"America" Finally Gets It Right On American Idol

I have to admit a serious personality flaw – I’m addicted to American Idol. The rest of the people around here are fans of Hell’s Kitchen, but I see nothing dramatic about chopping onions and measuring flour. “Cooking” to me means punching a few buttons on a microwave oven. What’s so hard about that?

Anyway, there’s really no excuse for American Idol, either. But when those kids get up on stage and sing their hearts out for “America’s” approval, it puts me in touch with my inner rock star. Still, it’s tough not to be cynical…as my favorites go down one by one, I harbor dark thoughts: the voting is fixed, or can’t that moron “America” tell that Michael Johns has more talent than Kristie Lee Cook? Etc.

I keep putting "America" in quotes, because every week, host Ryan Seacrest tells us, in all seriousness, that "America" voted. According to Variety, 31 million Americans watched the finale, which is about 10 per cent of America, at best. So his appropriation of America is annoying and presumptuous, but I digress...

This year, season 7, I was convinced from the outset that "America" would anoint David Archuleta, the cuddly kid from Murray, Utah, wherever that is, even though at least three of the contestants were obviously more deserving (Carly Smithson, David Cook and Michael Johns, for those keeping score at home). I guess it didn’t help that Carly and Michael weren’t native Americans, but let’s not hold that against them. America is a nation of people from somewhere else.

But I was persuaded by the gang of teeny boppers who would shriek whenever tiny David walked onto the stage or hit a note higher than mid-C that once again, America’s taste is in its mouth. So imagine my surprise when…

The most talented guy, David Cook, actually won, and by a handy margin. Of a record 97.5 million ballots cast in the finale, he won by more than 12 million. Still, right up to the reveal, I was convinced that calf-like Archu-Dee-Too, as one snarky pundit likes to call him, would be The-Next-American-Idol. While Cook refused to compromise every time he sang, bringing a breath-taking and edgy snarl to the popfest, young David played to the show’s middle-of-the-road mediocrity and looked and mostly sounded like an animatronic feature of Disney’s “It’s A Small World After All” ride, the world’s most insipid amusement. Still, he had a surprisingly smooth and resonant voice, and when he sang John Lennon’s Imagine, a star was almost born.

But Cook, who earned his chops in a Kansas City garage band, and up until this contest tended bar in Georgia, had something special. Anyone who can turn Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean into a 21st-Century rock anthem gets my vote (if only I would bother to vote) and he could also play the guitar, which helps if you wanna be a rock and roll star.

Not sure what’s next for Mr. Cook, but I might even download his tunes, once he records, which is more than I can say about the output from seasons one through six, which leads me to wonder about the value of the whole exercise. Is there one performer who has emerged from the hundreds of thousands of Idol Wanna Bes to become something as durable as Rob Thomas (would he win American Idol?) or Mariah Carey (would she?), both performers who would be comfortable with the pop sensibility that rules Idol’s soul?

Until Wednesday night, I didn’t think so.

But David Cook is a surprise. I hope he’ll cause Simon Cowell, the Fisher King of schlock, to re-evaluate his critical standards. Every week, he contradicts himself, applauding contestants for taking risks, then admonishing them for taking the kinds of risks he doesn’t like. Despite risking Cowell’s wrath, Cook’s final performance of Collective Soul’s The World I Know, was consistent with his daring approach to the show: this is who I am; this is my music. Judge me, not my compromise. It was a message that resonated with 97.5 million thumbs, and it should make Simon, who virtually pleaded with David to abandon his musical principles and work to please the crowd, go hmm.

As for me, my faith in “America” is restored. Whoever you are, America, you rock!

Orato.com has been bringing you interviews with the latest eliminated contestants each week. Tune in for the interviews with the winner and the runner up!