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American Idol 7: Idol Ideals for the Top 2by Tyler Sandersfeld -- 05/19/2008
View Printable version of this article This wasn’t supposed to happen. David Archuleta and David Cook (whom I will refer to by last names from here on) have been the front-runners for quite a long time, and neither one got eliminated in a shocking elimination. No early exits like Tamyra, LaToya, Constantine, Chris, or Melinda. No come-from-behind spoilers like Diana or Blake. Heck, these two never even fell into the bottom group. Even Ruben stumbled into the bottom two. A final two run like this is truly unprecedented. Okay, so maybe these two weren’t the two favorites going into the top 12, like Ruben and Clay were. While Archuleta has always been near the top, Cook came onto the big stage sharing rocker votes with Michael (the closest thing to a shocking elimination this year), as well as coming in still reeling from a dunderheaded slip of the tongue in top 20 week. If anything, David Cook’s run could be compared to Kelly, Bo, or Jordin, who weren’t clear favorites at the start, but quickly earned that title regardless. With just the two remaining, I don’t think it’s necessary to separate the strategies. Instead, I’ll talk about the song categories these two will most likely sing this week. 
Let’s start with a finale tradition – the encore. Sometimes, the final two just sing one encore each, while other times two songs each will have been done before. In any case, I’ll stick with the encores I suggested last week – Archuleta’s “Shop Around,” and Cook’s “Billie Jean.” In case of two encores, Archuleta should take “Imagine,” and Cook should remind us why “Music of the Night” was a winner. The second song we know they’ll perform is the requisite “winner’s single” about rainbows and unicorns and crap like that. The song will undoubtedly stink, but the performances don’t have to. Archuleta should have no trouble singing this song the way we’re all expecting. However, if Cook is allowed to work with the song, then he should also do well. Remember that Cook’s best performances came from songs you normally wouldn’t expect a rocker like him to succeed with, like “Music of the Night.” So, there should be one encore and one soul-flattening, specially written song. But what about the third number? I’ve already addressed the issue of a second encore. Another possibility is a second winner’s song, as in Season 4. God forbid that ever happen, but in case it does, the Davids should follow the winner’s single strategy. Also, the two could get to choose another song they haven’t done before. I still would like to see Cook attempt something challenging like “Hold On,” and I think Archuleta could do well with something by Elton John or a Genesis-related artist (of course, he did already sing “Another Day in Paradise”). As well, there’s always the possibility that something completely out of the ordinary could happen. Maybe the two Davids will choose a song for each other. Maybe the two will perform a duet, either with each other or an eliminated contestant. Maybe the two have been given the opportunity to write their own songs (yeah, that’s not gonna happen). If anything like this happens, the Davids should spend less time thinking about the twist and more time practicing. That’s all I have for this final strategy session. Before I bid adieu to Ideals for the season, let me share what lessons the top 24 have left behind for future batches of contestants. We learned from Garrett Haley that even if you’re given your song by the producers since your original choices have been taken, you should still give the performance every trick you’ve got. We learned from Colton Berry and Asia’h Epperson that if you’re going to attempt a song from an iconic artist like Elvis or Whitney, make sure someone similar and more popular hasn’t also picked that artist. We learned from Alaina Whitaker and Alexandrea Lushington that one good performance isn’t enough to establish a fan base, especially when the competition has already had theirs for weeks. We learned from Robbie Carrico that the only thing worse than a rocker wearing a wig is a rocker taking on Foreigner and losing. We learned from Luke Menard and Kady Malloy that just because you’re good at a certain niche of singing (a capella, impersonations, etc.), it can’t always translate to more traditional songs. We learned from Danny Noriega that there’s little room for attitude on American Idol, especially if your talent pales in comparison. We learned from David Hernandez that a spicy past career doesn’t have to hurt, unless you try to make up for it with excessively bland performances. We learned from Amanda Overmyer and Chikezie that if you can’t, or won’t, do ballads, your life on this show is severely limited. 
We learned from Michael Johns that Aerosmith isn’t always inspirational. We learned from Kristy Lee Cook that smart song choices, coupled with a country music style, can indeed compensate for weak vocals to an extent. We learned from Carly Smithson that if you still don’t have a distinct style by the top six, you can’t expect to go much farther. We learned from Brooke White and Jason Castro that even if you have had a distinct style for a while, bad performances are still bad performances. Also, we learned from Jason that you need to want to be there. We learned from Syesha Mercado that overdone, cliche, and just plain stupid song choices don’t do much damage if the general public actually knows the songs. We learned from David Cook that choosing a challenging, unexpected song is better than sticking with the formula, provided that you can perform the former song just as well, if not better, than the latter. We learned from David Archuleta that a fresh face and a good voice will always get you far in the competition, even when you have proven that non-ballads are definitely not your strong suit. Finally, we learned from American Idol itself that themes in the semifinal rounds and repeating the same theme two weeks in a row are bad ideas. Seriously, Nigel, never do that again. Thank you very much for reading my column this season. I hope to return next season with more strategies and more commentary. See ya then! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol:
Tyler can be reached at tejayes@yahoo.com. What do you like? What do you hate? I mean, besides waiting eight months for American Idol to return. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check SirLinksALot: American Idol and Reality TV Fever! View Printable version of this article
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