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Monday, May 12, 2008
5/13: Top 3 strengths & weaknesses
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While everyone is anticipating the long-awaited David vs. David finale, let’s give Syesha some due and weight each person’s strengths and weaknesses as we enter the home stretch of season seven:
David Cook
Four-word description: Daughtry, with more soul
Strengths: He brings growly sincerity and manly confidence to all his work. He can take a seemingly shallow pop song and shape it in a way that gives it a real depth. He’s comfortable on stage. And he doesn’t seem arrogant in an offputting way, like Daughtry did at times season five. Vocally, he seldom misses a note. He could be packaged quite successful in the rock-pop realm.
Weaknesses: He’s not the best-looking dude on earth and when he tried to pull off a Simon LeBon-like sexiness last week, it didn’t really work. And his fallback position is to ape that grunge-lite Nickelback sound, which can be a bit repetitive and tiresome in large doses.
Odds of winning: 3-2
David Archuleta
Three-word description: Donny Osmond redux
Strengths: He has a pliable, comforting voice that can warm the soul when properly engaged. He’s got puppy-dog good looks, appealing to 13 year olds and their moms. He can take on a ballad with surprising depth, especially if it has some sort of social message. He possesses a real heart. And he could do quite well in a Josh Grobin sort of way.
Weaknesses: He is only 17 and seems like he’s 13. His lack of maturity means it’s hard to predict where he’ll land in 10 or 20 years. He seems uncomfortable with anything with an edge and doesn’t seem to know how to apply himself on stage when it comes to moving more than two or three inches to his left or right. (Jordin Sparks had the same movement problem last year.) Guys don’t generally seem to find him all that interesting, but they aren’t the primary voters either.
Odds of winning 5-4
Syesha Mercado
Two-word description: Broadway bound
Strengths: She clearly has great acting ability, able to take on different genres with verve and a take-no-prisoners raison d’etre. Her vocals are always solid, if not distinctive or spectacular. She’s pretty, though not in an intimidating way.
Weaknesses: She always seems like she’s acting. If she has a “real” core to her, it’s sometimes hard to see. She is not a pure pop singer, lacking a top 40 sensibility.
Odds of winning: 20-1
I have to meet some friends for dinner but will add some extra “Idol” news later.
In the meantime, here’s MJ’s video of Jason Castro performing “Daydream” on “Ellen DeGeneres”:
-The debate over Archuleta’s dad’s influence over the kid continues unabated. Will David be helped or hurt by his dad’s reduced presence? MJ thinks it’s a win-win for David. He will get pity votes if he folds and if he does better, well, then they’ll say this was a good thing for David. In other words, David will be in the final two.
It’s hard to tell without knowing the family dynamics, says Charlie Toft, who covers television for film.com and is on USA TODAY’s Idol coach panel, which offers weekly advice to contestants. “Of all the major teenage contestants Idol has ever had, David appears to be the most heavily programmed and least spontaneous, and his stereotypically showy way of singing suggests he and his father have been aiming at this goal for a long time.”
I heard nothing of the sort in terms of “stage parent” issues with Diana DeGarmo (and I like her mom a lot) or with Jordin Sparks, the other two under-18 contestants who made it to the final three.
