I’m guessing the 10% tithe is tax deductible so it shouldn’t really make a serious dent in the mil, and Archuleta is only a few months from his majority, and will be 18 before any serious recording royalties (save perhaps for ITune sales) would come in. I just hope he doesn’t get talked in to putting the money in family coffers.
That said, did anybody hear the radio show a few weeks ago on which Johnny Whittaker expressed the same concern? Whittaker’s the child star who played Jodie on Family Affair and was later on Sigmund & the Sea Monsters and appeared on every sitcom and long running show filmed from the early sixties until he wasn’t cute anymore, was Mormon and saw his own multimillion earnings depleted to about $80,000 by tithes, by the funding of the mission trips of his brothers and sisters, by the purchase of family homes that were technically his but not really (not sure how that works, but other child stars [including Shirley Temple] have had it happen), and the general notorious parental mismanagement that led to his own substance abusing self loathing penniless pathetic phase of the sort that child stars from Mozart to the two Coreys and beyond (very few of whom are Mormon) are heir to. I don’t know which call-in show it was as I heard it on TV or if he’s still Mormon or what he’s doing today, but at least of all the faded redhead childstars of the 70s he had the good sense not to be Danny Bonaduce, so he has his parents to thank for that at least.
Does Simon actually have anything to do with the winners after the program, incidentally? I thought he was strictly a TV show judge and that his own musical business interests were kept pretty much separate (like Paula and Randy’s).
Aren’t contracts legally non-binding for minors? If so, wouldn’t it be awesome to see Archie transform on his birthday – just throw off the Oliver Twist act, give his dad bus fare back to Utah and have security escort him out, walk into a meeting with the studio and just start laying down the law? “We’re renegotiating my contract. I’m not singing these shit songs anymore. Fuck this ‘We Are the World’ bullshit. I’m going for a fusion of acid techno and southern rock. Get me a Roland bass synthesizer and a fucking dobro now! Also, I’m going to need attractive, open minded male assistants. Move your asses, bitches. Somebody bring me a Jack and Coke!”
Ok, that would never happen, but it’s awesome in my imagination.
I simply can’t watch this. After watching the whole season the bizarre Indian guru skit just blew a mental gasket. I am just going to have to find out who wins by reading this thread. I will be watching baseball.
Does anyone else get the feeling that Amanda is going to be absolutely miserable on tour? Her performances in the group numbers have always been weird, but tonight she seems… almost Stepford-robotic. Is it asking too much for the girl to smile and look like she’s having fun?
The tie-in with the dancing show is just visual noise, I don’t like it.
Interesting that first David duet, wouldn’t have thunk they’d go there but it didn’t suck as bad as it could have.
Sorry fruit the finale is always a cheesefest, first time I recall a ten minute long finalist commercial for a movie though.
Didn’t so much like Sye’s duet with Seal, and last years girls did a better chick number with Gladys Knight, but the Donna Summer thing is a’ight. Fun watching how much Beetleskank is awkward with the choreography and looks like she’s stomping around.
