This will be of no interest to anyone who doesn’t watch the show, but I think it’s a amusing development for those who do. From TMZ:
The lyric change evidently cost AI a lot of money. The show’s lawyers sat Dad down and told him he was no longer allowed backstage or to have any access to the show during rehersals. he can sit in the audience uring the live shows. That’s it. Allegedly, the other contestants couldn’t stand him either and wanted him gone.
Poor kid. In a way, I guess an AI contract would be perfect for him. As constrictive and controlling as it is, It’s exactly what he’s already accustomed to.
Well, next year he’s legally independent and even if he doesn’t win Idol will have money from the tour and whatever else he scores to be financially independent as well. I think one of the problems I have with Archie is that he sings beautifully but looks miserable. (Did anyone notice his grimacing after the Ford Commercial this week? I was wondering if he’s embarassed by the spandex pants or whatever.)
I think Archuleta Sr. should be required to pay the Beautiful Girls royalty. Surely he’s been a stage dad long enough to know that every song on that show costs money to buy the rights to even if it’s a sample.
PS- According to tabloids (I know I know, but they are often accurate on show biz matters as they really do have paid informants on every popular set), Archuleta supposedly harassed David A.'s competition on Star Search so bad that she got a restraining order and he was only allowed to attend the final show (and that with a security guard seating him).
From TMZ:
Of course I honestly have no idea what TMZ’s cred level is.
Jeff Arch. denies it of course, but one of his accusers is Naomi Judd (a celebrity judge on Star Search) who has no reason to lie about it. In that video she actually says (3:40 or so) “Leave- him- alone!” and “they had to put him in the security guard’s box”.
So that explains the bizarre lyrics change that several of us commented negatively on. I don’t know, maybe it worked with the young girl voters, but I don’t know anyone my age (30s) who thought that was a good idea. Can’t help but think that overbearing dad might be limiting his kid with bad advice.
Wow. That explains a lot about David A.'s behavior. He licks his lips because he’s nervous. He doesn’t move because he’s afraid he’ll do something wrong. He’s polite to the judges because he’s probably never talked back to authority in his life. Sometimes he looks like he’s waiting for the other shoe to fall – he almost cringes. I’ve never seen him lean back, throw his chest out and just sing.
If I thought that winning would get his dad off his back, I’d vote for him. Poor kid.
OTOH, David’s said in interviews that his dad is his “interpreter” to the band on making arrangement selections, since he has trouble communicating what he wants. He seems to rely on his father’s expertise rather heavily, whether because he’s afraid not to we can’t really tell, but if he’s never rehearsed or figured out arrangements or chose songs without Dad, top three week is going to be an eye-opening experience for him.
I’m not at all surprised by any of this. David displays the classic systems of mental and emotional abuse, as outlined by AuntiePam. I’m not sure that turning 18 is going to be the moment he turns on his father and runs simply because of the dependency the bastard has created over the years. I think the effect of this news will mainly just embarass him terribly. But I think David Cook has done a good job of being his buddy and being kind to him, and that should help. God, I hope it all works out for him.
Yeah, I’ve noticed that he’s very physically affectionate towards him (in a fraternal seeming, not icky) way. He’ll have his arm around him or his hands on the kid’s shoulders or whatever when they come out together, he “butt bumped” him in a ‘buddy’ (not obnoxious older brother) way during a Brady Bunch group song once, and he doesn’t do that with other contestants. (Well, he sorta kinda reached out toward Brooke but backed off when she looked like she was going to pull a can of mace out.) It’s one of the reasons that I plan to have Cook’s child once the tour is over (Veronica Champagne if it’s a girl and we don’t expose it, Lazarus Guantanamo Asa Alonzo Cook-Sampiro if it’s a boy).
Archuleta’s eyes never smile. Simon has made at least a couple of very aimed barbs about his song choices that I think were actually at his dad. (Now that is the guy to take down a stage dad- one of the most “You haven’t any feelings we need worry about, have you Eliza?” multimillionaires from promoting teen singers guys on the planet [who I think has professionally lusted for Archuleta since Day 1 {in the “I smell profit here” rather than the icky way as to my knowledge Simon only does caving, not tree climbing}]).
