Why David Archuleta DID NOT win American Idol

Looking back at all David Archuleta's performances - extraordinary, perfect pitched, average, so-so, predictable and sometimes 'boring' - I still stand by what I have said the first time I saw him on TV, that he will be the next American Idol.

I have nothing against this 17-year old American Idol Season 7 Runner-up, in fact, among others, i have dreamt of a David-David finale - ever since Mariah Carey week. I am rooting for him ever since; his humility and genuineness made me admire this young kid, and his vocal prowess really amaze me. The season has ended and he did not took the title. Even though I am a huge fan of him, it didn't take me too long to get over his loss. And now, as a "non-David biased" fan, I am gonna write what I think has kept Archie so close but yet 12 million votes away from the crown:

1. He maybe too young and lacks experience. Well, Jordin did win last year, but the difference between them is that she is able to act more mature than she is than him. Compared to his opponent who has experiences hardships in life (well, DA did suffer vocal paralysis), people might have sympathize more on older David and would be glad to hear his "bartender-turned-American Idol" life.

2. He lacks versatility on other songs. Well, the judges really bug me on this one. On one same night, they would 'scold' one contestant for not making a new arrangement on the song, and then 'scold' another one for making new arrangement. It's the same thing that happens on little David. People think his style is so repetitive every week and would wish for him to change it, then when he tries to switch the judges (and some viewers too) would be disappointed. One thing is certain - he can't sing fast songs, and maybe rock. He does well on ballads but fails on other genre.

3. He does not have a very diverse fan base. Sure, he gets the votes of the young ones and their grandmas, but the other David appeals to women of all ages (especially middle-aged). Plus, he is favored by the men too with his kind of music.

4. He forgets lyrics. From his audition to his Stevie Wonder song, to the Results Night of the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame Week, Archie keeps on committing the same sin. He even said the wrong lines of the song "Seasons of Love" on Idol Gives Back. And, I would never ever forget the "You are a class your own".

5. He sometimes lack stage presence. He is, no doubt about it, the season's best singer - but not the best performer. Performing live does not only require pure vocals, but also the ability to own the stage and make the audience feel your energy and presence infront of them. I cannot say that he isn't able to do that. But I must admit that sometimes, he would perform and it would just be alright for you to just hear his voice without seeing how he does his thing.

6. He does not really stand out on group performances. With the quality of his voice, he is so mellow that sometimes isn't fit for the upbeat group performances on the show. Well, he may get more screams than any of the contestants, but it seems like the 'energy' is going down when it is already his turn (well, try the Cook to Archuleta transition). He did stood up on their One Sweet Day performance, but that was only one of those few moments people will remember that he was actually on the group opening numbers.

7. Little David's singles sells lower than Bigger Davids on iTunes. Well, American Idol is indeed strategic - why not let the songs of the contestants be available on sale at iTunes so that we may know whose record will sell more in the future?

After all those justifications I've made, I still love DA with all my heart. He is a sweet kid and he will be successful in the future. Coming in second place isn't bad enough. He will make albums too and have a taste of success. I wish him all the best! He will always be my most favorite American Idol contestant. :)

My CrazyRockin’ Romance

(This is a re-post of my old post...)

I'm still awake at this moment, writing this blog fresh from My Chemical Romance concert in Taguig. It was soooooooooo great!!!! My dream concert, indeed, was a dream come true..Ha ha..:)

After 21 days of preparation, of gathering pledges (thanks to all of you who pledged for me!), of waiting for the big event...Now, I can't believe it already happened. I felt like it was only a dream. My 3,862.50 Gold Ticket, I can say is worth the less than 2 hr - performance of the band. Gerard, Ray, Bob, Mikey, Frank brought the house down. MCR Rocked Taguig!

Actually, the time I travelled from UP and wait for the show was even longer that their performance. Oh well, that didn't matter anyway. Gerard Arthur Way>

Ha ha...Maging poetic ba?

Okay, one thing that really caught my attention and really amazed me was the audio that night. It was soooo great. The drums sound amazing, and the guitars really blew me away. Sana ganun sa UP Fair, sobrang astig talaga eh!

Next thing, I really love their opening number. That really made my night. It was the song "This Is How I Disappear" (it so happen that this was one of my favorite tracks on the Black Parade album)

Here's the scenario: The band entered with a bang. All the people in the venue screamed, jump. And because of my excitement, I can't help but stand on the monobloc chair where we used to sit before the show - with matching 'panginginig dahil sa pag-appear nila Gerard. And so, since I was on the third row and the people on the first two rows were just standing on the ground, it appears that I was the first person who looked tall. (haha..parang ang labo, basta yun un..kasi nga nasa taas ako ng upuan)..So, todo talon and kanta na rin ako together with the band. Then, when the chorus came I was singing my lungs out and I noticed nakatingin si Gerard sa side namin - at fixed lang yung stare nya habang kumakanta. waaaaaahhh..when he looked that way, mas ginanahan ko pa yung pagkanta then nakataas yung kamay ko at tinuturo ko siya sa lines na "and without you is how i disappear..." ...I so love you Gerard Way! You're the man!

The rest of the performance was really awesome. My favorites were Cancer (piano version, galing ng boses ni Gerard), Welcome To The Black Parade (na sobrang astig ng intro na ginawa nila), I'm Not Okay (na feeling ko malalaglag ako sa chair sa katatalon), Teenagers (grabe yung drums ni Bob - parang yumayanig yung grounds ng Open Field!), Helena (sobrang nakakatuwa yung crowd - hataw kung hataw!) and Famous Last Words (ang last song nila na napanganga ako nung pinakinggan ko yung guitars ni Ray before nung 1st stanza....grabe...galing...)

Nakabitin yung concert, pero astig pa rin. May nakakapanghinang part lang..haaaaay...

After the concert kasi, tinatapon ng mga ushers yung mga bote ng mineral water, yung pamunas ni Frank, etc..At cyempre mega agawan na naman yung mga die-hard MCR fans o yung mga MCRmy..

At my scenario uli: I was standing at the back of those people (na nag-aagawan nga). Kachicakan ko yung isang bouncer kasi nagpapapicture ako sa kanya na yung stage ang backdrop. Then, sobrang absorbed ako sa ginagawa ko sa fone at di ko namalayan na yung mga tao e nagtatanungan na ng "ASAN NA UN???"..E malay ko ba, I wasn't paying attention to what they are doing. Tapos, maya maya na lang, may tumuro sa kin at sumigaw --- "ANDUN!". So ako lost pa rin. And you know what kung ano yung ANDUN????? It was Frank's guitar pick, fell flat on the ground between my feet! My God, narealize ko lang siya nung my pumulot na...ha ha...SAYANG. as in SAYANG. Souvenir na sana ng band sa kin un..:p

Anyway, enough na sa mga ganung panghihinayang, what's important is that I was able to see them (the first Foreign Act I've watched perform live), I was able to go home safe (tapos ngTaxi ako mula Taguig hanggang UP...ha ha) and I had fun. So much fun. :)

Jan. 26,2008

12:22 am