Tidbits 5/21

Yahoo OMG asks: "Carrie Underwood was recently named the favorite "Idol." Besides the country crooner, who's your fave?"
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• David Cook wins American Idol -
  • OC Register - "Looking at their futures in "Idol" terms, where Cook seems the next Chris Daughtry, Archuleta would seem likely to be the next Clay Aiken."
    
  • CBS ShowBuzz / AP wire -
    

    During the 2003 finale, "American Idol" ran into math trouble when Seacrest twice announced incorrect numbers for the close vote between winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken. The first incorrect figure - 13,000 - was displayed on the TelePrompTer; the second - 1,300 - was written on a card given Seacrest.
    

  • The Improper -

    But Archuleta is sure to get a solid career start out of the show as well, just like Clay Aiken before him.
    
    Other idols, both winners and also-rans have had varying degrees of success. Although Clay Aiken lost to Idol winner Ruben Studdard, the boyish, and some insist gay, Aiken has had success both recording and on Broadway.
    

  • College OTR - Penn State -

    David Archuletta: Next Clay Aiken?
    
    Tonight is the season finale of American Idol 56 or whatever it is and it is down between David Archuletta and David Cook. Both are big tools, but the young, pristine David Archuletta is quite the character. Only 17 years old, I don't see how this greasy haired, yet-to-hit puberty kid is so popular. He sings all of these ballad songs and most likely is going to win American Idol because of his popularity. But I ain't buyin it.
    

  • Reuters -

    The "Davids" duel is the first time two male contestants have competed for the "Idol" title since Ruben Studdard defeated Clay Aiken in the show's second season in 2003.

  • TV Squad -

    Ruben Studdard vs. Clay Aiken (2003) - This was a real showdown. Just like last night's finale with the Davids, Ruben and Clay couldn't have been more different from each other. Ruben had a gospel background and the man never, ever missed a note. Never! But Clay was the comeback kid. He started out as a super-nerdy contestant with a shockingly spectacular voice and ended up as only a slightly-nerdy/Barry Manilow-style contestant. It was hard to watch Clay sing because of his corny facial expressions, and perhaps that was what caused him to lose (that, or the fact that the state of Indiana didn't get to vote). This was one of the best showdowns because it was not obvious who would win. Either man would have made a fine American Idol. It came down to 130,000 votes between the two, with Ruben barely on top. There's still controversy over this finale because of alleged technical problems with voting that night. In summary, this was and probably still is the best American Idol finale (unless David Cook pulls out the upset tonight).

  • Idolator - "Archuleta's magic is a more fragile thing, one that requires a royal handle in order that he may some day walk with cartoon animals. Yes, he may wind up a resentful queen like Clay Aiken."
  • Los Angeles Times, The Envelope -

    Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken has enjoyed commercial success if not critical acclaim. Although he has won three Billboard awards and was fan choice at the 2003 American Music Awards, he has yet to pick up any Grammy nods. Will his first new studio album in five years -– the recently released "On My Way Here" -– change that?

  • Post Bulletin - ""You don't have to win this to be a big star," he said. "Look at the year Clay Aiken finished second, and he's a much bigger star than Ruben Studdard, who won it.""
  • Associated Content -

    Everyone's a winner on American Idol. This has been true of the show from day one. Take Clay Aiken as an example, he was the runner up during season two of American Idol and he now has a great career. He lost to Ruben Studdard during the second season of the show and has actually done better than Ruben has.

  • Crosswalk.com - Live blogging the AI7 finale -

    Laura Mac says: Well, I hope the fans of Clay Aiken and Josh Groban and any other diveauxs (that's the plural of the male version of "diva," mind you) are happy now. 'Cause their next member is about to join the ranks. And in three years, The Archuleta will be hawking his CDs on QVC. Mark my words.

  • Los Angeles Times -

    Archuleta, on the other hand, went deep inside tonight, completely focusing on those ridiculously short performances, letting the world slip away. When he started to sing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," selected for him by Clive Davis, it seemed slightly ridiculous. One of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's most stentorian ballads, a favorite of Clay Aiken when he wanted to pull out his big gospel notes, the song expresses the despair of a tired, endangered lover, not a 17-year-old kid who murmurs "gosh!" when surrounded by cheerleaders.

  • Entertainment Weekly -

    During the first ad break, the Davids came in for a hug — and not even the bro kind! — and then Debbie the stage manager had them wave to the audience as the Idol band played them off the stage with a fairly random rock riff they thankfully avoided the rest of the night. Nigel trundled over to what I first thought was the row of ex-Idols but turned out to be the seat of one Clive Davis, and gave the golden-eared music guru a thumbs up. As in, "Thank you, Clive, for choosing two songs so perfectly suited to their respective singers that you may have single-handedly elevated this ratings-challenged season into the Ruben/Clay stratosphere."
    
    [...]
    
    the chipmunk from Utah had to tackle a song that Clay Aiken had so memorably soared through way back in season two. (And, I'm sorry, but I've got to link to this rendition as well.)

  • Huffington Post - "This sets a boxing theme for the night, which is amusing. It certainly wouldn't have worked for Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken but it works here."
  • Entertainment Weekly -

    Or, alternatively, as the round in which Clive Davis continues his ongoing love affair with Elton John's ''Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me,'' the same song he chose for Bo Bice on top-three night in Idol's fourth season. Seriously, Clive, I know it's a pretty ballad, but after spending almost six decades in the music business, don't you know a few thousand great songs that you haven't already foisted onto an Idol contestant? (And maybe one that hasn't been covered on the show by Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, and Jasmine Trias, as well?)

  • Long Beach Press Telegram -

    "I think it's going to be the smallest margin of victory in `Idol' history," Justin said. "It's the first time we've seen two guys go head-to-head since Clay (Aiken) and Ruben (Studdard) and that was very close. Like in season two, their differences make the competition that much more exciting."

  • Federal News Radio -

    Do they speculate whether David or David will be the next American Idol? Are they happy (or ignorant) of how much weight Ruben has lost and what really happened to Clay? Or do they talk about how much money they are going to pledge to PBS?

  • The New Straits Times -

    The first time was in Season 2 when Ruben Studdard met Clay Aiken. David Cook is one of only three American Idol finalists who has never been in either the bottom three or bottom two.

  • Detroit News -

    Archuleta and Cook were seen as the most evenly matched final two since "Idol's" second season, when Clay Aiken went head-to-head with eventual winner Ruben Studdard.

  • Detroit Free Press -

    Post-fight: The show runs long to keep viewers from flipping to the “Dancing With the Stars” finale. Finally, some dirty fighting. Season two winner Ruben Studdard shows up to sing “Celebrate Me Home,” this season’s ballad for kicked-off contestants. Ruben reminds everyone why he beat Clay Aiken.

  • Philly.com - "And the thing is, we don't want him to suffer the jinx of Clay Aiken - that other big cornball belter - who's done okay but will forever be remembered as an "also ran.""
  • Zap2it.tv -David A's DLTSGDOM not as good as Clay's
    

    Singer: DAVID ARCHULETA
    Song: "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
    My Take: Bono's tough, but Little David's challenge is also monumental since he's got to conquer both Elton John and Clay Aiken. The Claymates will be glad to hear me say that as solid as Archuleta is, he lacks the revelatory quality that Clay brought to this one. I'm a cold-hearted man, but Clay stirred something in me.

  • USA Today - Regie Hamm's song "Time of My Life" is this season's American Idol winner's song. Hamm also co-wrote "Something About Us" on Clay's new disc "On My Way Here" -

    Born in Nashville, Hamm traveled the country with his Pentecostal preacher father and played drums in the family band. He wrote his first song at age 9. Influenced by Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley, Merle Haggard, Randy Newman and the Gershwins, he switched to piano and enjoyed some success writing and recording. On Thursday, his gospel/country Starlight EP hits iTunes. He co-wrote Something About Us, which is on Clay Aiken's new CD. (Attention, conspiracy theorists: Hamm also co-wrote the ballad In the Name of God with Scott Krippayne, who co-wrote 2007's winning Idol song.)
    

• Seattle Pi - article about AI6 runner-up Blake Lewis -

  When it was released in December, "Audio Day Dream" popped at the No.10 position on the Billboard charts, selling more copies than the debuts of two "Idol" runners-up (Justin Guarini and Diana DeGarmo) but fewer than others (Clay Aiken, Bo Bice, Katharine McPhee). Since then it has dropped to 166th, with sales hitting a plateau around 284,000 copies.

• Marketing Vox - Carrie Underwood, Clay and David Archuleta most popular Idol contestants on the internet -

  Popularity Contest
  
  The most popular American Idol contestant, according to Hey! Nielsen's online panel, is Carrie Underwood, followed by Clay Aiken and David Archuleta - Season 7's most popular contestant.

• Dayton Daily News - OMWH review -

  Clay Aiken: ON MY WAY HERE
  
  If Neil Diamond was just getting started today, he’d probably be Clay Aiken. Which isn’t necessarily a compliment to either of them.
  
  Aiken’s newest album finds the former Idol-man still caught up in a strange sort of puppyish earnestness and inescapable preference for songs about his feelings (typical line: “Has anybody else but me / ever felt this way before?” Gosh, d’ya think?).
  
  You almaost have to feel sorry for somebody who gets more irritating the harder he tries to please — but then again, considering that Aiken has found a way to turn his drippy style into a pretty profitable career, maybe not. Key to success: Make older women want to hug you!
  
  To which point, it’s a bit surprising that a few cuts from “On My Way Here” punch up the pop-rock a bit. And it’s even more surprising that it’s the uptempo cuts with a little edge (note: little) are the ones on which he sounds most assured, at ease and in command of his material. “Ashes” and “Falling” work particularly well on that score, the latter turning out to be a darn good song for anybody — even Clay Aiken.

• Voice of America - Clay charts with 4th studio album -

  Clay Aiken earns his fourth Top 5 debut, coming in at Number 4 with his fourth album On My Way Here. Its title track, co-written by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, is the album's first single.

• Mediacaster Magazine - article about Vancouver news personality -

  Broadcaster and speaker Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson is a rising talent on the Vancouver entertainment scene. She has hosted the locally produced series The Big Picture, Retro and Coffee Shop Girl, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in show business, from Clay Aiken to Dog the Bounty Hunter.

• Beaver County Times & Allegheny - review of the new Indiana Jones flick -

  Poor Shia LaBeouf (“Transformers”), who Spielberg seems to have hired due to the boyish 21-year-old actor’s appeal to teen girls, proves out of his league fighting next to Ford’s rugged character. In early scenes, LaBeouf rides a motorcycle and wears a black leather jacket, making him look about as dangerous as Clay Aiken.

• Nothing here today