'Idol' finalist Archuleta is in a good place
It's been the most dramatic Hollywood week yet.
Forget the silly costumes, cheesy auditions and horribly off-key vocals of recent weeks. Out of 100,000 "Idol" hopefuls, only a select few, including David Archuleta of Murray, advanced to the Hollywood competition.
Archuleta did more than that— the judges quickly made him one of the 24 finalists. As Simon Cowell put it, "You're young, you're likable, and you've got a great voice. Not a bad place to be, right?"
David wowed the audience and judges alike by belting out "Heaven" for his final audition in Hollywood, causing Paula Abdul to stand up and bow down to him. For a 17-year-old boy, he's got the world at his fingertips.
Another Utahn, Shaun Barrowes of Spanish Fork, made it to Hollywood but wasn't chosen as a finalist.
I think it's safe to say that, for the most part, these 250 contestants were the cream of the crop, the best of the best. And all sang for their lives this week to secure a spot in the Top 24.
If I took away negative feelings from "Idol," it was because of this very week. The pressure is so intense.
I remember waking up the day after I was cut feeling disbelief, anger and devastation. I had made it through the first two days but was cut the day before they picked the top 32.
Our auditions were relatively easy. The first day, we could choose any song to sing a capella. The second day was a little more challenging — we had to write music to lyrics we were given. I'd always know whether or not I had made it through to the next round by looking down the row to see if Ruben Studdard was standing in my line.
He was always so laid back. In fact, one day after waiting for six hours for our turn to audition for the judges, Ruben suggested we make up a dance to do onstage to help settle our nerves.
The third day wasn't so fun. We were split into groups of three, boys with boys and girls with girls. We had three songs to choose from. I chose "Don't Cry Out Loud," and to this day, whenever I hear that song, I want to puke. I didn't want anything to do with "American Idol" after I was sent home. (Of course, that changed as soon as I received a call back from the producers to try out for the wildcard show!)
Recent comments
you should have one american idle for sure but me and machela my...
#1 singer | June 5, 2008 at 10:59 a.m.
i really dont think that david is mormon. both his cousin and his...
davidluver | May 20, 2008 at 9:07 p.m.
David Archuleta is an awesome kid with an awesome voice! He should...
pamisaun | March 19, 2008 at 12:06 p.m.
