TMZ first reported it yesterday and now the Associated Press has confirmed it: The American Idol braintrust has banned David Archuleta’s father/musical arranger/puppet-string-puller, Jeff, from the show’s rehearsals, after months of speculation about his stage-dad tendencies and overbearing presence. The final straw? The cheesy “Beautiful Girls” interpolation into David’s performance of “Stand By Me” last Tuesday, which not only made the song’s message completely incoherent, it cost the producers an undisclosed amount of licensing money. This raises a host of questions regarding the junior Archuleta’s last two weeks in the competition (Will the news, and the apparent fact that Jeff is the first person to be banned from the Idol backstage ever, garner a lot of sympathy votes? Will this be his chance to show the haters that he can, in fact, interpret and arrange music without Daddy pulling the strings, or will he wilt under the pressure on Tuesday night? Is this abortion of a season over yet?) But leave it to the Archie-crazed commenters at rickey.org to ask the important questions regardnig this whole story.
Who gives a shit about Associated Press?
I only believe whatever comes out from the NYT times sorry. These journalist needs to get a freakin life. LEAVE ARCHIE ALONE!!!
Well, I guess it could have been worse–the person could have said that they only believe what they read on Perez.
AP Source: Jeff Archuleta Loses “Idol” Backstage Pass [AP; HT DHMBIB]
Associated Press: Jeff Archuleta Banned From Rehearsals On American Idol [rickey.org]
Without that big bald body to carry him around, Krang was just a useless, unwieldy brain with huge eyes and a croaking voice; without Krang, the body was just an action figure with a gaping hole in his stomach.
OMG reading those comments makes my head all hurty.
This is potentially a HUUUUUGE development. Lickey.org-Lips has to sing THREE songs this week — only one of which he gets to choose. Without Daddy Dearest pointing the way, could the Good Ship Archuleta run aground?
Only twice in the previous six seasons (2: Reuben & Clay; 3: Fantasia & Diana) — that’s 33%, for those of you who hate Elite Math — has AI had a same-gender final. Could there possibly be a “shocking elimination” this week???
@Rob Murphy: s/Reuben/Ruben/g
I’ll show myself out…
@MTS: Perhaps New Corp has yet to figure out how to swallow the internet, but Fox remains unsurpassed at exploiting intra-network synergies. Geraldo was all over this yesterday: “Involved is one thing, insufferable’s another,” he said, to SLC-native and Idol 2 contestant Carmen Rasmusen.
@hastings: uhh, “News” Corp. Should probably stop watching FNC while cat-sitting.
This is going to hurt.
I know ratings are declining, but this just feels too orchestrated, even for “Idol.”
Why do you lead me to Rickey.org, Maura? That site is like the Call of Cthulhu.