David Cook Wins “American Idol”
May 21, 2008
The grown-up rocker triumphed over the smooth-voiced kid as David Cook claimed the American Idol title Wednedsay in the David vs. David showdown.
While 17-year-old Archuleta was heaped with praise by the judges the night before, the voting TV audience decided otherwise — and did they ever. Host Ryan Seacrest said during Wednesday’s show that 12 million votes was the difference, and they broke in the favor of the 25-year-old former bartender from Blue Springs, Mo.
Cook was overcome by emotion, bending toward the stage after his name was announced.
“This is amazing,” he said. “This is all your fault,” he added, addressing the brother who Cook had accompanied to the Idol audition that started it all.
Cook immediately took the microphone and began to sing “Time of my Life,” which won the annual Idol songwriting competition, to close out season seven.
Cook refused to bow to the conventional during his three-song set Tuesday, with Collective Soul’s “The World I Know” as his pick for a closing performance. He also sang U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and the power ballad “Dream Big,” his choice from the songwriting competition’s finalists.
Despite harsh criticism from Simon Cowell on Tuesday, Cook stuck to his guns to win the American Idol title.
