American Idol Fodder

Who Will Win "American Idol?"

After almost five months of performances, some awful and others amazing, it's time to crown King David. But which one will prevail? Will it be the tween heartthrob with a fondness for saying â€˜gosh'? Or will it be this year's requisite rocker? Let's take a look at the pros and cons for each David as they try to sing their way into "American Idol" history.

David Archuleta

Vital Statistics: 17 years old, Utah resident, loves ballads and likes to say â€˜gosh'
What Could Help Him Win: Let's face it, David A. has cornered the market on tweens and should be able to rely on their countless redials to garner some big votes. He's also big with moms and grandmas, especially when he's singing those slower ballads. He's even inspired a Clay Aiken-type following, producing a fan club called the â€˜Arch Angels.' All this combined with his pure voice and excellent singing technique could shoot him to the top.
What Could Hurt Him: He's awesome with the ballads, but what about up-tempo, contemporary songs? USA Today points out that one of his biggest misfires this season was his rendition of Chris Brown's "With You" last week. It was totally out of his element, which could be bad seeing as how that style of music is popular these days.
His Future After Idol: The fact that no other male contestant on "Idol," other than Chris Daughtry, has become a runaway hit could hurt him. Factor into that his ability to sing older ballads, but his awkwardness at contemporary songs, and it might be difficult for him to transition to radio.

David Cook:

Vital Statistics: 25 years old, Missouri resident, has perpetual â€˜bed-head' and likes to rock
What Could Help Him Win: Out of the two contestants left, he's the better performer. He knows how to work the crowd, regardless of whether he's playing his guitar or not. He's also become expert at finding alternative ways to sing well-known songs. In the end, it may be his uniqueness that wins out.
What Could Hurt Him: According to a USA Today poll, over 71% of the 12,000 readers who participated picked Cook as the winner. In turn, those readers represent Cook's fan base of adults ages 30 to 59. Sounds good, doesn't it? Unfortunately almost half of those who participated said they have never voted for an "Idol" contestant. So, it could be bad news when your core fan base doesn't even pick up the phone.
His Future After Idol: Like Archuleta, he's going to have to dodge the "male contestant" curse that has plagued past singers. Critics say he'll need to not only showcase his awesome voice in his inevitable first album, but he should also highlight his ability to orchestrate interesting-sounding songs.

Some other interesting news:

-According to Entertainment Weekly, tons of "Idol" contestants from seasons past were flown into L.A. for a private pre-finale party this past Monday. In attendance were: Chris Richardson from Season 6, Justin Guarini from Season 1, Brandon Rogers from Season 6, Season 5's Kevin Covais, Season 3's Jon Peter Lewis, Season 6's Chris Sligh, Nadia Turner from Season 4, Gina Glocksen from Season 6 and Bo Bice from Season 4. Performing a 5-song set was Season 5's Ace Young, who was also on an episode of "Bones" last week. But why weren't this year's Top 12 there, you ask? That's because they were busy rehearsing their big finale numbers at the Nokia Theater.

-USA Today came up with their Top 10 Moments, both good and bad, from Season 7:
-David Archuleta singing "Imagine" in the semi-finals and becoming an instant front runner, with 20 contestants still left vying for the crown.
-Jason Castro singing Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah," which was probably his only shining moment this season
-Chikezie taking a page from "O Brother Where Art Thou" and flipping "She's a Woman" on a blue-grass edge
-David Cook singing Chris Cornell's version of "Billie Jean" and proving that he just might make it to the finale
-Kristy Lee Cook racing through "Eight Days a Week," which USA Today called "this year's worst finals performance"
-Michael Johns' bluesy take on "It's All Wrong But It's All Right"
-Syesha Mercado showing her Broadway skills for the first time on "One Rock â€˜n' Roll Too Many"
-Amanda Overmyer howling through a really bad version of "Carry On Wayward Son"
-Carly Smithson singing an awesome cover of Heart's "Crazy on You"
-Brooke White ditching the nanny routine and belting out Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield"

I'd like to add a few to that list. How about David Cook's ultra-cool transformation of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby"? Or Brooke's piano sit-down rendition of "Every Breath You Take?" I'm sure that's not the only performance viewers loved from this season! Post below and tell me what songs you loved or hated from Season 7! --Chris Sardelli

Posted by Chris on May 20, 2008 5:54 PM
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