Cowell: Archuleta wins 'Idol' in a 'knockout'

[May 21, 2008]  NEW YORK (AP) -- The Arch triumphed on "American Idol," but this is still a democracy, after all.

David Archuleta brought his A-game on Tuesday's final sing-off, earning the praise of judge Simon Cowell, who called it a "knockout" performance.

If it were up to Cowell, he'd hand the doe-eyed teen from Murray, Utah, the "Idol" title right now. Archuleta, established early on as the one to beat in the Fox show's seventh season, out-sang competitor David Cook, performing as if it were his last gig on earth.

Cook, 25, of Blue Springs, Mo., delivered solid performances, rocking and emotional as usual -- but didn't measure up to his 17-year-old rival. It didn't hurt that Archuleta made better song choices, hitting the right notes and squeezing the right amount of emotion from each lyric.

And yet, America's votes would decide. Results will be announced on Wednesday's finale.

Each David performed three songs in the live telecast, which opened with Michael Buffer ("Let's get ready to rumble!") introducing the finalists, who came bounding out in boxing robes and gloves.

Three rounds later, Cowell made his traditional prediction.

"You came out here tonight to win," Cowell said to Archuleta, "and what we have witnessed is a knockout."

In the first round, Cook and Archuleta received equally stellar reviews; Cook for his rendition of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and Archuleta for the Elton John anthem "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." All the same, Cowell declared Archuleta the winner.

Cowell also handed the second round to Archuleta, whose performance of the inspirational ballad "In This Moment" impressed the judge more than Cook's take on the power ballad "Dream Big."

For the third and final round, Archuleta went back to the song that cemented him as a favorite earlier in the competition, closing the show with a repeat of his unique take on John Lennon's "Imagine." Cook, who chose a song he hadn't yet performed in Collective Soul's "The World I Know," didn't stand a chance against that.

If Cook was feeling a little bruised, he wasn't saying.

"I feel like I just went 15 rounds," Cook said. "Archie is an amazing, amazing kid and an amazing, amazing performer and I knew I had to come out with my A-game. I feel like I had fun."

It pays to pick the right song on "Idol," especially in the final number, and Cook might have sealed his fate with the stale '90s tune that Cowell called "completely and utterly the wrong song choice."

Maybe it wouldn't hurt Cook to finish second. Several runners-up -- unburdened by the pressure of winning the show -- have had more commercial success than some "Idol" champs. The best example: Chris Daughtry, who placed fourth in season five, yet came out on top when his debut album out-sold winner Taylor Hicks' post-"Idol" disc by a landslide.

Album flops aside, the goofy, homespun Hicks charmed viewers into rooting for him and proved the show is more than a singing competition: it's a popularity contest, too.

And it's easy to root for baby-faced Archuleta, whose father, Jeff, stirred up "Idol" drama this year with reports that he was too heavily involved in his son's rehearsals. That controversy could make fans more sympathetic to the shy, sweet singer.

Though they don't have anything approaching the same chemistry as, say, last year's Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson BFF combo, Archuleta and Cook exchanged sincere compliments during the live telecast.

"As far as I'm concerned, competition's over," Cook said, "and we're just having fun."

Going by the tone of the judges, this one was over long before Wednesday's finale.

"I just feel like I accomplished what I needed to do," Archuleta said. "If Cook wins, that's so great for him he's such an amazing performer and he's proved he also deserves the title of `American Idol."

[Associated Press; By ERIN CARLSON]

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