From OneNews May 23, 2008
Rocker David Cook won the coveted title of American Idol,
dealing an unexpected but decisive defeat to a silken-voiced
teenager, also named David, on the most popular US television
show.
Cook, 25, who was tending bar and playing in a band before he
auditioned for the singing competition, stood back to applaud rival
David Archuleta, 17, and then bent over crying after host Ryan
Seacrest said he had won by 12 million votes.
"This is amazing. Thank you," said the Blue Springs, Missouri,
native, who in addition to being crowned this year's Idol will
receive a recording contract.
In its seventh season, American Idol has grown from a cheesy summer
talent show into a pop culture phenomenon that draws millions of
viewers to News Corp's Fox network at least twice a week.
It has produced mega-stars from both winners and losers, including
Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry.
This season, however, average audiences on the show have slipped
from just over 30 million viewers last year to roughly 28 million
this year, the second straight year of declines.
Nevertheless, the duelling Davids garnered a record 97.5 million
votes between them, smashing the previous record by 23 million.
The contest was decided by a telephone and text-messaging vote
in which Cook received 56% to Archuleta's 44%.
Throughout this year's months-long competition, Cook wowed both
the show's viewers and judges with updated, rock versions of pop
classics like Lionel Richie's "Hello" and Michael Jackson's "Billie
Jean."
On Tuesday night's show, however, the judges said the babyfaced
Archuleta had outperformed Cook with his pitch-perfect renditions
of John Lennon's "Imagine" and Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go
Down on Me."
Acid-tongued judge Simon Cowell criticized Cook for choosing a song
he had never performed before during his last chance to woo voters
and called the evening a knockout by Archuleta.
Cook sang Collective Soul's "The World I Know" instead of
reprising one of his best-loved performances of the season, as
Archuleta did with "Imagine."
Simon apologises
But just before Seacrest announced the results on Wednesday, Cowell
- in an unusual move for him - apologised for his comments from the
previous evening.
"I went back home to watch it, it wasn't quite so clear cut as we
called it," Cowell said, adding to Cook: "I will take this
opportunity to apologize because I think I was verging on
disrespectful with you. I don't think you deserved that."
Backstage, Cook said he didn't think Cowell's comments warranted an
apology, though he was happy to receive it.
"An apology from Simon is a pretty rare gem," he said, adding that
he had not expected to win the "Idol" title.
Also backstage, a giddy Archuleta was effusive in his praise of
Cook.
"He's like my big brother," Archuleta said. "I have looked up to
him since the beginning of this. I just feel so honoured to be
standing next to Cook."
About 100,000 people auditioned for this year's "American Idol,"
which puts contestants through auditions and performances that
showcase musical genres from musical theatre to country to
pop.
Idol has also become a coveted forum for established artists to be
seen.
Wednesday night's star-studded show at the Nokia Theatre in
downtown Los Angeles included performances by George Michael, Donna
Summer, Seal, Underwood and Bryan Adams.
The "Davids" duel is the first time two male contestants have
competed for the "Idol" title since Ruben Studdard defeated Clay
Aiken in the show's second season in 2003.
However, a showdown between the two was widely anticipated as
neither ever landed among the show's bottom three vote-getters on
the weekly broadcasts in which contestants are whittled down before
one is sent home.
Under Cowell's deal with Fox, he has the rights to sign the winning
singer and runner-up from each "Idol" contest to a recording
contract with his label, Sony BMG, a partnership between Sony Corp
and Bertelsmann.
Congrats to Wan Chean for winning the Astro Star Quest title from Debbie. I think she deserves the title, she looks so confident and most importantly she is YOUNG and sang mostly youth songs, this is what Astro Star Quest competition is searching for. 
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