Never is “American Idol” better than when seemingly second-rate contestants emerge from the shadows to blow the annointed frontrunners out of the water.
Rocker David Cook has managed to pull that off a few times this season already, most memorably with his rock take on Lionel Richie’s “Hello” before he even made it into the Top 12. Still, the 25-year-old hasn’t garnered anywhere near the attention seen by babyfaced teen David Archuleta or Irish diva Carly Smithson.
But on Tuesday night, Cook may have shed the “dark horse” mantle once and for all. His gutsy transformation of “Billie Jean” into a rock ballad prompted judge Randy Jackson to call him “the most original, the most bold contestant we’ve ever had… dude, you might be the one to win the whole lot.”
Archuleta, on the other hand, got mixed reviews for his performance of “You’re the Voice,” with Simon Cowell telling him it reminded him of a theme park performance.
Still, on the “Idol” forums, Cook lags Archuleta in the number of posts viewers have written about him. After Tuesday’s show, hoever, at least one die-hard “Archie” came out to give Cook a hand:
“He’s showing that my second favorite (him) isn’t too far behind my first (David Archuleta, obviously)”
Keep going, David (Cook). One more week and you just might take over that other David once and for all.
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David A is still my favorite singer did you people forget when he sang imagine when simon said he was the one to beat. david c is not original at all, lets give credit where it is due. I still think david A will win .
- Posted by FrancescaI’d hate to see David A become famous as a young singer and then lose his fame when he and his voice mature. I think he’s still on the way to becoming an incredible singer, I’d just hate to see it wasted as a flash-in-the-pan because of AI.
- Posted by JTDavid Archuleta is a good singer with potential, but he’s not quite mature enough yet as an artist. He’s all over the place with his song choices. Sometimes he nails it (like when he sang Imagine) and other times he misses the mark (like last night). The cuteness factor works in his favor, but it is only going to take him so far. David Cook is much more ready to be a star. He knows who he is and the statement he wants to make musically. He has originality and courage. And he is pretty easy on the eyes as well. Of the two, I think he is clearly the better all-around performer.
- Posted by jasonAmanda Overmyer was the best musician to come out of Lafayette, IN after Axl Rose & Izzy Stradlin. Too bad she got booted out. She’s also a biker, which render more credits to her sexuality. I hope her parents are not such religious bigots like Axl’s who kicked him out of the house for not cutting his hair. No wonder he hates Lafayette.
- Posted by William CrawleyRyan did in fact say that David Cook was performing the Chris Cornell version of Billie Jean. It still took a lot of guts and talent to pull that version off with the vocals and intensity that he has. It was awesome!! Cook has an absolute niche and has great things in store, whether he takes first or not.
- Posted by AnjaliWith that performance, David Cook proved that he does not need American Idol. With the best performance EVER, and I mean EVER!, on American Idol, David Cook proved that he is even more talented than Chris Doughtry (who up to now, I thought was the most talented person on AI).
David Cook should win AI. If he does not, it is because voters have not noticed that every other contestant is very plain vanilla….talented and good singers, yet plain vanilla.
- Posted by RasherIt will be down to the two David’s. David Cook is definetly more marketable to a bigger audience, but young girls and old ladies love David A., so do Mom’s, he is likable all the way. I’d be happy with either. Even if Cook goes out early, I predict he will sell more than anyone, just like Daughtry did.
- Posted by pooch who predicted daughtryYes, David Cook sang the version that Chris Cornell did. Yes, the credit should go to Chris for this song. But have you already forgotten HELLO? He was original and innovative then, wasn’t he? And kudos to David C. for using Chris’ version as it more reflects his style.
- Posted by MaxDavid Cook has shown remarkable talent from the beginning of this competition. Regardless of whether or not he performed a cover version of a song, he performed it amazingly well (it was introduced as the Chris Cornell version). Initially, Cook did not receive as much coverage as some of the other contestants, including co-rocker, Michael Johns. Last night’s performance of “Billie Jean” sealed his status as a real competitor for the Idol top spot. Don’t be surprised to see him in the final two. Nevertheless, Cook has not received the same teenage idol attention as favored contestant, David Archuletta. While Archuletta undeniably has vocal talent, his age and fresh-faced good looks are what make him a more popular favorite. Archuletta’s voice is nowhere near as strong as Cook’s, nor is his originality. His age and inexperience are undoubtedly factors in the aforementioned items. Archuletta’s voice is reminiscent of the popular Disney-esque acts of the moment. He has the strong fan base in the adolescent, High School Musical, Hannah-Montana and Jonas Brothers loving crowds, who are target voters in the American Idol competition. Cook is hands down the better performer and vocalist of the two, and he deserves to win. Win or lose, he absolutely has a music career in his future. However, whether or not he can tap into a crowd of gushing teenage girls remains to be seen.
- Posted by Sarah JaneDavid Cook is hands-down the most talented singer with the most natural and comfortable talent and performing abilities. Carly is best on Women. The others will still do great (and probably another one of them will even win since America tends to make it more of a popularity/looks contest than raw talent and ability). If it is a true talent context (song selections put aside, looks put aside, popularity of personality put aside, etc) then one of these two should win for sure. I’m sure David A will do fine in his career, but come on…he is just what Simon said…a boppy little theme park singer. He’ll do great selling to the teenage market though.
- Posted by mm[...] Story: http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/2008/03 /26/is-idol-shaping-up-as-david-vs-davi d/ Posted in american idol, archuleta. Tags: american idol, david archuleta, david [...]
- Posted by Is ‘Idol’ Shaping Up as David vs David? « Keeping Tabs on Your Favorite “American Idol” HeartthrobI am frustrated with all the credit David is getting for that Billie Jean song. That was a version done by Chris Cornell. All he did was play his version…no originality!
- Posted by LeeDavid Cook has been my favorite for at least 4 weeks now. I watched his “Hello” rendition at least 5 times. I’m excited to see him getting more attention. David Archuleta has a wonderful smooth voice, but, I can’t see him selling a lot of albums to a wider audience.
- Posted by laffsfexactly! wot about david cook is original??? do ur homework and like wot someone previously said ryan did mention it was a copy of another artist! watch it again! u people listen to much on the judges have ur own opinion
- Posted by chamCook rocks. No, not her - him. It was apparent half-way thru ‘Hello’ that he gets it. He knows how to pick popular melodic songs from the past - with an emphasis on minor chords - and turn them into current, edgey performances. He is the only truly well rounded performer / musician(!) on the show. And with that vocal on Billie Jean, he proved that his voice can compete with Archuletta and Carly. He even knew how to temper his on-stage confidence with some humility after Simon’s comments last week. If he doesn’t win it’ll be due to the tweenage girls flooding the votes for David A.
- Posted by SteveDavid Cook is building huge momentum, while David Archuleta seems to have peaked too early. Both will go far in the competition, for sure… Hope David Cook keeps on doing as great as he has!
- Posted by BouffeMy pick for idol is David Archuleta. He may have not had the best performance last night but at least every one of his words are understood. Cook is starting to be predictable with his performances. My favorite last night has to be Michael Johns. I was not impressed with the females but Syesha would have to be my pick for the girls. I will remain faithful to Archuleta during the show.
- Posted by PSI absolutely love Archuleta…you can actually understand all of his words. Every contestant will have a less brilliant night during the competition but fans will continue to be loyal to their idol pick. Cook is starting to be predictable and he will never be near Daughtry. My favorite performance last night was Michael Johns and I did not like any of the female performances. My pick remains with David Archuleta.
- Posted by PSDavid Cook Rocks!
- Posted by JENNIFERLittle man needs to on “UP With People”
David Cook is by far the most talented contestant on the show this year. He is a musical gem. I would buy all of his albums and go see any concert in which he was performing. GO DAVID GO! Then marry me.
- Posted by mclachlan10