American Upset!How David Cook won American Idol.
Posted Thursday, May 22, 2008, at 12:24 PM ET
Well, the confetti's been cleared and the last ballad belted, and Seacrest is out (not like that) for the final time this season. I was certainly not expecting David Cook to win the Idol title, but, like Simon Cowell, I think I would have been OK with either possible outcome. At first I thought the producers must have felt the same—the two contenders spent much of the finale dressed in various near-identical ensembles, and they even starred in twin Risky Business-themed ads for Guitar Hero. In hindsight, though, I should have recognized those commercials as signs of Cook's impending victory, inundated as the broadcast was with the rock-hero vibe. David A. was thrust out of his comfort zone into a duo cover Nickelback's "Hero," clearly meant as a Cook vehicle. And even Mike Myers made a Guitar Hero crack during his too-long spot promoting the (tremendously politically incorrect) summer film Love Guru. Add Simon's earnest apology to David C., and it's clear the upset was being set up from the start.
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StumbleUponThe celebrity appearances, including Myers', fell a little flat for me, although I loved Jimmy Kimmel's clever video setting Simon's catch-phrases-of-doom to "Pop Goes the Weasel." That's an original song if I ever heard one. I'd much rather have heard David Cook sing that than the inevitably insipid winner's song, "Time of My Life," which had, like, six times as much stuff about Dreams and Believing and Moments as the songs we heard yesterday. (There were, additionally, rainbows and horizons and I don't know what. I tuned out after the first verse.)
The guest musicians were more fun, some bright moments in a very mellow two hours; my favorite bits included Seal in a sweet soul set with Syesha, David C. rocking out in scary synch with ZZ Top, and Graham Nash in a retro, acoustic "Teach Your Children" with Brooke White. Donna Summer spelled the word stamp repeatedly with great gusto, and I loved the blinged-out disco mic that she kindly lent to Syesha during a technical mishap. Bryan Adams was … Bryan Adams, One Republic "Apologize"-d in startlingly perfect harmony with David A., and I didn't actually know who the Jonas Brothers were until I Googled them just now. The big George Michael number was "Praying for Time," that angsty warning about the state of the world—something that superconscious David Archuleta might have sung during "Idol Gives Back" but that was kind of a buzz kill coming just before the climax of the season finale.
Another old-school star dropped by in the much anticipated (by me, anyway) rotoscoping showcase. Of course it did not in any way top, or even live up to, the standards set by last year's Dion-Presley "duet impossible." Instead, it turned out to be a shtick-y charity tie-in that saw Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. replacing a 1973 Gladys Knight's Pips in "Midnight Train to Georgia." Come on. There's no point in digitally resurrecting someone who is still alive. And she's been on the show in person loads of times—did the producers just not want to shell out for a live appearance? Even more perplexing: The more I compare the Idol clip with the original, the more I'm convinced Robert Downey Jr. would have made a damn fine Pip. The man's got moves!
Speaking of moves, it was a treat to see the So You Think You Can Dance-ers again, backing up the Idols and dancing their hearts out to psych viewers up for the SYTYCD premiere tonight. I'm so psyched for the SYTYCD premiere tonight! And we had the campy brilliance of all the Top 12 alums, strutting the stage together again. I'd forgotten about David Hernandez, and had to look up his name (it's tough to be the first one voted out), but I was unexpectedly thrilled to hear Michael Johns and Carly Smithson in "The Letter." And Chikezie, how I've missed you! There were other familiar faces, too: Mikalah Gordon and Matt Rogers from all the way back in Seasons 4 and 3 (respectively) served as campaign correspondents reporting from the Davids' hometowns. Have you seen Matt on Really Big Things? Another post-Idol success story! Then Carrie Underwood and her endless legs sang about the dangers of Marrying While Intoxicated, and Jordin Sparks wore a distractingly lamé dress for her June single "One Step at a Time." I actually have no idea what her song was about, that dress was so blindingly … gold.
Still, it's good to know there's life after Idol. That's a hope I cling to myself, every May when it comes time to move on to other TV shows or, you know, reintegrate myself into society. But January will be here again before we know it, bringing with it a new season designed specially to stem Idol's declining viewership. (Don't panic, it's hardly time to man the lifeboats just yet; the show is still No. 1.) For now, you can stave off your Idol withdrawal by catching a tour concert, or mailing all your letters with Fantasia stamps, or filling out American Idol Mad Libs. As for me, I'm going to Disney World!
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Notes from the Fray Editor
As we have chosen such a reasonable and civilized post to feature, we must also include two mean comments: "What is with the hair looking like a tornado aftermath?" and [David A is] "the boy with the voice of an angel and the stage presence of lawn furniture."
Comment from the Fray
Music appreciation is a personal thing. People who love Cook's genre of music probably would not enjoy Archie's style of music. and the same applies to Archie fans not appreciating Cook's music. Listeners of each found the other "boring" v :"screaming". What has been interesting though is that most fans seemed to actually get that both had exceptional voices for what they do. So what happened last night in a contest that could have gone either way?
I personally think it got down to the choice of the last song. Cook opted for contemporary while Archie repeated a non-contemporary song. Both sang their hearts out beautifully. Both earned the win. I suspect that when the judges remarks that gushed for Archie and crucified Cook conflicted with the absolute quality of Cooks performance it did infuriate many listeners stuck with knowing they just heard two great presentations. It doesn't matter that the judges retracted their critique after the fact and admitted Cook did a great job. I think an argument can be made that it goaded people to vote to make up for incorrect criticism but that alone can't explain how Cook garnered 12 million votes more than Archie.
Valid or not, I think the answer may be something as simple as that last song choice. No one can say that either has the best voice but they can say each has the best voice for their style of music contrary to what each side says about the other. Given that, Cook won this by being extremely smart by going Collective Soul. I think he may have lost had he picked a song in Archies category - Call it retro ballads.
What is true is that the two David's respect each other's talent and saw the other as a threat unlike fans who only heard their favorite and assumed they would win. Both will go far. Cook will sell more music simply because he is a versatile contemporary rocker but Archie has an International market to corner. perhaps along the line of a young Josh Groban if he wishes to go that route. If Archie goes that direction his career will be more lasting. It will be much more interesting to see how he develops in the next 5 years and what direction he will take.
It really does feel like we have two winners this year but don't make the mistake of thinking Cook is not the actual winner because he is. He won it with pure talent , an exceptional voice for his genre of music, and a very smart song choice.
--marylb
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(5/27)