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Entertainment behind the scenes
“American Idol” David Cook’s brother dies of cancer
“American Idol” has experienced a death in the family, as the 37-year-old brother of the show’s 2008 winner David Cook died of brain cancer on Saturday, media outlets reported.
Adam Cook had suffered from brain cancer for years, and when David Cook competed on “American Idol” last year, Adam was there to cheer him on.
Singer David Archuleta, who was last year’s runner-up to David Cook, said to People magazine that he was saddened by the death and that his “heart really goes out” to Adam Cook’s loved ones. “Idol” judge Simon Cowell told People that he met Adam Cook a few times at the show, and he called him “an incredible guy.”
David Cook announced his brother’s death on Sunday at a brain cancer fundraiser in Washington, D.C. On his debut album last year, the artist released a song dedicated to his brother called “A Daily AntheM.”
“Idol’s” David Cook, David Archuleta renew rivalry
Some celebrity rivalries just never die, and that seems to be true of David Cook and David Archuleta. The battle of the Davids has morphed from the two singers’ friendly rivalry on the reality show “American Idol” to their careers as budding recording artists.
David Cook, the 25-year-old winner of “Idol” 2008, will release his debut album on Nov. 18, one week after runner-up David Archuleta, 17, releases his first album on Nov. 11. Cook won ”Idol” but Archuleta had many loyal fans, and it will be interesting to see whose album climbs the highest on record charts.
In the meantime, Cook is releasing a single, “Light On,” from his upcoming album on the America Online pop culture site PopEater.com on Tuesday, said Roger Widynowski, spokesman for 19 Entertainment, Cook’s record company.
The lyrics for the song
include the lines: “Try to leave a light on when I’m gone/Something I rely on to get home” and “When the wires cross in my brain/You’ll start my heart again.”
The song was co-written by Chris Cornell, 44, former lead singer for the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. “Light On” will play on airwaves on Wednesday, Widynowski said.
While the two Davids are heading into a battle this November — and both have attracted legions of fans – career’s after “Idol” have been a mixed bag of success for contestants over the years.
Blake Lewis, last year’s runner-up, was dropped by Arista Records, and last week the beat box singer announced to fans his tour had been cut short. But “Idol,” which is gearing up for its eighth season, has also had a few breakout stars — including Grammy-winning country star Carrie Underwood and pop singer Kelly Clarkson.
Can “Idol” finally win the top Emmy?
They did great things for “American Idol” by thrilling fans in one of the closest contests on that TV talent show in years, but can David Cook and David Archuleta turn the tide for “Idol” at the Emmy awards this year?
“Idol” might be the most watched show on U.S. television but it has struggled to get some love from Emmy voters over the last six years. The show with a huge fan base has won only one of the U.S. television industry’s top honors – for technical direction for the 2007 charity special “Idol Gives Back.” But it has lost out for five years to “Amazing Race” in the contest for the top honor in its genre, best competitive reality show.
I’m too young for girlfriends, pleads giggly Archuleta
”American Idol” runner-up David Archuleta, 17, might be the latest tween hearthrob. But sorry girls, he’s nowhere near ready to date.
“I just don’t want to deal with that (girlfriend) drama right now,” a giggly, embarrassed Archuleta told reporters on Friday.
“I just want to be able focus on music. When I feel like I’ve met a girl who has a great personality, and who is someone I can connect with, and who has good standards for themselves and who has respect for themselves, and who cares for others as well…It’s just something I will definitely want to focus on later in life when I’m ready. But I just feel like I’m so young,” he said.
Archuleta reassured his millions of disappointed young fans that he was okay about losing the title to rocker David Cook. “I want them to know I am feeling great. David Cook deserves to be the American Idol and he is such a great guy too. My priority was not to win the competition but to do my best.”
“We both gave it our all (on Tuesday) and we both feel really great about it. I don’t think I could have done anything better,” the former “chosen one” said.
The shy teen also tried to put to rest stories regarding his father. Archuleta said he had been shielded from the media during the show and found the stories about being bullied or made to cry by his father “weird.”
“I heard one thing that he refused to give me water. That is the weirdest thing. I am 17. If I want water, I am pretty sure I will just go get it.”
“He (my father) is a great guy. There isn’t anything that he has done that is bad… my whole family has been a great support. They are the ones that have kept me grounded,” Archuleta said.
David Cook, the “American Idol,” in his own words
Well, well, well… here we are. An “American Idol” has been chosen yet again, and those of us who have been following the show moment-by-moment are in what can only be described as a post-”Idol” hangover.
That’s especially true for those of us in the media who hung around for hours backstage at L.A.’s Nokia theater last night waiting to interview the “Idol” himself, David Cook. Once he did finally appear, Cook talked to reporters about Simon’s apology, how it felt to win, and what kind of a record he wants to make.
Cowell calls “Idol” final a “knockout” for Archuleta but was it?
After all these months, is it really going to come down to “the Chosen One” after all?
David Archuleta, the teenage crooner whose satiny voice and babyfaced looks have stolen the hearts of teenage girls, was all but crowned the winner of this season’s “American Idol” by judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on Tuesday night. Playing on a boxing theme the show took on to highlight the showdown between two guys named David, Cowell called Archuleta’s performance “a knockout” of his older rival, rocker David Cook.
Paula puts nail in Syesha’s coffin as “Idol” heads to finish
Not many “American Idol” viewers expected to see Syesha Mercado make it past this week. Let’s face it, a face-off between the two Davids, Archuleta and Cook, has been considered a foregone conclusion for weeks now.
But notwithstanding the near certainty of a David showdown, it was still a shock to see Paula Abdul administer Mercado’s death sentence on Tuesday night’s episode.
New “Idol” controversy over David Archuleta’s dad
Another new week for “American Idol;” another new controversy for the No. 1 rated U.S. TV talent contest. And again, the uproar centers on David Archuleta’s dad, Jeff.
Numerous media reports over the weekend said Jeff Archuleta has been told by the show’s producers that he can no longer help David prepare and has been banned from backstage. Fox, the network that airs “Idol,” has declined to comment on those reports.
David Archuleta’s pop calls ‘stage dad’ rumors “crazy!”
The media reports about Jeff Archuleta, in some cases, have been brutal.
Celebrity web site TMZ.com has said that the father of “American Idol” contestant David Archuleta has screamed at his son and brought him to tears in rehearsals while driving him to perform ever better on the top-rated TV talent show.
“Idol” judge Simon Cowell seemed to question Archuleta’s choice of a Beatles song, “We Can Work It Out,” that the 17-year-old messed up on the show back in March, implying that it might have been Jeff who chose the song for his son.
“Idol’s” Mariah night: was it a burger bun or a luau?
It must have been conceived as some sort of cruel joke.
For seven seasons now, the judges of “American Idol” have repeatedly told contestants to steer clear of singing songs by Mariah Carey, ostensibly because the singing competition’s up-and-coming star wannabes could never hope to measure up to one of the great voices of pop music.
So, let’s just say it was a little strange to find Carey as the guest judge on Tuesday night’s show. Because you know what that means: the contestants were allowed to perform an old Mariah song, a new Mariah song, or any other Mariah song of their choosing.
