'Idol' Tracker: The Boys have their bar mitzvah

“Sing to me now, you Muses who hold the halls of Olympus!
You are goddesses, you are everywhere, you know all things -
all we hear is the distant ring of glory, we know nothing -
who were the captains of Achea? Who were the kings?”

-- The Iliad

If when the exploits of Season 7 are at last recorded in the Book of Life, it may well be remembered by the ages that this was the year that the "Idol" men stepped forward and met in combat more ferocious than anything the nation had ever known.  And if, as seems possible, history remembers this as the great epic season long promised in "Idol" scriptures, then for the warriors of this winter, Tuesday night was their bar mitzvah -– the night they stepped forward after a shaky start and became, at last, men, and titans of competitive singing.

In her way, Paula made the point better than anyone last night.  When she repeatedly said Tuesday night something along the lines of  --  You are exactly what I love about this season.  You’re all so unique.  I’m so frickin’ proud of you –- what she was articulating was the feeling rife amongst the "Idol" punditry that what we have before us are at least six very strong avatars of very distinct demographic groups, each group having the ability to propel their champion close to the final stages of the competition.

At this point in the recent previous seasons, there was still plenty of chaff to sort out before the season got serious -- still the handful of oddballs, undefined talents and troublemakers who had somehow dodged the bullet.  This year, certainly among the men (and to a lesser but still true extent among the women) we are a cut or two away from hitting bone. 

Consider the ranks of guys before us –- sultry, ditsy Jason Castro (the only one with sense enough to use a dating story as his most embarrassing moment), charming impish Danny Noriega, alt rocker David Cook, surprisingly rich-voiced David Hernandez, and likable soul crooner Chikezie.  None of them seem wasted space on this stage. Only Luke Menard seems a sure-fire also-ran.  Any of the others are plausible contenders for the final four.   And standing astride them all, the two titans: David Archuleta, The Chosen One, and Michael Johns, The Duende From Down Under.

Praise must be given to the "Idol" team also for the mature and decent way they handled their first major scandal of the season (not counting Robbie Carrico’s hair talk, Amanda Overmyer's drunk driving arrest and Jason Yeager’s youthful child rearing).  After the Frenchie precedent, the question mark hung over the show –- how strict would the limits of their moral standards be?  Where would the line be drawn?

Last year, when controversy exploded over alleged nude pictures featuring contestant Antonella Barba, they managed to sidestep defining the moral line by declaring the pictures were not of young Barba, and thus the question was moot.  This year, however, presented with seemingly irrefutable proof of David Hernandez’s stripping past, after speculation shot across the "Idol" universe of whether the producers or Fox might force his removal, the show quickly declared the contestant would not be expelled. Co-executive producer Ken Warwick told TV Guide, “the truth is, we're never judgmental about what people do to earn a living. They've got to put food in people's mouths… If it were some sort of heavy porn, then maybe we'd have to take action. But certainly not on this… There are a lot of people I know who'd love to have the opportunity just to make a better living by taking their clothes off.”

Ultimately, Warwick declared, the decision would be left up to the electorate whether to hold Hernandez’s past against him (or in favor of him).   And that is why, for an age when the public demands a two-way relationship with their entertainment and information sources, "American Idol" retains seven seasons in the fanatical loyalty of viewers by the tens of millions.

That said, I was a bit let-down that they made no mention of the kerfuffle during the show.  One of "Idol’s" more endearing traits is its habit generally of -– from Paula’s contestant-tampering accusations to Simon’s eye-rolling -- airing, making light of and indeed turning into an asset its own scandals.  No other show in the public arena has shown "Idol’s" confidence in making lemonade out of its dirty laundry.  But whether the Hernandez rumors were too hot for foolery or the schedule was too tight on the one-hour show, the only reference to the outbreak was a barely perceptibly more empathetic-than-usual tone in Randy Jackson’s normally good-natured voice when he asked Hernandez, “What’s going on man?  You chillin’?”

Paula quote of the night -– (to The Chosen One) “In that imperfection, you are perfect.”

-- Richard Rushfield

Comments

[Marc]

Is it just me or is the real scandal here that Randy Jackson misidentified "Don't You (Forget About Me)" as an INXS song?

[Charles Farley]

Loved it when Randy misidentified "Don't You (Forget About Me)" as an INXS song. He praised Australian Michael Johns for choosing the song and "taking it back home." Then went on to compare Johns' performance to late INXS vocalist Michael Hutchence.

For the record "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was performed by Simple Minds, who hailed from Scotland and featured lead singer Jim Kerr.

Bet Randy's catching a lot of flack for it. The big question is will he admit his mistake and set the record straight on air? :)

[Matt]

Right at the end of David Hernandez's performance, as the music was winding down, Simon's mike was on as he made some sort of comment to Randy or Paula. It sounded like part of the comment included the word "stripping." Did anyone else catch this?

[James in SB]

So there really is a large space devoted to dissecting this show and, apparently, quite a few people who put it at the center of their universe. Amazing that as we ride this planet through space, staring at a box and sharing with like-minded starers is the highest and best use to which one can put his/her time. No wonder Bush was elected to two terms.

[Ted]

Fabulous that this guy James in SB chimes in with his devastating critique of Idol viewership. WTF is he doing reading to the bottom of this article, anyway? Whatever. Anyway, the guys are really great singers and personalities, and that makes watching this season less guilt and more pleasure than any previous one.

[califRZZ]

Yes, I am surprised that nobody has mentioned it. Simon said at the end of David's Celine Dion song, "THANK GOD HE DIDN'T STRIP TO THAT!!"
I thought I had misheard, but I played the tape several times, and that is exactly what he said......

[stella ramirez]

DAVID ARCHULETA still went on the beautifuls , that is piano n voice performance,
his choice of song and his thoughts about the homeless. he maybe 17 and young
but his mind n soul speaks very maturely with care and compassion.I'll be hanging
there for you DAVID ARCHULETA until the end of the competition. GOD SPEED.

[ExSinger]

Archuleta, the Chosen One, will crack when the pressure heats up. Michael Johns makes him look like an amateur when it comes to owning the stage. David's got the little girls -- and believe me, that's a lot -- but Johns owns the music. David's sweetness will wear thin soon. Eventually, he's going to need to break out of his Utah straightjacket and tear the stage up with an uptempo number that not only shows his technical ability, but also a masculinity he has so far failed to exhibit. Johns, on the other hand, has the stones to stand up there and blow, and he can work the camera and the audience to a frenzy. Little girls like men too.

The one X-factor is David Cook. Once the comb-over is exposed, we'll see how alt he really is. But if he's for real and if he can put down the axe for a few weeks, he's got the voice, the coolness, and the cred to be a serious contender. As for the rest, they are all forgettable with the exception of Jason Castro, who made it big lifting Jeff Buckley riffs for his version of Hallelujah

[exsinger]

Well, the show's over tonight and all but one of my picks got thrown off tonight. I knew Kady was gone, and I figured Asia'h was gone too. Luke was gone before he was there; just the doofus last week got in the way of his earlier departure. But I really thought that the kids would dial in for Danny. As un-male as he portrays himself to be, he had a decent voice, great eyes, and good stage chops. My pick for guy #2 was my neighbor Chikieze. He did Whitney's song pretty well, but for weeks he's been only so-so. The Donnie Hathaway number he did was great, but that only cemented my opinion that he was too much of a throwback for Idol.

Oh well, good for him that he made it. I predict Danny boy will have a 15-minute burst of fame then fade away until he fills out.