The Cook who became King

MY heart goes out to David Archuleta. He should have won. I disagreed with the 12 million others who made the difference to put the Idol crown on David Cook.

Cook is a fine singer, better than most but on the evening of the competition, Archuleta or Archie, whichever is easier on your ears, was clearly the frontrunner.

A friend of mine said that Archuleta's fans probably thought they could take it easy because he looked like a sure winner.
Afterall, all the three judges, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell, stood on Archuleta's corner and cheered him on incessantly.

But after 97.5 million votes, the result and verdict was indisputable and undeniable, Cook had won by a mile and then some.

I am sure Simon was surprised too, even though he apologised to Cook for mis-judging him the previous night. It was certainly one of the strangest opinion turnarounds I have ever witnessed, and from Simon too.

But pushing emotions aside, David Cook has been the favourite among many across the North American continent for weeks.

Even in my office, some of the girls were openly rooting for Cook. Among other flowery adjectives, they described him as cool, cute and being the "man" (whatever that was).
Cook cried seconds after Ryan Seacrest announced that he was the winner. I shared in his joy.

I am sure, his brother Andrew who was responsible for David's ultimate triumph in the Idol competition was one of the proudest brothers around.

Cook's first song, I Still Haven't Found What I Am Looking For, was a rare gem. He excelled in every department with that song.

The vocals were great. The music arrangement was faultess and the judges were hugely impressed. I was, too.

Second song from the guy from Blue Springs, Missouri, was Dream Big. Never heard of this too but then the range of songs I know has always been limited.

Anyway, Cook all dressed in black guitar and strumming a guitar, looked like a Johnny Cash wannabe.

For me at least, this number didn't take flight. Cook tried his best but somehow the magic wasn't there. I thought I was the only one who didn't feel the connection. I was wrong. Randy didn't either.

Simon put it succinctly: "The good news is there's a third song." That's about described Cook's second performance. Rather average since it was the grand finale.

Everything on showdown night is expected to be extravagant, marvellous and over-the-top.

Then Cook came charging back on his third number, The World I Know. Again, I thought it wasn't spectacular. It was better than the second but not as good as the first.

It didn't knock anybody off their chair. It was just Cook and he had done well on his last number.

As for David Archuleta, his first number nearly brought everybody at Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles to their feet. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me was the perfect song choice for this Utah guy.

If he looked nervous at the onset of the song, he didn't show it once the music began.

His voice milked every ounce of goodness from that famous hit and by the time, he finished, Archuleta was practically the toast of the evening.

Randy complimented him on peaking at the right time. Paula admitted that her heart was still pounding and Simon gave round one to Archuleta.

To add to the excitement of the evening was the sight of Clive Davis, head honcho of BMG America, giving Archuleta a standing ovation along with the others in the packed theatre.

Archuleta shifted to a higher gear with song No. 2 In This Moment. I was wondering who had helped young David pick the songs. This one was another sure winner.

The girls at the front of the stage went wild. If he had not been on stage, he would have been suitably mobbed.

There are some moments in America Idol competitions when a viewer can clearly feel a certain high.

That was one of those moments. With the accolades and praises coming in fast and thick from the three judges, Archuleta could be forgiven that he had the title all sewn up. I thought so too but then there was still the last number.

John Lennon's 1971 hit song Imagine was No. 3 for Archuleta. I wasn't sure he could do anything much with this number but I was happy to be wrong. It was a bomb, as Randy would put it.

David Archuleta, young man, loved by most schoolgirls, darling of Utah, claimed the competition night as his own.

Randy was frank and honest when he said: "Dude, you are what the competition is all about!" Paula was speechless with wonderment, and she admitted so. Simon made it very clear that Archuleta came out that night to win, and "from what we have witnessed, it was a knock-out!"

So it was very strange to my ears when I heard this morning during the live telecast from Los Angeles, about two minutes just before the results were announced that Simon was once again asked for his opinion.

He publicly apologised to David Cook for giving less-than-complimentary comments and deduced after watching the tapes that he was actually quite good.

Simon added that both Davids were excellent and he didn't care who won. Baloney! It was one of the biggest turnaround of opinions I have ever come across, and the last person I had expected it was from Simon Cowell.

If he had just said: "I stuck by my opinions given last night. I am not going to change my mind", Simon would have got a standing ovation from the rest of the watching world.

Anyway, this the American Idol. The winner has been announced and nothing can change that. We are all happy for the winner but honestly though, from my point of view Archuleta should have given the top prize.

I was there, I saw it all. A majority of my office colleagues concurred with my view. I am sure millions around the world agree too.

Season 7 has a rather unexpected ending. But that's reality TV for all of us. Watch it, have fun and then move on. I am sure Archuleta will have bigger and brighter days ahead of him.
The Top 10 in Season 7 of American Idol don't need any luck. They have worked hard and have earned everything that's coming their way. Good luck to every single one.