David Archuletta is a very vanilla singer. He has a pretty voice but no pizzaz. I can’t see him having a future as a pop singer - mixing with the stars out there now. He sings night club music.

David Cook and Carly Simon fit in very nicely with today’s music and I believe there is a future for them in the music world. They may not win first place, but they will be in the scene.

David Cook is totally comfortable and natural on stage. He seems to be an original — the real deal — somewhat reminiscent of Chris Daughtry, with his own style. Love him !

david archuletta is hott but his song choices suck! david cook picks better songs but he reminds me of chris daughtry..which is not always a bad thing but he might be copying him to much

David Cook clearly eclipses the others with exceptional vocals, originality, and showmanship.

David Cook is an amazing musician and singer. His ability to connect with his audience and interpret a song are his strong points. Love love love him, He rocks!!!

For people to say Cook has the best vocals & originality & showmanship of all the contestants is totally laughable & a joke!!

Michael Johns is a million times the singer Cook is & has far more stage presence & by the way Johns is hot & sexy on stage while Cook looks like some freakin half man half woman, I can’t tell the difference!

David Cook was not my choice in the beginning - but he has won me over in a BIG way! After his remix of Hello I look forward to his performance every week!! He is so talented!

So Daivd A. will sell no record and probably be dropped just like Taylor Hicks was. Yes he has a good voice. but hes not going to give us our type of music. People really need to start voting on voice not if the person is too cute, or whatever. This is a TALENT COMPETITION!! And to see whos the BEST!! David Cook on the hand will sell millions! And tons of people will buy his music.

There was nothing original about David Cook’s performance. Chris Cornell (Audioslave) already did a great job in covering Billie Jean back in 2006. Thats the problem with a lot of these Idol performers…they rip off actual musicians on national t.v and try to pass it for their own creative interpretations.. Remember Chris Daugherty’s rippoff live version of Walk the Line..? Bunch of frauds and shame on the judges for overhyping his (Cooks) originality. Cook can sing and has some presence. Original rock star he is not. Not even close. The other kids on the show have more talented voices than this rippoff artist.

Carly Simon is not a contestant, I think you mean Carly Smithson.

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.

I 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.

David 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!

exactly! 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

I 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!

David 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.

Yes, 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.

With 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.

Amanda 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.

I’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.

David Cook has turned from a dark horse to one to beat.

David Archuleta is and will always be my American Idol.

Why are people so bothered that David Cook did Chris Cornell’s version. Does it really matter?? What is important is that he made a wise choice of versions that really had an impact on the crowd. For heavens sake the others choose to do Karaoke versions of the originals and that in itself makes David Cook more original.

David Cook knows how to deliver a song and has a great voice. I still can’t get over that Hello cover of Lionel Richies. It was so sexy! I hope he wins the whole thing!!

david archuleta is still my favorite. luv him!
hey go on votenumber1 and vote 4 david a because david cook jus got in the lead again!!!!!!!

David Cook DOES have a fantastic voice and is very talented, but his cover of Hello was not original. I heard that version a little over a year ago from some indie band on Myspac. I don’t remember their name, but I’m sure this isn’t a David Cook original (unless Cook’s a member of that band) because it was my Myspace song for a really long time. Two days ago, another indie-ish band called The Scene Aesthetic posted a bulletin regarding this. Honestly, I don’t mind the fact that Cook used someone else’s arrangement as long as he at least gives that band/singer credit.

I wouldn’t be surprised if David Cook just copied this version of Billie Jean from some not-so-well-known band.

Give credit where it’s due!

PEOPLE! Why why why does everyone insist that David is ripping anyone off? Last week he said he was doing Whitesnake’s cover of the Beatles song; last night Ryan DID introduce David performing “Chris Cornell’s version” of Billy Jean. David is “original” and “bold” by taking the time and the risk of doing covers instead of the originals because they fit his style of music instead of just picking a song and singing it like everyone else seems to be doing. That is why he is brave. He IS thinking “outside the box”. If you don’t like his singing/performances, that’s one thing; rag him on that. But too continually accuse him of ripping off songs and passing them off as his own is ridiculous since he does NO such thing.

David Cook original? I don’t think so. He does have a good rock voice. However, how would originality even be a factor when he’s just taking already remade versions of songs and copying those? It might look original to the untrained eye/ear but he’s just copying copies (Chris Cornell last night and Whitesnake last week) . He has talent and there’s no doubt about that. He had a good week but he’s going to need a lot more to win this thing and he’s going to have to do something other than copying copies to keep people interested. David Archuleta will probably still win because he has a proven talent and track record. Plus, being 17, he “hits closer to home” with the mainstream demographic of Idol viewers and VOTERS - IE teenagers.

Also, I’ve observed that the last one to sing for the night usually gets more praise if they do well because it’s the last thing people remember. If he had sang that 2nd, for example, I don’t think there would be so much fuss about it. Lastly, the last few Idol seasons have shown that sometimes a frontrunner who doesn’t win can do MUCH better than the actual winner and have more musical freedom after the exposure on Idol. Just look at Taylor Hicks vs. Chris Daughtry or even Jordin Sparks vs. Blake Lewis. Also, American Idol came from a show called Pop Idol and has never really been about rock music. It’s about pop and maybe R&B and David Archuleta also fits that mold better.

Good luck to both Davids!

I am so tired of hearing about David Cook and his supposed originality. I liked his performance, but he is not unique, original or bold. Ever since “Hello” was a hit, he does the same thing week after week. He takes a pure pop song and looks for a rock arrangement of that song (sometimes giving credit to the arranger and sometimes not). The arrangements he picks are less well known so it makes him look as if he is original and interesting. But he is doing the same as all of the other contestants - covering an arrangement put together by another person or group. His version of “Hello” was Incubus’ version, “Day Tripper” was a Whitesnake arrangement, “Eleanor Rigby” was the Doxology version, and “Billie Jean” was the Chris Cornell arrangement. The judges should know this and it is ridiculous that they continue to portray him as original and innovative. He is a good performer, but far from original.

i love david archuleta.and he better win. i think he has way better vocals than cook

i posted a comment earlier. i want to correct myself and say “the cutest thing ive ever seen”. sorry just the hick in me. i also wanted to add that i do think david cook is a good singer but we have heard that kind of voice before. david archuleta is something fresh and we could use that in this competition.

david cook better not win ewww i hate him he better NOT win, david archuleta is my favorite and his the best of all, his such an amazing kid and he sing really GOOD we don’t need a rocker to win ewww i just hate him, david archuleta is the best and there is not though to that i’m pretty sure that david archuleta will win, of course that david cook thinks that’s his good blablabla such a show off he better get off soon, we don’t need a old guy to win we need a young star. and david archuleta will be the one sorry fans of david cook it’s just mine opinion but david archuleta will be the one and david cook can be in second place i really don’t care about him his good watever.. gooo david archuleta

Archuleta is simply FABULOUS. Loved every single one of his performances. His style is honest, refreshing and timeless. He is not another carbon copy like D Cook.

david cook is the Real McCoy, comparing him to the teen david is a disgrace…wake up and smell the coffee!!

I love both of them and never have a regret about it. David Cook is a rocker type, duh, but David Archuleta is SOOOOOOOO good with SAD songs. I love both of them and this way if one gets voted out the other one MIGHT win!!!

Comparing the two Davids is a disgrace to BOTH of them. They’re in different leagues! Whoever wins this competition (and yet we don’t know whether they will even make it to the grand finale) will have to address the same issue which is also faced by those who don’t, i.e. how to manage their career in the music industry, should they pursue it. AI is only a vehicle, it’s how you drive that will take you places.

LOVE DAVID COOK! HE WILL BE A WINNER, WHETHER HE WINS IT ON IDOL OR NOT.. JUST LIKE DAUGHTRY. WILL LISTEN TO HIM ON THE RADIO, DEFINITELY. HE MADE A GREAT IMPRESSION ON ME SO FAR, KEEP IT UP DAVID. GOOD LUCK!!

8 years different!!! That’s a big difference in experience. David Archuleta is a junior in high school and don’t mention star search. It’s just a kiddie show. David Cook is a professional perormer who makes a living by doing music.

Now, I can just picture David Cook you_tubing and trying to decide which version he will cover next week . HAHAHA

David A. is obviously going to win, good
vocals or not, because he just has a cute
face, glow, amazing talent, and he is so
humble and has a GREAT personality.
The reason that sometimes he gets bad
reviews for the judges is because
he set himself higher standards than
all other contestants. Let’s take last
week, for example. David A. got bad reviews.
But imagine if ANY i mean ANY other contestant
on the show(including David Cook) sang that
the same exact way that David A. did he/she
would get AMAZING reviews.
Nevermind that, he is obnoxiously cute and it’s
impossible to love him.
ILY DAVID!!! <33333

Btw, you guys who said that
David Archuleta isn’t experienced
is obnoxiously ignorant. When he
was young(er)-lol-, he won star search.
He’s been practicing all his life,
and he even sang for kelly clarkson.
Even if he’s younger, he’s probably been
singing for more focused, dedicated years
than David C. And also, how old do you think
Jordin Sparks was when she won idol????

I still think that the original cover artists should be grateful for the exposure. Doxology is great, and I am probably going to track down Cornell’s solo CD. Apparently, Doxology is unsigned. Maybe they will get a deal out of this.

I guess I should offer thanks to David A. for introducing me to You’re The Voice. As much as I keep up with music, I don’t know how that one slipped by me. And if I have given the impression that I am against David A. I am not. I was in his corner from the beginning, but he has opened the door for David C., and the others, to sneak in with strong performances. I like it competitive.

The very nature of the show is that the contestants MUST sing covers of original songs. (Cook is a songwriter, and has songs to his credit, so he does have the ability to write/arrange songs…he could be a complete original on the show if they would let him…but the rules are that the contestants must sing COVERS!) So if they stick to the original or use another version of the original song, I don’t see the issue. Syesha did Whitney Houston’s cover of an original by another artist….David A.’s Imagine was a cover of a cover…Katharine McPhee’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow was a cover of a cover…and the list could go on. Why is it a big deal when Cook uses a cover of a cover and not so much of a big deal when the other contestants do it…? As has been stated, Ryan did indeed announce that Billie Jean was Chris C’s cover of Billie Jean. Credit was duly given. Does it have to be announced more than once? I think not. To demand that the contestants choose, arrange, practice, and record their own “original” cover of a song for itunes (among all the other things they must do, like make a music video commercial and learn a group number) in the space of a week is in my opinion unreasonable. A contestant who decides to change up a song, or do something different than just sing the original as it was originally sung must find something already out there for inspiration or rearrange it themselves. Kudos to David Cook for doing research and/or having previous knowledge about great singers/artists out there in the music world. He knew of a great singer who did a great COVER of an original song, one that suited his own voice/style. Would you rather Cook be ignorant of what is out there, or would you want him to know a bit about what’s going on in the music world???? I myself have not heard the Chris Cormell COVER of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, nor have I heard Incubus’ COVER of Lionel Richie’s Hello, but from what others have said who have, it seems that D. Cook did indeed put his own spin on the songs (i.e. singing the “I love you” part in Hello as a rock yell). Does saying “original” have to mean that he did all of the arrangement himself? No, for it was stated he was doing a cover of a cover. David is original in that it cannot be denied that he gave an incredible performance. He knew exactly how to pick the right song and exactly how to perform it. There are not many singers that could have quite pulled it off like him…his voice is powerful and his stage presence is unbelievable sexy… (ahem fanning self …) I’m glad he sung the songs the way he did, he introduced me to some great versions of the songs. Thanks David. You rock.

I am with Melissa. No one is trying to dupe anyone. If contestants are forced to sing cover songs from the 80s in order to participate in the show, can you blame them for trying to find versions with modern spins? And when the name of the artist who’s version they are covering is announced on t.v. in front of millions of viewers, everyone wins. Entertainment Weekly stays on top of this stuff too. David is drawing attention to these artists who are not known by the mainstream by doing their versions of old cover songs. No one is saying David is better than these artists. And from what I have read, David isn’t saying that either.

In my opinion, luv the both Davids! Each of them have their own strength. Cook is more entertaining n hes a great rocker! David archuleta is hot!! He is also great at singing slow songs and, in my opinion, people would vote for David Archuleta!!!!And So will I!!!!! Luv u davi archuleta!!!