'Idol' Tracker: Archuleta de Triumph

In its opening stages, warfare often takes on strange forms.  While armies poke at each other, feeling about for weaknesses and searching for their best ground, attempts to define the shape of the battle will almost certainly prove illusory -- today’s victory merely setting the stage for tomorrow’s defeat; today’s frontline a sideshow from the main theater of conflict. 

World War II opened with the evacuation of the British and French forces at Dunkirk, an evacuation celebrated as a victory in England, while it allowed Hitler to pour concrete onto the boundaries of his Fortress Europe. The Battle of Manassas showed that the overconfident Union forces were hopelessly outclassed by the inventive Southern commanders -- a lesson it would nevertheless take the North another few years to learn.

Likewise, at this point last season, the contest was universally seen as a duel between Melinda Doolittle and LaKisha Jones. Two years ago, there wasn’t a pundit in the land who thought Taylor Hicks had a chance at making the top three, let alone winning. This year however, despite an extremely fluid midfield containing a very large number of possible contenders for the finals, one cannot deny that shaping this contest is the humongous fortress looming over every inch of the battlefield, its massive cannons capable of decimating anything that moves below and striking terror into the hearts of its opponents -- a fortress named David Archuleta.  On Tuesday night, The Chosen One reasserted himself as the prohibitive front-runner, casting the race in terms of who will be his main opponent, ultimately, the others hope, the one who will sweep onto the field to play Gen. Pershing and the United States to David’s Kaiser Wilhelm.  (And that competition itself now has a nearly prohibitive front-runner in the person of Carly Smithson, although as the race tightens, she will have to fight the incredibly strong midfield for every inch of soil she gains.)

It was a strange night at the Idoldome.  Before the evening began, the seats filled with the usual assortment of celebrity guests: Joely Fischer, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, Rumor Willis.  However, eyebrows were raised by the unprecedented presence in the dome of a phalanx of suit-and-tie-wearing, Secret Service-looking security guards, watching the crowds with eagle eyes astride the elephant doors as they prepared to escort some apparently Very, Very, Very IP to reserved seats, front row and center.  Whispers flew -- could Dick Cheney be coming to watch?  Ban Ki Moon?  Gen. Patraeus? The rare presence in the crowd of worldwide "Idol" creator Simon Fuller only added to the suspense.

Then with seconds to go before opening credits, sneaking in under Simon Cowell’s fanfare, appeared the Royal Personage Herself -- Mrs. Victoria Beckham, with Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz trailing close behind.

On stage, the night had some strange opening skirmish overtones as well.  After the massive explosions of talent firepower last week, the very mixed bag of performances was a bit of an anti-climax, particularly as they were drawing on the same pool of Beatles material.  Mean Judge Cowell seemed particularly crotchety last night, stomping out what came off in the bleachers anyway as passable or better performances by Carly and Chikezie, and by mid-show, almost entirely turning away from many of the performances in apparent disgust.

More genuinely worrisome, however, was an ominous note of cockiness appearing from many of the singers. This column has made a point of advising combatants who desire any sort of longevity to, above all else, behave with decorum when receiving reviews. As previously noted, even "Idol’s" clearest front-runner (until now), Carrie Underwood, had off nights.  Showing humility and respect for the judges is a contestant’s opportunity to show that they are what the public demands -- humble and respectful nice kids and not all-full-of-themselves, getting-too-big-for-their-britches-before-they’ve-even-won. After a bumpy first week in the Top 24, the singers seemed to have learned this lesson and have behaved flawlessly the last few weeks. Until tonight.

Tonight, singer after singer shot back at the judges’ critiques with excuses, explanations and even worse, outright blow-offs. The lowest moment came when Brooke White seemed to be trying to shut them up, filibustering through their comments her “100%” agreement and not listening to a word they said. Of all the candidates, it is The Chosen One, he who has the least to fear from them, who seems to grow stronger with the judges' criticism, who hangs on the judge’s every word, his self-esteem entirely in their hands. It's no coincidence that he is the favorite. Contestants, I will repeat one last time: Your electorate is composed of fans of this show.  The show is represented on air by the judges.  To disrespect the judges, is to disrespect the show, is to spit in the face of the people who hold your fate in their hands. Be respectful and the voters will boo down the judges for you and carry you through a bad night.  Be bratty and dismissive and prepare to reap the whirlwind. Ironically, it was the alt-rocker David Cook who, after giving Simon some lip in the early rounds, struck the perfect tone last night, saying he will take Simon’s harsh words to heart and use them to try and build on what he’s done.  There, is that so hard? (Interestingly, Cook seems to have pulled off what Chris Daughtry never managed to -- finding the right balance of rocker swagger and cool for the "Idol" stage while not acting like he is too good for the show itself and looking like he is holding his nose.)

More worrisome, these reactions to the judges, combined with some lackluster performances, suggests that the greatest season talk may be going a bit to the contestants' heads, becoming a self-denying prophecy. In a conversation with musical director Rickey Minor last year, he said the biggest challenge for every contestant is that a point comes when their egos exceed their ability. It is difficult to sit in the center of the universe and not have that happen. And if that is what was going on for this group, perhaps it is better they got that right out of their system early on. And with the harsh reviews (even from Paula), perhaps this night will prove to be their Dunkirk after all -- an evacuation that initially led to a terrible defeat but that, coming early enough in the hostilities, preserved intact the fighting forces who later would come back ashore at Normandy and march all the way to Berlin. (Except for the one for whom tomorrow night this defeat will prove fatal.)

Gen. Smithson, your troops await your orders!

Six reasons why The Chosen One is certain to win:
1. Has locked up to himself "Idol’s" most crucial voting block, 8- to 11-year-old girls
2. These voters will pathologically speed dial in every vote they can register, fair weather or foul
3. These voters will forgive and love their candidate more for any error or misstep
4. Genetically engineered, trained from birth to win "American Idol"
5. Leading male rival, Michael Johns is on the wane
6. Stumbled early on, lowered expectations just enough

Eight things that could derail The Chosen One:
1. The rising star of Carly Smithson
2. Lack of range
3. His perfection becomes predictable, raising expectations to an impossible level
4. The overwhelming pressure of the expectations of the world gets to him
5. Another stumble like last week's
6. New voters in the 18- to 35-year-old demo, inspired by the fresh faces of Season 7, turn out in unprecedented numbers
7. Future themes force him out of narrow comfort zone
8. Super-humility becomes predictable and tiresome, a la Melinda Doolittle

-- Richard Rushfield

Photo: Fox

Comments

[JC]

Absolutely spot on. Nice read...thanks. BTW: hands down, Archie will win.

[Lisa]

I am 33 & a big David Archuleta fan so all his fans are NOT 11 years old!!!!!!!!

He has fans in all age ranges which is why he is different than any other Idol before him & you cannot compare his fanbase to Doollittle or Hicks because it is far bigger already!

[Luvuleta]

I am a male in my 30s and I love David A. Where did you get the idea that his prime audience is 8 to 11 y-o girls????????????? David is the only reason I watch Idol this season. He dropped the A-bomb with his performance last night and wiped out the competition, again. The difference between Melinda and David A's humility is that David appears cute, likable, and genuine, whereas Melinda, at her much older age, appeared rehearsed and forced (even Simon questioned Melinda at one point by saying "are you really that nice in real life"?)

I am glad Simon called out on David C, that he's not as good as he thought he was. Carly is getting better? Are you kidding me? When someone HAD to explain their choice of song after their performance, then they ALREADY lost me on the connection thing. You either have the ability to connect with the audience or you don't, and Carly certainly does not; she's the most MECHANICAL of singers. Her way of emoting her songs is to bulge her eyes while she sings. See it again and tell me that it is not distraction! I do agree with you about Brook; she annoyed the hell out of me by keep talking OVER the judges!

[Scorpio]

Hit the nail on the head in every comment you made. I think once David catches up with all the fanfare etc. he will suprise everyone with his versitility, yet to come.
The old and the young are his biggest fans, and they will keep him on till it's down to 2.
Then his unsurpassed talent will take him all the way.

[John]

David Archuleta is too "packaged", like a Disney product. There's nothing original about his voice. Teeny-boppers who crave his fake teary-eyed persona will make Idol plenty of money. Brooke White and Jason Castro are the most original and promising kids on the show.

[Lis]

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one, but I found the comments from the contestants refreshing and, quite often, insightful. We forget that very many of these performers, unlike seasons' past, had or have semi- or professional careers that lend a certain credibility to what they do in the Idoldome. Rather than combative I would qualify last night's remarks, for the most part, as explanatory, given not as an excuse but as insight in the behind-the-scenes thinking that goes into song selection. In many cases, such as party girl Amanda and cute and funny Jason, I think it just may have helped them overcome somewhat lackluster performances to stay in for another week. If nothing else, it shows some personality. And even Mr. Cranky himself seemed somewhat responsive to these comments, not offended. I think we may be seeing a new trend here, wherein contestants can provide a certain level of insight that sidesteps outright belligerence in favor of an explanation that gives depth and character to the contestant.Too often, in the absence of such efforts, we tend to treat contestants like blank canvases, painting onto them whatever we glean from the pre-song videos and blurbs in TV Guide. We in the audience should be given credit for understanding, perhaps even better than those of you so close to the matter, that speaking one's mind, in a well calculated way, can help rather than hurt a talented contestant.

[Nancy]

Can I add another reason the Chosen One may not win? B-O-R-I-N-G. Yes, he has a wonderful voice, but he lacks energy and charisma, and can actually put me to sleep. Now when Michael Johns or David Cook step up to the plate, all of the sudden I'm awake again.

On a different note, Simon was off his game last night. Criticizing Carly for singing "Blackbird"? What was that all about?

[lisawriter]

YES! FINALLY SOMEONE GOT THIS RIGHT --
>

yeah, i get it, chris can sing, but Cook SMILES!

[CA]

Someone needs to give this column a good edit before it's posted. It detracts from credibility when you say, for example, "who's" when it should be "whose."

[lisawriter]

YES! FINALLY SOMEONE GOT THIS RIGHT --
>

yeah, i get it, chris can sing, but Cook SMILES!

[Echo]

"There, is that so hard?"

Yes, it is. The singers are under enormous stress. Everyone talks about the tremendous pressure of performing at the Oscars. Well, these singers are doing it every week. If they choose a bad song or perform badly, it may very well feel like the world is crumbling around them so that they lose a bit of decorum around the judges. And right after they lay themselves emotionally bare in a song, you expect them to switch into obsequious PC mode immediately and always? C'mon.

[John Murphy]

Not being a big fan of Idol, I found it very intereesting that one of the male sigers last night was caught in a lie of omission when Paula Abdul sought to soften her criticism by noting that the wireless mic in his ear might been the reason his timing was off....the singer said nothing at the time, but then Ryan Seacreast noted that the singer, in fact, was not using one. Good thing I wasn't judging last night!

[Cameron]

After watching David Cook's performance last night, it occurred to me that I'm so ready to buy his CD. He may not win idol, but he's definitely won himself a career.

[Mandy Lane]

I just love the over-the-top-ness of your postings. It fits with the Idol and you never need to go negative or nasty to get the point across. Bravo!

[tmango]

I find it pretty amusing that some writers still do not have a "clue" in regards to Taylor Hicks. They simply listen to the remarks from "simon" which obviously has a problem with Mr. Hicks....i.e...every winner and alot of non winners have been invited to perform on the show throughout every season....Mr. Hicks has never been at all (except the finale the following year in which they did not even introduce him or mention his name). The reason you might ask....hmmmm....maybe that is a storyline that should be covered. I was not a Hicks fan...but I sure am not stupid and can't believe the press buys in to the BS that idol is throwing our regarding the season 5 winner. Just check the stats.....he was never in the bottom three...in fact, had the highest vote count every single week up to his win. Please do a little research beyond the propaganda of American Idol.

[idolreader]

Talk about over-writing a column. Sheesh. You're in love with your own typing, fella.

[Ron Roberts]

Interesting re: the heavy handed WWII, Civil War comments preceeding your article. It's as if you were appalled you had the assignment to cover AI and were determined to sardonically and subversively get in your grudge...

But then gamely went on thread your report in similar metaphorical fashion. I say keep dinner with dinner and dessert with dessert. Comparing television fluff to wartime themes is a risky, cocky approach.

Having said that...all the readers seem right when they point out that Archuleta's demographical appeal is much broader than what you might suggest...it's almost a phenomenon. But I'm finding that all male writers covering him on AI this season seem to be more prone to bagging on him. Must be that toxic of all worldly things - male, heterosexual ego - the ultimate destroyer!

[KarenE]

AI!! You mean that AI is still on? I thought that after season 5 it was over since there will never be anyone as good as Taylor Hicks.

[zaratustra]

You need to count that David A voters are also persons over 30 years old.
David A and Carly are the best voices in this show, but David is for sure hard to beat.
Go David A!!

[TimeForANewBlogger]

Yeah, American Idol. Just like going to war. Only without all those nasty bullets and shells and amputated limbs.

[Jay Smith]

you have this show nailed. thanks!

[Leslie M-D]

Would someone PLEASE address the hideous set which is hindering the performers, the band and the audience? It is bad enough that the musicians are nowhere near the performers, negating any kind of connection with the band. But the musicians themselves are scattered all around the stage, which negates any tight ensemble playing between themselves. The stage is cavernous, forcing the performers to travel ridiculous lengths, and all intimacy between singer & band have disappeared. And why - in a show that lasts 2 hours - are the singers (the people this show is ABOUT) only get 90 seconds in which to prove themselves? 90 seconds x 11 performers = 990 seconds = 16.5 minutes! 16 and 1/2 minutes out of 240 minutes for the all-important performing. Be real - Coca-Cola and iPhone get more TV time than the performers do.

The first year of AI was intimate and fun, and it was really all about the singers. The show is now ridiculously bloated with no time for actual performance. Take away some of their phony-interview time at least - let's see more singing!

[Frank G.]

If David Archuleta does not win the title of American Idol...then the terrorists win. This truly gifted boy is America's answer to all those that hate us. I mean can anyone...anyone (I'm talking to you Bin Laden) dislike the voice, the smile, the genuineness. Listen, I have tried to hate him...simply because he is better than me...it doesn't work. Other contestants , hell other countries could learn from him (I'm talking to you David Cook and France). He defies his age and country origin. I hope all the attention and this immense talent are not hijacked and destroyed like everything else TV gets a hold of.

[Dave]

I think Syesha will give Carly a run for her money. There's something about Carly that's off putting.

[CJ]

It's interesting that you say that all David Archuleta's fans are 8-11 years old. I am in my late 20s and I am an African-American female who normally enjoys gospel, r&b, hip hop and old school music. I,however, am a huge fan of David Archuleta and have been since his first audition. He is extremely talented and I love his pure voice. I am not enthralled by his looks. I truly appreciate his talent and skill. He's something special and he will sell millions of records. Its pretty sad that so many people dislike him because he does carry himself well and acts like a gentleman. So for all the naysayers, David's musical ability has garnered fans of all ages and he will be the NEXT AMERICAN IDOL. It's just that simple. Period.