Yes,the showdown was David v. David, but David Archuleta, the teenager from Utah, was the Goliath of this contest. Simon Cowell even told us so the night before; though he apologized last night for his remarks “because I was verging on disrespectful with you, and I don’t think you deserve that.”
Hmmm, what did Simon know and when did he know it? Also: Since when does Simon apologize for being disrespectful, let alone “verging on being disrespectful”?
In the end, David Cook took the title, winning by a margin of 12 million votes–56 percent of the 97.5 million votes cast. Not too shabby. Especially considering that the bartender from Blue Springs, Mo., didn’t even plan on auditioning for the show; he was there to lend moral support to his brother.
David C had been criticized the night before for choosing Collective Soul’s “The World I Know” instead of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” or Lionel Richie’s “Hello,” two songs he’d successfully performed early in the competition. Archuleta choseJ ohn Lennon’s “Imagine,” which he’d performed early in the competition. But maybe viewers were impressed with David Cook’s riskier choice.
David C: “The World I Know”
David A: “Imagine”
Last night’s show was not without controversy, much of it surrounding Mike Myers’ spectacularly unfunny appearance promoting his new flick, “The Love Guru.”
And there were also complaints about the use of the teleprompter on part one of this year’s finale.
Earlier use of teleprompters might have delayed the ejections of Brooke White or Jason Castro, both of whom were eliminated soon after flubbing lines. Blanking lyrics hasn’t been a Cook weakness, but Archuleta has mangled wording several times, including at his Idol audition and on We Can Work It Out.
The teleprompter was “a de facto bonus for David Archuleta, since lyrics have been a particular issue for him,” says USA TODAY Idol coach Charlie Toft, who adds that the Fox show may be courting controversy. “The perception of benefiting the contestant who’s had a problem with lyrics is a potential problem for them.”
