Go David Archuleta!

I know, I know. Most of you probably think that I confine my television viewing to the Food Network (Lifestyle Channel in Manila), or to the new Asian Food Channel (Chef in Black is my latest favorite), or that I stick to programs like CSI (couch crime solving) or Numbers (more analytics) or House (my ornery side). Maybe some of you think I am purely a National Geographic Channel (I love it) kind of guy, or CNN (on the road) or BBC (I am enamored with good English accents). Actually, I do watch a lot of Bloomberg (yes, the running ticker tape) as well. But I probably don’t watch more than an hour of television a day, on average. And there are two other programs that we watch quite regularly in the MM home, The Amazing Race (from the U.S. and its Asian version) and with the Kid, we NEVER, NEVER EVER miss American Idol. Why such a show would keep me glued to the television is totally beyond me. I can’t and don’t ever want to sing out loud…

I am competitive by nature, and I enjoy predicting outcomes of just about anything, so I just had to do this post on American Idol. About 8-10 weeks ago, I fearlessly forecast that David Archuleta would win this year’s competition. For an old fogey with lots of white hair, who cannot sing at all, Marketman has thrown down the gauntlet on this “oh-almost-too-cute” kid from Utah. My daughter’s friends, karaoke princesses or budding guitarists many of them, all had their own favorites, and they swooned over other contestants, almost certain their picks had a far better chance than Marketman’s. As several weeks of the competition progressed, and many of the competitors were eliminated, David Archuleta kept marching on… Then a Herald Tribune article a few weeks ago suggested that there was a serious drop off in young teen viewership of the blockbuster television program, and that had me a tad worried, as all those screaming pre-teens with cellphones and unlimited text messages were less likely to cast a vote… The Kid also started pushing for Mr. Archuleta about six weeks ago. And now she is one of his screeching fans. So while I wonder if there is enough teen power and cell phone load to push him to victory, The Kid has asked me, to ask all of you, to please, please, please vote for David Archuleta; that is, of course, if voting for an American idol is your thing… Perhaps you have younger kids who understand this teen hysteria, and perhaps they could remember to vote for him, twice or even thrice. Frankly, I think this is turning into an age thing… anyone over 20 is probably gunning for David Cook, while anyone under 20 is probably voting for Archuleta. Honestly, I just want Archuleta to win so my prediction early in the race comes true. I do, after all, have a crystal ball on my desk. I really do. Now if only Archuleta bought some nice clothes for the finale as his “reminiscent of Members Only jackets and plain t-shirts attire” is just a bit too casual, in my opinion. :) Nevertheless, regardless of whether he wins or loses, I think he will be a huge commercial success in the years ahead. The Kid says thank you, thank you to all of you who vote for Archuleta, and for those of you who prefer David Cook, just keep quiet, okay? Heeheehee.

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Marketman is a well-traveled management consultant who loves buying, cooking and eating good food. Read more »

81 Responses

  1. i do love making predictions too…but i hate it when it doesn’t happen..hehehe I love American Idol because it puts the power to the audience and not just the jury..although i wonder how much money sending sms brings to the program :-)

  2. dhanggit, voting to American idol from a land line is totally free, as the numbers are toll free, texting or voting from a cell phone will incur your normal charges for a text or cell phone call… unlike here in the Philippines, where the vote is sometimes 5-10x the cost of a text. I check this out, as last week they got some 57 million votes! Can you imagine if it was some Kris Aquino show where they charge P2.50 each? That would be PHP140 million in text revenue alone, outrageous!

  6. hahaha, David A. is quite good but personally i like David Cook better because he has more personality =)

  7. DAVID ARCHULETA ALL THE WAY!

    and for those of you who prefer David Cook, just keep quiet, okay?
    ._.

  9. okay just to make The Kid happy–please put instructions how to vote–I don’t watch American Idol but I am willing to spare a few pesos for David….

  10. Heeheehee, I knew it. It’s an age thing. I just hope for Archuleta’s sake the pre-teens sit by the phone during voting and KEEP dialing again and again like rabid fans, whereas the older folks will only vote once. :)

  11. britelite, I think you can only vote if domiciled in the U.S., and they announce the numbers only during the show which will air Tuesday 8 Eastern/7pm central… The Kid was hopping up and down when I told her about your comment. :) Now there is a dedicated reader… Heeheehee. Thanks. :) The Marketman crystal ball shall prevail…

  12. my heart still goes out to MJ! (Michael Johns)

    but between David and David; im gonna “keep quiet”. tee-hee.

  15. MM, so are you saying you never watch local TV — Wowowee perchance? :-)
    But kidding aside, we get the Filipino Channel as part of our Verizon subscription here and I really like Trip na Trip. I admit, the hosts appeal to a younger demographic, but the Philippine views are just so worth it. I now have a long list of places I want to visit when I come home.

  17. David Archuleta for the win! I read somewhere that viewership among young teens dropped off because the quality of singing improved this year. I’m not so sure I agree, because Idol was a bit lame-o this time around for me…But David Archuleta has always been my favorite, and my folks’ too!

  18. You can also vote if your VOIP phone is a US number (you just have too coordinate the time so you are calling in during the voting window). We never vote but are hooked on the show. I too will keep quiet about who I am rooting for but I have to say, David A is one of the cutest things I have ever seen! I can see why the preteen girls would love him!!

  20. whoa! i can’t believe i’m reading about the davids here. awesome! i’m a DC fan. just would like to share with you how to vote if you’re in manila. tell The Kid to download Gizmo and vote tomorrow around 9am. check the AI forums for details. see, i’m not selfish. :-)

  21. Cooking right now… :D But as they always flash on the screen on every AI show “Voting not available in Australia”…

  22. Between David and David, i will just keep quiet for the meantime….Did I say Cook? =)

  23. I’m thinking Archuleta can sing better but Cook has the personality (although he can definitely sing…I’m really just saying he has that rocker appeal). Hmmm, so why not let Archuleta win and Cook will surely have an album after the AI series (ala Chris Daughtry) hahaha! win-win situation! :)

  25. This is a food/COOKing site, ne? :D I think they’ll both be successful after the show (more than Hicks or Sparks anyway). We actually use our VOIP phones to vote from here. :) Sorry though, I started rooting for Cook with “Hello” and “Billy Jean”.

  26. My first choice in the roster of contestants already got booted out so I’m lukewarm on both david’s. Speaking of AI, Chris Daughtry is coming to Manila, I just saw an ad for a concert at Eastwood.

  29. Kid, I’m old enough to be your mom but I’m w/ you. DA all the way! Woo hoo!!!

  31. Okay, Kid I was a Ramielle fan and think that David Cook is a better choice but since I’m a big admirer of your Dad. I will vote for your Archie 10 times tomorrow just for you. A Marketmanatic from San Francisco.

  32. Have to say, I am more of an Amazing Race kind-of-a-gal…but hey, GO DAVID COOK!!!!

  33. Michael Johns the best!

    And David Cook. His voice is more flexible (he can sing almost anything) and strong than Archuleta. Archuleta can’t even sing a ‘WITH YOU’ properly. oops! sorry couldn’t help it. :-)

    Good luck to the Davids. I’m sure Archuleta will have a career whether he win or lose.

  34. yay :) thanks to all :) the thing is, david cook is really good (i actually wanted a DAVID vs. DAVID finale), but AI is really a pop competition- not a rock. that is why chris daughtry did not win, but he sold more albums than the season 5 winner.

  35. David A. it is, rock stars are not my thing…..hehehe, maybe because of my age.

  36. in response:
    david cook’s dare you to move wasn’t that spectacular either- you have to admit.

  37. This is better than a poll. And the average age of MM fans is showing. Cooking blogsite, huh?

  40. still cant get over the fact that micheal johns got eliminated. hmp. hehe..

    mama loves loves LOVES diva archuleta…i mean DAVID archuleta. teehee. :)

    kidding aside though, i think david a’s got an amazing talent. he really can sing!

  41. David Archuleta?????? The kid can sing but unfortunately lacks in personality and star quality. He sounds like a 60 year old trapped in a kid’s body. He is just so blah.
    David Cook is hot, awesome and very current. He will become a big star whether he wins or not. Just like Chris Daughtry who only made second but is selling millions.

  42. I seldom watch AI, and it has been ages since I watched The Amazing Race. But from what I’ve seen so far on AI, I’m going for….*whispers an unmentionable name on The Kid’s ear..” :p

  43. Sorry…I LOVE keeping quiet. :) heeheehee..i guess that would show my age too. ;D but y’know, keeping quiet has more star quality…in my “elderly” opinion. :)

  45. I do think that “archie” as they sometimes refer to david a. will win. But i shall remain “quiet”. =) Maybe it is an age thing. I am in my 30’s, hehe.

  46. It’s gonna be David vs David! Even though it might reveal my age, I’m rooting for DAVID COOK! :-D

  51. cook for the win! oops!

    btw, the numbers are 1-866 so they are not toll free. ryan seacrest will always clear this up whenever he gives out the numbers.

  53. Isn’t this cool!? ask your Dad to let MM readers Vote for Archuleta. . . nice. . . yeah I hope he will be the next America Idol. . . the two Davids are good though and at this point its hard to predict who will win. . .

  54. I had a choir performance and missed the show!!! Can someone please tell me David a.’s phone # so I can vote for him!!!! Please and thank you!!!

  55. what is David a.’s voting #? I had a choir concert and I couldn’t miss it and I missed American idol! Please help! I NEED his #!!!! I’m a total fan!!!

  57. hello! i am for Cook but i think that Archuleta will win because he is more popular…anyways it is not always the winner who gets more famous as the case of McPhee and Hicks and in the Philippines, Christian Bautista and Erik Santos…
    Congrats in advance to Archuleta, he is okay din naman

  58. Keeping quiet but inadvertently revealing my age bracket, too! But, Kid, if I could vote, I’d vote for David A just because you want him to win. :)

  59. I watched tonight’s final performance of these 2 awesome singers, and I think Archie will win. No matter what will happen, I know these 2 Davids will be successful.

  60. sorry, MM and TK;
    DC will be the AI!

    http://www.dialidol.com

    Wednesday May 21, 2008

    Let’s be clear –

    DialIdol is definitively predicting that

    David Cook will win American Idol.

    No ifs, ands or buts about it. No crazy margin of error claims or anything. The DialIdol scores are significantly different enough to wash all that out the window.

    This comes as a bit of a surprise to me given that David Archuleta “knocked out” David Cook during the performance show so before you decide to skip the results show tonight you might want to consider that I myself will be watching with the usual uncertain anticipation that has become habit for me!

    DialIdol.com got slammed pretty hard last night by lots of fans trying to see DialIdol’s predictions. Page load time was in the neighborhood of 1-2 minutes from 9pm – 1am. Sorry about this. Sometimes it seems that it is easier to predict who will win American Idol than it is to predict how much traffic DialIdol will get. :)

  61. After last night’s performances, David A will
    be the new AI…I voted for him 51 times….
    I am not a teenager but I think he is
    cute..honest..sincere…after all,
    he is America’s favorite…and of course,
    he has a golden voice….

  63. Bummer, David Cook wins by 12 million votes. Crystal ball is being tossed into the Pasig River in a minute or so. Hahahaha!!! By the way, Marketmanila comments were roughly 60% for Cook, and 40% for Archuleta. Actual results were 56% and 44%… Congratulations to David Cook. As for Archuleta, he will take millions to the bank over the next 10 years… :)

  64. I cried when Cookie won. Hahaha sappy me. Weren’t you a teeny bit touched MM? :D

  67. It’s ok. DA is still young. He’ll go a long way for sure! How’d The Kid take it? Kid, are you ok? :(

  68. Don’t feel too bad, Kid. David A is still super cute and super talented. But I think he has to go back to school first. I’m a mom, you see.

    MF

  70. Kid, don’t feel too bad, k? It’s usually the runner-up that gets more famous! (But, as a Cook-ie, I was happy for DC. He is so gwapo and I’m a sucker for rockers!)

  72. Team David Cook all the way here, but I have to say I did NOT want him to win, so that he wouldn’t be locked into an AI contract. Hopefully it will all turn out well, though…

  73. Sorry kid, I’m a bit disappointed too! David A is still young. When he has honed his talent, I’m sure he will be a star someday and surpass Cook’s success.

  74. David A has a singing career in front of him, definitely. i hope though that he can still grow taller… :P

  75. I couldn’t believe that David Cook was going to win. Mind you, I’m a Cook-ie, but given the way the previous AI Finales have gone, odds were against Cook winning. Pero grabe, 12 million votes more! Maybe all the other Cook-ies worked overtime.
    I also didn’t want David Cook to win, because most of the time, winning seems to be more like the “Kiss of Death”. Hope that doesn’t happen to Cook.
    David Archuleta is definitely a winner too, but I guess it just isn’t his time yet. He’s a great singer, but medyo “hilaw” pa siya. I’m excited to see how he matures, especially as a performer!

  76. I’m one of those that in a way didn’t want Cook to win, just because artistically he would be bound to whatever stipulations his contract will have or have with AI. Daughtry was a much bigger success than that, I truly forgot his name, that old man river, because he had free reign on what he could put in his records, but then again old man river was nothing but a Vegas act in the first place.
    Anyhoo, how cool was Cook’s performance with ZZ Top. I enjoyed that one immensely.

  77. Kid, i was a bit shocked,too…here’s a few paragraphs from today’s NY Daily News:

    The younger David specialized in soft songs of sentimentality, the elder favored bolder rock flourishes, especially as contained in hand-me-down grunge ballads.

    Archuleta stressed sincerity – Cook bravado. The former epitomized innocence, the latter, if-not-exactly experience, then at least a suggestion of adult awareness.

    By contrast, the Mormon-born Archuleta seems almost startlingly free of experience. He’s like a human Bambi, immune to cynicism and open to faith. Such a pristine character made Archuleta a perfect vehicle for the kinds of idealized ballads he favored week in and week out.

    Moreover, Archuleta owns the more individual voice. Cook sounds like any number of mainstream rock singers in bands that wish they were Nirvana – from Nickelback to Daughtry.

    For his part, Archuleta boasts a subtle rasp that shades his more boyish tones and gives him a hint of soul. Archuleta also connects to his material in a more probing way, taping into the darker well of feeling his doll-like visage obscures. In the end, he’s both a better, and a rarer, singer than Cook.

    Which means that – at least for this election – American voters got it dead wrong.

    jfarber@nydailynews.com

  78. this is from today’s NJ Star:

    …no matter which david got the confetti shower last night, both will be signed by the show’s management company, both will have albums produced by clive davis, and both will be treated reverently by the franchise–at least until it becomes clear that one is badly outselling the other.

    asepinwall@starledger.com

  79. HI MM,

    Halooo! Thought you might be in Turkey already. Just back from the Caribbean and started reading the archives till I came upon your Archuleta blog. In my household the pre teen went for Archuleta and the one over 20 must have voted 20 times to contribute to the 20 million some lead. I’m over 60 but was rooting for Archuleta. Anyway, how about “So you Think YOu Can Dance”. The season starts tonight.

  80. connie C, it’s bad enough you would catch me in front of the tube for a karaoke contest… I wouldn’t go close to a dancing one… :) natie, thanks for those quotes. Frankly, I thought Archuleta did deliver a knockout on the finale night. But it isn’t based on performance, it is based on votes… so bummer for Archuleta, but he has to know he sung the night as well as he could have…

  81. As a man of broad and varied interests, I challenge or invite you rather to just take a peek at “So You think You Can Dance”. Maybe you can do this with the Kid? I assure you it is not the “cheesy” kind ( with my apologies to the ballroom dancing enthusiasts…just a matter of taste. I happen to do the Argentine tango). It is amazing what young people can do with their bodies and be challenged to perform a wide range of styles, many without formal training, from hiphop, ballet, jazz, modern,contemporary, etc. I had to try durian to say “Boy it does taste good!” You never know, MM might bite! And sorry to be persistent. Now back to the kitchen for my matambre.

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