Does David minus dad mean danger for American Idol's presumptive front-runner?
The Associated Press and other news outlets reported over the weekend that David Archuleta's father has been banished from rehearsals by Idol producers.
The reports say that the action came after Jeff Archuleta demanded phrasing from Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls be inserted into David's rendition of Ben E. King's Stand By Me last week. The change cost the show additional song-clearance fees. The AP cited an unidentified source associated with Idol who was familiar with the situation; an Idol spokesman declined to comment Sunday.
David's dad has been a strong presence behind the scenes, and observers wonder what effect the loss of backstage support would mean for David, 17, as the show enters its last two weeks Tuesday (8 ET/PT, Fox).
It's hard to tell without knowing the family dynamics, says Charlie Toft, who covers television for film.com and is on USA TODAY's Idol coach panel, which offers weekly advice to contestants. "Of all the major teenage contestants Idol has ever had, David appears to be the most heavily programmed and least spontaneous, and his stereotypically showy way of singing suggests he and his father have been aiming at this goal for a long time."
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Toft theorizes the ban might be a "shot across the bow" by the show, warning the family that if Archuleta wins, his career will be in the pros' hands.
Says Rona Elliot, former VH1 and Today show staffer and also a USA TODAY coach: "Sooner or later, David Archuleta will get the big picture and be royally ticked off at his father, and how his father's behavior not only alienated Idol's staff, but threatened his potential success."
In an interview with Us Weekly last month, Jeff Archuleta denied that he was a "stage dad" and said he was more a "music consultant" for David. "I'm definitely involved with my son, and I encourage him, but I think that's a lot different from forcing and threatening."
Toft says that whatever happens next "will be attributed to the dad turmoil. A good night will 'prove' Idol was overdue to take action, while a bad night will be seen as a sign that David can't hack it without his father.
"His fans will respond either way with power voting, so the net effect may be that David is now more bulletproof than ever."
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