According to the brainstrust at TMZ David Archuleta’s dad, Jeff Archuleta is banned, baby!
Here’s how it went down. “Idol” sources tell TMZ Jeff has been a complete pain in the ass, interfering with the entire production. He has badgered producers, the band, vocal coaches and even other contestants. The final straw came this week, when Jeff wanted to change the lyrics to David’s first song, “Stand By Me.” Jeff insisted on adding a verse from Sean Kingston’s hit, “Beautiful Girls.” Producers sent him an e-mail telling him the lyrics could not be changed. They were beyond pissed when David sang the song with Kingston’s lyrics during the live show.
We’re told by changing the lyrics, it created problems with the song’s publisher and cost “A.I.” a lot of money.
Jeff was ordered to sit with “A.I.” lawyers on Wednesday, who told him he was “banned from being in the rooms where David was learning or rehearsing his songs.” It’s “Idol’s” position, since David is 17, he does not need a guardian — just a teacher. Jeff will be allowed to sit in the audience during the live show but he’s 86′d from anything backstage.
Sources say the other contestants were fed up with Jeff and didn’t want him near them. Now they have their wish.
I generally avoid linking to the TMZ assclowns, but I’m making an exception here, ’cause I have a feeling the story is true. Where there’s smoke there’s fire ya know.
In a matter of hours, E! Online, Entertainment Weekly, MTV et al are gonna be all over this story. More will be revealed, I’m sure.
ETA: An excellent question brought up by peeps in comments. Did TPTB leak this story to TMZ? Many of us believe the producers themselves leak information to TMZ (moles my ass). If Idol leaked this story, what’s their motivation?
Speculate and discuss!
ETAA: The Associated Press is wasting no time. They are reporting the story, citing an unnamed source…
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Well, not really. There is the original TMZ story. The same AP story has been posted all over the internet. UPI has the quote from Simon. Come Monday, there will be more independent reporting. EW, ET, EOnline, MTV, the LA Times, have all yet to weigh in on the subject. And they will.
Well, maybe they didn’t want the news derailing the hometown visits. It’s nice that Archie got to visit his hometown and enjoy most of the day.
Yep, Nigel has stumped me as well. I usually see things in total black and white when it comes to this show, to me they are usually that transparent, this time I am not sure if they are doing this to help him, or hurt him. The timing is most suspicious.
I’m curious as to where they want this story to go. Interestingly enough, the Sean Kingston issue seems to be fading, and news seems to be focusing on the banning of Pappy.
TMZ reported it for the first time on March 19th here. Nearly one month later, JA comes forward in a US Magazine (consider the source…I know) to sort of put the rumors to rest. You’d think that would stop the tongues from wagging, right? Everyone thought it was over and that TMZ had laid off. All the while, they were busy behind the scenes, waiting for JA to prove them right, and well…here we are now.
That’s why I think the reports are true. I’m trying to figure out the timing. Is it because everyone was “out of the office”, so to speak for the homecomings and someone just decided to speak out because the cost was clear? Is it because the producers are trying to avoid a nightmare should Archie win the contest as a minor? My gut feeling is that they want to cut him loose until he’s 18. That’s only a few months down the road, and then Daddy’s no longer an issue.
His fan base will support him regardless, I know. But undecided casual/swing voters are the issue here. How will this affect them in a world where, in recent months, young celebrities who have been badly affected by being forced into the business at such a young age are dominating headlines?
Just some rambling thoughts… I know. :)
TMZ is obviously in cahoots with TPTB. They leaked the story, just like they have almost everything this year (minus the VFTW wins). So, I wonder how did TMZ know Jason would be at LAX today at that particular time? Hmm.
I don’t think Jason’s press tour will focus on Jeff A, though. They’ll ask him the same damn questions we’ve heard all week…
Back to Archie, I’m not sure that his turning 18 will mean anything in terms of his father’s influence over him. He may be legal, but he’ll still be under his father’s thumb, IMO.
PJ: You know something, the Idols if they’re going to be “stars” or singers or whatever, need all the publicity and camera time they can get. Every single Idol who has left, left through LAX on their way to NYC….one thing celebs want is publicity — pref. the good type–but they’ll take it anyway it comes because they want their name out there all times.
So maybe David A was the leak, lol.
I agree turning 18 will do nothing to lessen the influence of DA’s father over him.
TMZ being at LAX when Jason was there isn’t suspicious because they practically stalk LAX all the time. They’ve also encountered Carly, Brooke, Michael, Ramiele, and asked them stupid questions.
That said, yeah I’m trying to figure out what’s going on here. TMZ does seem to be in Nigel’s pocket (didnt they even say they spoke to him directly when it was rumored Jason was leaving like 3 weeks ago?) In the video on TMZ where they ask Simon about JA he doesn’t seem bothered and makes it sound like everything is ok, that is of course if everyone involved is trying to remain quiet. If they leaked this to hurt DA I think it will just get him sympathy votes.
Hope to see Syesha and David Cook advance to the finals this week!
Little insight into the Jeff Archuleta ban.
Could TPTB be waiting to see what DA can do on his own without Daddy’s nagging influence? Is this a test for little David? Banning Daddy from backstage removes the problem. Will David listen to the Professional vocal coaches and perform accordingly this week? Or will he listen to his Dad, change the lyrics at the last minute and defy the Voice coaches? Only his performance will tell.
Maybe this is an opportunity for David to try his wings out and see if he can fly solo.
Given all that is at stake for the AI Crown, this is a fair test.
Regarding all the AI drama lately, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the over-hyped David-David finale thrown out with the bath water. David Cook and Syesha are a great match of energy. Big votes for David Cook and Syesha advancing to the finale!
Syesha finally received some well-deserved recognition this week! She is emerging as the Dark Horse, indeed!! Go Syesha!!! I love watching you shine.
David Cook is still my hands-on favorite to win!! Loved hearing him sing, “There Goes My Hero”, by the Foo Fighters during his home town visit. Beautiful guitar and vocals!
David Cook Rocks My IPOD!!!
Sorry, I am reposting this in the correct category. Accidently posted under song spoilers.
I read somewhere that AI has already denied this rumor, saying that all parents are really no longer allowed to join the rehearsal sessions at this stage of the competition. I can’t find the link anymore, though. Maybe I read this at the comments section of the headlines thread? heh
omg, that is the funniest thing I have read all day!
If Jeff is threating or abusing DA in some way why the hell hasn’t one of the contestants,vocal coaches etc did something?If Jeff is badgering/threating the other contestants why hasn’t something been done?I’d be willing to bet that some of the contestants have gotten into arguments with Jeff,like some of them don’t look the the type that would take that crap.It just is strange that if this is going on that something wasn’t done sooner.If it was me if somebody was bothering me I would have a hell of a time concentrating on my song.I agree that the stories of Jeff may have some truth if not completely true.DA seems very sheltered and socially awkward to me in truth I think it has a lot to do with Jeff.I feel bad for David he seems like a sweet kid.
IDK. How can Sean Kingston, the co-writing producer of the track or either of the music publishers involved not want to make nice with AI? Especially when it’s Sean Kingston who will want to be on Idol to plug his next album?
Unless both Kingston and his producer, who shared writing credit, feel this would be the last money they ever made, there’s no incentive to put American Idol over a barrel. Of course they want to stop kids from bleeding money by ad-libbing uncleared songs all over the place.
But I’m sure this settlement will be nothing compared to Simon’s company car and chauffeur expenses.
i don’t understand .. if this was such a huge problem
that its gonna cost money to ai etc etc
why isn’t the kid takin some of the heat.. surely he was told he can’t sing that version
somethings fishy about this being leaked NOW
Colleen you make a lot of sense. Certainly, if the producers WANT David A to be the “one” then they would remove the dad to see how well David performs on his own. Makes a lot of sense. Also, the others don’t have their parents sitting in making decisions. It’s an unfair advantage. I don’t think Jordin or Sanjaya had that kind of help from their parents, so why David A?
The judges and everyone were probably informed right away and told what to say; esp. Paula, you know she was on the video clip talking about David A to Naomi. So the news is going to pounce all over her and that vid will be replayed and replayed. Believe me, the text message went out — “don’t say anything negative, everything is fine.”
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1739075,00.html
ABC news has the story. Betcha there’s a news conference called tomorrow and the producers explain that all parents are normally banned from rehearsals and they made an exception for JeffA, but now it’s the finals and the son should be able to fly alone. Betcha.
I posted about 3 pages back that I thought this could be TPTB’s way of seeing if David A can stand on his own without dad’s influence. But again, like everyonie else is saying, no one really knows what they are thinking.
I agree that it is an unfair advantage for DA if his dad is allowed to arrange his music for him. David is the contestant, not his dad. The others should have been allowed to have outside help if they were going to allow that. I really hope the stories aren’t true about Jeff causing trouble for the other contestants. If it’s true, maybe that’s part of the reason why Jason was so anxious to be eliminated. Maybe that’s why David C. said he felt “off” last Tuesday.
Ryan said something to David A. last week about him looking scared of the judges and looking like he could faint. Maybe David is more afraid of his dad’s comments after the show than he is of the judges comments. I feel sorry for David, but I think he’s too young to be in this competition. I know there have been other 16 and 17 year olds, but imho, David is too immature.
There is a supposed news report circulating on the scary boards to that effect. But it’s fake.
Why would TPTB make an exception for Jeff Archuleta? I’m sure all the parents of minors are allowed backstage. And if they were making some sort of exception for a contestant, they sure sure wouldn’t admit to giving a special advantage to one contestant.
The AP story is being carried by all the online news agencies. No surprise there.
Somebody sent me a link to the scary board thread that posted that story. There was no link to an actual story online. I can’t find the article anywhere. I do believe it’s a bunch of scary board made-up nonsense.
I tried to find the story to support it, too, but there seemed to be none it baffled me, too. I really can’t remember where I read it but it’s probably somewhere other than the scary boards as I don’t remember going there (I still can’t remember which the scary board is, heh).
Jason had no bad words for Jeff A. when he was asked by TMZ. I doubt Jason would have let that bother him anyway, at any rate. His “struggles” looked internal.
The lack of denial by Fox tells us the truth of the story.
Look at the pics of JA hovering over DA on his “day” in Utah. The man is using his son for his own glory. Just aweful.
Purple, I agree that he had some internal struggles. But, I believe it’s in the contestant’s contracts not to talk to just anyone, particularly the paps. That’s one reason they have bodyguards. He’s supposed to do interviews for the show, not throw out his opinions in the airport to anyone who asks him a question. I don’t think he would have talked about JA anyway, but I doubt if TPTB would have approved if he did. jmo
A few years ago TPTB wouldn’t even let the booted-off contestant sing on the talk shows until they gave their permission. David Letterman asked John Stevens to sing and he said he couldn’t because of contractual reasons.
This is really sad if true. David is 17 years old. I’m sure that he is more than capable of making some of his own decisions regarding music, without getting the “family committee” involved. He’s seems like such a sweet kid. Stage parents are scary as heck.
If the most extreme rumors are true (about Stage Daddy making Archie cry, and yelling at him, and trying to psyche out the other contestants), then it seems kind of screwed up to me that TPTB waited this long to do something about it. It didn’t occur to them to make any effort to stop this kind of behavior?
MJ, they may be referring to the story run on GMA’s weekend edition this morning. They have the AP story at this link but also the video they ran: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=4826816 Nothing new that I could see. They interview Jessica Shaw.
i think there is a convergence of several factors. under the law, JA being annoying as hell is hard to overcome due to the chaperoning deal. however, weeks of annoyance can take its toll. JA yelling for instance…well AI and no one esle can stop a parent from yelling legally. now….if he did purposefullu have his son sing a line that broke the law….yup, i can see AI finally having the hook they needed to get him out of the room. no one ever said there was not a replacement chaperone. it is not that AI is saying DA can have no chaperone, just not JA. it could be mom or any other person…see? But if JA helped break a rule…excuse city to finally get his ass kicked to the curb.
second, DA needs to be able to show he can do this without someone else coloiring the picture and connecting the dots.
third, I doubt TPTB want him to win. His market potential stinks. He is a mini Groban, but without the real catch at his age…and he is about to outgrow the disney potential. while i think we can all agree he is technically proficient, his market potential stinks to high heaven. his future is in elevator music.
so ask yourself…why would AI want an idol to produce who has a limited market potential, cannot be a star in his twenties unless he is MR ELEVATOR MUSIC and comes with the baggage of what sounds like one of the most annoying stage dads of all time. I mean, seriously, he just is not good enough to deal with that that crap too.
this is a business after all people. business is business. and archie– he is bad business.
Oh, I see that GMA carried it on their news program this morning. They don’t add any new information, but they are covering it.
The scary board story was a cut and paste from a supposed article quoting Idol sources claiming the story was false. Someone with serious time on their hands actually created a fake story in an attempt to either eff with people, or dispel the rumors.
Yeah, that fake story appeared at IDF as well. The poster never came up with a link, and a Google search turns up nothing.
There’s more to this story than people know….
And one more thing that’s bugging me about this topic……..
The news reports say,
“Despite a warning, Jeff Archuleta insisted on altering “Stand by Me,” one of two songs his son sang on the show Tuesday. By adding a verse from Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls,” the father incurred additional costs for “American Idol,” the person said.”
It doesn’t say that David Archuleta sang this altered version, despite being warned not to sing it. The blame seems to fall on JA.
DA needs to take some responsibility for singing this song after being told not to do it and defying AI.
Sweet as he is, he still put it out there. He added a verse, played the phrase, “Beautiful Girls” directly to the girls in the front row mosh pit and gloried in it. Rave reviews followed and he gushed!
I have trouble believing DA was not aware of the controversy. If he was intimidated by his Father, it is a shame. But it is not fair for him to gain advantage at the expense of the other contestants.
He blatently defied AI song choice rules when the other contestants have honored and respected them.
If the judges missed it the first time, betcha they will make up for it this time around.
I’m just sayin’……………..
In his defense (and I don’t care for DA) we don’t know for sure if he knew that his dad had been warned about changing the song. David may not have known about it. It seems everyone (including AI) have kept David pretty sheltered. I think that is now backfiring on them as well. I do agree that it isn’t fair to the other contestant who are playing by the rules.