Uh oh. The coronation of David Archuleta – who some blogs have started to call “Gaspy,” which I admit is kind of funny ‘cause it’s true – has hit a snag. No, it’s not because David Cook is actually a better singer and musician, even though he is.
It’s because Archuleta basically struck out this week. Not only did he not sell the Grandma-friendly ballads he’s known for very well, but he tried to sing an age-appropriate song and failed with that as well. His leaden version of Chris Brown’s “With You” prompted Simon Cowell to say it was “like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger,” which was true, though it was Paula Abdul who nailed the problem, saying he was dragging out the notes, which he was.
Cook, on the other hand, handled everything the judges and producers threw at him, including “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which, let’s face it, could have sunk Archuleta or Syesha Mercado (who was, once again, passable, but not quite great), but Cook took it in stride. And he saved his best performance for the end, hitting “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” out of the park, closing out the show with a memory of his dominance.
He may still end up losing to Archuleta, but that will be because of “American Idol” demographics, not because of actual skills. And that, more than anything, will explain this year’s ratings fall-off and problems for the show going forward.
THE RANKINGS
David Cook, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
David Cook, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
David Cook, “Dare You to Move”
David Archuleta, “And So It Goes”
Syesha Mercado, “If I Ain’t Got You”
Syesha Mercado, “Hit Me Up”
David Archuleta, “Longer”
Syesha Mercado, “Fever”
David Archuleta, “With You”
WILL BE CUT: Syesha
SHOULD BE CUT: Syesha
ACTUALLY CUT: ???