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Brandon Griggs
Is it just me, or are Utahns taking over reality TV? Todd Herzog, of Pleasant Grove, won last year's "Survivor: China," Provo hoofer Julianne Hough is a two-time champ on "Dancing with the Stars" and Murray's David Archuleta seems destined to be crowned the new "American Idol" next month.
    "American Idol" is one of my guilty pleasures. I can't explain why. The music is bland, the contestants oversing, the weekly Ford "music video" is embarrassing, and during every ballad the studio audience does that annoying slow-arm-wave thing. Plus the guest mentors, like Mariah Carey, are too safe and predictable. Why not bring in Snoop Dogg and make David Cook sing "Gin and Juice?"
    Yet I tune in every week. Maybe it's because I enjoy making catty comments about people who sing 10 times better than I can. Maybe it's because I'm amused by amiable dread-head Jason Castro, who looks like he couldn't care less whether he wins as long as nobody takes away his bong.
    And maybe it's because Utah's Archuleta is going to win.
    The Latino kid with the big voice is 17 going on 12. He's still years away from his first shave. He looks like he's auditioning for Menudo. He's so cute Paula Abdul wants to squeeze him like a Furby and hang him from her rear-view mirror.
    Shy little David stands stiffly on stage and blinks a lot. Like the equally sensitive Brooke White, he looks like he might burst
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into tears at any moment. He answers Ryan Seacrest's questions with gee-whiz platitudes. But then little David - he's always "little David" to me - opens his mouth to sing, and his smooth tenor seems to come from some magical place.
    In some ways, Archuleta is a prototypical Utahn. He's young, wholesome and Mormon, while reflecting our state's increasing ethnic diversity. (And what are the odds of two Mormons, him and White, reaching the final five?)
    The talented Cook may make it close, but his fan base will be no match for little David's legions of texting 'tweens. Archuleta is a lock. He's a Donny Osmond for the 21st century.
   
    Speaking of teens singing: After a slow start, an online auction to benefit Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School and the SLC Film Center sold eight roles as extras in "High School Musical 3," now shooting in Salt Lake City. Winning bidders paid $1,600 to $1,800 for the chance to look natural in the background while Zac Efron and Co. sing and dance. Hope it's worth it.
    griggs@sltrib.com