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Never mind the numbers: American Idol has got its groove back.
This year’s singers are better, the show itself is more entertaining and American Idol’s Canadian ratings have recovered in recent weeks after a muted performance at the start.
TV’s most-watched regularly scheduled program has regained some of its cultural cachet, after an off-key year last season in which many of the contestants seemed more tone-deaf than pitch-perfect.
“It wasn’t one of our better seasons,” Idol judge Simon Cowell acknowledged in a conference call at this season’s outset.
While Idol has slipped slightly in the U.S. ratings charts — down seven per cent from last season — most music experts say this is a very good season indeed. The reason is two standout singers, both male performers, who could not be more different.
If, as most Idol prognosticators — Cowell included — predict, the May 21 finale will come down to David vs. David: David Archuleta from Murray, Utah and 25-year-old Blue Springs, Mo. native David Cook.
If that happens, the seven-year-old reality-TV competition that has shaped Grammy winners, country stars and even an Academy Award winner could be poised for its most compelling and unpredictable finish yet.
“We found more interesting people, more interesting artists,” Cowell said. “They have a certain quirkiness, an individual style. In past years, we used to get a ton of school kids who were just talented puppets, for want of a better word. These singers look more current; they sound more current.”
A DEFINING MOMENT
Every season has its defining moment. And for Idol this year, that moment came on April 9, when Australian-born rocker Michael Johns was sent home in a shock result that rocked the charts in online chatrooms, including the one at Canada.com, where fans weighed in with invective that ranged from, “So much for talent; America’s speed-dialers have spoken again,” to, “I’m disgusted and will not watch again.”

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The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) can be managed effectively by growing SCN-resistant soybean varieties. There currently are more that 700 SCN-resistant soybean varieties available in maturity groups 1, 2, and 3 for Iowa growers. Click here for more information on the varieties.
Although not 100% effective at preventing reproduction of the nematode, SCN-resistant soybean varieties usually prevent increases in SCN population densities and can even decrease the nematode numbers throughout a growing season. But since some nematode reproduction occurs on resistant varieties, there is the potential for an SCN population to become resistant to the resistance as resistant varieties are repeatedly grown.
SCN-resistant varieties possess resistance genes from one of four sources of resistance (which are breeding lines). To reduce the chance of a SCN population bring selected for that can readily reproduce on resistant varieties, Iowa State University recommends growers use varieties with different sources of resistance in different years. However, almost all SCN-resistant varieties available for Iowa growers have the PI 88788 source of resistance (PI stands for plant introduction). So rotating varieties with different sources of SCN resistance is difficult, if not impossible.

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