Little David (Archuleta) Slays Goliath (American Idol)

I'm the first one to admit that I am not a die-hard fan of American Idol. When it first debuted, I thought it was all hype ands was stunned that it did so well in the ratings. I knew that Kelly Clarkson won the first season; there was a showdown between Reuben Studdard and Clay Aiken in season 2; I had no idea about season 3, but I knew that Carrie Underwood beat out Bo Bice in season 4. So when season 5 came around, I decided to tune in. Not from the beginning. I couldn't sit through all of those horrible auditions. So not long after the contestants got whittled down to 24, I began to watch… and I liked it. Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, Katherine McPhee and Taylor Hicks — that was a good group. The following season I started watching the last night of Hollywood week and stuck with it through the end, when Jordin Sparks was victorious over Blake Lewis.

Season 7 is a different story. I don't know if it was the writers' strike or what, but I had American Idol on from the beginning, sitting through countless good, bad and awful auditions just like the rest of America. In seasons 5 and 6, I didn't know from the get-go who would make it to the finals. However, there is no doubt in my mind (and I think many in the audience would agree) that 17-year-old David Archuleta is going all the way, if not winning the whole she-bang!

Only the 2nd week into the semi-finals and the leader has already been decided, at least according to Simon Cowell. Who would have thought that one of the youngest contestants could dominate the giant cultural phenomenon so soon?

Going Over to the Dark Side

Usually, I hate it when soaps resort to the "evil twin" plot device. It lacks a certain imagination, especially when it's overused. However, two recent twists, on two different shows, are the exception to the rule.

Granted, in the case of Days of Our Lives, John Black (aka Ryan Brady amongst other names) isn't really an evil twin. His archenemy Stefano DiMera, who it turns out is his half-brother, made it seem as if John died, erased his memory, programmed him to be a killer and have no emotions at all. Days has a long history of brining back characters from the dead and other totally outrageous storylines and gimmicks. Yet, what makes this totally enjoyable to watch is the performance of veteran Drake Hogestyn as the amnesiac John Black/Ryan Brady DiMera.

Hogestyn has been portraying the hero John for over two decades: always reliable, always dependable, true blue no matter what. With this incarnation, Hogestyn finally gets the chance to let loose. No longer confined by the strict moral code of his pre-brainwashed self, the one-time New York Yankee minor leaguer gets to knock it out of the park by imbuing his alter ego with sarcasm and brashness. He basically has a new lease on life. Eventually, the hero inside will kick in. I hope that the show will allow Hogestyn to keep this newfound sense of humor and edginess.

As for the other twin story, The Young & the Restless went a more traditional route. Ted Shackelford, best known as Gary Ewing on Dallas and Knots Landing, came to the fictional Genoa City, Wisconsin as D.A. William Bardwell. He was an all-around good guy, who fell for a not-so-good gal Gloria Abbott. When he discovered all of his wife's evil doings, he had a stroke and died shortly thereafter.

Enter the evil twin: Jeffrey Bardwell. At William's memorial service, Jeffrey arrived, causing the grieving widow Gloria to pass out. She had no idea that her beloved husband (the second one to die within a year) had a twin. Although a dead ringer for William, that's where the similarities ended. Jeffrey is a schemer, always looking for the angle and how to take advantage of a situation. In fact, he blackmailed his sister-in-law into becoming his bride and sharing her fortunes (left to her by William and John Abbott) with him or face going to jail for poisoning a woman.

As slimy as Jeffrey is, it's wonderful to see Shackelford chew the scenery as this master manipulator. It's quite evident that he is having one helluva good time as the bad brother. Jeffrey's days may be numbered, but let's hope it's just the beginning of Shackelford portraying these types of characters.


Images courtesy of nbc.com and whosdatedwho.com