American Idol 2008: Cook Vs. Archuleta

Millions of Utahns gathered together last night to watch their home state American Idol favorite, David Archuleta. After Tuesday night's final performances many of them had believed that Archuleta was unstoppable and we would be rewarded with an American Idol from local Murray, Utah.

The Energy Solutions Arena in downtown Salt Lake City, UT, (home of the Utah Jazz) opened its doors to the public free of charge at 3:30 P.M. Wednesday afternoon for all those wishing to watch the American Idol finale on the Jumbo Tron. The Arena was filled to capacity in no time at all, and the atmosphere there was jubilant and filled with excited anticipation for the final announcement. Those in attendance included both sets of Archuleta's grandparents who were there to watch their grandson.

The Wednesday evening announcement that the American Idol 2008 title went to David Cook by a margin of twelve million votes was met with shock and amazement. It seems that most in attendance had assumed after the response from the judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell to the Tuesday night performances that Archuleta would win by a landslide.

Ironically, the after-show reaction from many Utahns who had gathered to see Archuleta win was that it is better for the 17-year-old Murray High School student not to have won-that his future singing career would not be hampered by the title of American Idol 2008. Talk amongst viewers turned to the successes of many non-Idol winners who have made incredible career moves since moving on from the American Idol scene such as: Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Bucky Covington, and more. David Archuleta's youth and talent assure him a promising music career even without the coveted title of American Idol 2008.

Still, it is hard for viewers and contestants to have a completely realistic expectation from a voting system that allows one viewer to vote multiple times. Individuals interviewed admitted to voting up to 25 times each. If a voting system allows people to vote that many times, how can an accurate picture be obtained concerning who really is America's favorite? Should the voting system be changed for future seasons of American Idol, or do we really understand and accept the fact that the voting numbers may be a misrepresentation of how viewers feel as a whole?

It is fairly impossible to come up with an accurate voting system, so we may never know the true picture from votes cast. The true indicators of America's favorite singers come from concert ticket sales and albums sold...so now we wait and see.