David Cook is crowned the Season 7 "American Idol" winner.FOX/Michael Becker - Thursday, May, 22, 2008, 5:22 AM

David Cook performs on American Idol.FOX/Michael Becker - Wednesday, May, 21, 2008, 5:21 AM

David Cook performs on American Idol.FOX/Michael Becker - Wednesday, May, 21, 2008, 5:21 AM

"David the Elder has been the real story of this season, coming out of nowhere to dominate the shows more and more. Little David was a prodigy from day one and he stayed a prodigy. But whatever the next level might have been he was never able to find it. 'American Idol' is about growth and having a story to tell, and David Cook's story got more compelling every week. And now even a sizable chunk of the all important 13-and-under voters like him."FOX/Frank Micelotta - Friday, May, 16, 2008, 9:16 PM

" 'It's pretty much the David Archuleta show.' That's what Jason Castro said to me two months ago at the American Idol Top Twelve party. And Michael Johns, Brooke White and Amanda Overymyer all echoed this opinion. Clearly, they weren't paying attention when David Cook sang Lionel Richie's 'Hello'. David Cook has the unique ability to take any popular tune and make it his own. His take is always subtle and sexy and, if you listen closely, screaming 'I am soooooo the American Idol.' Archuleta is talented and will surely have a career. But this is most definitely David Cook's moment."FOX/Frank Micelotta - Friday, May, 16, 2008, 9:16 PM

"Here's my prediction for Tuesday night's "Idol" finale... The show will get off to a bumpy start when Paula congratulates Deb the Stage Manager for a 'glorious' rendition of 'Manic Monday.' Things get back on track when David Archuleta takes the stage to sing this year's coronation song, 'Dreams Can Fly (And So Can I).' The youngster will take it upon himself to change a lyric he finds objectionable (instead of singing 'I bet even God didn't know I could fly so high' he mumbles something about 'rainbows'). But it's David Cook's half-as-fast-but-twice-as-angsty rearrangement of the song that steals the show. (Thirty minutes after he performs it, Vote For The Worst uncovers an unknown Swedish band's demo of the song that sounds strikingly similar...) On Wednesday night's results show, Cook beats Archuleta by 400 votes, which will prompt Jeff Archuleta to push his son out of the way so that he can slip Cook his business card."FOX/Michael Becker - Friday, May, 16, 2008, 9:16 PM

"David Archuleta is cuter than a baby chick tentatively poking its head from a shell, and when he wraps his clear voice around a sappy ballad, it's a three-hankie experience for tweens and grandmas across the nation. But if the goal of 'American Idol' is finding the next great recording artist, David Cook will (and should) take home the season 7 crown. The resident rocker stared down a decades-old Roberta Flack ballad and transformed it into a downloadable delight; Archuleta, meanwhile, attempted to go modern on Chris Brown's 'With You' and looked like he was having as much fun as the choir geek getting shoved into his locker by a group of football players. Ryan Seacrest wants us to believe it's the tightest race in Idol history, but I say next week is nothing more than David Cook's victory lap."FOX/FrankMicelotta - Friday, May, 16, 2008, 9:16 PM

"Who should win Idol this year? It’s a no-brainer for me. When I think about who I want to hear on my iPod, who will change music for the better, who will contribute an individual and creative new sound to the industry, I automatically know that person is David Cook. He’s got the voice, the personality (and finally the hair!) and image to really kick ass outside of this competition. David Archuleta would do well to stay in school, maybe try musical theater or the boy band route. No hate mail, please."FOX/FrankMicelotta - Friday, May, 16, 2008, 9:16 PM

"Even though Archuleta held the frontrunner title early on in the competition, his 'aw shucks' attitude is getting tired and his limited versatility makes his performances boring. Cook, on the other hand, had a rough start but has improved each week. He has continuously proven to America that he's an impressive singer and an awesome performer with great stage presence. He takes a lot of risks with his song choices and has identified himself as a bona fide rock star and heartthrob. David Archuleta has the tween vote, but David Cook has the rest of America in his corner."FOX/Ray Mickshaw - Friday, May, 16, 2008, 9:16 PM

"It's got to be David Cook. I want my American Idol to excite me, to offer promise of a dynamic career. Cook has shown us creativity and unpredictability. With Archie, you have to ask yourself: What kind of career would he have? Are his concerts something you'd want to go to?"FOX/Ray Mickshaw - Friday, May, 16, 2008, 9:16 PM

"As projected in the Buzz Log 'Idol Talk: Results are Cooked?', gender and geography will decide the “American Idol” contest. The core 'Idol' faithfuls have been ladies 35-54, and in the past week they’ve been seeking out David Cook online by a 32% margin more than David Archuleta. Among the ladies in states most into 'Idol' (Utah, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri), Cook collectively leads searches there by 224% -- a notable feat considering Utah’s Search bias for native son Archuleta. On a musical level, Archuleta may have hit his stride too soon and stayed Disneyesque, while Cook’s non-standard arrangements consistently provoked searches for the songs themselves—the only other person to come close to him on that score is Jason Castro."FOX/FrankMicelotta - Friday, May, 16, 2008, 9:16 PM

David Cook performs as one of the top 3 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Ray Mickshaw - Wednesday, May, 14, 2008, 3:14 AM

David Cook became a strong contender for the "American Idol" title the moment he introduced America to a psycho-stalker named Billie Jean. Cook wisely went with Chris Cornell's haunting arrangement of Michael Jackson's 1983 pop hit during the "year you were born" theme week, and shot to the top of Yahoo's most-searched list.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

Who would have thought that the Mariah Carey-themed week on "American Idol" was going to produce one of David Cook's most amazing performances of the season? Cook's cover of "Always Be My Baby" was so pure and edgy it even brought Randy Jackson to his feet. And what made it even more amazing was that, unlike "Billie Jean" and "Day Tripper," his arrangement of "Always Be My Baby" was entirely original.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

David Cook performs as one of the top 4 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, May, 7, 2008, 4:7 PM

David Cook performs as one of the top 4 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, May, 7, 2008, 4:7 PM

David Cook performs as one of the top 5 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, April, 30, 2008, 2:30 AM

David Cook performs as one of the top 6 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, April, 23, 2008, 1:23 AM

David Cook performs as one of the top 7 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, April, 16, 2008, 2:16 AM

David Cook performs as one of the top 8 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, April, 9, 2008, 4:9 AM

David Cook performs as one of the top 9 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, April, 2, 2008, 6:2 AM

David Cook performs as one of the top 10 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, March, 26, 2008, 3:26 AM

David Cook performs as one of the top 11 on the 7th season of American IdolFOX/Frank Micelotta - Wednesday, March, 19, 2008, 7:19 AM

David Cook performs as one of the top 12 on the 7th season of American Idol.FOX/Ray Mickshaw - Wednesday, March, 12, 2008, 4:12 AM