The Morning After: Win-Win?

Cook's third song was definitely baffling in the context of last night, but, it had been reported last week that he was planning to use it for his choice during Top 3. So, I was surprised to hear Switchfoot then, but not totally caught off guard last night.

Just guessing, I'd say one reason he went with the song was because of the time constraints this week. DavidA obviously had the advantage with "Imagine" of singing a song he'd already performed, and if Cook had already done some prep for "The World I Know" and truly wanted to go with something he hadn't done, then it makes sense.

Plus, after all, Randy told him flat-out last week that Switchfoot-type songs were what he should do, and this was going to be his last chance, so why not? He wasn't going to have the benefit of the pimp slot to have the final glory note anyway. Maybe he'd have done it differently if he had won the coin toss.

While he did a fantastic job of reworking older pop tunes -- and that's definitely one thing folks loved (or hated) about him -- if he were going to maintain any integrity and identity as a rocker, I can see why he thought it better to go out on his own terms.

And given the Dialidol results from last night, there's apparently still a chance that James' prediction may yet remain as intact as Cook's integrity.

Speaking of which, I also wondered if the judges were heaping praise on DavidA in order to fire up Cook voters and/or lull the Archulites into thinking they could skip voting til their fingers bled. I'll admit DavidA did a decent job, but they were all (even Paula) just a little *too* in sync with their rah-rah commentary.

Politics and pop television seem to intersect with regular frequency on this blog in somewhat prescient analogies and I can't help but feel that the results show tonight will do it once again.

This election cycle voters were force fed candidates they were told they like, but ended up rebelling against the status quo in a rejection of unpalatable career-politicians. Tonight the same thing is going to happen. While Randy, Paula, Simon, the producers (and even Ryan) all seem to be pulling for the stuffed animal known as David Archuleta, voters are going to elect David Cook because he's captured the "outsider playing the insiders' game" zeitgeist this season on idol. No doubt in my mind - Idol voters want to stick it to the contrived finale pimps at Fox.

Okay, Cook should win for this reason: unlike Archuleta, he didn't play it safe. He didn't chicken out and play one of his old songs. Whereas Archuleta deserves to lose for not only singing Imagine, again, but for once, again, butchering the damn song, and finally, for once again, not performing the damn first verse of the song. If he's too chicken to sing "Imagine there's no heaven," then he doesn't need to be singing John Lennon.

Seriously, really, do people out there really think he's done this song justice?

Oh, well, I didn't see until really late because I was out watching some real performers -- Elvis Costello and The Police -- so by the time I watched, the four hours had passed and I couldn't vote.

And excuse the ranting. I'm becoming an old man and I get cranky when I don't get all of my beauty sleep.

@johnr - interesting point on the first verse, I hadn't thought about that but you're right he's never sung that line about no heaven. Does anybody else see a little bit of young Michael Jackson in David A.? and I'm not talking talent wise I'm talking about the crazy personality traits brought on by years of psychological or other torment from his dad? I just wonder if we're going to be watching David A. hanging a baby out of a window in 20 years...

Taylor Hicks was clearly a failure, but Jordin Sparks has had two top ten hits off of a platinum album. I think they were happy with her until the whole career-threatening-vocal chord-injury thing.

i can't be unbiased, because i've really never gotten David A, so although he was good, and David C didn't have a crazy stole the show moment, i just prefer Cookie

the judges have always given critiques but the clear calling of the event for David A just seemed too much, and unwarranted, and i can't help but agree with the wonder of what that does to the voters, and whether it was intended

Simon did tell a joke at one point this year that on the night's he was nice to someone, they usually ended up in the bottom three, and that if he was really mean, they were safe -- I'm specifically remembering that with Carly.

David Cook was definitely the winner of the night and this competition in my eyes, but I do honestly prefer him to lost at this point. I want him to go off with his band and produce a personal and soulful album. It will be the first time I by any album Idol-related.

And regarding the comments about Archuleta not singing the first verses of Imagine: what did you expect? I, for one, don't believe Archuleta would have even considered that those first two verses would be offensive (he seemed like he didn't even truly understand the song at all). I'm sure it was the Idol producers or lawyers or someone that recognized that the majority of Idol viewers would take serious offense to the first verse's "imagine there's no Heaven" and probably even moreso to the second verse's "...and no religion too." The network would not have allowed him to sing those lyrics.

I started watching this seasons AI, but just had to give up because why oh why must they do these stupid, stupid theme nights?!?! I mean, I get that they have to have a theme each week, but who comes up with these ideas? They need to reformat the show totally, hire some 20 year olds to make it fresh and not so booooring! And an hour and a two minute result show, really? I mean really? It takes two seconds to say, "You- You're gone, Leave the stage now!" I know the results show has to be at least 30 mintues and the drama of it all, I know, I know, it has to be there, but come on!

Here is what I would do.
The result night, cut it down to 30 mintues. Have the contestant voted off out of there within the first 15 minutes and then spend the rest of the time letting the viewers know next weeks theme. Then post three songs for each constestant then the viewers can vote for one song per contestant, make sense? That way the viewers pick the songs that THEY want to hear and maybe we won't hear the hot messes we heard this season.

@frozenhamester - You can't be serious. Fox who gave us Married with Children, the Simpsons, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire, Temptation Island and When Animals Attack just to name a few is worried about offending viewers? Really?

I think it has more to do with the fact that they don't usually do the whole song.

Re DavidA not singing the first verse of Imagine - he was asked about that when he first performed the song. As Keith said, David explained that he had to shorten the song to fit the time, and he liked what the 2nd verse said. With all the fuss about his dad, and reading about DavidA himself skipping over songs with non-wholesome themes, it's easy to think there's more to this, but maybe it just what it is.

@pipper12 - I think Fox has already announced the results show would be shortened to 30 mins next season. No matter what, I'm betting they still hold the elimination til the end cuz advertisers want to think you'll sit through the whole 29 mins no matter what. But your idea about the song choices sounds interesting, you should send that to the AmIdol folks for their consideration.

@Keith - How can I not be serious? Those are all shows aimed at adults. Idol is a show aimed squarely at the family audience. And conisdering the Christian family lobbies in the States are such a powerful force I doubt they'd be happy that one of top shows in the nation has a teenager singing lyrics in a song that advocate a world without religion. Fox would get far too many complaints from its core audience to ignore or to be able to defend the show. We are living in a post-nipplegate era on network television and Fox can't afford to offend that audience.