Confessions of an American Idol Junkie!

At the Start of Season 7... (Then! Circa January 2008)

Had never evinced any interest in "American Idol" before this what with the awkwardness of other reality shows we get to hear about, and I regret that now!! Should have given this a chance earlier! Thanks to the TV writers' strike, this is one show to watch out for to discover news means of entertainment (and dare I say enlightenment)!

This is unlike any Indian Idol 'stuff' and so you need not be cautious in your approach to watching this!!

Had never known that there could be umpteen nuances of vocal delivery before! Hindi songs were all I enjoyed (thought there was just melody to singing) ! Now, I am after all the english songs (listening to which i was scared of earlier, thanks to the rock scare I had nurtured!) to taste the diversity.

Just before the Finals... (Now! May 2008)

After an eventful 40 episodes of American Idol Season 7, we now stand on the verge of the great Finale featuring the two Davids.

For me, what began as an innocuous browse through the initial episodes, if only for the lack of something better to watch (thanks to the writers' strike there!), turned out to be a dangerously addictive and exhausting emotional investment, with its share of thrills and frills.

Agony and Ecstasy were in full display as the lives of our favourite singing contestants unfolded in full public glare. The voyeuristic tendencies of the general public have been exploited to a good measure by this juggernaut of a reality show.

To a newbie to this brouhaha, like me, it's nothing short of a revelation. My appreciation of the music of all genres took sudden birth, treating me to some of the greatest English songs there ever were. At the end of it all, I walk back a proud connoisseur.

I am a fiercely loyal David Archuleta Fan; I am glad to have discovered the pure joy of listening to him sing. Among all other superlative things about his voice, it is a stress-buster, inspiring and has a very calming effect. He is humility personified, a true role model for the younger generation, giving me just enough ammunition to justify this insane idol-worship.

A quick recap of his performances on the show:

Top 24: He began with a very upbeat 'Shop Around' (The Miracles) that right away set him on a pedestal. It would be a long time before he would successfully sing a fast paced song.

Top 20: The transcendental rendition of 'Imagine' (John Lennon) sent shivers down the collective spines of the audience. That was his break-out moment on the show, entrenching him firmly among the elite of the contestants. It is arguable if peaking so early as in his very second performance has evoked later criticism of his predictability in the show.

Top 16: Phil Collin's 'Another Day in Paradise' was made unique by his soulful take way better than the original.

Top 12: Then the disaster struck. He flubbed the lyrics and subsequently lost vocal control singing the fast paced 'We Can Work It Out' (Beatles).

Top 11: A pitch-perfect 'Long and Winding Road' (Beatles) after the preceding week's disaster re-affirmed every one's beliefs in this child prodigy's abilities.

Top 10: A relatively unknown up-tempo 'You're the Vocie' (John Farham) was entertaining. Certainly not spectacular as the original was much better.

Top 9: Then came the achingly soulful rendition of Dolly Parton's 'Smokey Mountain Memories'. The yearning in his voice was just too haunting.

Top 8: Robbie William's 'Angels' pegged him as a staunch Balladeer as he effortlessly succeeds whenever he belts ballads. From here on, this bracketing is the only criticism that would be heaped against him.

Top 7: Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston is a scary combination for someone to trump. Archuleta made 'When You Believe' his own through his signature balladeering.

Top 6: A minor lyric flubbing. Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Think of Me' had a spectacular ending, though.

Top 5: Neil Diamond Week was just fine. 'Sweet Caroline' was ordinary. 'America' is his only second brilliant up-tempo song of the season.

Top 4: Just when an odd feeling surfaced about his losing steam, mostly thanks to the gradual steam-gaining by his namesake, the resident rocker David Cook, Archie struck a winning blow by a mind blowing rendition of 'Stand By Me' (Ben E. King). Elvis Presley's 'Love Me Tender' was on the lines of 'Imagine'. That was when Simon Cowell declared him to have crushed the competition that night.

Top 3: Billy Joel's 'And So It Goes' done in a semi-capella was trademark Archie! The reverberations were haunting. Then he tried to do up-tempo by singing 'With You' (Chris Brown) and failed adorably! Dan Fogelberg's 'Longer' was another ballad nailed.

Finals: ?????????????????

(A reprise from the previous Idol performances of the respective contestants, a producer’s choice and a ‘coronation’ song make up for the Finale.)

For Archie, the ultimate moment should be when he does a cappella of ‘Imagine’. Idol boards are abuzz with rumours about ‘Crazy’ (Gnarles Barkley) which was performed majestically by Archie in the Hollywood Round, which could not be aired due to technical clearance difficulties. It’s quite an upbeat song that should make up for all his lost chances in that area! And of course, the coronation song would be a dreaded ballad, giving Archie the much needed leverage.

But then again, May the Best Singer of the Night Win!!

In the end, it’s all going to come down mostly to the dialing/SMSing skills of pre-pubescents (for Archie) and post-pubescents (for Cook). Grandmas are content voting once or at the most twice for Archie. An international fan like me has no chance to vote at all.

Too much has been said about the ‘boring’ and ‘predictable’ nature of songs that one could expect to hear from Archie. When I buy his record, I know for sure what I am going to get from it. And I will go for that without any regrets just to listen to his mellifluous vocals. Too bad that ‘rock songs’ are perceived to be the only saleable ones with the required versatility. With all due respects to David Cook and his ardent supporters, I just don’t get it! Agreed this much: Cook’s ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘The First Time I Ever Saw You’ were thoroughly enjoyable.

Can’t wait for the Finale to come by and storm me!! Go Archie Go!!!!!

Here’s in a nut shell the Season 7’s ‘Moments’

Asia’h Epperson: Her audition and ‘Piece of My Heart’

Brooke White: ‘Let It Be’

Carly Smithson: ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, ‘Here You Come Again’

David Arculeta: ‘Imagine’ and ‘Stand By Me’

David Cook: ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘The First Time I Ever Saw You’

David Hernandez: ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me’

Jason Castro: ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’

Michael Johns: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We are the Champions’, ‘Dream on’ (Yess!!)

Syesha Mercado: ‘I Will Always Love You’

Most Entertaining Guest Performance: Hands Down the scariest yet outright entertaining Fantasia Barrino’s rendition of ‘Bore Me’. J

Fantastic Group Song: ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’ during the Idol Gives Back Week.

Most Amazing Guest Vocal: ‘What About Now’ by Chris Daughtry

Most Emotional Moment: Asia’h Epperson’s audition

Most Shocking Elimination: Michael Johns

Should Have Made to Top 24: Josiah Leming

And Finally:

Here's something I wrote in fierce rabid defence of Archie when in a discussion forum, he was being written off:

"This kid got pipes on him. There's no denying the fact. Ballads are Archie's niche. What's wrong about that? Is Rock not D.Cook's niche? Is it inbuilt in the genres that those who stand by ballads are boring; Rock - fascinating?

You call it boring. I call it consistency! This kid has peaked precociously early on this season and stayed there. He hit saturation point for his age now, meaning there can be NO further improvement. Live with it and stop complaining about 'boredom'..

More than anything else, he gives the word 'idol' its real personification. Humility (absolutely genuine) beyond belief!! I have never seen talent+humility in such abundance in one person. Humbleness makes a person dull by default?? I bet no American can be as graciously humble as he is! (The Indianness in me makes me fall for just this one quality in any person - humility. Come on, it is a fairy tale here.... seeing the prince live happily ever after with the princess charming kind - his winning A.I.

Can the charm of puppies (the real doggie ones!) ever start feeling monotonous to us? If you are trying to be 'macho' enough by not saying it out loud that puppies tug at your heart, then so be it! But it's a fact! Same holds good for the aww-schuucks Archie!

To sound cheesily poetic - Which parents wouldn't want a son like him? Which teacher wouldn't want a student like him? Which friend wouldn't want a buddy like him? Which girl wouldn't want a lover like him.... yada yada yada....

PS: I love this fanaticism.. since Roger Federer seems to have taken a long vacation from brilliance, the idolater in me needed a substitute and here comes aptly another Maestro!