Archuleta delivers a knockout blow on ‹Idol
From the moment Michael Buffer began the show with his trademarked …Let Get Ready to Rumble, it was apparent that …Idol was going to milk its battle of heavyweights for all it was worth. David Cook and David Archuleta came out in boxing robes, the theme from …Rocky blared, and the show got down to the business, in its own hokey way, of selecting its champion.
For the first time in the show history, neither finalist had ever been revealed as a bottom-two finisher. Because the order of finish last week was kept secret, it was anybody guess which of the two entered as the favorite.
”American Idol”: Boxing Day
‘As far as I’m concerned, the competition’s over, and we’re just having fun.”
While those are the exact words David Cook used to describe his feelings about the final performance episode of the American Idol season, they also describe my own approach to looking at the evening’s indisputably entertaining festivities.
Because, really, let’s have a show of hands: How many of you came into tonight’s telecast undecided about whether David Cook or David Archuleta deserved the season 7 crown? And how many of you actually changed your minds by the time Ruben Studdard’s ”Celebrate Me Home” segued into the screaming and yelling and sautà ©ing of Hell’s Kitchen?
Former ‹Idol Contender Luke Menard Diagnosed With Cancer
Carpet layer-turned-one-time …American Idol hopeful Luke Menard has been diagnosed with cancer.
The handsome Season 7 contender, who was kicked off as …Idol whittled their top 24 to a top 10, has Hodgkin lymphoma, a rep for his a capella ensemble Chapter 6, confirmed to CBS news.
…Luke had a lingering cough and was having trouble breathing deeply, so he went to the doctor to have it checked out, Jane Victor told CBS News. …The suspicion was walking pneumonia. But after a chest x-ray doctors saw a mass and did more testing, which is what led to the stage II Hodgkin diagnosis.
Though he was booted out of …Idol earlier in the season, Menard made several appearances in the audience of the show, as recently as last week.
Menard, 29, and his wife remain hopeful. The disease has one of the highest success rates of treatment for any type of cancer.
‘American Idol’ Q&As: The Davids Speak!
After the American Idol performance finale Tuesday night, EW.com got a chance to speak briefly with David Cook and David Archuleta about song choice, being in it to win it, and what each thought of his competitor’s performances. First up, like on the show, David Cook.
‘Time’ is now for American Idol Songwriter winner
Whether David Archuleta or David Cook prevails in Wednesday night’s American Idol finale, Regie Hamm will be having the time of his life.
In the closing four minutes of the two-hour show (Fox, 8 ET/PT), the newly crowned David will sing Time of My Life, Hamm’s winner in the second American Idol Songwriter contest.
Yep, it’s inspirational, says the Nashville singer/songwriter, who calls Life “a midtempo anthem, no surprises. (Fans) can wave their arms and light their lighters, all that cool stuff. We’ve all heard those finale songs, so you know the parameters and almost by osmosis what the moment is all about.”
The song was among “tens of thousands” submitted and combed through by 19 Entertainment’s more than 60 Artists & Repertoire staffers, who winnowed the list to a manageable pile before Idol creator Simon Fuller and his team pruned to 20 semifinalists, says Jeff King, 19’s U.S. head of digital entertainment.
The task is “daunting, ” he says. “Not unlike the show, you get a wide variety, from comical to genius.”
‘American Idol’ In 60 Seconds
MTV News’ ‘Idol’ expert Jim Cantiello boils down a week’s worth of stunning performances, pitchy notes and shocking eliminations to a bite-size minute.
David Cook’s Brother Will Attend Finale!
The “Idol” battle rages on tonight as the Davids sing it out to see who will take the title — and David Cook will have one of his biggest fans in the audience! “Extra” has learned that despite recent reports, the singer’s brother Adam will be in the “American Idol” audience to watch the two final shows.
Adam, who is battling brain cancer, made the trip from Terre Haute, Indiana to watch perform David earlier in the competition — and now, sources have learned that Adam has made the trip to Los Angeles again! The elder Cook flew into California yesterday morning accompanied by a nurse. Due to Adam’s cancer battle, it is an unexpected surprise that he is able to attend the show.
Inside ‘American Idol’ Finale: David Cook Was The Fan Favorite … Until The David Archuleta Show Began
After checking out the 10-row studio that housed the other “American Idol” top-12 shows, being part of the Nokia Theatre’s 7, 100-person audience was a serious change of pace. The vocal crowd instantly judged every move made at the “Idol” finale’s new home ‘ and it was a David Cook-leaning bunch.
When the warm-up comic polled the fans before the show to see which David they were backing, Cook got the loudest response by far, while David Archuleta garnered the most high-pitched squeals (go figure). Plus, our unofficial survey of Nokia’s “Idol”-swag vendors found that the “Vote Cook” T-shirt was the booths’ best-seller, topping generic show merchandise and the Archuleta tee.
But as anyone who watched at home can confirm, that all changed when the prolonged boxing metaphor ‘ er, show ‘ kicked off. The same audience that had been in Cook’s corner preshow (pugilistic puns are unavoidable for us too!) apparently didn’t want the sun to go down on Little David just yet. Archuleta had the Nokia JumboTrons partly to thank for the sudden support, since every squinty-eyed close-up was broadcast for even the smitten teen girls in the last row of the balcony to enjoy. (Another JumboTron observation: Cook’s faux-hawk made him look a lot like ’90s heartthrob.
Tinfoil Hat Time: Did the Producers Turn up David Archuleta’s Screaming Girl Chorus by Accident?
I’ve had a sneaking suspicion for most of the season that the producers have been sweetening the screeching-girl noises during David Archuleta’s performances, or at least enhancing it a bit’ blame a childhood spent preferring Guns N’ Roses to New Kids On the Block. But! During Archie’s second song tonight, I swear I heard some evidence that there was at least a little bit of producer manipulation. Watch the clip above; when you hit the 20-second mark or so, listen to the “crowd noise” that comes in. Does it sound oddly muted, and oddly timed, to you? Especially since it’s accompanied by a pit full of stock-still young ladies who should have had their hands set to “sway” during this frenzy-inspiring moment?
Archuleta delivers ‘knockout’ at ‘Idol, ‘ feels the love
LOS ANGELES – If we stuck to “American Idol’s” theme of pugilists duking it out musically on the Nokia Theater stage Tuesday, the referees believe Murray’s David Archuleta delivered a “knockout” punch in the final round.
“At the end of the day, this show is about finding a star, ” the usually gruff Simon Cowell said. “And tonight, I think we’ve witnessed one of the great finals.
“But here’s the difference, in my opinion, ” he added. “David [Archuleta], you came out here tonight to win, and what we have witnessed is a knockout.”
David vs. David: Judges like Archuleta ballads, but Cook sings well too
The producers of …American Idol framed Tuesday night final showdown as a boxing match ‘ a title fight between undefeated heavyweights.
They would carry the gimmick far (too far, really).
To open the show, the two finalists first appeared in the Nokia Theater dressed like prize fighters, wearing robes and boxing gloves. They were introduced by Michael …Let Get Ready to Rumble Buffer, who knows a thing or two about carrying a gimmick a long way.
Cook future looks as bright as it does uncertain
Wednesday night, David Cook or David Archuleta will be crowned …American Idol. On Thursday, both will face the first days of their careers in popular music.
They will pursue stardom in different directions, but Cook, a native of Blue Springs, and Archuleta will face similar decisions about their career destinations and how they intend to get there.
The winner of …American Idol gets a $1 million recording contract and will be beholden to 19 Entertainment, the highly successful management team founded by Simon Fuller, who invented the …Idol concept. But in the volatile music industry, even an …Idol title and all its rewards guarantee nothing.
American Idol: I Know Why David Archuleta “Won”
Still, that didn’t stop Flat-Top Fly Boy (Simon Cowell) from declaring a “winner” after each round, giving a victory each time’ and at the very end of the night’ to David “Archie” Awwwwrchuleta.
If you happen to be a diehard David Cook fan who’s screaming “Bastard!” at your telly, because you can’t possibly fathom how Simon considered Archuleta better than Cook, I can tell you exactly why…
In real life, Archuleta’s voice booms and reverberates throughout every inch of the theater–even a 7, 000 seater like the Nokia. You just have to be there to really experience it, but suffice to say it’s hard to not feel all tingly from your nosehairs to the tip of your toes when he’s singing. [It makes David C. (whom I love) sound a bit…stifled by comparison.]
The American Idol Poll You’ve Been Waiting For: Which David Delivered Tonight’s Knockout Punch?
The first third of the American Idol finale is in the history books everywhere in the country! (Except maybe Hawaii, although maybe not’ after all, since the weather there is so nice it would make sense to have “prime time” at 5 p.m. so as to maximize the enjoyment of their evenings.) The three songs have been sung, the songwriting contest has once again been exposed as a way to get America’s worst songwriters more screen time than they ever deserve, and the judges have seemingly abandoned David Cook’ or decided to engage in major reverse psychology with his fans in hopes of really giving Jeff Archuleta a Montreal screwjob-type finish to his super-meddlesome “guardian” tenure. Who knows what sort of mind games the producers are trying to play! I’ve watched pretty much every second of American Idol since January and I still don’t. Anyway, after the jump we have the official Idolator “Who Will Win Idol?” poll, along with a few predictions from other corners of the Internet and clips from tonight’s show.
Reality Check: Archuleta’s a Knockout on ‘Idol’
While there have been brief interludes this season where we’ve entertained the notion that David Archuleta may not be crowned the “Idol” winner, those days are now long over.
This isn’t to say, of course, that David Cook hasn’t put up a noble fight and scored some terrific performances. But while I’m not one to get overly dramatic or excited about these things, I have to say that in Tuesday night’s final sing-off, Archuleta blew him out of the water and more than did justice to his (er, his dad’s?) lifelong dream.
First, he went along with the silly boxing analogies the producers seemed intent on hammering home, gamely calling his first song a “match.” Then he showed just how likable he was by blurting out how “awesome” David Cook was right after Simon announced that they’d have to hate each other to win.
Cook out? Nope, rocker deserves to win by Ayla Brown
Who do you think is going to win?
I have been closely watching …American Idol this season and I have developed favorites, just as everyone in America has over the last few months. But it is finally time to predict a winner, and I think it is going to be David Cook.
Cook has developed fantastically over the course of the season and has transformed into a full-blown rock star. Each week the judges have given him encouraging reviews because they recognize that he is original. Can you say the next Chris Daughtry? Cook can sing the songbook and has proven himself to be a professional.
‹Idol producers reportedly want Cook to win
In the battle of the Davids, there is already a clear winner, at least behind the scenes of …American Idol.
According to a source close to the judging panel, …The producers are really hoping that David Cook wins. The reason shouldnt come as much of a shocker: …David Archuleta cannot be managed the way that 19 Entertainment wants to manage their winners.
David Cook & Archuleta React to Finale & Judges
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — David Cook seemed to disagree with Simon’s comments on his final song Tuesday night. But, Cook said it is ‘just an opinion and a matter of taste’ and he accepts that. David Archuleta said he’s looking forward to forgetting the competition and just focusing on the singing. Both singers spoke after the American Idol finale performance on Tuesday night. We’ll find out the winner on Wednesday.
American Idol: Top 2 Perform
American Idol, don’t do that. Don’t start your show that way. Granted, it’s always fun to see Michael Buffer introduce anything, but the faux boxing theme throughout the show was cheesy even by Idol standards. The theater looks great but as I’ve not been all season I continue to not be impressed with the various celebrities they show us in the studio audience. It’s all about publicity and marketing. Why do you think Jason Priestley was there? Exactly. Nothing more to say.
American Idol Tracker: Final Showdown of the Davids
And so after a journey none could have foreseen three months ago, it ends before a crowd of 7, 000 in downtown Los Angeles and tens of millions more at home.
In the annals of our day, this will certainly be remembered as a historic season ‘- the crowning of the incarnation of a decade of tween aspirations, or the cutting free the pop ballads party iron grip on the Idol throne with the rise of the first rocker champion.
Tuesday night at the Idoldome temporary home the full emotional weight of the journey was felt. Back in the crowd were the entire original twelve reminding us of every painful step. Both the combatants at moments let their cups runneth over with feeling.
Despite Judge Cowell quip that what is necessary to win is to hate your opponent, American Idol remains, especially as personified by the Davids, society last refuge of gentlemanly combat. When the norm on TV reality competition starts with hair pulling and quickly descends from there, to see two warriors with this much at stake as they enter the most important hour of their lives openly brimming over with good will for the other is nothing short of miraculous. (And confirmed as quite genuine by all observations of them offstage.)
American Idol Tracker: Which Idol Rules this Playground?
In a 2006 talk about America’s obsession with precociousness, “New Yorker” writer and noted Big Idea guy Malcolm Gladwell made an interesting observation about what it means to be an adult.
“What a gifted child is, in many ways, is a gifted learner, ” he said. “And what a gifted adult is, is a gifted doer. And those are quite separate domains of achievement.”
I can’t think of a better summation of the difference between the two nascent stars who stepped into the “Idol” ring for the final time Tuesday night. (That, by the way, will be this piece’s only reference to boxing. Framing this episode as “Rocky VII” really didn’t work, though one understands why the producers found it irresistible).
David Archuleta is this season’s Wonder Kid, a prodigy so innocent he seems like he fell out of a book by J.D. Salinger. He’s awash in natural talent: there’s that gorgeous vocal tone, and his stunning instinct for finding a song’s melodic contours. But he’s also proven himself adept at absorbing guidance.
Allowing Andrew Lloyd Webber to persuade him to open those fluttery baby browns — a happy life lesson revisited tonight — was an obvious case. The influence of his forceful dad, Jeff Archuleta, has been more fiercely scrutinized. But Archie’s performances are what really prove that he’s a gifted learner.
From his breakthrough “Imagine” (also reprised Tuesday, as a show-topper), to his reverential readings of Dolly Parton and Mariah Carey, to the uptempo numbers that foundered because he’s just too uptight, Archuleta showed himself the ideal teacher’s pet.
‘American Idol’ Recap: David Archuleta Scores KO Over David Cook In Final Performances — According To The Judges
Never let it be said that the producers of “American Idol” are masters of subtlety.
For its first all-male finale since season two, “Idol” pulled out all the stops. The long-simmering epic battle between teen angel David Archuleta and twenty-something rocker David Cook kicked off with the hype of a prize fight, literally. Tuesday night’s performance show opened with a microphone descending from the rafters, as the theme from “Rocky” played and legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer intoned, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Nokia Theater L.A. Live and the main event. This is the fight of the century, scheduled for three rounds of competition. So let’s get ready to rummmmble!”
Archuleta’s effective, Cook’s original in ‘American Idol’ finale
Another Idol chapter came to a close Tuesday night with a David Archuleta/David Cook showdown (lamely staged as a boxing match). Accepted wisdom holds that few minds are changed on American Idol’s performance finale ‘ loyalties have long since been set in stone ‘ but undecided or new voters might make a difference.
If that’s the case, those who favor the spark of originality will probably vote for Cook, who dared to sing probably the most upbeat song in the Idol songwriting contest file and for his finale chose a Collective Soul song he had never sung before on the show.
Are “The Davids” Crumbling Under The Pressure?
Twenty-four hours from now, David Archuleta and David Cook will be warming up and bracing themselves to deliver the performances of their lives. But unlike seasons past, they won’t be rehashing a number from earlier in the season as part of their final trio of songs — this year the finals are going to be all new, all the time.
For Tuesday night’s finale, each contestant will sing two brand new covers in addition to the original song that will end up being the winner’s first single. And those three numbers are in addition to the multitude of songs the final two will also perform with the rest of the Top 10 on Wednesday night’s results show. What does that add up to? Some very, very tired young men.
American Idol: It’s 2008 Randy
Words I could do without ever hearing again this year (or ever again): Phonebook, molten, and hot.
I could also do without boxing metaphors mixed into my American Idol. This is one of the least macho shows on television; and taking the sports metaphors too literally and too seriously just serves to highlight the extra make-up splashed all over Seacrest face at the Nokia Theater. Stop trying to butch up my Idol. The Powers That Be shouldve taken a cue from, I cant believe Im going to say this, Dancing With the Stars and should have done a SportsCenter parody like DWTS …DanceCenter. It both cheeky and funny. This boxing thing was just ¦odd.
Also, one more request: Luke Perry, please join the 90210 spin-off.
Ding-Ding!
American Idol finale: The singers brought it, the producers blew it
In the end, David vs. David wasn’t David vs. Goliath exactly.
But by the time it was over, it must have seemed as if 17-year-old David Archuleta ‘ aka “Archie, ” or “Gaspy” to his detractors at Votefortheworst.com ‘ had just slain the twin dragons of nerves and an older, more experienced opponent in David “Raspy” Cook, the 25-year-old rocker with the pipes to match and the laid-back attitude of an old pro.
By the time, the two Idol contenders worked their way through three songs apiece, it was, in the words of that noted sage Simon Cowell, “a knockout.” For Archuleta.
American Idol’s final performance show of the talent competition’s seventh season may also have been one of the worst produced hours of television of the 2007-’08 season ‘ and that’s saying something ‘ but why dwell on the negatives? This was David A. and David C.’s night to shine, and shine they did ‘ to the best of their abilities, in any event.
Cowell Calls Idol Final a Knockout for Archuleta, but Was it?
After all these months, is it really going to come down to …the Chosen One after all?
David Archuleta, the teenage crooner whose satiny voice and babyfaced looks have stolen the hearts of teenage girls, was all but crowned the winner of this season …American Idol by judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on Tuesday night. Playing on a boxing theme the show took on to highlight the showdown between two guys named David, Cowell called Archuleta performance …a knockout of his older rival, rocker David Cook.
Hicks won’t make `Idol’ finale, says David will win
Taylor Hicks won’t be performing on tonight’s two-hour finale of “American Idol.” The Hoover-born singer is in Italy this week, playing dates that Hicks said were booked quite a while ago.
“It’s a vacation with some gigs, ” Hicks said Thursday.
Although he was on the phone to discuss his Broadway debut in “Grease, ” the Gray Haired Guy shared a few thoughts on the TV show that made him famous.
Yes, the 2006 “Idol” winner has been watching this season. Hicks, 31, was ready with a prediction on which singer would be showered with confetti and flushed with victory.
“I think David’s going to win, ” he said. “I really do.”
Taylor Hicks exclusive interview ‘ Taylor Made
GULF SHORES, Ala. — It’s been two years since Birmingham-native Taylor Hicks patrolled the winner’s stage at American Idol. Now the Alabama soul man is getting ready to turn heads again.
Winners: a David – and `Idol’ fans
As much as I’ve enjoyed covering “Idol” this season, last night’s finale pitting David Archuleta against David Cook came just in time.
Once the results are revealed tonight (check out dailynews.com), I can have my weeknights back and be free of this “Idol” addiction. With summer here, I’m sure there are many other avid viewers who feel the same way.
Before Tuesday’s show, I got a call from season-one runner-up Justin Guarini, host of TV Guide Channel’s “Idol Tonight, ” and we gabbed about David vs. David.
“I think it’s going to be the smallest margin of victory in `Idol’ history, ” Justin said. “It’s the first time we’ve seen two guys go head-to-head since Clay (Aiken) and Ruben (Studdard) and that was very close. Like in season two, their differences make the competition that much more exciting.”
7 ways ‘American Idol’ changed television
Love it or hate it, American Idol has changed TV and society more than any other television series this decade.
While industry watchers are constantly reading the beginning of show’s demise in every ratings dip, gaffe by judge Paula Abdul or the winner whose post-Idol career goes bust, the Fox juggernaut continues to flatten the competition night after night, averaging 27 million viewers a telecast.
As the seventh season of the Fox powerhouse comes to a close this week with a showdown between the two Davids (rocker David Cook and teen heartthrob David Archuleta), here are seven ways that American Idol has changed television and society – for better or worse – since its debut in 2002.
David Cook: A look back at Uptown Theater concert
Before American Idol, there was the Uptown Theater in Kansas City. David Cook’s band “Axium” was the headliner at a tsunami relief concert in April 2005.
Six bands agreed to play for free in order to raise money for the victims of the tsunami.
Anna Toms was in high school at the time she and her best friend, Natalie Bluhm, organized the concert. Their friend’s father, Larry Sells, owned the uptown theater, so he donated the venue. All proceeds for the day-long concert went directly to a worldwide relief agency for victims.
Chris Sligh: Christian, Rocker, and Christian Rocker
During his stint as a finalist on the sixth season of “American Idol, ” Chris Sligh was infamous for his snappy humor and take-no-prisoners attitude. He remains a straight shooter with the release of his debut album, “Running Back to You.” He talked with Beliefnet about getting expelled from Bob Jones University, whether religion matters in the 2008 presidential election, and how doing “Idol” was simply “a means to an end.”
