Thanks to David Cook, I have a new favorite YouTube video. I hadn’t beenable to locate it by the time we first posted his comments about it ina Q&A last week. Fortunately, some Cook fans who had seen the cult video (embedded below) he confessed to loving quickly posted links to it on various message boards, causing it to suddenly catch on. (When I first saw it last Thursday, it’d only been viewed about 4,000 times in the months it had been up, but now it’s already at over 10,000 views.) It’s footage of six girls who look to be in their very early teens watching the season finale of American Idol, and their reaction when their idol, David Archuleta, fails to be coronated. As Cook put it, “My name gets announced [as the winner], and…these girls said something that’s so funny, to me: ‘How could they vote for that guy? He doesn’t even shave!‘’ I love that.”
I’m not sure Cook even does justice to the utter hilarity of this video. The full range of despairing emotions the girls go through in their moment of spiritual desolation is so great, you almost wonder if this is a fantastic put-on, performed by young actors. The moment when one girl drops to her knees in disbelief at The Great Injustice of 2008 certainly couldn’t benefit from any better comic timing, though really the whole thing is a kind of accidental genius.
As I’ve e-mailed friends with the link for this video,I’ve gotten an interesting range of reactions back, ranging from“hysterical” to “another good argument against pubescence.” I’m goingwith "adorable," myself. Even if you can’t relate to the Idol phenomenon, surely anyone who was ever truly and devotedly a fan,or, better yet, still is one, can relate just slightly to theconcurrent worship and anguish in this clip. Who among us doesn’t weep,gnash teeth, and rend garments a little, if not quite thisdemonstrably, when our heroes fail to get the due and universalacclamation that’s coming to them? Can anyone who truly invests himselfor herself in artistic excellence fail to feel torment over thetravesty of pure suckage prevailing, even when our belief in thatgreatness is predicated on even more substantial stuff than thepresence or absence of facial hair? I have been there, my friends, andI suspect you have, too, even if you never pummeled the couch in yourparents’ basement with a pillow in front of all your friends.
As for the notion that we might ever really grow out of this, I direct you to this Washington Post videoabout the atmosphere among the crowd at John McCain’s concessionspeech last week. Forward toward the end and you’ll see the reactionamong some of McCain’s supporters when their candidate, waxinggracious, tells his followers they need to support the newPresident-elect. Some boo; others shout out comments like “Never!”Another man tries to hush one of the hecklers, saying, ”Take the highroad.” “I am taking the high road!” answers the indignant anti-Obamayeller. These grown politicos are being impossibly rude, of course. Butthe little girls understand.
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I forgive Cook. I even laughed at it. Almost as hard as when I look at the itunes chart ranking for “Light On”.
People who enjoy watching little girl crying–the author of this article and David Cook–scares me.
you suck!!!!!!!! cook is jealous hell never be archie!!!
Wow! making fun of minors, way to go how sick EW, pendejos mr willman and cook …
STOOPID EW ! Y R U MAKE FUN
EW you’re a glutton for punishment! You knew this post would bring out the psycho Archuleta fans again! The video is very cute and I can appreciate it as a former 10 year-old fangirl. I think all girls had a moment like this at some point in their childhoods!
The parents of these girls should press charges against EW and David Cook.
To those who find fault with “making fun of minors”, and “watching little girls cry”: didn’t those little girls post themselves on YouTube?
And one would presume, or hope anyway, that the parents know their daughters posted themselves?
Dude, the girl who posted the video loved the attention she got last week when Cook mentioned the video and she got a ton more hits. Calm down people.
It looks like the reactions of some of the posters on here are at about the same emotional level as those young girls. All I could think through my own laughter was, “Oh, those girls are going to grow up and be SOOOO embarrassed by this.” And I say that as a grown woman who can remember her own emotional wreckage at the age of 11 over … whatever it was. See? Doesn’t matter now. I can laugh at those girls because I’ve BEEN ONE. And now I have grown up. They will, too. And so should you guys who are getting so worked up over it.
Sammy, why would they? Cook and EW bring very good socilogic points about that video. Which is very interesting. But maybe some minds can’t understand that.
how dare u be mean to us were really nice so is david…..I LOVE YOU DAVID JAMES ARCHULETA
LAWSUIT!!!!!!!
This is very funny and takes me back to many 7th grade sleepovers. Regardless of the subject matter, at some point there was a meltdown like this at every one.
As for being mad at EW for posting this, weren’t the girls the ones to post it on YouTube to begin with? I happen to think it’s a very sweet tribute to both Archuleta and preadolescent girls.
JERKS
Why did they decide to film their reactions or film the results of AI from their perspective?! These girls are like, twelve! They should not be doing the youtube all that often. Well…when I have kids I am going to check up on their webcam activities very closely…
These girls make me sad. It’s funny, I guess, but more sad. It’s a guy! On a reality tv show! It doesn’t really even matter, in perspective.
I’m just waiting for when they grow up and see the silliness of all this. But for now, I will laugh at the one girl who had to go grab a pillow and strangle it to death with hugs.
You know what’s funny? I had that same reaction when Obama won.
Oh come ON people, the article is very sweet to the girls, even nostalgic for the time when we were all so passionate about some teen hearthrob or another. Nobody is insulting them. They are indentifying with them. Seriosouly this is giving David Archuletta’s fans a bad reputation if you come in to every post acting like lunatics.
I’m the mother of 2 little boys. When anyone asks if I wish I had a daughter, I say I’m fine with my boys because I’ll never have to have a teenage girl. I can’t handle emotional drama like that!
You’re a good sport, Mr. Wilman. Rock on.
Why so mean EW? I’m telling mommy!
How brilliant to tie this in to comparisons of grown adults reacting to the presidential election… thanks for some thought-provoking stuff(and hilaroius footage)!!! BTW, I don’t think any malice was intended here from EW or D. Cook. When you post yourself PUBLICLY on the internet, you have to be prepared for the reaction that will surely ensue. No matter how old you are.
there must be something in the raging hormones of adolescence that allows us girls to reach notes that can only be heard by wild hyenas and aliens when screaming at the unfairness of life. That’s the sound I made when I found out Justin Timberlake was dating Britney Spears all those years ago…
And these are the women who will one day be potentially be leaders….nice….what losers…
The funniest part is is seriously doubt Archuleta shaves either.
that’s the sound i made when i heard Estelle Getty died… little girls, you know nothing of real tragedy!
Best video ever!
Cook said he did NOT enjoy making the little girls cry, but that it was an interesting sociological phenomenon. And it IS actually very interesting to see adults acting this same way, be it with their political candidate, sports team, or American Idol… interesting and SCARY.
The girls are happy with the attention their video has garnered as evidenced by the fact that it’s still there. They also know that David Cook saw it and after this interview was posted, they apologized to him in the youtube comments. They’re just little girls, and may have actually learned from this and become more mature for the future.
L, thanks for the laugh. I enjoyed your comment. To really show my age, I wailed of the injustice when I found out that the guys from Duran Duran had wives.