David Archuleta’s Dad Banned from Idol?

I wonder if it will relax David a bit, or will it have the opposite effect?

Reading one of the fan threads at Rickey’s, it looks as if he left the Beautiful Girl lines out of the song he sang today — does that lend truth to this? What’s on iTUnes? Would they have let that be recorded if it were a problem?

I think it is really sad when you are considering TMZ a credible source. If this was really a problem, why would they have waited until top 3 to address it? I think it is really ironic that this is published on the day of top 3 homecoming. Way to ruin a perfect day for David…

Great find M.J.
Now I am hoping for DavidA too. And DavidC.

Maybe that is what Syesha was talking about when she said something happened that she couldn’t talk about during filming of the ‘pimpmercial.’

Hello – I see a pattern developing here – I seem to recall the same words spoken before the last Idol was voted off – Why now?

I’ve said it. Others have said it. TMZ is in bed with TPTB. I’m sure it will be picked up by the respectable media eventually.

While I think this is probably partly about drumming up some buzz, I also believe that it really is a real story. Throwing that “Beautiful Girls” line in the song likely did cost TPTB a lot of $$, and we know that Nigel doesn’t like to part with his cash. That was probably just the straw that broke the camel’s back.

And yeah, I too think that TMZ is in bed with TPTB. Their song spoilers don’t just come from a “mole,” peeps.

This is a story that just won’t die. I’m starting to believe it, and there’s always the EW article about his actions during Archie’s rehearsal.

It will be interesting to see how this affects him. Maybe he’ll loosen up?

If this was really a problem, why would they have waited until top 3 to address it?

Well, according to the article, this incident cost the show money. I’m sure they didn’t care about an annoyance so long as it’s free.

pj what do you think TPTB’s agenda is?

Was his father around with him today? I didn’t watch any of his home visit. My ears can’t take that high-pitched screeching (his little fangirlies).

Wow, poor DA, it would really suck to be in his position. He seems like such and nice kid, but he’s gotta feel torn with everyone thinking his dad’s a pain in the ass. I hope it doesn’t rub off on him! OR affect his career negatively.

All I want to know is if this is something Archie really wants…or is it something he’s being forced to do just because he’s good at it. That’s all I want to know, and only he can answer that question.

I don’t think it’s true. If it were, they wouldn’t have allowed him to sing it like that. They make it sound like he just slipped it in the song.. but listen to the backup singers.. they are right in line with what he was singing withe the “beautiful girls” part. Plus, they sing it during rehearsal.. ask your friend caffiend if he sung it during rehearsals. if he did, then this story is a bunch of bullcrap. They would have told him at that point to not sing it and htey would have instructed the band/backup to skip over that part. They didn’t. So this is not true!!!

Somebody refute me, I beg you.

Gwen, if you know anything about david, then you’ll know he loves to sing.. this is his life. with or without his dad, this is exactly what he wants to do.

wfow,
yes, his father was there with him at the pep rally. why?

Gwen – we’ll probably never know if it’s actually David’s dream, with dear ole’ dad constantly breathing down his neck. But, maybe in 20 years, after a long stint in rehab, he’ll write his bio…

I did not notice that Archie sang lines from Sean Kingston’s song during his performance. Guess I was not paying attention.

David seems dependent upon his father. This may be a bad time to separate dad from David’s “creative” preparations for his songs. He seems to value his dad’s opinion. Maybe he was just being respectful to his parent and deep down will be glad for the break from him.

Archie is closer to 16 than he is to 18 so being a young minded 17 year old can explain why he needs his dad to be his voice and stand up for him. I don’t know.

if they were that concerned about the sean kingston part (and paying him up), then they would have disallowed it in rehearsals.. again.. caffiend, did he sing it like that at rehearsals or not??????

wfow,
the itunes of davids is love me tender. but they have the video for SBM, and it is still for sale. if this little “problem” were true, they would have pulled that, a LONG time ago.

does somebody smell something fishy?????????????

If this story is true, I think Syesha Mercado has single handedly freed David Archuleta who was heard earlier this evening singing, ‘Free at last, thank God I’m free at last.’

Rumors come from somewhere and usually it is somewhere near the truth. This story about David A’s dad has been around since the start of the season and goes back to his Star Search days. Personally, I think there is some merit to this story. And I don’t recall hearing that last year that Jordin Sparks had either of her parents constantly up her butt or that of the entire AI crew and other contestant’s. Yes, they had tutor/schooling but I don’t recall hearing about Jordin’s parents being there like David’s are. Or for that matter, I don’t recall hearing about it with any of the other younger contenstants like Lisa Tucker or Paris Bennett. And if they were there, I bet they weren’t as “involved” as Jeff A. has been. Just my take.

does TMZ really get song spoilers, or do they just go to rehearsal?? I’m not sure that is good “proof”

MrsCastro — I suppose if the story is true, Idol’s paid $$$ for the rights, so they might as well keep the song up, right?

I dunno much about Archie — I’m not a fan. I feel for the kid though. And, well, I hope TMZ isn’t just making shit up — as we know they do.

The EW article does support this — talking about Dad pacing around during Archie’s rehearsal the week before..?

Do you think TPTB are just flexing their muscles for the future? Are they wanting Mr. Archie out of the picture when David records, etc.?

I believe Jeff A is a stage dad. However, if David A did this in the rehearsal, they could have stopped him. It’s a little hard to believe he would just improv it live.

I did listen to his Fox interview today and he sincerely loves music and singing. He is not being forced to do something he hates by his father.

Great find M.J.

Thanks, but Lisa found it!

does TMZ really get song spoilers, or do they just go to rehearsal?? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure that is good à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“proofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

TMZ posts the song spoilers before the rehearsals end.

If TPTB do leak information to TMZ then the reason they do it is because it creates more publicity for Idol (good or bad, publicity is publicity). The gossip, rumors, talk, everything just creates more buzz and keeps Idol in the spotlight. And by keeping Idol in the spotlight that creates more money, etc. As has been proven this show is ALL about the money in the long run.

Hey MJ, just curious – what are your thoughts on this TMZ article?

Hi everyone. Long time lurker, finally posting!
Interesting article. I was at the dress rehearsal, and he sang the beautiful girls part during that performance. Nigel and the 2 vocal coaches were standing just behind me watching on the monitors, and they certainly didn’t act like anything was wrong.

Although, you never let them see you sweat. So maybe they were mad later?

Hey MJ, just curious – what are your thoughts on this TMZ article?

I believe it could be true.

I also think it’s sad if it’s true. No matter how much a pita Jeff Archuleta is, David seems to be very reliant on him for support and advice. They better have really good cause to separate them at this stage of the game, because it could adversely affect David’s upcoming performances.

The TMZ artcile says Jeff has badgered vocal coaches. the band, producers and even other contestants.
To me that is an issue – as is the treatment of his son, and royalties on song lyrics.

apparently idol didn’t pay for the rights.. they paid to avoid getting sued. archie didn’t sing that part during his festivities today. so, i don’t doubt that part of this is true. but to maliciously imply that they deviously stuck it in there at the last second, doesn’t make sense for a single second. like i said, hearing the performance.. you can hear the backup singers in total sync with what he was singing “all your beaut. girls”. and, he must have sung it like that at rehearsals on monday AND tuesday before the live show. Why didn’t they stop them then??????

ANYBODY ???

Mrs Castro. You have asked your question once, you don’t need to keep repeating it.

MrsCastro
May 9th, 2008 at 10:48 pm

does somebody smell something fishy?????????????

I smell smoke!

If he sang “beautiful gir’s” in reheasals, then that part of the story makes no sense. The rest of it might be true. I’m sure he’s been a pain in the butt all season but what a weird time to ban him. Couldn’t they deal with his crap for another week or two?

TPTB’s agenda is to push Syesha into the final two.
A DavidC vs DavidA show down would be nothing more than Wally and The Beaver, which would be a marketing nightmare in a season that is the brink of being a ratings disaster.

but listen to the backup singers.. they are right in line with what he was singing withe the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“beautiful girlsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  part.

Your post made me curious, so i went and watched the video on youtube. the backup singers don’t sing the “beautiful girls” part with him. they stick to repeating “stand by me” a la the original.

This is sad for little david. On top of being chosen by VFTW, he is having a rough go of it this week. Poor kid.

mj, sorry, it’s just that nobody was answering me, and i was trying to make a point. period.

but, big A did answer my question, after I had asked it several times w/no response or comments.

thanks big A for letting us know that. now, can anybody deny that they smell fish?

TPTBà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s agenda is to push Syesha into the final two

I don’t doubt it. You think they are trying to push DA out? Or, could it backfire and rally his fans? If so, then DC could be out.

MJ..
what do you think mj.. why didn’t they stop david from singing that part during rehearsal? just curious..

Maybe they didn’t stop it because it may have been too late to do so. Or maybe because they didn’t want to disrupt David and upset him.

I think that it’s a true story, if not the whole thing being true, I think most parts of it are.

TMZ is sleazy, like the VFTW of gossip television, but I’m starting to smell some truth about the story. I could care less about the “Beautiful Girls” and money part than the actual banning of Jeff Archuleta. That’s the part that interests me.

The reason I think there’s some truth to it is that there’s a nervous uneasiness after every one of Archie’s performances, like he’s waiting for approval…or waiting to see if he did it right. There’s the EW article. Then, there’s Naomi Judd, coming out on a national television show, and virtually calling his father a monster. Why on EARTH would she do that if it wasn’t true?

That’s the part of the TMZ story I’m concerned about. TMZ is onto something, and this isn’t the first time they’ve printed something about Jeff Archuleta.

If so, then DC could be out.

DC’s fans have had a huge underground texting campaign for months now. :wink_wp:

DCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans have had a huge underground texting campaign for months now.

Thank goodness! I’m starting to get nervous! :confused_wp:

Lisa
May 9th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
If so, then DC could be out.

DCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans have had a huge underground texting campaign for months now.

Indeed.

MJ..
what do you think mj.. why didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t they stop david from singing that part during rehearsal? just curious..

I don’t know. I wasn’t there. I don’t know if TMZ has every detail right, but like Gwen said above, I think they are on to something.

steph, i didn’t mean to say they were singing “beaut. girls” too.. but their backup singing was obviously very in Sync with his part.. they would have been completely thrown off if they weren’t expecting it.. it went with his part perfectly.

also, look at the previous post above.. he did perform it like that during rehearsal.. tmz made it sound like he just slipped it in, like a complete surprise, during the live show. yeah, right.

DCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans have had a huge underground texting campaign for months now.

You better believe it. Don’t underestimate the power of the fanbase. :wink_wp: The story from Fox KC video on Tuesday night showing a room filled up with over 200 people with their cell phones geared up and ready to go was all I needed to see. They put a lot of major emphasis to the fans there about not being complacent in voting and a lot of people got the message. I already got the hint and voted like a madwoman! Heh!

Jovi, if they knew that lots of money woudl be at stake, do you really really think they would have been THAT considerate to little david? really? wow, they sure are some thoughtful, charitable folks.

remember, they have rehearsal on monday too. i can’t say with 100% certainty, but i bet that he sang it that way on monday too. still not enough time to change it?

plus, they are all perfectly capable to leave parts out.. he would have been perfectly fine leaving it out if they asked him.

If Jeff Archuleta is influencing every single step David takes — that’s more than just chaperoning — it’s managing. *None* of the other Idols have all that help with their song arrangements or choices. So because he’s a minor, DA gets help from a professional (right?, JA’s a musician too) who just happens to be his Dad.

And, well, if he’s annoying the others? I think just having his creepy self around all the time would be enough.

Sorry — I’m flooding, and need to go to bed. I just dislike this guy an awful lot.

Oh yea, and how do I get in on the underground texting campaign?!? :rolleyes_wp:

The only two scenerio’s I can come up with is:

1. They put this out to get Archie fans to text more, which would make one wonder why (check my post above that might explain it).

2. This would give them cred if DA got booted next week. We would hear something from the judges after the boot like. *Well he was just too young, he might need to wait until he is 18 and out of the house*.

I am with Gwendolyn on this, I could care less about what was in the song, the money it cost, etc. I think the stage dad aspect is the truth. There has been too much said and speculation about it for months for it to not be true in some form.

Oh and MJ, I go between this blog and Rickey’s. I have to say a huge THANK YOU for allowing me my true Jason Castro and David Cook fixes and information. Too much Archuleta at Rickey’s right now I want to hurl.

The stage dad aspect may be the truth; but this timing sucks gutter water.

Here is the first paragraph of Jessica Shaw’s Entertainment Weekly report on how the top five picked their songs.

There’s been a lot of speculation over whether 17-year-old David Archuleta’s father Jeff is an overinvolved stage dad. This Thursday morning, Papa isn’t doing much to dispel the rumors as his son rehearses the Neil Diamond anthem ”America.” ”There’s too many ‘Todays,”’ he tells associate musical director Michael Orland of the climactic, repeated lyric, while pacing around the room. The comments continue throughout the rehearsal: ”Neil Diamond’s voice is a fifth lower than his” and ”The edit to do is 8 to 10 seconds before ‘My country ’tis of thee”’ and ”The beginning needs to have a U2 vibe.” He also occasionally compliments his son, who stands silently by the mic nervously pivoting one foot on its heel. ”My dad is like my translator,” Archuleta later says. ”I have issues explaining what I want.” He initially wanted to perform ”I’m a Believer,” only to see Brooke pull the song title out of the hat, and also considered ”Holly Holy,” but the four-minute, 40-second song couldn’t be condensed into the one-and-a-half-minute time limit.

In the interview with Michael Slezak on EW during top five week, Jessica said DavidA said five words during the whole rehearsal.

If DA can’t do it on his own like Jordin did, then he doesn’t deserve to be there.

I agree with Nola. Who doubts he’s a meddling stage dad? So they ban him 4 days before Top 3 night? No pressure there Archie, no pressure at all.

In all positivity, just because he can’t be in rehearsal doesn’t mean he can’t hone in at home.

really? wow, they sure are some thoughtful, charitable folks.

Yes, actually, they really, really are. They’ve been giving him charitable comments and OTT praise for weeks, even when his performances haven’t merited it.

And uh, it’s easy to sneak in a line to a song… just eliminate another line and insert the one you want to sing (or that Dad is making you sing). Not that difficult at all.

ETA: NOT saying that happened, or that DA is that manipulative, but I wouldn’t say that his father isn’t.

i didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean to say they were singing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“beaut. girlsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  too.. but their backup singing was obviously very in Sync with his part.. they would have been completely thrown off if they werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t expecting it.. it went with his part perfectly.

Lead singers ad lib all the time. True professional backup singers know to keep singing their assigned parts no matter what the lead does, unless they are instructed to do otherwise. This avoids a major onstage disaster. The band didn’t stop playing when Jason forgot his lyrics. The show goes on.

It’s possible that Archie sang it at the dress rehearsal, they told him between the dress rehearsal and the show that they couldn’t get clearance and he needed to take it out, then he sang it on the live show anyway. That is the only way TMZ’s story could make sense.

But I will say that all this talk about the Dad must be coming from somewhere. Even if he’s not as bad as everyone says he is, he is most certainly not sitting off silent to the side.

I feel bad for Archie though. I hope this does not throw him off his game. But I have NO DOUBT his fanbase will rally after this. Maybe that’s the point of the leak? People have been speculating that Archie’s vote totals have been soft, maybe TPTB are trying to guarantee a fan-galvanizing controversy so he can be sure to make the finals.

I’ve always wished they would raise the age of the contestants
to 18. Now, even more so.

I can’t believe they would do this to David this close to the finish line.
Poor kid.

Well I’m going with “where there’s smoke there’s fire” I also agree 100% with pj and Mj about TMZ being in bed with Idol. Remember when DC was “rushed to the hospital”? Who broke that story with a very convienet “according to an unnamed idol producer” attached to the story. TMZ is not going to ruin the relationship it has with Idol to make up a story like this.

This story will percolate for about 24 hours and then EW will be all over it, along with other repubtable news agencies. Someone is going to get the whole story.

Is the TCO being thrown under the bus….yes probably. Why?? Cause tptb finally woke up and realized they have a marketing nightmare on their hands with Archie. Not to mention never having to deal with Daddy A again. Syesha is an easy fix. Throw together a cheap album, watch it fail and send her to Broadway. Little money is lost and AI still comes out ahead.

Well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!!

So if David’s votes have been soft it must be because Sayesha, the overzealous pageant queen, is breathing down his neck. It’s okay David, just promise to lower the gas prices and bring the troops home and you have American Idol locked up.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always wished they would raise the age of the contestants
to 18. Now, even more so.

Me too, Nola. Now I’m thinking 21 isn’t too young.

There’s only so long you can look at smoke before you start suspecting there might be a fire somewhere.
I believe DA’s dad is a stage-dad, and one of the worst kind, because we’ve heard too much evidence from too many sources in that direction. There is some truth behind it, if it is being repeated so consistantly.
About the ban – will we even know? The article said “officialy”, but I doubt AI execs would rush to confirm, even if it is completely true.

Would David A. be allowed to visit the show’s psychologist without his Dad’s permission? I think the poor kid may need some help.

As for what I want from David Cook? That’s easy. David C. channel your inner Kat McPhee and remember SEX SELLS! So a nice worn faded pair of jeans, not too tight and not too baggy for Tuesday night. A nice white shirt with a dark suit coat or blazer over it with the sleeves pushed up. Have the collar undone one button with a loosely knotted tie in place. A pair of cowboy boots and your trademark bracelets in place to finish it off. And doing ETISYF with a nice sexy rasp in the voice will have the females (and gay male population, no offense intended) phoning in votes like crazy. Making us believe you are singing just to us (as indivdiuals) would be a good thing too.

Okay, fantasy time over.

Oh forgot!!!!

***waves & smiles to the Idol Interns & Nigel***
:biggrin_wp:

lmfao @ Lisa! :lol_tb: :lol_tb: :lol_tb:

Okay, fantasy time over.

Oooh, Jovi, couldn’t it go on a little bit longer? That was a good read.
Today was such a wonderful day. I’m overwhelmed with how much DC we got today. Now it’s going to be a long wait until tuesday.
Ah well, off to see “My Hero” for the *mumble* time.

Whether it’s true or not, damage has been done. I feel really bad for David.
This was probably one of the happiest days of his life and he doesn’t deserve an ending like this. I feel sick. How is he supposed to emotionally handle this on top of the pressure of the competition. I know it’s not fair but it kinda makes me a little ticked at Brooke for her meltdowns when she doesn’t even have half the crap that David goes through and she’s older.

Hey now I was just getting my close up ready for Mr. DeMille. :biggrin_wp:

Wuht? Whatcha mean he is not longer among the living? Oops! Ok Mr. Lythgoe then but that does not quite have the same ring to it, hmmmm.

Seriously tho… I come to MJ’s just like everyone else because she always has the breaking news before anyone else and is always fair to ALL contestants. I have also noticed AI saying something that was word for word something someone would put in comments on here the night before.

Makes sense to me Big Bro is watchin’. MJ is BIG TIME!

Makes sense to me Big Bro is watchinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. MJ is BIG TIME!

Oh, they are watching. I have the proof.

I know ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not fair but it kinda makes me a little ticked at Brooke for her meltdowns when she doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even have half the crap that David goes through and sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s older.

Shoot, for all we know Brooke was one of the contestants getting mindf!cked by Daddy Archie. You never know.

Lisa, I never really thought they read the boards before, but you have me thinking now. If it’s true, it would be hilarious!

Then again, Syesha did say “pimpmercial” on air. HA! Now if someone calls MJ “Hot Aussie” or David “Cocky McSmugface” then we have our confirmation.

ETA: OH SNAP MJ! For reals! You are the woman! LOL.

Wow, just read mj’s write up on this and I can’t say I am surprised. All signs have been pointing to Mr Archuletta being a control freak parent, and this really corroborates all the rumors. I started believing them after Naomi Judd made her comments about him during Star Search. I have seen stage parents before, but this guy is actually successful at it, but what effect will this have on David in a few years?

David is 17, but acts 12. I don’t think he’d be any different at 18 or 21, to be honest, unless he gets away from his seemingly controlling dad. I’m not sure age factors into this situation. And I don’t think winning this would be good for him, under the circumstances. YMMV

So anyway, back to the ‘pimpmercial’ comment.

They run these kids right into the ground. AI has turned into this into a friggin’ marathon. Surely the filming of that Ford commercial was unecessary In fact, it was a total embarassment.
I think Syesha’s use of the word ‘pimpmercial’ is saying enough is enough.

In a week where she researched ‘A Change is Going to Come” she took a stand. If you look at the whole package she connected with that song. For me that’s a defining moment.

I feel bad for David too, but guess what, he’s a lot stronger than everybody seems to think. He’ll do just fine, trust me. He’ll march on. He’s super talented, so for those who think that he can’t do it without his father.. you wait and see. He has a musical ear and excellent taste in music.

I agree with mj – where there’s smoke there’s fire. The rumors have been around for along time and I seriously doubt that Naomi Judd was lying. And, if she was, why didn’t Daddy A. come out swinging in the media or hit her with a restraining order?

Mrs. Castro — I think it’s very easy to surmise that Daddy A has had his way with the crew from the beginning. Go along to get along but, when the bill showed up in the executive suites they put a stop to it.

David A’s emotional growth is stunted for *some* reason. He can’t hold a 17 year old conversation – and stammers and stutters when presenting his 13 year old self. His dependence on his father, whether sought out by DA or forced by Daddy A, may cost him his career.

It’s really a sad situation and the real loser will be David.

Lisa, Lisa, Lisa,

You are a great deal of fun. Thanks for blogging.

There’s nothing funnier in the world then Naomi Judd accusing someone of being an overbearing stage parent.

She threw her daughter on the stage and piggy backed herself a career as her partner. Has Naomi ever had a solo hit?

She didn’t even have the decency to tell her daughter who her real father was.

Now her daughter is morbidly obese and one happy meal short of a massive coronary. Didn’t she recently get rid of a pedophile husband?

Jeff is no saint but is he hitting the road with David under the name of The Archuletas?.

Jeff is no saint but is he hitting the road with David under the name of The Archuletas?

Even worse. He’s living HIS dream through his kid. Sad, really.

Mary Bee, I don’t know how Naomi Judd parented nor do I care.

From what I’ve seen of her girls they are independent and have minds of their own. They’ve been allowed to fall and when they stand up she’s still there.

David isn’t allowed to fall.

Soooooo if Daddy A is gone, what does Archie do for a chaperon for the tour??? Mommy can’t ride on the boys bus and if Daddy is bothereing the other Idols, you think they want him on the bus with them all summer long. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess…..HELL NO!!

I’ll vote for DC to be DA’s chaperone.

He’ll be acting 17 before you know it !

Mary Bee, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know how Naomi Judd parented nor do I care.

From what Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen of her girls they are independent and have minds of their own. Theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been allowed to fall and when they stand up sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s still there.

David isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t allowed to fall.
=========================================

Isn’t it a rule on mj’s that you are not suppose to address another poster by name?

Hey Caro- Love your idea, but could you make sure DC throws in some public speaking lesson for Little D??

ETA….Mary Bee…NO

As I have said…DA has that beaten down scared look in his eyes, I have seen it many many times. He seems like a nice enough kid though. Have you ever seen how a beaten pet shies away….think DA

Isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t it a rule on mjà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that you are not suppose to address another poster by name?

It’s not a rule. She could have quoted your post and it would have been the same thing.

MrRJ
May 10th, 2008 at 12:48 am
As I have saidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦DA has that beaten down scared look in his eyes, I have seen it many many times. He seems like a nice enough kid though. Have you ever seen how a beaten pet shies awayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.think DA

The saddest one was when he fumbled on “We Can Work it Out”.

Then, there’s always Simon accusing him of not choosing “You’re the Voice” himself. Why would he say THAT?

Sumthin’s up.

Ashley Judd talks about her chaotic life which led to depression and a stay in an institution

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13722724/

TPTB are seeing what kind of crap they’re going to have to put up with if DA wins Idol. Poor David has led such a sheltered life with his overbearing father that it’s going to be a huge adjustment for him — next week — when he has to think and make decisions for himself.

lol – oops.

Oh, I’m sorry ! I didn’t know it was against the rules to post a name.

In the future I’ll nix your name.

If you’d like to respond to my post, please feel free and you can call me anything you like!

Ashley Judd talks about her chaotic life which led to depression and a stay in an institution

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13722724/

This stuff has nothing to do with whether Naomi Judd is telling the truth or not. I believe Naomi. She has no reason to lie. There have been rumors everywhere about problems with David’s dad on the Star Search set. Naomi was not the first to bring it up.

See!?!

When it’s least expected you’re elected. You’re the star today. Smile! You’re on Idol Camera!!!!

I knew MJ was a popular lady with those Nigel’s heh.

TY MrRJ. :biggrin_wp:

Hey bax — public speaking will not be a problem. Every lesson will start with…..did you hear this one? — a chicken crossed the road . . . . .

The Associated Press has picked up the Dadchuleta story. It quotes an anonymous source “not authorized to speak.”

ETA: This is so obviously an authorized leak. Timing is very, very weird.

Re AP story this quote:

Fox declined comment.

Fox wanting it to sizzle and simmer awhile mayhap?

I wonder if some of the OTT judging of DA has ever been done to counteract his dad’s emotional abuse. DA seems so surprised and relieved when he gets through to the next round, as if his dad browbeat him into thinking he wouldn’t or something. Hey, it’s late, things look bleaker at night. My imagination is going into overdrive, lol

I never said Naomi lied. I said it takes a stage parent from hell to know one.

But perhaps my first post was missed.

If I were a fan or friend of the A’s , I’d be more worried about the mental health of DA than Ashley Judd.

Since the Judds and the Archuletas don’t travel in the same circles I don’t think their friends will do any comparison worrying.

True but it appears that fans seem to find it easier to bash others in an effort to reinforce their fantasy.

FTR — this is addressed to no one.

Caro…..NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo. Please just no more corny jokes…seriously…arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

If I remember correctly when I read Taylor Hicks’ memoir, all of the contestants are given a cell phone…

With that in mind, should DA’s dad be TRULY banned from AI, who is to say that his father might not TEXT/e-mail/IM/call whatever info/propaganda to him?

Just a thought… :ponder_tb:

bax, that’s your boy — love him or . . . love him!

Sooooo Fox is declining to comment on a story that could greatly impact TCO??? Me thinks he is no longer TCO, that this story is true and most of all….its got legs. I wonder if we are going to hear anymore from EW about what they witnessed in regards to daddy A while little d was rehearsing. Be interested to hear their take on this situation.

ETA….Ok so I lied….he can tell me all the corny jokes he wants, but seriously dont let him do that to Little D….hasn’t the kid been scarred enough???

The AP story said it was a lyric change that forced TBPB to act. They allowed this meddling with production staff, his son and other contestants to go on for weeks but finally took action when it cost them money.

Without his father’s meddling, maybe DavidA will soar this week. I’m praying for a David-David final. Now if only Jason had mde the top three. Then it would been
DavidC as Wally
DaviddA as the Beave
and Jason as Eddie Haskell.

That would have been perfect.

This will do nothing but rile up the Archie fans. He could fall flat on his face next Tuesday, and probably end up as the top vote-getter for the night.
I don’t believe this is AI’s way of getting rid of him. It’s too easy for them to say Sye and Cook got more votes. Nobody is the wiser.

I can think of a couple of reasons why they wouldn’t have made a change from rehearsal to performance: Debra Byrd in an interview she gave this week on Idol Extra said that any change to a performance is out of the question after it’s been assigned out to the music director, the band, etc. The other reason might be that the producers just didn’t catch it. I’ve heard the song a million times but didn’t catch it myself until I read that the lyrics had been changed.

I also agree that where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. I do feel very sorry for DA. He doesn’t seem to be able to speak or make a decision without some coaching. So, if they have been separated, then this is going to be tough for him. Hopefully, he’s spent enough time with Debra Byrd already that he is comfortable with her and trusts her to guide him.

It’s over.

David Cook will be the next American Idol.

If TPTB have disconnected David’s dad, he’ll turn an already emotionally sensitive kid into a train wreck. And if they think they can keep a minor from his parent, well, unless David gave away that right in the contract he signed when he joined Idol, they’re SOL. California child labor laws have lots of entertainment industry language that protects parental rights. Ask Tatum O’Neil.

As for why: I always follow the money.

If they cut him from Dad now, and he implodes, well, he’s not the Idol.
If he doesn’t implode, they’ve set the stage for the next year to totally run this kid’s life.
Ask Jordin Sparks what happens then. The “Bataan Death March” 60 city tour – the nonstop promotional appearances, and the recording sessions that could turn David’s already damaged vocal chords into full paralysis (and not just the partial paralysis he’s got right NOW).

It truly is amazing this kid has gone as far as he has on half a set of chords. It’s like Tiger Woods.
You heard nothing for the last 7 years about his tumor-laden left knee until he had to get his third operation to ‘clear out damage’. Why did he change his swing? Why did he have harder times winning tournaments than he did when he was winning by 10 strokes at the Masters earlier in his career?

Follow the money. Ask Nike. Tiger makes 20 times more from endorsements than he does from playing golf. David stands to make a fortune, too. But it might not be from album sales.
If they aren’t careful, they may have an Idol who can’t sing.

Oh wait. They already do.

Soooooo if Daddy A is gone, what does Archie do for a chaperon for the tour??? Mommy canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t ride on the boys bus and if Daddy is bothereing the other Idols, you think they want him on the bus with them all summer long.

I seem to recall that Sanjaya was chaperoned by his mother and his sister until he turned 18 on the tour. So, they must have a solution for this problem. Besides, I’m sure they’ve also had problems where some of the same sex Idols weren’t BFF.

The timing of this does seem very odd. I saw some clips of David A’s homecoming and the family gave no indication of a change in status. Odd.

I feel for David A. A kid isn’t responsible for a parent’s behaviour and if this is true, it’s quite the turmoil to add into the mix of final 3 week. Though, if half the rumours are true, David A’s dad has been banned enough times, he probably has a back-up plan. Probably something involving David wearing a hidden wire and a zap collar. j/k. Put the torches down!

A hamburger walks into a bar……

With a duck under his arm……

I can think of a couple of reasons why they wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have made a change from rehearsal to performance: Debra Byrd in an interview she gave this week on Idol Extra said that any change to a performance is out of the question after ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been assigned out to the music director, the band, etc.

The famous Clay Vincident seems to indicate that this is not true. The producers made him insert an additional verse between rehearsals and the performance. Besides, those musicians are professionals. They can roll with minor changes. Removing a little riff like “Beautiful Girls” would be a no-brainer. They didn’t bat an eye when Michael Johns was made to perform out of order because some tech person couldn’t get David C’s guitar working in time. That seems like a more difficult task than telling some kind to remove two words and do some melissma instead.

The other reason might be that the producers just didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t catch it. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve heard the song a million times but didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t catch it myself until I read that the lyrics had been changed.

Well, me, if I’d been arguing with some known trouble-making pissant about something, I’d be triple checking that he did what I told him to do. Nigel is such a control freak, I don’t think he’d miss it. If he did, there is a HUGE staff of musicians and gophers there to point it out.

I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m heading off to Costco to get an industrial sized box of tinfoil (if I don’t use it all making hats, I can always create my own AI tour stage and invite friends over for karaoke).

Hamburger orders a beer, but the bartender shakes his head and says……..Sorry,we don’t serve food here!”

Hamburger says “I’m just looking for cheese.”

Wow, foil, cool, I like the 3 cornered hat…..

You are right Kirsten, seasoned musicians can adapt to most any situation with very little effort. I heard the “beatiful girls” in the show and imediately wondered if they Paid Kingston for that…..
It just didn’t seem like something penny pinching Idol would do, that is, pay for two songs in one performance…

As far as the tour bus, it isn’t sex segregated, or at least it wasn’t in season 2. Kim Locke, Carmen, Ruben & Clay shared one bus and Charles, Rickey, Julia, Kim C & Trenyce shared the other. I don’t know how it would go down with a minor, expecially a conservative one.

GwendolynD May 9th, 2008 at 11:35 pm

Lead singers ad lib all the time. True professional backup singers know to keep singing their assigned parts no matter what the lead does, unless they are instructed to do otherwise. This avoids a major onstage disaster. The band didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t stop playing when Jason forgot his lyrics. The show goes on.

FWIW, If I’m not mistaken, Jason was playing his guitar with no accompaniment when he forgot the lyrics to “Mr. Tambourine Man”, but I think the Idol band is more than capable of keeping up with a performer’s mistakes/adlibs, etc.

In my house we can barely watch lil’ D.A. without becoming quite maternal, worrying about the poor kid. How will this effect the tour, do you think?

The famous Clay Vincident seems to indicate that this is not true. The producers made him insert an additional verse between rehearsals and the performance. Besides, those musicians are professionals. They can roll with minor changes. Removing a little riff like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Beautiful Girlsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  would be a no-brainer. They didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bat an eye when Michael Johns was made to perform out of order because some tech person couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get David Cà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s guitar working in time. That seems like a more difficult task than telling some kind to remove two words and do some melissma instead.

Playing devil’s advocate here, why wouldn’t they make him change it between rehearsal and performance? Do you think they told Mr. A and/or David to change it and he refused?

I still believe the story. It may be half of the truth but this is a story that just won’t die.

I happen to believe there is some truth to this story. Not of all it of course. But, I have no reason to believe that Naomi Judd would make up a story like this. She has no investment one way or the other in Idol. She’s busy judging a show called, “Can You Duet?” She has mentioned in on more than one occasion.

So, how come Jason’s fatigued statement of being homesick made national headlines, and, people glossed right over the Archie story regarding his dad? Sometimes people wear blinders because, aw, David’s so cute, he’s a child prodigy, he’s so talented, blah, blah, blah. They failed to see the forest for the trees.

So, now, I’m wondering if Jason was one of those being threatened? Some time ago, on the scary boards, someone posted that there was a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes with Jason, and, then the post went poof! We never did find out what that was.

I disagree that Archie can handle all of this. Just because people are fans, they dont’ seem to care what’s best for him. I’ve been saying all along, daddy needs to let his son do some normal things. Even Simon made a comment that he was being groomed for American Idol from an early age. Not those exact words, but, similar.

What causes vocal paralysis? One cause is abuse. I’ve done some research on this, and, it’s just one of the causes, other than a physical one. Maybe caused from a blow to the head. This may or may not have anything to do with David, but, it’s a possibility.

Some aren’t aware of the Mormon faith. The fathers are the heads of the families, and, you don’t cross them. Whatever he says, goes. It’s just the way it is.

This poor kid needs help, not being made the American Idol. I”m sorry, and others know I’ve been saying this for a long time. It’s too much pressure on him. I wouldn’t want to be one helping to watch this precious boy self-destruct.

I read a week or so ago that David A. is sharing an apartment with his dad because he’s under 18. If his dad is banned, what’s to stop him from “rehearsing” David at night when the two of them are alone and telling David what to say and do the next day?

It was wrong of TPTB to let David’s dad be around the other contestants if he was trying to cause trouble and they didn’t want him around. If David is allowed extra help from his dad, the others should be allowed to have extra help from their families.

I believe Naomi Judd. She has no reason to lie and she was on Star Search and saw things first-hand.

This makes me wonder what went on behind the scenes on Tuesday night and how it might have affected the other contestants. There was a vibe that all was not right during the broadcast.

IMO speculating that DA’s vocal problems might have been caused by a blow to the head is taking it a TAD too far… as someone who has had struggles with vocal chords in the past, I can say that the only one doing any sort of abusing was myself (poor technique & over-use).

J.S.G. May 9th, 2008 at 11:08 pm

The TMZ artcile says Jeff has badgered vocal coaches. the band, producers and even other contestants.

Where there’s smoke, there might be someone circulating pictures of Jason Castro blowing smoke. Remember that picture suddenly being everywhere in Idol Land? Remember the pictures of Jason’s girlfriend suddenly being everywhere? Remember Jason’s “drunken” Badfish video suddenly being everywhere?

Over at the scary boards, rumors were rampant among insiders that Jeff Archuleta planted these potentially damaging images. FWIW.

Dlynne, yes there was a vibe that all was not right Tues. night. Makes me wonder if DA’s dad had something to do with Jason’s demeanor. And David Cook said he had been “off” all day. Here is a little part of the aol article. Link to full article is below.

“This wouldn’t be the first negative report of Jeff Archuleta’s behavior. A Star Search’ executive told the New York Post in March that the dad was banned from the backstage area of the show for “trying to subtly psyche out the other kids.”

http://news.aol.com/entertainment/television/tv-news-story/ar/_a/judd-rips-dad-of-idol-fave-archuleta/20080421135309990001

This report has been verified by the AP. It seems Jeff is just banned from the rehearsals. This may well shake David up a bit, but hopefully somewhere will be there to calm him down. Why can’t his mother be there as chaperone for the next two weeks?

Poor kid, I really do feel sorry for him. I have never said anything bad about him (or the other two finalists). I wish him the best.

I didn’t say that David’s vocal paralysis WAS from abuse or a blow to the head. I said it is ONE cause.

It does make you wonder why all this stuff suddenly came up about Jason. Now, I wonder what will be uncovered about Syesha between now and next week.

I also think that the buses are now all the same sex. I wonder how it worked out last year with Jordin. Does anyone know? She was a minor at that time. God help them if they have Jeff Archuleta on their bus. I’m afraid that MJ and Cookie might rough him up a little if he steps on their toes.

I feel sorry for archie..i just hope cookie and syesya could be there for him while going through this mess and i hope this would not affect his performances next week.. i wish all 3 of them the best of luck and give their best performances. This season the contestants all seem to go along with each other. Archie admitted himself that he is close with everybody and everybody is like a family :smile1_tb:

LMAO! I was totally right. When David sang the line from “Beautiful Girls”, I thought (and said as much in the recap blog) that it was probably David’s dad that told him to sing that….because it would make no sense for David to throw that in there. It’s a COMPLETELY different song.

If this happened before on Star Search lil David had an inkling that it might happen again. personally, i think this whole thing is not fair. if he needs daddy to do everything for him and he has no input during song selection, etc then he is not doing everything the other contestants have to do. He has an extra person there to do the lifting while he just stands there. that is not right and should be against the rules. if he is competing, he needs to do it himself. that is an unfair advantage. the age limit should be raised. does his father have to go on tour with the others? i wouldn’t want to ride with someone’s dad. did lisa and paris have to have parents on the bus? the tour should be fun for them. the kid needs to get out from under daddy. if he is old enough to compete, he should be old enough to do ALL his own selecting, arranging, singing, etc and he should be old enough to go on tour. ok, ranted enough

i don’t know if i feel bad for him or not because he knew what happened during star search if the reports are true and he brought this along with him again. if he bothered the other contestants then, david shouldn’t have dragged these new ones into this kind of predicament. that would be selfish unless daddy gave him no choice but to audition.

I could just about bet that daddy made him audition for AI. Cha Ching! Perhaps he wants bragging rights as having the youngest kid ever to win AI. Even though Jordin was 17 when she won, she turned 18 shortly thereafter, I think. I’m not sure when her birthday is.

David has been groomed from the time he was old enough to gnaw the piano leg, for these pageants. And, yes, I liken them to beauty pageants.

We notice Archie struggling with making sentences, but, yet seems so articulate here. So, that reinforces what everyone says, they are under a tremendous amount of pressure on AI. And, on top of that, Archie has school work to do. No wonder he closes his eyes when he sings. It’s probably the only rest he gets.

Whoa!!! Everybody’s feeling sorry for David A? Give me a break…..he loves his dad….his dad is his god….he follows his dad wherever he may go….he sooooo listens to his dad and does what dad wants not because he’s being beat up by dad but because dad has been RIGHT so far! Nobody accused Jeff of child abuse….or beating up on David A.

When Naomi Judd talked to Paula about David A., that conversation came about because Paula brought it up (I believe)….there’s a tape on TMZ or somewhere about the conversation.

I remember David changing the lyrics, but I wonder — is that a BIG deal for publishing rights to sing a couple of words within a 500 word song? We need a publishing attorney in here.

MJ: Can you find the tape? I’ll try to find it.

I’ve asked this several times on this blog….if David A was SOOOOO good, why didn’t he have a record contract or work for Disney? Could it be Dad wants to co-manager or totally manage? And producers don’t want to work with HIM? He’s shopped his kid on You tube, on Star Search, and now on Idol. Jeff is the reason David A. isn’t on a teen show.

Naomi Judd articles:
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/naomi-judd-idol-finalist-david-archuleta-has-the-worst-stage-dad-6966.php
http://www.votefortheworst.com/20080417/naomi_judd_talks_about_david_archuletas_awful_stage_dad (video)

You guys remember when Simon dropped a hint to David when he sang (I forgot the title) a while back that he didn’t think David chose the song? And david on tape said he did choose the song. Simon is ALWAYS right!

re “Beautiful Girls”, it does seem to be a big deal to “ad lib” a song on American Idol. I recall a chat during season 6 with Ryan and one of the contestants (Blake?) who was about to sing a few words from something, and Ryan saying something like “Please don’t do that, it costs us a lot of money!”

re parents on the bus — Paris’ mom was on the tour bus until her 18th birthday in mid-tour. From the accounts I read, she became the unofficial “tour mom” to everyone.

Margaux — I’m positive that the contestants are told the rules (as well as their parents and handlers). AI probably has a thick rule book that they read and remind the contestants. You must get permission to sing a song because of copyright permissions; and every singer-songwriter in America is closely watching Idol for any contestant stealing their songs.

But what is revealing is how the other contestants felt about his dad. They will probably deny it, but I envision the dad demanding more rehearsal time for son and trying to sabotage the other contestants.

Now that makes one wonder about the tour!!! They have to do a 52 city tour with David and his DAD! His dad HAS to accompany him on the tour! Do you think AI producers will be up to that?

Margaux
May 10th, 2008 at 6:58 am
re à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Beautiful Girlsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , it does seem to be a big deal to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ad libà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  a song on American Idol. I recall a chat during season 6 with Ryan and one of the contestants (Blake?) who was about to sing a few words from something, and Ryan saying something like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Please donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do that, it costs us a lot of money!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

~~~~~~~~~~
I remember that comment of Ryan’s last year too.
This whole thing is sad. I do feel sorry for Archie. Poor kid.
Has there ever been a season of Idol with so many “issues”????
It’s depressing, really.

I say let’s send DA home with Daddy A and bring back Jason!

Some arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t aware of the Mormon faith. The fathers are the heads of the families, and, you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t cross them. Whatever he says, goes. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just the way it is.

I’m not Morman; but my father was definitely the head of our family and I didn’t cross him. What he said went.

hicksaholic, I like the way you think, and, if I’m being honest, I was thinking the same thing.

OH God, I can just imagine that bus with Jeff and the other guys. Maybe Cookie and MJ will tie him up and stuff him in a closet for the duration. Idol really needs to think this through because of the other contestants on the bus. It will be a living nightmare, and, moreso, if David wins. If he doesn’t, then I feel bad for Cookie. Providing, of course, he wins. I’m just throwing out scenarios here. Of course, if Syesha wins, that won’t be a problem. She can probably bring her fanbase along on the bus. I’m sure they’ll have an extra bunk.

The singer and his family declined to be interviewed at the event, but David Archuleta did speak with the Salt Lake City Fox affiliate, KSTU-TV. “Wow,” he exclaimed as he viewed the cheerleading squad outside his stretch limousine

David A’s verbal skills continue to amaze

Syesha will be marching alongside the bus

LMAO! I love that comment about Sayesha Hicksaholic, very classic. Do you know what she is carrying for a sign yet? I assume her outfit will be red, white and blue?

I think it was Jolene that was upset I ended my David Cook fantasy. I apologize, I had to go to bed and relive it during my slleep!

I am wondering if TPTB want to see what David A can/may do without his dad influencing him so much.

I still say this story is true.

And if anyone remembers any interviews this past week with Jason (after his boot) and with David Cook – BOTH of these guys said they woke up Tuesday in odd moods, their day was off, etc. Wonder if that had anything to do with Jeff A’s constant presence. Don’t forget if (and I say it is) this stuff about Jeff A is true then the deeper into this competition we get the more stressful it will be on those left. And Jason is just the type that while it appears it wouldn’t get to him I bet it really does/did. Just my take that I think Jeff’s constant presence and meddling interfered with everyone.

And I remember that comment last season as well about not singing something.

Fox News has printed this story as well.

As someone mentioned above, AP has run with the story as well. The AP says they got their info from a source from Idol.

TMZ is dirty (I mean, calling Archie a cry baby is OTT and cruel), but story rings true – espeically with legit sources repeating it. I’m not a DA fan, but I feel for the kid, I really do. This will be hard for him.

Wow, the final weeks of this competition have gone up in flames. Brook has a near melt down. Jason got run over by a buffalo herd. Syesha, the wonder woman, makes a grand appearance in the top 3. This, after having her buttocks permanently molded in plaster from the space stools, and, now, we find out, Jeff Aruchelta really is daddy dearest. Oh, the drama! Next we’ll find out that DC really is blue, and, will be rocking out to Cookie, cookie, cookie, starts with C! Yeah!

It get curiouser and curiouser.

When they state “banned” that doesn’t mean his dad won’t be in the audience. It means that he won’t be with the kid when he rehearses or in the recording studio. So the camera will pan to Daddy this week sitting in the audience, and do you think Ryan will have the “nerve” to try and cover this story up? What do you think the opening explanation will be from Ryan after it hits the news? blows up in the press?

Do you think David A will get a sympathy vote?

I remember David changing the lyrics, but I wonder à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  is that a BIG deal for publishing rights to sing a couple of words within a 500 word song? We need a publishing attorney in here.

We don’t need a publishing attorney to answer that question. If David lifted a snip of another song and sang it–Idol has to pay.

TMTH this early in the morning. I doubt Ryan will even reference the situation. Of course, the fans will rescue David. He must have the win now. So, that he can become wealthy, reach legal age, and, kick daddy to the curb.

David wouldn’t know anything about adding that line or the legal ramifications. He is a puppet.

Syesha marching alongside the bus. That’s hilarious.
I guess that means she belongs on the bus, preferably at the back.

Sorry that ain’t never going to happen.
Go back to the ‘pimpmerical’ remark. She’s got guts. And look at the reaction of DavidC and Jason. She’s got their respect.

I think DaddyA impacts on every contestant. And Jason being a true neophyte had to be thnking in the middle of this, ‘WTF, I’d just rather be home right now, in my room, just playing my guitar.’

“A mushroom walks into a bar….hops up on the barstool………..the bartender looks over at him and says….Hey !!!! You’re a mushroom !!! Get outa HERE….we don’t serve mushrooms in here!!!……….the mushroom says to the bartender………….Why???? I’m a FUN-GI !!!!!”

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A mushroom walks into a barà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.hops up on the barstoolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦..the bartender looks over at him and saysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.Hey !!!! Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re a mushroom !!! Get outa HEREà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.we donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t serve mushrooms in here!!!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.the mushroom says to the bartenderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.Why???? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a FUN-GI !!!!!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

If I were one of TPTB, I’d be scared to death at the prospect of DavidA winning this thing. The kid can’t articulate a coherent declarative sentence! Can you see them interviewing him on all the talk shows? It will be a disaster! Certainly not the image AI wants to project.

Bobbi: You and me both thinking the same. Not only that, I don’t want to seem like a parrot — but his dad’s been pushing him all over the internet. Search David A., and there are like godzillions of vids of him singing at home, in the airport, wherever somebody will listen to him. There was a vid on Rickey where a photog asked Clive “Are you going to sign David A?” and Clive is like — wtf? Who? He probably didn’t know Archeluta.

Now about the last 3 standing. Isn’t this the week that the record company honchos (Clive) sit in and give their opinion? Didn’t they do it last season?

David A did fine in this hometown interview with Fox yesterday.

Fox Utah

Off the show, he can speak in sentences, believe it or not. He actually is a heck of lot more articulate than, IDK, Jason Castro for example. I admit on the show he seems brain dead.

David A comes off as dedicated to music, extremely hardworking and sincere.

This makes me wonder what went on behind the scenes on Tuesday night and how it might have affected the other contestants.

And if anyone remembers any interviews this past week with Jason (after his boot) and with David Cook – BOTH of these guys said they woke up Tuesday in odd moods, their day was off, etc. Wonder if that had anything to do with Jeff Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s constant presence.

Over at the scary boards, rumors were rampant among insiders that Jeff Archuleta planted these potentially damaging images [of Jason]. FWIW.

Jeff is probably responsible for global warming as well. Since we may not have Clive this year, let’s blame everything on Jeff.

Is he a stage parent? I think so. Even the interview he gave in his defense reeked of stage parent.

Is he annoying to be around? Evidence seems to indicate, yes.

Is he causing all the other contestants to cry and want to quit? Um? How old are they? Grow up. Somebody can be annoying, but this is a chance of a lifetime. Suck it up. I’m pretty sure we’ve all had to spend more than three months with a crappy boss, crappy co-workers or crappy customers. In every year, by this time in the competition, the contestants manage to look worn out just from everything they have to do. Having a stage dad around doesn’t help, but it’s hardly the sole reason.

Is he smearing everybody on the internet? Not likely. When would he have the time? Where would he get the data. Isn’t the more likely source friends? People who would actually have access to that type of data? Friends who have been helping to smear Idol contestants since the first season. Or did Jeff cut his teeth on outing Frenchie, entrapping Mario, photographing Taylor’s couch and smearing Antonella?

Ya’ think the producers will put the “fanfare’ back in during the finale?….you know ….when they show the hometowns??? it went missing last season. An was missed.

Well, jp, I do agree that that video is the most coherent I’ve heard David be, but he still doesn’t strike me as a stellar interview subject. Maybe a 15 year old can pick up on something that I just miss, but he doesn’t do it for me.

Crap, I dont like DA, I dont wanna like DA, he gets on my nerves but now I feel very bad for him. He must be very close to his father and imagine the embarassment his father (who sounds like a stage bully) causes this timid, shy, reserved, introvert of a kid. I cant begin to think about the emotional ramifications and if anything, I would never vote for him now cause I detest his father. I worry about how far off the deep end his crazy father will go if DA loses this thing. Most of us have heard the stories about his obsessed father from earlier posts but now, this isnt funny at all. Emotional scars are never funny and whether DA loves his father or is afraid of his father or a combination of both, his father runs the show and his life for now. He gives me the creeps.

One more thing, If I have to see them prop up that ancient relic they call Clive Davis one more year Im gonna lose it. Its over pops, your day has come and gone, step aside and let some young blood take over. I mean let someone who is actually alive sit in for you you old codger.

Here’s a picture of David and his dad yesterday in Utah.

http://www.accessatlanta.com/entertainment/content/shared-gen/ap/TV/American_Idol.html

Should a parent of one of the contestants, who is only there because his off-spring is under 18, be permitted to actively impact on the creative process while badgering other contestants.
For the the sake of a level playing field, that is the issue.

That TBPB let this go on for weeks and did nothing til it cost them money, that’s the scandal.

Frances, that photo of DA and his wackadoodle father is creepy. His father looks like he’s living vicariously through his son. Cant he just stay in the background and let his son shine? Sheesh, this is disturbing to me.

Hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a picture of David and his dad yesterday in Utah.

http://www.accessatlanta.com/entertainment/content/shared-gen/ap/TV/American_Idol.html

Even that picture speaks volumes. I’m sure David A. is a sweet kid but, having a recently-turned 18 yr old son myself, he does not appear to be able to express himself verbally in a mature manner. Jordin didn’t seem to be lacking and usually appeared somewhat poised and articulate. What gets to me is David A. always seems to have the same look or emotion on his face and the same smile. A little too robotic. Kind of feel sorry for the kid.

wackadoodle……..

my new favorite word

Thedingoateyobaby, I thought it was creepy, too. I sure hope TPTB won’t let daddy go on tour. He’ll make the other contestants a nervous wreck. I wouldn’t want my son or daughter with this weirdo.

I’m shocked that TPTB would let this continue for weeks until it affected their wallets. Makes me think that daddy created a lot of tension for everyone behind the scenes, not just his son.

He actually is a heck of lot more articulate than, IDK, Jason Castro for example. I admit on the show he seems brain dead.

Jason Castro’s interviews with the press have been articulate and interesting imho.

It’s probably easier for all of them when they aren’t on the show.

Reminder: Please try to keep the off-topic chit chat to a minimum? Thanks.

I would venture to guess that the contract that gives a minor contestant the rights to participate on AI will see some changes for next year. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there were clearly defined guidelines set for the guardians that have to be there by law. It does surprise me that David was allowed to have his father provide so much guidance to the arrangement of the music he was to sing. The article that appeared in EW was an eye-opener in that way. If I were another contestant, I would have complained that he had an unfair advantage, no matter how much I liked him or how talented he was. No one else has a personal arranger!

Poor kid. I wonder if he’s upset or relieved about this turn of events. At the end of the day, he still has to live with daddy dearest.

He sounded much better on that interview, Jpfan. I guess I’ll give him more of a break on the show since I’ve heard about his dad. I still won’t vote for him, though.

Kirsten, ITA. I find it hard to believe that JA can be blamed for messing with the others and various other conspiracies.

Too bad about this controversy. I really liked the ‘beautiful girl’ lyric.

If anyone was wondering about the origin of the term “86d” used in the TMZ story …

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=86

To remove, end usage, or take something out or away. Despite ALL other posts suggestion the origion of this phrase there is only one true answer:

As was (and is) a New York tradition, the cops were on the payroll of the bar and would give a ring to the bar that they were coming for a raid. The bartender would then give the command “86 everybody!”, which meant that everyone should hightail it out the 86 Bedford enterance because the cops were coming in through the courtyard door.

Jordin didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seem to be lacking and usually appeared somewhat poised and articulate. What gets to me is David A. always seems to have the same look or emotion on his face and the same smile. A little too robotic. Kind of feel sorry for the kid.

Jordin’s parents did not appear to be as involved as Jeff Archuleta, that’s for sure.

In my opnion, Jordin was far more mature and articulate than Archie. Although she didn’t necessarily have a “musical identity,” at least she didn’t come across as being someone else’s puppet. wasn’t necessarily a fan, but I felt that her bubbly personality was allowed to shine.

The producers and judges cut her a lot of slack, which probably helped, but I think it’s reasonable to say Jordin was ready for Idol in a way little David is not.

Kirsten, I am not saying that Jeff is responsible completely for what happened last Tuesday to David C or Jason but it has to have an effect (negatively) in some way. No one else is allowed to have their parents their every step of the way (yes, I realize David A is a minor). Correct me if I am wrong but Jordin didn’t have either of her parents during her journey on the AI show. So if David A gets homesick his dad is right there. If the others get homesick they don’t have that comfort right there in the way that David A. does. So maybe David A should grow up a bit and “suck it up” as you put it or maybe Jeff should “suck it up” as well and let his kid be a kid and do this journey without him as the others have.

One more thing, If I have to see them prop up that ancient relic they call CliveDavis one more year Im gonna lose it. Its over pops, your day has come and gone, step aside and let some young blood take over. I mean let someone who is actually alive sit in for you you old codger.

Clive Davis has been put out to pasture and his hand picked successor has been outright fired, so I don’t think future idols have to worry about him micromanaging their careers.

17 year old girls are a lot more mature than 17 year old boys. That’s a fact.

I have no doubt Daddy is a pain in the rear, but everything else? I mean, Archie is a shy kid and all, but is he really that inarticulate? LOL. He’s awkward and a little goofy, but not so much so that TPTB would throw him under the bus IMHO. I’m rooting for Cookie all the way but Archie would be a fine Idol. The awkwardness is not a liability, it’s part of his charm.

If the rumor about Archie’s Dad is true, I think it would be all that much better of revenge on the AI exploitation machine to vote for Archie and make sure he wins!
Won’t the “Clive Davis replacement” have so much fun working with Archie’s Dad?!
Think how sweet it would be!

JA and his wife both have musical backgrounds, so perhaps live vicariously through their son now that they are older. Jordin’s parents didn’t aspire to be singers/musicians (I don’t think, I could be wrong), so they pretty much just watched their talented daughter and didn’t get as involved in musical aspect of it.

Correct me if I am wrong but Jordin didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have either of her parents during her journey on the AI show.

Well, I don’t recall who she had, but the law required that she have somebody. For some reason, I think it is her mom. Every single minor who has been on the show has to have a chaperone.

So if David A gets homesick his dad is right there.

Yep. That’s one advantage the minors get. One disadvantage is that they have to go to school while everybody else is off doing something (resting? rehearsing? plotting?). There are pluses and minuses.

Katharine had an advantage over the competition because her parents lived nearby and were constantly able to come over. Meanwhile, contestants with poor relatives on the other side of the country rarely get anybody in the audience (I seem to recall that Kellie’s grandpa only made it once or twice). Family is a tough thing to equalize.

Believe me, if TPTB could get away with not hosting chaperones, they would. But, California has developed some stringent laws for protecting minors in the biz, so AI has to follow the rules.

In my opnion, Jordin was far more mature and articulate than Archie.

Well, to be fair, Jordin was a true pageant kid. She’d gone the kid beauty queen route and would have probably taken lessons in how to be interviewed (goodness knows that her parents put her in other intensive pageant-related boot camps based on the reports that surfaced last year). Her parents were focused on the overall package, though. I think Jeff has just focused on making David a singer and forgotten to concentrate on all those other aspects of being a Kid Pageant STAR.

Just woke up & Papagate is the front page of Yahoo today? That story now has some monster legs.

I don’t remember anything about Jordin’s parents being mentioned last year they might have been & it just did not faze me since the season was blah. McPhee now yes, Mamma McPhee was always mentioned as was Papa.

Edited to add. Could something have possibly gone wrong behind the scenes yesterday in the homecoming visit between Papa & the producers to set TPTB OTT?

Thanks Kirsten, you are like having a free subscription to an on-line library. I did not know that Jordin had been so ‘trained.” I had assumed, she was just a naturally mature girl for her age. She could have passed for 24 easily.

Even John Stevens did not act as shell shocked when asked a question as poor Archie. It seems to me that his hestance on answering questions, is his fear he would screw up and bring the wrath of the dad-o-saurus.

Good Morning Lisa, welcome to Papa-gate day two.

Mornin MrRJ. I would have thought if the story were false AI would have said something to quash the story by now.

This story is also on The Drudge Report along with the picture of the two of them from yesterday. I personally think this story is true.

The Fox comment was…”No Comment” which translated means, “the story is very true” AP had an independent source and didn’t rely on the powerful TMZ.

Maybe it was an odd shot, but that picture on the Drudge Report makes JA appear VERY SHORT. He appears the same height, if not a little shorter, than his son.

did we ever hear if David sang SBM with the line in it at dress rehearsal??

I would have thought if the story were false AI would have said something to quash the story by now.

I found a link at VFTW to a TMZ video of Simon defending Jeff. That’s something. He’s said that he’s heard of no reports of issues with Jeff and that nobody cares if David inserted some lyrics. Simon’s mom is cute.

Question: Have you gotten any feedback from any other people on the show?
Simon: Honestly, I’d love to tell you we had, but no issues. [funny face] That’s where the smart money’s going.

Hmmm…

Simon on TMZ

I think I need some more tinfoil.

did we ever hear if David sang SBM with the line in in at dress rehearsal??

On this first page of this thread, BigA responded:

I was at the dress rehearsal, and he sang the beautiful girls part during that performance. Nigel and the 2 vocal coaches were standing just behind me watching on the monitors, and they certainly didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t act like anything was wrong.

Kirsten, thanks for answering! I’m lazy at the moment:)

Simons comment were pretty non-commital. One thing I am unsure of is whether the lyrics were the problem. I would think his banning would be more pain in the ass related from badgering the band and stealing practice time from other contestants.

I found a roll of the extra wide tin foil. Woo hoo.

I would think Fox, who is over protective of Idol, would be out quashing this story if it were hogwash. Wouldn’t you Nigel? I know you are out there.

All I know, IMHO, is that there is an article out now that will cause regular tv viewers of AI to feel empathy for David A and what do you know, the article comes out the weekend before Final 2 are chosen. Coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidence.

I’d rather have David A on the talkshows than No-Personality Cook.

Duke, DC is very personable, loads of personality. He jokes around etc. Have you watched any of the behind the scenes things? He also comes across very well in interviews, very intelligent.

This whole situation is very sad. DA seems like a very sweet, albeit introverted, kid and it makes me sick to think that his father is such an overbearing, slimy control-freak! I hope that this actually helps DA on the path to freeing himself from his father’s talons and that it won’t cause a complete meltdown. I like DA and DC and would be happy with either of them winning but think that DA needs it more than DC does to be successful, IMO.

Thanks for all the great information MJ…I am glad I found this place!

Wow. I get up this morning to Papagate.

Some of this AI drama is starting to reek desperation to me. All in the last three weeks or so we have had Paulagate, Jasongate, and now Papagate.

REally trying for those ratings, are we now, AI?

I don’t doubt that for two seconds PARTS of this story are true. We have heard rumors about Archie’s dad for a while now, so I don’t doubt it at all.

But I wonder why couldn’t this have waited, really? I mean I’m by no means a fan of Archie, but is this really anything new? (Okay, the banning Papa Archie is), but really, so close to the finale and it is THIS.

I feel so bad for David, I really do. I’ve always felt for him because I’ve always wondered how much he wanted this, versus how much his Dad wanted this. I don’t doubt that DAvid likes to sing and enjoys doing so, but he doesn’t strike me as a normal 17-year-old kid, and he definitely doesn’t act like one either. I start to wonder if if this is even type of songs he would sing if he hadn’t been told to sing them by his dad coaching him along all these years.

I feel bad for David because he has to handle this all in stride. And David is stuck in the middle of his father, and opportunities in life. I can’t imagine him winning AI now, I really can’t, because the last thing they want is to have to deal with his father. I truly believe that. If his Dad is this bad now, imagine what would come to be when it comes time to make his album? I’m scared to know.

I hope Archie gets to enjoy a normal life sometime, and possibly enjoy what is left of his teenage years.

The story is now on the AOL front page.

Watching those vids from Star Search (which I confess I haven’t bothered to watch before), I have to wonder what happened to the confident performer little Archie started out as all that time ago? He’s a watery shadow of himself on stage now. Papa has been slowly wearing down his confidence, perhaps?

This is the story that won’t die. Simon’s on-tape assurance that there were no problems with Jeff Archuleta and that no one cares about the lyric changes trumps some anonymous snit feeding inflammatory information to the press.

Watching those vids from Star Search (which I confess I havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bothered to watch before), I have to wonder what happened to the confident performer little Archie started out as all that time ago? Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a watery shadow of himself on stage now. Papa has been slowly wearing down his confidence, perhaps?

___________________________________

Well, there’s a big difference between 12 and 17. Having a paralyzed vocal cord, not to mention PUBERTY, can mess with your confidence a little!

Watch Simon again. He says “that he knows”

can anyone tell me where this interview with Simon is? I’ll check back on this thread to see if I just missed it…. :redface_wp:

Jeff A – in that pic next to his son reminds me of that presidential candiate who went over the top one year by whooping it up like that. The pic also reminds me of Jack Nicholson when he sticks his head thru the door in the The Shining and says “heres Jonny!!” Scary

I don’t think anything related to Idol happens by accident so I think the producers wanted this story out there for some reason – to rally Archuleta fans bigtime, to try to get ratings up, who knows.

can anyone tell me where this interview with Simon is?

I think the one they are referring to is on TMZ.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve asked this several times on this blogà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.if David A was SOOOOO good, why didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t he have a record contract or work for Disney? Could it be Dad wants to co-manager or totally manage? And producers donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to work with HIM? Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s shopped his kid on You tube, on Star Search, and now on Idol. Jeff is the reason David A. isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t on a teen show.

I am 99% certain that is why.

Thanks Steph!!

What a sad, sad mess. I can’t imagine DA’s Dad being along for the ride on the tour. It’s stressful enough for all of them.

I know when I vote for someone I consider whether they can handle being the AI, physically and mentally.

I sure would hate to see anyone come unglued.

This is another reason why all my unlimited text votes are going to DC!!!

All of these stories, true or untrue, make a valid point to raising the age for Idol. I think the majority of these youngsters are not prepared for all the interviews, media coverage and gossip that goes with the territory. They would all do well to take those extra couple of years to practice vocally and hone their public speaking skills. That would also alleviate the need for chaperones and schooling.

I agree with Idolwatcher on raising the age but apparently Simon was recently on Extra saying they should lower the age to 14. If they do that they better brace themselves for all kinds of overbearing stage parents. And have guys voices even finished changing by 14? Get ready for lots of Peter Bradys.

It sounds like a bad idea to me, like it would wind up being Junior Idol or whatever that show was that didn’t work out so well.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve asked this several times on this blogà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.if David A was SOOOOO good, why didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t he have a record contract or work for Disney? Could it be Dad wants to co-manager or totally manage? And producers donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to work with HIM? Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s shopped his kid on You tube, on Star Search, and now on Idol. Jeff is the reason David A. isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t on a teen show.

I haven’t thought of it like that before, and what a valid point.

He fits the Disney channel mold so well right now that I’m surprised he hasn’t been swept up by them, and the fact that his Dad is the reason wouldn’t surprise me one bit.

He’s hindered David in the past, and I’ll be he’ll hinder him in the future. IF(which I highly doubt) David wins Idol now, he’ll never make a CD in an appropriate time frame because his father will be unbearable.

Eventually this will turn into a messy situation of David versus his father, and I just can’t ever see that ending very well.

Oy. What a mess.

I agree with Idolwatcher on raising the age but apparently Simon was recently on Extra saying they should lower the age to 14. If they do that they better brace themselves for all kinds of overbearing stage parents. And have guys voices even finished changing by 14? Get ready for lots of Peter Bradys.

It sounds like a bad idea to me, like it would wind up being Junior Idol or whatever that show was that didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t work out so well.

Oh. Hell. No.

We tried that already and it was called American Juniors or something like that. That show obviously worked out tremendously….

What are they trying to do now, try to find the next teen idol sensation? Because if they lower the age I’ll be done with the show. Done.

I totally think it should be upped to 18…actually I think 21. If you aren’t old enough to drink, you aren’t old enough to try out for American Idol. There we go.

If idol lowers the age limit AI will lose a majority of it’s viewers. I know alot of us were calling this year teen idol at the first of the season. If you want younger kids, start a different show. Oh wait, someone tried that and it bombed. Lesson not learned?

Personally would love to see the age upped to at least 20 if not 21.

There was a real beauty to AI in it’s first seasons. You had young 20 somethings out of school trying to break into the business. Some had training, some did not. It worked, we were hooked.

Last year we crown a 17 yr old, well they did I did not vote. This year we had what 6 teens make it into top 24? UGH. I am not saying they were not talented, I am saying they were in no way ready for this competition. At least get out of high school for pete’s sake. Learn a bit about life, infuse that into your music, give it a bit of depth.

As for 14 and voice cracking males (which we have been seeing Archie do several times even at 17), just eeeuuuwwww.

I have two teenage boys – one 14 one 17 – their voices started cracking about 12 by 14 no more cracking, but 14 is still way too young to to push them out there so intensely like they do on Idol. The hormones are raging, it is hard to keep their skin clear – emotional – not a man, not a little boy. What a big old mess that would add to the show.

I’ve seen several comments on different blogs about why would AI let this infomation get out now. And why would they block JA from going backstage just two weeks from the finale? If they have had trouble with dad all season maybe they are hoping that this will affect David’s performance next week and he will take third place. (which would also be a shocking result show that Ryan is always talking about.) After all, AI doesn’t have to give the third place winner a recording contract, just first and second. That way they wouldn’t have to deal with JA trying to manipulate David’s album. David’s contract would be up after the tour. Just a thought. I wouldn’t put anything past TPTB.

Maybe Dadchuleta did something this week that just sent them over the edge. It doesn’t seem like all of the details of the story are out yet. I’m sure they have a reason for their timing.

Regerding DA’s chances this week…well, way back when there were 5 contestants yet, I said that the finale would consist of DC and Syesha. It was pretty apparent that Brooke, Jason, and DA were losing steam, DC was remaining consistently good, and Syesha was starting to really step up her game. With or without Daddy, I don’t think DA has a chance this week. He’s really been slipping, and I think it’s going to become a whole lot more apparent now that Brooke and Jason are gone. Just my opinion.

ETA: I do wish to add that on a human level, I feel horrible for little DA. I think he’s really been controlled by his dad his whole life. He seems like a sweet kid, and while I can’t stand his singing, I wish him the best. He’s too nice to wish harm on!

Carolina, we donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know if his father is as bad as you portray him.

That would be

‘carolinagirl’

, not me -

And welcome carolina girl !

Just read carolinagirl’s post —

I agree with everything she posted except I don’t want to see DA win. I don’t think he can handle the role of *the* American Idol.

Are You A David Archuleta Or A Jason Castro?

The kid is still only 17 years’ old. He has, alas, a classic over-bearing show-biz dad, who has now been banned from backstage. David looks to me like a Michael Jackson in the making: a brilliant talent sacrificed to the cult of celebrity and stardom at so young an age that his own emotional and spiritual development has been frozen. When he is asked to speak, he has nothing to say, except a Bambi-style mode of total humility, amazement and innocence. I feel for him and it’s hard not to hope someone could still rescue him from the machine that is about to consume him.

And I also thought this was a very interesting point:

Between Jason Castro and David Archuleta, you see two ways of living in the world: one sacrificed to external recognition and one indifferent to it. We all have a bit of each in us in this tabloid, celebrified world. But Jason, to my mind, will probably live a much happier life. And he’ll know, at some level, why. There’s a lesson in there somewhere – even on a reality show.

David looks to me like a Michael Jackson in the making: a brilliant talent sacrificed to the cult of celebrity and stardom at so young an age that his own emotional and spiritual development has been frozen.

Just what the entertainment world needs. :dry_tb:

I’m sorry but I don’t see Archie as a Michael Jackson what so ever. Archie is a sweet kid, but the next Micheal? Not in the same league.

I do think he will sell well in a few years. I think he will sell cd’s after Ai too, how much I don’t know.

I personally loved Jason’s personality.

J. Castro Speaks on Dreaded Stage Dad Drama

http://www.tmz.com/

Poor Jason.

Jason looked great though!!

Edited: Shoot, can’t fix the link to look purty. What happened to our options on editing?

Lisa, I don’t think they meant another Michael Jackson as in THE MICHAEL JACKSON SUPERSTAR (used to be anyway) but Michael Jackson who never matured to true adulthood, able to function on his own, make it out of childhood. That is the comparison that author is making if you ask me. Not the superstar Jackson but the stunted still a child Jackson.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see Archie as a Michael Jackson what so ever

Me neither. But, I’m wondering if the comparison was made because of the overbearing dads. Joe Jackson (I think that’s his name – is he even still alive?) was notoriously overbearing with Michael. But, that was a bit before my time, so I might be remembering wrong.

Your right Jovi, I took that the wrong way, lol. MJ was stunted and look what he has become. Now that is some major scary.

Personally would love to see the age upped to at least 20 if not 21.

Agree, agree, agree some more.

Did TMZ really think they would get Jason to badmouth Jeff A? LOL.

In less than a year, perhaps Archie will read enough posts on the “internets” and give Daddio the heave ho.

Who knows PJ. What was interesting to me was that Jason had no comment what so ever on what he was like until the man that was with him got the tickets and then turned around and talked to him for a minute.

That was hardly a ringing endorsement of Jeff. There was no suprise when the “news” was broken to Jason. He knew something, but was smart enough to keep quiet.

What was interesting to me was that Jason had no comment what so ever on what he was like until the man that was with him got the tickets and then turned around and talked to him for a minute.

I didn’t catch that. I wasn’t watching it very closely. Hmm.

Well, I’ve commented ad nauseum about the whole stage-parent/pageant kid thing, and I really don’t think I have anything interesting left to say on the subject. Except that I hope Archie can somehow have a happy grown up life after all of this.

The interesting tidbit I gathered from Jason’s TMZ video – is that he’s carrying his guitar case – and his AI “handler” dude is carrying what appears to be a really small guitar case, which I can only assume contains his UKELELE. So, I expect to hear me some SOTR this week on the talk show circuit. YEAH!

I noticed that, too, Spense! The little white uke case!

Doesn’t seem like Jason had much to say. Glad he kept his mouth shut. He doesn’t strike me as the type to badmouth people anyway. It actually looked like he wanted that reporter to get out of his face.

No Jason is not the type to bad mouth anyone at all. Plus can you imagine a free spirit like him being stuck with the old dude in the suit for days? Poor Jason. C’mon AI, give him someone a bit younger to travel with.

Spence,,,,,I have a Uke….but no dreadlocks…just blue Irish eyes….(making you regret your decision to throw me over…LOL)

I noticed that, too, Spense! The little white uke case!

At least we have our priorities straight!

Yeah, I think all of that nervous giggling was a sure sign that Jason did not want to talk to the TMZ guy. I did love how one of his answers was “I don’t even know what I’m doing”. And, I’m LMAO at the thought of Jason just being led around the country completely oblivious to where he’ll end up. It’s nice in the day and age to see some non-control freaks, who just go with the flow of life.

LOL. Yep handled in true Jason style. I wasn’t paying as much attention to what Jason said as much as I was to Jason’s butt shots whenever the camera got one in. I think I should watch again! lol

Dec. 28 DA will be 18 and can give daddio the heave ho, if he is emotionally able to do so. I think he is a very sweet guy, but no where near 17 socially. I imagine his dad rides rough shod over him and mom too. Im not sure DA could handle winning idol either. Maybe college, away from home, would be good for him, maybe not, depending on how he would handle the peer pressures. Very odd to me that all this took place with only 2 weeks to go. Something more behind it, imo, then what is told. I think this has to affect DA performance. Maybe fans will vote harder to compensate, but if his performance isnt up to snuff, casual voters may not. If its for publicity, then its one more AI dirty deed.

And here we go:

LOS ANGELES, May 10 (UPI) — “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell says contestant David Archuleta’s father may no longer be backstage at the U.S. TV series, but he can be in the audience.

UPI

First of all if these articles are to be believed then idol was truly remiss in their handling of this incident. If JA did indeed yell at David during rehearsals about 2 months ago during WKWIO week then them banning him for a lyric change is indeed intriguing. Who is abusing who?

I doubt very seriously that David is singing under duress. This kid radiates joy when he sings. Maybe being judged makes him nervous since this is his first time singing on this type of stage since his vocal paralysis. I think that is more of the issue than anything else.

His being inarticulate was never an issue for me since I think many singers that I like aren’t always particulary articulate, some are some aren’t. I buy their cds anyway.

I think we aren’t privy to the entire story, but maybe we will be one day. All I know is that if he hits it out of the park next week Daddy or not, he will be in the finals. If this gets people to watch and he shines, that is better for him. If he has a big collapse, people won’t blame his Dad, but AI for pulling this stunt at this stage of the game. They are the true villains at this point imho.

For the people who wonder why David is not a star already because he won Star Search, there are a few things to consider. He was on three different times. He was invited back twice. When did all of this crap with his Dad take place? If it was the first time, then someone is not telling the truth.
If it were that bad, would he have been? Do you know he lost twice? Where are the winners of those occasions? Are they stars now. Remember, Star Search was never American Idol, those people, both the youth division and adults never made the big splash right out of the gate that American Idol does. Maybe that had nothing to do with his dad.

Many are speculating abuse because he is shy, immature, and has vocal paralysis. Armchair quarterbacking is cool, but it’s not always accurate.

This was once again, imho, a power play. A pissing contest. Jeff Archuleta came up short. You can’t eff with these people and get away with it. If they wanted David A gone, there are other ways to do it. Maybe rock week was supposed to do it, and it didn’t. Maybe they know the numbers and realize they are going to have to deal with him for years and this was the first step in dealing with JA’s control. I mean they can’t have anyone pulling the strings to their puppet. I have a tinfoil hat, and believe me it is very necessary this time, something stinks here, and it isn’t about paying for that snippet of a song.

That was hardly a ringing endorsement of Jeff. There was no suprise when the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“newsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  was broken to Jason. He knew something, but was smart enough to keep quiet.

Well, if the AI PR department is even half on the ball, they should have briefed him on the story because he’s going to get asked about it. Of course, I sometimes doubt the skills of TPTB, so maybe they did not.

Jason would be wise to develop a quick answer to that because he will probably get asked again. Quickly quiet the subject and move on to the topic of “Jason”. Poor dude. Here is his last chance to make an impression and everybody is going to be asking about somebody elses dad. Maybe that’s the true conspiracy behind all of this. TPTB so HATE Jason, they leaked the story to ruin his press tour (but I don’t think they are that on the ball).

Interesting strategies at work here. Usually, you put something out on a Friday when you want to bury the story. By releasing it when they did, they missed the Friday entertainment show news cycle and most of the Saturday newspaper (the entertainment features tend to be wrapped up earlier). That leaves it old news by Monday. So, this was a perfect strategy to reduce press coverage, but why not bury it altogether? AI has been able to totally supress stories for years (e.g. the Mario scandal), so why not ban the dude and then not leak anything? I don’t get it. Did they want to unsettle David for the weekend (they were kind enough to wait so that people couldn’t ask about it during his visit home). Was it so they could address it on next week’s show? Was it because they just wanted to give the bloggers a nice puzzle to solve over the weekend.

In any event, Nigel is smoking a cigarette right now.

Releasing it over the weekend gives the story time to percolate in the blogosphere. On Monday, the news organizations will probably pounce on it as if it happened just a minute ago. I don’t think it will be handled like old news at all. In fact, there are probably reporters working on it right now. Everthing will be in place when the new news cycle begins on Monday.

And all systems will be go go go by the time Tuesday’s performance show airs.

There’s a method to the madness here, I just can’t figure it out. Create a big controversy to help the ratings? Rev up Archie’s fan base to ensure he advances? Tarnish Archie’s reputation to make sure he doesn’t advance? I just don’t know.

Me either MJ now that Simon is stepping forward to confirm it.

**hopes MJ sends her a email on how to do that link magic, lol** thank you

Releasing it over the weekend gives the story time to percolate in the blogosphere. On Monday, the news organizations will probably pounce on it as if it happened just a minute ago

But the news agencies have already pounced on it. Of course, they do like to pretend that old news is new news. They certainly worked Paulagate to the max last week. It’s fascinating that they didn’t break the news on Thurdsay (or even Wednesday). If they’d broken the news then, poor David would have had the press focus on the issue during his entire home visit.

I have to admit, Nigel has really stumped me on this one. I guess he’s still got some tricks up his sleeves. I wonder if we’ll ever figure out what this one was.

But the news agencies have already pounced on it.

Well, not really. There is the original TMZ story. The same AP story has been posted all over the internet. UPI has the quote from Simon. Come Monday, there will be more independent reporting. EW, ET, EOnline, MTV, the LA Times, have all yet to weigh in on the subject. And they will.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fascinating that they didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t break the news on Thurdsay (or even Wednesday). If theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d broken the news then, poor David would have had the press focus on the issue during his entire home visit.

Well, maybe they didn’t want the news derailing the hometown visits. It’s nice that Archie got to visit his hometown and enjoy most of the day.

Yep, Nigel has stumped me as well. I usually see things in total black and white when it comes to this show, to me they are usually that transparent, this time I am not sure if they are doing this to help him, or hurt him. The timing is most suspicious.

I’m curious as to where they want this story to go. Interestingly enough, the Sean Kingston issue seems to be fading, and news seems to be focusing on the banning of Pappy.

TMZ reported it for the first time on March 19th here. Nearly one month later, JA comes forward in a US Magazine (consider the source…I know) to sort of put the rumors to rest. You’d think that would stop the tongues from wagging, right? Everyone thought it was over and that TMZ had laid off. All the while, they were busy behind the scenes, waiting for JA to prove them right, and well…here we are now.

That’s why I think the reports are true. I’m trying to figure out the timing. Is it because everyone was “out of the office”, so to speak for the homecomings and someone just decided to speak out because the cost was clear? Is it because the producers are trying to avoid a nightmare should Archie win the contest as a minor? My gut feeling is that they want to cut him loose until he’s 18. That’s only a few months down the road, and then Daddy’s no longer an issue.

His fan base will support him regardless, I know. But undecided casual/swing voters are the issue here. How will this affect them in a world where, in recent months, young celebrities who have been badly affected by being forced into the business at such a young age are dominating headlines?

Just some rambling thoughts… I know.

TMZ is obviously in cahoots with TPTB. They leaked the story, just like they have almost everything this year (minus the VFTW wins). So, I wonder how did TMZ know Jason would be at LAX today at that particular time? Hmm.

I don’t think Jason’s press tour will focus on Jeff A, though. They’ll ask him the same damn questions we’ve heard all week…

Back to Archie, I’m not sure that his turning 18 will mean anything in terms of his father’s influence over him. He may be legal, but he’ll still be under his father’s thumb, IMO.

PJ: You know something, the Idols if they’re going to be “stars” or singers or whatever, need all the publicity and camera time they can get. Every single Idol who has left, left through LAX on their way to NYC….one thing celebs want is publicity — pref. the good type–but they’ll take it anyway it comes because they want their name out there all times.

So maybe David A was the leak, lol.

I agree turning 18 will do nothing to lessen the influence of DA’s father over him.

TMZ being at LAX when Jason was there isn’t suspicious because they practically stalk LAX all the time. They’ve also encountered Carly, Brooke, Michael, Ramiele, and asked them stupid questions.

That said, yeah I’m trying to figure out what’s going on here. TMZ does seem to be in Nigel’s pocket (didnt they even say they spoke to him directly when it was rumored Jason was leaving like 3 weeks ago?) In the video on TMZ where they ask Simon about JA he doesn’t seem bothered and makes it sound like everything is ok, that is of course if everyone involved is trying to remain quiet. If they leaked this to hurt DA I think it will just get him sympathy votes.

Hope to see Syesha and David Cook advance to the finals this week!

Little insight into the Jeff Archuleta ban.
Could TPTB be waiting to see what DA can do on his own without Daddy’s nagging influence? Is this a test for little David? Banning Daddy from backstage removes the problem. Will David listen to the Professional vocal coaches and perform accordingly this week? Or will he listen to his Dad, change the lyrics at the last minute and defy the Voice coaches? Only his performance will tell.
Maybe this is an opportunity for David to try his wings out and see if he can fly solo.
Given all that is at stake for the AI Crown, this is a fair test.

Regarding all the AI drama lately, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the over-hyped David-David finale thrown out with the bath water. David Cook and Syesha are a great match of energy. Big votes for David Cook and Syesha advancing to the finale!

Syesha finally received some well-deserved recognition this week! She is emerging as the Dark Horse, indeed!! Go Syesha!!! I love watching you shine.

David Cook is still my hands-on favorite to win!! Loved hearing him sing, “There Goes My Hero”, by the Foo Fighters during his home town visit. Beautiful guitar and vocals!
David Cook Rocks My IPOD!!!

Sorry, I am reposting this in the correct category. Accidently posted under song spoilers. :doh_tb:

I read somewhere that AI has already denied this rumor, saying that all parents are really no longer allowed to join the rehearsal sessions at this stage of the competition. I can’t find the link anymore, though. Maybe I read this at the comments section of the headlines thread? heh

In any event, Nigel is smoking a cigarette right now.

omg, that is the funniest thing I have read all day!

If Jeff is threating or abusing DA in some way why the hell hasn’t one of the contestants,vocal coaches etc did something?If Jeff is badgering/threating the other contestants why hasn’t something been done?I’d be willing to bet that some of the contestants have gotten into arguments with Jeff,like some of them don’t look the the type that would take that crap.It just is strange that if this is going on that something wasn’t done sooner.If it was me if somebody was bothering me I would have a hell of a time concentrating on my song.I agree that the stories of Jeff may have some truth if not completely true.DA seems very sheltered and socially awkward to me in truth I think it has a lot to do with Jeff.I feel bad for David he seems like a sweet kid.

IDK. How can Sean Kingston, the co-writing producer of the track or either of the music publishers involved not want to make nice with AI? Especially when it’s Sean Kingston who will want to be on Idol to plug his next album?

Unless both Kingston and his producer, who shared writing credit, feel this would be the last money they ever made, there’s no incentive to put American Idol over a barrel. Of course they want to stop kids from bleeding money by ad-libbing uncleared songs all over the place.

But I’m sure this settlement will be nothing compared to Simon’s company car and chauffeur expenses.

i don’t understand .. if this was such a huge problem
that its gonna cost money to ai etc etc

why isn’t the kid takin some of the heat.. surely he was told he can’t sing that version

somethings fishy about this being leaked NOW

Colleen you make a lot of sense. Certainly, if the producers WANT David A to be the “one” then they would remove the dad to see how well David performs on his own. Makes a lot of sense. Also, the others don’t have their parents sitting in making decisions. It’s an unfair advantage. I don’t think Jordin or Sanjaya had that kind of help from their parents, so why David A?

In the video on TMZ where they ask Simon about JA he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seem bothered and makes it sound like everything is ok, that is of course if everyone involved is trying to remain quiet. If they leaked this to hurt DA I think it will just get him sympathy votes.

The judges and everyone were probably informed right away and told what to say; esp. Paula, you know she was on the video clip talking about David A to Naomi. So the news is going to pounce all over her and that vid will be replayed and replayed. Believe me, the text message went out — “don’t say anything negative, everything is fine.”

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1739075,00.html

ABC news has the story. Betcha there’s a news conference called tomorrow and the producers explain that all parents are normally banned from rehearsals and they made an exception for JeffA, but now it’s the finals and the son should be able to fly alone. Betcha.

I posted about 3 pages back that I thought this could be TPTB’s way of seeing if David A can stand on his own without dad’s influence. But again, like everyonie else is saying, no one really knows what they are thinking.

I agree that it is an unfair advantage for DA if his dad is allowed to arrange his music for him. David is the contestant, not his dad. The others should have been allowed to have outside help if they were going to allow that. I really hope the stories aren’t true about Jeff causing trouble for the other contestants. If it’s true, maybe that’s part of the reason why Jason was so anxious to be eliminated. Maybe that’s why David C. said he felt “off” last Tuesday.

Ryan said something to David A. last week about him looking scared of the judges and looking like he could faint. Maybe David is more afraid of his dad’s comments after the show than he is of the judges comments. I feel sorry for David, but I think he’s too young to be in this competition. I know there have been other 16 and 17 year olds, but imho, David is too immature.

ABC news has the story. Betcha thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a news conference called tomorrow and the producers explain that all parents are normally banned from rehearsals and they made an exception for JeffA, but now ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the finals and the son should be able to fly alone. Betcha.

There is a supposed news report circulating on the scary boards to that effect. But it’s fake.

Why would TPTB make an exception for Jeff Archuleta? I’m sure all the parents of minors are allowed backstage. And if they were making some sort of exception for a contestant, they sure sure wouldn’t admit to giving a special advantage to one contestant.

The AP story is being carried by all the online news agencies. No surprise there.

I read somewhere that AI has already denied this rumor, saying that all parents are really no longer allowed to join the rehearsal sessions at this stage of the competition. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t find the link anymore, though. Maybe I read this at the comments section of the headlines thread? heh

Somebody sent me a link to the scary board thread that posted that story. There was no link to an actual story online. I can’t find the article anywhere. I do believe it’s a bunch of scary board made-up nonsense.

Somebody sent me a link to the scary board thread that posted that story. There was no link to an actual story online. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t find the article anywhere. I do believe ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a bunch of scary board made-up nonsense.

I tried to find the story to support it, too, but there seemed to be none it baffled me, too. I really can’t remember where I read it but it’s probably somewhere other than the scary boards as I don’t remember going there (I still can’t remember which the scary board is, heh).

If ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s true, maybe thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s part of the reason why Jason was so anxious to be eliminated.

Jason had no bad words for Jeff A. when he was asked by TMZ. I doubt Jason would have let that bother him anyway, at any rate. His “struggles” looked internal.

The lack of denial by Fox tells us the truth of the story.

Look at the pics of JA hovering over DA on his “day” in Utah. The man is using his son for his own glory. Just aweful.

Purple, I agree that he had some internal struggles. But, I believe it’s in the contestant’s contracts not to talk to just anyone, particularly the paps. That’s one reason they have bodyguards. He’s supposed to do interviews for the show, not throw out his opinions in the airport to anyone who asks him a question. I don’t think he would have talked about JA anyway, but I doubt if TPTB would have approved if he did. jmo

A few years ago TPTB wouldn’t even let the booted-off contestant sing on the talk shows until they gave their permission. David Letterman asked John Stevens to sing and he said he couldn’t because of contractual reasons.

This is really sad if true. David is 17 years old. I’m sure that he is more than capable of making some of his own decisions regarding music, without getting the “family committee” involved. He’s seems like such a sweet kid. Stage parents are scary as heck.

If the most extreme rumors are true (about Stage Daddy making Archie cry, and yelling at him, and trying to psyche out the other contestants), then it seems kind of screwed up to me that TPTB waited this long to do something about it. It didn’t occur to them to make any effort to stop this kind of behavior?

MJ, they may be referring to the story run on GMA’s weekend edition this morning. They have the AP story at this link but also the video they ran: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=4826816 Nothing new that I could see. They interview Jessica Shaw.

i think there is a convergence of several factors. under the law, JA being annoying as hell is hard to overcome due to the chaperoning deal. however, weeks of annoyance can take its toll. JA yelling for instance…well AI and no one esle can stop a parent from yelling legally. now….if he did purposefullu have his son sing a line that broke the law….yup, i can see AI finally having the hook they needed to get him out of the room. no one ever said there was not a replacement chaperone. it is not that AI is saying DA can have no chaperone, just not JA. it could be mom or any other person…see? But if JA helped break a rule…excuse city to finally get his ass kicked to the curb.

second, DA needs to be able to show he can do this without someone else coloiring the picture and connecting the dots.

third, I doubt TPTB want him to win. His market potential stinks. He is a mini Groban, but without the real catch at his age…and he is about to outgrow the disney potential. while i think we can all agree he is technically proficient, his market potential stinks to high heaven. his future is in elevator music.

so ask yourself…why would AI want an idol to produce who has a limited market potential, cannot be a star in his twenties unless he is MR ELEVATOR MUSIC and comes with the baggage of what sounds like one of the most annoying stage dads of all time. I mean, seriously, he just is not good enough to deal with that that crap too.

this is a business after all people. business is business. and archie– he is bad business.

MJ, they may be referring to the story run on GMAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s weekend edition this morning. They have the AP story at this link but also the video they ran: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=4826816 Nothing new that I could see. They interview Jessica Shaw.

Oh, I see that GMA carried it on their news program this morning. They don’t add any new information, but they are covering it.

The scary board story was a cut and paste from a supposed article quoting Idol sources claiming the story was false. Someone with serious time on their hands actually created a fake story in an attempt to either eff with people, or dispel the rumors.

Yeah, that fake story appeared at IDF as well. The poster never came up with a link, and a Google search turns up nothing.

There’s more to this story than people know….

And one more thing that’s bugging me about this topic……..
The news reports say,
“Despite a warning, Jeff Archuleta insisted on altering “Stand by Me,” one of two songs his son sang on the show Tuesday. By adding a verse from Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls,” the father incurred additional costs for “American Idol,” the person said.”

It doesn’t say that David Archuleta sang this altered version, despite being warned not to sing it. The blame seems to fall on JA.
DA needs to take some responsibility for singing this song after being told not to do it and defying AI.

Sweet as he is, he still put it out there. He added a verse, played the phrase, “Beautiful Girls” directly to the girls in the front row mosh pit and gloried in it. Rave reviews followed and he gushed!

I have trouble believing DA was not aware of the controversy. If he was intimidated by his Father, it is a shame. But it is not fair for him to gain advantage at the expense of the other contestants.
He blatently defied AI song choice rules when the other contestants have honored and respected them.

If the judges missed it the first time, betcha they will make up for it this time around.
I’m just sayin’……………..

In his defense (and I don’t care for DA) we don’t know for sure if he knew that his dad had been warned about changing the song. David may not have known about it. It seems everyone (including AI) have kept David pretty sheltered. I think that is now backfiring on them as well. I do agree that it isn’t fair to the other contestant who are playing by the rules.