American Idol Ridiculous Upset: David Cook Wins

Well, the result is not totally unbelievable, as viewers must understand that this is not really a contest based on performance. As much as I was irritated by the result, it must be kept in mind that American Idol is a popularity contest where people vote for their "idol."

But in actuality, it is a money-making scheme as well as a popularity contest, which produces even more ridiculous results, especially when the voting is via unlimited texting where "fan"-atics are able to vote several (an unlimited amount) times for their favorite idol. How fair is that?

It's not, and that's why the better singer, David Archuleta, lost tonight. And if I was David Cook, I would have felt worse had I been given the win, when David Archuleta was obviously the rightful winner based on performance and singing talent. And it appeared that David Cook prepared himself for a loss, as he seemed to had already conceded the contest even before the winner was announced. And when he heard his name proclaimed as the new American Idol, his surprised reaction only added to the notion that he should have lost.

Anyways, they both won cars, both will probably get a recording contract one way or another, and both will probably eventually get rich. Life goes on.

American Idol Final Peformance Night: David Archuleta Knocks Out Cook

David Archuleta KO's David Cook in the American Idol finale, according to Simon that is (and many, many others).

The David vs. David showdown wasn't much of the close face-off people were expecting; it was quite lopsided, actually, in favor of David Archuleta. With his clear, pristine voice, wide-ranging vocals, and just better overall singing performance, David Archuleta (or Archie, as Ryan Seacrest sometimes refers to him as) outdid David Cook and did more than enough to win the hearts of the audience, although he probably already did long before tonight's performance.

But this evening only solidified it for Archuleta, who closed the show with his wonderful rendition of Imagine by John Lennon, although he also sang another brilliant one--Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John--which gave me the chills.

Why did David Cook come out short? If I had to choose one reason, based on just the night, it would be because of bad song choice. He deviated from his regular and expected rock style, singing songs I've never even heard of, songs that Simon said didn't make a closing statement and weren't ideal for the American Idol finale.

And so the battle is already won, even before hitting the polls, or at least it should be. Based on performance, it was clear that it was indeed a knock-out win for David Archuleta. Let's see if tomorrow's vote results follow in stride.

American Idol Finale Showdown: David vs. David

As expected, the finale for American Idol will be a battle between David Archuleta vs. David Cook. Syesha Mercado was booted off, not to the surprise of many.

Still, it was a nerve-racking wait before the predicted result was heard. American Idol did a good job of hyping up the competition by video taping the contestants' return to their respective hometowns.

David Archuleta returned to Murray, Utah to the shrieks of many teenage girls. There he revisited his high school and shed tears of joy from the overwhelming reception. It was proclaimed "David Archuleta Day" by a wire-mustached fellow. And the VTR was concluded by a clip of Archuleta singing "Imagine" by John Lennon to a very attentive crowd.

Syesha Mercado came back to Sarasota, Florida to not only bask underneath the beautiful sunshine, but also in her fans' adoration. She sang "Rolling on the River," but next to the rolling waves of the beach. Supporters were in a frenzy. A mother passed Syesha her baby and asked for a picture to be taken; another fan, who was an old lady, did a hand stand out of all the excitement.

David Cook when back home to Kansas City, Missouri in style--inside a private jet. He, too, had a chance to visit his high school and took the opportunity to thank his music teacher for the inspiration. He sang to a jam-packed crowd in downtown Kansas City. It was also revealed that his brother was the reason for his auditioning in American Idol.

After the VTRs, they held hands and awaited anxiously for the result, which as I have mentioned already, was bad news for Syesha. She heads home, and we are left with a head to head clash between the two Davids. Let the battle begin...

Top 3 American Idol Finalists Videos

Here are the performance videos for the top 3 American Idol finalists from Tuesday evening (May 13, 2008).

David Cook’s Performances
“First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack ( Judges Pick - Simon)
“Dare You to Move” by Switchfoot (His Pick)
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith (Producers)

Syesha Mercado’s Performances
“If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys (Judges Pick - Randy)
“Fever” by Peggy Lee (Personal choice)
“Hit Me Up” by Gia Farrell (Producers choice)

David Archuleta’s Performances
“And so It Goes” By Billy Joel (Judges Pick - Paula)
“Longer” by Dan Fogelberg (Producers Picks)
“With You” Chris Brown (David’s choice)

Also, don't forget to read the review of the final 3's performances.

American Idol Top 3 Performance Review

The performances for Tuesday's (May 13, 2008) final three were a bit mediocre, to be honest. For the evening, each of the three judges handpicked a first song for particular contests. The contestants' second song were selected by themselves, while the third was chosen by Idol producers. All three American Idol performers seemed to flop on at least one song.

For the night's recap, David Archuleta began the night with a solid version of "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel, which was a song selected by Paula Abdul. He then followed it with a so-so rendition of "With You," by Chris Brown. "It just wasn't you," Randy summed it up as he critiqued David's song choice. Archuleta then finished up with a more usual beautiful ballad, "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg, which the judges all seemed to be pleased with although it was "predictable."

Syesha Mercado's first song was probably her best of the night, but far from her best of the season. She sang "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys, which was selected by Randy. Nothing fantastic, but she should have stuck with the same type of song. She digressed with her next one, "Fever" by Peggy Lee, strutting around a chair. It was "cabaret-ish," as Simon put it. Mercado then ended her trio somewhat on a bad note with "Hit Me Up" by Gia Farrell. Apparently, all the judges agreed that this stripper-like image was not her.

As for David Cook, he started the night with "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack, which was selected by Simon Cowell. This song he performed wonderfully, and the judges thought so as well. He then followed it with "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot. Although off to a good start, "Dare You to Move" hardly got moving as the song ended when it just seemed like it was just beginning. But Cook rebounded with his finale "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith, closing the show on top, at least according to Simon.

David Archuleta's Dad Banned from American Idol

Rumors have spread that American Idol (AI) favorite David Archuleta's dad, Jeff, has been kicked out of the show's backstage. Apparently, David's father has a history of being a domineering stage dad.

Apparently, the AI staff had just about enough when Jeff Archuleta insisted on altering the lyrics of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" in order to insert a verse of Sean Kingston's pop hit "Beautiful Girls." Although a slick addition to the song, the move reportedly "cost the production additional song-clearance costs."

And the gossips don't stop there. David's dad was also reported to have withheld his son water during a recording session. Despite the harsh criticisms, though, David denied all the rumors and supported his Dad through the ordeal.


Source:
MTV