Simon's look during the trainwreck occuring was priceless. I believe I rewound my tivo 5 or 6 times to revel in the moment.Fantasia, what the hell was that? I could not understand a word she was singing. In the words of Simon..."Bloody hell, that was horrible" On a side note David Cook is by far the best choice. Archuleta can go join the sappy love song network. Dan Fogelberg? Give me a break!
Posted by: kevikev at May 15, 2008 5:49 PM
Post a comment
(read the comment policy before posting)