Believe it or not, an Archuleta has gotten the Idol boot this week. No, not our producer-pimped Idol-to-be, silly. (Hell is still pretty hot, from what I hear.) It’s Jeff Archuleta — a.k.a. David Archuleta’s dad — who’s been sent packing from backstage of Fox’s juggernaut.
According to reports, ArchuDad was told he would be banned from rehearsals after insisting that the show allow David to combine Ben E. King’s "Stand by Me" with lyrics from"Beautiful Girls" — Sean Kingston’s recent hit that borrows riffs from King’s classic. Not terribly reprehensible, until you consider that such an alteration forced Idol to pay an extra song clearance fee. (ArchuDad’s rumored creepy, overbearing behavior, apparently, was acceptable to Fox. But his demands that they shill out extra green for his son? Guess the show only has so many surfaces it can plaster with Coke ads before it runs out of cash.)
Now, it’s no secret that ArchuDad has been at the forefront of his son’s Idol journey — EW’s own Jessica Shaw witnessed him taking the reins during David’s rehearsals for Neil Diamond week — and rumblings that he psyched out his son’s Star Search competitors years ago certainly doesn’t help support denials that David has been a passive agent when it comes to song choice and arrangement throughout the competition. In fact, the ArchuDad ban is leaving most fans wondering: will the nearly unstoppable power vocalist falter this week without his father to guide him to heaping panel praise? That is, can David go it alone?
I, for one, am hoping that the squinting, seemingly ever-tensecontestant will finally loosen up without the parental judgment loomingover his shoulder. (I’ve always suspected there’s more to David’snerves than just performing in front of the live audience and panel.)And who knows what kind of arrangements this kid could whip out withouthis father encouraging him to reject songs with less-than-G-ratedlyrics? But even still, I’ve never been a proponent of having 16- and17-year-olds battle it out for the Idol victory — heck, even at23, I don’t think I could handle the emotional pressure of the show —and all the news about ArchuDad’s presence makes me hope even more thatthe show one day ups the bottom age range a few ticks to avoid parentalinvolvement altogether.
So what do you think, Idol fans? Will David pull out another"Stand By Me" or will he go the way of "We Can Work It Out" withoutArchuDad? Do you think contestants’ parents should be allowedbackstage, or that minors should be allowed to compete at all?
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He’s just been banned from rehearsals. It’s not like his dad won’t influence the kid the other 23 hours of the day. I don’t think this will make much difference, more’s the pity.
I’m glad to hear he got the boot. He comes off as a showbiz parent with dollar-signs in his eyes.
God I hope not! Syesha-David C final 2!
Archudad’s been rumored to be a little over the top for some time now, but it’s rare that Idol will yield to public pressure on anything. Clearly, AI’s producers cared about the $$$ issue more than anything else.
As for what this will mean? I’m sure the extra attention (and a-list timing) are part of Idol’s plan to keep the headlines on Archuleta, ensuring Syesha’s ouster. If it wasn’t some sort of ploy, they would have offed Archudad immediately after the results show.
David has a beautiful voice–but i think the age limit should be raised a step higher. I’m talking 20-30 or something. No one–even babies–wants to watch babies, and this way people like ArchuDad aren’t really a problem.
The fact that David A has a total creapfest of a father AND that this is the first we’ve heard of it is probably my biggest complaint about the sugary sweet production that is American Idol.
The producers aren’t making it easy for anyone this year. This is going to be harder than Castro having to perform after hearing his un-sung song sucked. Difficult as Daddy-A has been, it’s got to be an emotional nightmare for little Archie. If he’s never stepped out on his own before, this is a really bad time to try it out. I’m not a fan of the kid, but I want him to be his best at this critical time. What a mess.
I think you’re missing the point on the money. AI producers said no, but he fought and fought and then forced his son to go behind the producers’ backs to do it anyway on live television. More than the money, the producers simply can’t afford to have people behaving unpredictably on live tv (witness: Paulagate). Clearly, Jeff Archuleta is a stage dad out of control – you left out the part of him being banned from the backstage of Star Search as well – and I certainly hope that David would be better off without him.
KATE, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. The fact that Idol let Jeff Archuleta run roughshod over his son, other contestants, the Musical Director, the band, and anyone in earshot was OK, but they only took notice when he cost them a royalty fee. Sick. And for a smartypants musical reference too — Jeff A. seems like the stage dad totally living vicariously throgh his son. Also sick. I hope David blossoms on his own… then divorces his parents! EMANCIPATE DAVID!
David is a musician on his own & has other input besides Jeff A. His dad sounds involved, maybe a little creepy from a nonrelative pt. of view, but probably not the ‘monster’ that’s getting tabloid time. I’ve been a stage mom & sometimes you do have to stand up for your kids in performance issues. With AI,it’s much more complicated because of copyright issues,contractual agreements, and just the money involved. Probably, in his eyes, David’s dad is being protective & trying to help his son present the best performance every week. How much of that is living vicariously thru’ his son, who knows? Before rushing to judgment & labeling Mr. Archuleta as overbearing & abusive, people need to know a lot more of David’s history than two incidents from talent competitions.
1.The bad news is that Archie is 17 so by law daddy dumba-s calls the shots. Still to demand more money?! He’s a frigging human being for petes sake! Jeff should be thankful that his son is even on television!
2. Yeah, that’s right. A.I. had to have clearance to allow Sean Kingston’s version to be sung on the air. A.I. will now have no choie but to pay Kingston and his record company.
Come on, it’s not fair to the father, who failed to do something with his life and is now riding his son’s coat tails. he should be allowed to have all the say in the world, so that once his son is old enough we can read stories about how awful the father was, and once Arch comes out of the closet (after a few years in and out of rehab.) we’ll all know who to blame. I say, if D.A. has any desire to be in the front of every tabloid in America, he should keep dear old dad around for sure.
None of us know what goes on behind the scenes of DA’s life so everything is hearsay. The Lohan’s, Spears etc. all get bad publicity due to bad media coverage when in truth, they know little what goes on behind closed doors. Unless the kids come out with a ‘tell all’ book, then it’s nobody’s business.
It probably won’t make a difference to Little David but it may help the other contestants relax. I think Mark Harris made a good point in his EW article about raising the age requirement to compete. In a few years, Little David will have more confidence and more personality which would make him more enjoyable top watch.
Hard to gage what really went on behind-the-scenes. Jeff Archuleta definitely exhibits the classic symptoms of freaky, out-of-control stage parent. The man just seems completely obnoxious and oblivious to the potentially-toxic influence he could have on David’s career. Nobody wants to deal with that kind of BS from a parent, let alone a failed-wannabe-musician who’s living vicariously through his son. Naomi Judd has made statements about Mr. Archuleta’s negative behaviour from her experience as a judge ‘Star Search’ and I think she’s a legit source. David has been groomed for a music career from a young age and his dad’s involvement is obvious. Can he go at it alone? I think he could…or at least I hope he does. Hopefully this is not yet another case of children being driven by ambitious parents into an unhappy ending. I don’t like Archie’s singing but he seems like a nice, simple guy.
From the article Jessica Shaw wrote a few weeks ago it seems that 95% of the conversation with the vocal coach is done by the Dad while David keeps quiet and let his father make the decisions. I wouldn’t be surprised if everything in David’s singing carrer has been dictated to him by his father. There’s just been too many reports regarding his father’s behaviour to deny it. From the Star Search tortue of 12 year olds, Naomi Judd’s exclaimation of him being “the worst stage dad” on the Today Show, to all the reports that having been coming out of Idol. It’s a shame that AI didn’t step in earlier cause I don’t think anything we’ve seen from David on the show is a true representative of him.
I want to see David pick his own song. Just curious…does his dad even have a job? I mean he’s at every performance. I hope he’s not counting on David to be his meal ticket. He’ll ruin the kid. I have noticed little David doesn’t seem very relaxed. I bet there’s a lot more to this story.
To LEE and BLECK: What you need to understand is that Hollywood is extreley self-protective. Celebrities and show biz people get away with the most outrageous and illegal behaviors and it is all covered with smiles and a cone of silence. If these things actually make it out to the public, it would generally have to have gotten really bad. Where there is smoke, there is almost always fire!
I doubt it’ll make any difference now. Maybe if he’d been banned from the beginning, David might have made some different choices, but I have a feeling he doesn’t mind his dad managing him and he actually likes singing all of these G-rated ballads. Also, Jeff will still be in the audience, so I don’t think David’s nerves are going to be affected.
Best thing for little David…parents need to be parents and not career managers for their kids.
Poor kid. Knowing the whole sideplot about the Stage Dad From Hell really explains a lot about David’s eyes and khaki blazers. Actually, it makes him more interesting of a contestant, for me–in the same way that knowing David Hernandez’s stripper past made him more interesting. It sucks that the kid’s had to deal with this the whole life, though. I don’t even want to think about how that could screw a person up.
At least David’s dad will have time to go back to the 1920’s and sell newspapers on the street corner. Er…wait, you mean he wears that awful hat for some OTHER reason?
I’ve wanted the age upped to 18 since season three and Diana Degarmo. Talented kid, but there was a significant lack of emotional depth to her music – something that only comes with age. And getting out of high school is just barely enough to give that experience. No need to make kids grow up before their time.
Even if he isn’t boxing the boy into a life that he guides and manipulates, he broke the rules and cost Fox money. While I could care less about the corporate entity that is fox or 19 productions, the AI powers that be care about $$$ in and out of pocket. They do not care about little David or any other contestant. He’s banned, not because he has been abusive, abrasive or a general a-hole, he’s been banned because, instead of making money off of his son, he cost them money. I would much prefer all AI contestants be between 18 and 28. Stage parents are stage parents and frankly, because they are usually able to get their kids to crank out performances and follow directions blindly, the producers of shows like AI benefit and secretly want them around to help keep the “talent” in line. I hope this kid is okay and has the strength of character to love his parents but be ready to be independent and tell them “No” when he needs to. Otherwise, AI is culpable in child abuse.
I think that the real issue is why David Archuleta was permitted to have his father there as a constant voice coach when the other contestants were not permitted the same advantage. It has been clear from the beginning that Randy has overpraised this kid–David Cook is clearly the most talented and commercial talent. If Archuleta is too young to make it on his own through the whole show, he shouldn’t be there at all and he really shouldn’t be allowed to continue under these circumstances. I am hoping for a David Cook/Syesha Mercado final. Archuleta is a talented kid who needs to go home and grow up a bit before having an adult career.
Well after this year – I think they should cancel the show. It has become a joke.
But if they keep it on – they should bump the age range to 20-35 so we get some interesting singers and artists who have found who they are as a performer and have some life experience.
I can’t stand how they have been pimping David A and I think he is nothing special. He bores me to tears – but the entire season has been pretty bad in my opinion.
Well, this is sort of tabloid-ish for Entertainment Weekly. David will do fine.
In fact, if David A doesn’t do well this week, it will because of all this press based on an anonymous source to TMZ. Poor David. Lay off.
First off, I’m a David Cook fan who wants him to win but I want a David/David finale. There would be no suspense if Syesha is in there because she has no chance at winning.
I’m kinda in-between of raising the age limit because there were a lot of kids I didn’t like but there was one I did- last year’s winner Jordin Sparks. She was basically alone since her parents are not musicians but she still ended up winning. I hope David does better without his dad because he’s probably dragging the kid down. David sounds great but the arrangements are kinda dull and old-fashioned. I hope it doesn’t affect him since it’s not his fault, it was his dad’s. By the way, he reminds me of one of those dads on that VH1 child star show.
I know Jeff Archuleta and he is an amazing person and parent. He is not at all a stage dad and this my friends is how the tabloids work! They get everyone riled up on “stories”. Not truths, that would be boring and nobody would care! Don’t get sucked into this. Simon and Randy have said it’s stories. Carly and others have said Jeff and David are just wonderful. It’s rag tabs!!! This is their core business. David Archuleta for the WIN! Jeff, we are behind you! Don’t worry.