Top 12 Male Show: A Hint of David Cook

Original Air Date: February 19, 2008
Theme: Music of the 60’s

David Cook’s debut in the first show of the seventh season of American Idol was not exactly encouraging for him personality-wise. He was kinda forgettable plain looking white dude that giddy fangirl wouldn't bother of taking a second look. He had this ridiculous emo hairstyle, his a bit overweight especially with that obvious double chin, his face looked pale and he was wearing these awful clothes that made him looked like he hadn’t bought anything for his wardrobe in years.

Prior to this first episode, during the Hollywood rounds, his rivals namely David Archuleta, Michael Johns and Jason Castro were considered as the early front runners, they had already built a solid fan base and were common beneficiaries of praises from Simon, Paula and Randy. As for David Cook, Simon said “no” to him during Hollywood audition because obviously he didn’t liked him that much but thanks for Paula and Randy, he had gotten his chance to perform in the top 24 show.

After his performance of a 60’s song Happy Together, David Cook tickled Randy emphasizing how a campy song turned out to become a rock edgy song. Randy was instantly interested on David’s style. Paula praised it but not as much as her exaggerated metaphors thrown to the so called front runners and Simon... well he thought it was almost believable which means he was not impressed yet. By the way, David hits the highest note among others when he sang it and I can’t believe they ignored it.

Top 10 Male Show: David the Smug

Original Air Date: February 26, 2008
Theme: Music of the 70’s

American Idol’s greatness made David Cook so overwhelmed and jittery on last week’s show. After all, the show’s massive success had been consequently contributing not only world class talents dominating the music pop culture in America for almost a decade now but also to the entire world. He had put that reality behind and picked himself up to focus more on the competition. Last week was his close call realizing he had to combat the other contestants whose half of them looked incredibly formidable.

In this week’s 70’s music theme he paved his way through some serious rock music of Free’s All Right Now, showing off his flawless skills in playing the guitar which he named AC (stands for Adam/Andrew Cook, his two brothers). His rock edgy vocals were so infectious he was rocking the house like a joint concert. He started playing with the cameras appearing confident by looking a bit conceited. His looks was better this time sporting a fit t-shirt, his hair is more appropriately styled to go with his rock persona and the facial hair looks sexy.

Randy declared him the authentic rocker from the guys. He probably pointed that out to the other contestant who posed himself as rocker e.g. long hair… but was an epic fail. However, Simon thought he didn’t have a lot of charisma based on his video declaring himself a word nerd. David though not intentional but clumsily replied to Simon, "Unfortunately I don't have to win you (Simon) over with my charisma; I got to win these people over.” With those words, David just appeared smug to the voting viewers and had lost a powerful ally Simon Cowell.

Top 8 Male Show: The Breakout Performance

Original Air Date: March 4, 2008
Theme: Music of the 80’s

The path to become an American Idol became more and more elusive for David Cook. He had to do something to make more people vote for him and also steal votes from the growing minions of adoring fans of cutie-pie David Archuleta, hunky Aussie accent but voice sucks Michael Johns, and dreadlock two range vocals Jason Castro. To make things worse, the show’s resident and influential critic Simon Cowell hated him, his personality at least but hoped not his talent.

There was chaos on stage setting up David Cook’s electric guitar on the studio preparing for his rendition of a sappy song called Hello from Lionel Ritchie. Randy thought that it’s going to be very cheesy and he was confused about the electric guitar. However, once again, people in the studio were left incredibly thrilled when David belted that song and turning it into a powerful rock ballad. His vocals were amazingly precise in hitting the high note adding pinnacle to a rockified pop song. Doing that risky move was a brave thing to do but pulling it off was very rewarding.

That performance meant that David Cook was put back on track in the competition. Generally piqued by him last week, Simon was not even slightly hesitant of telling him he loved it. He even commended David for being brave enough to do it and making it work. Randy and Paula had always been considering him as one of the contenders and now they truly trust him to perform excellently in the coming weeks. The people started watching him closely and were giving him more attention that he deserved.

Final 12: A Rocker with a Big Heart

Original Air Date: March 11, 2008
Theme: John Lennon and Paul McCartney

The contest was getting tougher after the male and female merged because the girls were also an astounding group especially power belter Carly Smithson and charismatic country girl Brooke White. Realizing who he is up against right that moment, he knew that he must have to bring it on starting there. It’s amusing how I found to see him so motivated to win since before idols… he was just bugged by his brother to go out and audition for the show. As what he had said earlier, he just wanted to know his competitive edge.

The thing about David that I notice when he is performing, since he had already three performances in the competition, is that he had a certain skills of changing up his songs and put a signature high note when belting it. It is evident in this Eleanor Rigby performance that it is the same pattern from his previous songs yet it’s still very unpredictable. I know… it’s crazy but that’s what makes him edgy.

The performance continued his string of praises from Simon, Paula and Randy. They love the performance and when I saw David after his song, he looks so happy. He was having a great moment in American Idol and he totally just started to enjoy himself. By the way, did you saw an orange wristband David was wearing? I haven't but I heard his been wearing it starting this episode. It was his way of showing support to Lindsey Rose, his 7-year old fan, who suffers leukemia and fighting for her life in the hospital. His is a rocker with a big heart and that’s what I admire him for.

Final 11: Enjoying the Ride

Original Air Date: March 18, 2008
Theme: The Beatles

Before American Idol, life for David Cook was a struggle to make both ends meet. He was a bartender in Tulsa Oklahoma a drink slinger in one of the bars in their town. He was regularly been playing with his band on that joint hoping to earn more and getting tips from costumers. Playing with his band was the source of his musical background and training, he was a good musician. In earlier post I had mentioned about his brother who was bugging him into auditioning for American Idol. David had also mentioned about watching Chris Daughtry, a former contestant of the show, as the one that motivated him to audition aside from his brother.

Tonight, David Cook showed to us why he is likeable. After a couple of weeks that passed, David finally brought out his natural personality that will soon be loved by the people who watched him every week. His performance tonight brings out his confidence in the stage. He showed us how he loves singing. He rocked the stage singing Day Tripper and he sang it giving the best vocals for everyone. What I like about him in this video is that he just went out there in the stage having fun and loving the audience who are cheering for him. Also, I like how he was fooling around with host Ryan Seacrest after the judges gave him their positive critique. David seems to be a fun guy to hangout with.

Unfortunately, Simon thought that tonight’s performance was not his best. But David learned to accept his criticism. He said that he will not take criticisms personally but instead he will thought about it and apply it in his next performance. He must have figured out already how this game should be played and thinking he was still behind David Archuleta and many other contestants. What he needed was a “blow them all out of the water” kinda performance.

Final 10: Blowing Them Out of the Water

Original Air Date: March 25, 2008
Theme: The Year They Were Born

David Cook wasn’t given enough recognition from the start of this season and I don’t understand why when he is obviously filled with talent. I was so confused and annoyed why the judges were giving praises for that stuck-up Michael Johns. I thought vocally, that lame and wannabe rocker was an absolute train wreck. His rock medley was embarrassing and he looked cocky from beginning till end.

OK, I just get that out from my system, obviously I hate Michael Johns. This leads me in saying that David Cook is a charmingly humble person. The way he expressed himself in his videos showed how intelligent, articulate and nice person he was. In this episode, he said he decided to become a rock artist from the time he was given his first guitar at the age of two. He looked so cute in his baby pictures by the way.

This is one of my most favorite episodes in season 7 because this is David’s first of his many big idol moments. Since day one, he had been struggling to grab the attention of the judges and the fans. But by the time he started singing Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, everyone was blown away with his mind-boggling vocals. However, it’s the arrangement and his version of the song that blow all of them out of the water. He sang the song so different, it was slow, it was rock and it was amazingly brilliant. The audience was screaming and the judges got nothing else to say but remarkable. They pointed out that he might be the person who could win American Idol and they were right.

Final 9: Taking It's Toll

Original Air Date: April 1, 2008
Theme: Dolly Parton

The best thing about David Cook’s highly praised performance last week was he was gaining more self-confidence in coming in to the top 9. He knew how the game of popularity and talent should be played. He explained eloquently to Ryan about his effort on googling for obscure versions of the song that he had chosen or re-arranged it in order to make it original or current and would fit for his raspy rock vocals. So far, it worked for him. He is a very intelligent guy.

Now here’s the best thing for this episode, he showed up on the stage looking so stunning in his new haircut. The glam squad for David Cook was doing a great job in making him so attractive. The terrible emo hairstyle that hides his beauty was finally gone. He looked like a star and he strikingly resembled to actor Mark Whalberg, just a thought. Paula Abdul cannot help herself to notice. Again, after his haunting rendition of Dolly Parton’s classic ballad Little Sparrow which he sang using his original arrangement, the judges collectively praised his performance. Simon said he was impressed that he can make singing a song about a sparrow good.

Sadly without anyone’s knowledge, during the show he had been suffering from high blood pressure. He was experiencing heart palpitation and passed out before he can even go on the stage to sing. Still, he eventually decided to go through to his performance and was taken to the hospital for immediate medical care after. Reports were telling about the reason for his bad health condition was David Cook’s family problem. He was so much stressed out of thinking about his sick brother Adam who was suffering from cancer. This was David’s hardest moment in the competition so far.

Final 8: Close Call That Could End It All

Original Air Date: April 8, 2008
Theme: Inspirational Song

This was the part of the season when it should be “bring it on time”. David Cook had to compete against the remaining three most hype guys in the competition who are cutie-pie David Archuleta, overrated and train wreck vocals Michael Johns, and two range snoozefest Jason Castro. The girls Carly, Brooke, Kristy Lee and Syesha were also the strongest contenders which led him thinking that he is the person who might go home this week. Though the strong performances he had from previous weeks didn’t exactly measure how big his fan base had built up. The only thing he should do is to sing consistently well and to steal some fans from the other guys.

Unluckily, this time around, not only did he sang badly (based on the judge’s opinion by the way) but he was also the one who got the harshest criticism from the judges in which everyone was expecting that it is time for him to go home this week. As I watched him listening to the judges, David Cook’s beautiful eyes showed he is starting to give in from the competition and it is sad. As a big fan of David, I admit that he was really not into his groove this time. The song was very wrong for him and I honestly thought he knew it too. This was a very awful time to be performing badly in American Idol.

The elimination episode will not be the next day because American Idol was having a special episode entitled “Idols Give Back” charity special, those words were inspiringly written in David’s right hand palm which he flashed to the camera while singing Innocent from Our Lady of Peace. David will know his fate after the charity show.

Final 7: The Comeback Kid

Original Air Date: April 15, 2008
Theme: Mariah Carey

Last week's elimination was sort of a shocker but I wasn't even wondering why that happened. Micheal John's, the so called front runner, the supposedly ultimate rock star, was shamefully eliminated from the competition. Ha ha, I was actually celebrating upon learning that. It just proves David Cook's fan base had grown into an epic proportion and no one even saw that coming. He wasn't even landing in the bottom 3. David Cook had become some sort of a critic proof contestant. One giant was fallen through the hands of our rock hero David Cook, there are handful of them more so he must make himself more powerful by melting our hearts with his beautiful voice and singing his exciting versions of his songs.

Mariah Carey week was awesome. Mariah Carey was one of the best mentors in the show, her advises were very useful for the contestants. David Cook's choice was Always Be My Baby. She wondered how could he ever pulled that one off since that song was way too girlish for him. She was wrong actually, David tweaked something in the lyrics and the melody and converted it into a powerful rock ballad. She was impressed and didn't expected that, she even did a little duet with David which was sweet.

Again, this is another one of my most favorite David Cook moment in season 7. The comeback kid who was expected to be eliminated last week came back with a vengeance. Belting the song, he sang it filled with emotion, his voice was crisp and pretty, the glory notes was amazingly spot on and most of all, people were awed on how original David was to his music. The judges unconditionally gave all praises and Randy was on his feet. Simon said it was a breath of fresh air. David can't help it but burst into tears of joy. He was overwhelmed of what had he become. He became a star.

Final 6: David is Finally a Star

Original Air Date: 22 April 2008
Theme: Lord Andrew Webber and Broadway Musicals

At this point in this season of American Idol, everybody had noticed David Cook’s transformation in becoming a very handsome, sophisticated, and confident young man just like a true star. The show’s guest mentor seemed to be hitting on him (assuming he is gay) in their video segment. Lord Andrew Webber pretended he was a gorgeous 17 year old girl and David had to stare longingly at him while singing and acting the sensual yet innocent song Music of the Night from the Phantom of the Opera musical. Well, David handled it very well laughing through the process. The two of them looked like they were having a good time during their session.

David said in his confessional that he has been in musical theater before. That was something I didn’t know since the first show. That might be the reason why his performance was for me the best of the night. The judges all agreed it was very good and they were a bit surprise how great he was in singing something out of his rocker box and diving in to theatrics which is completely his opposite.

One thing I became aware of at this point of the competition was that all other contestant’s steam was fading in a flash. David Cook’s unpredictable take on his performances is what made him very exciting. The crowd loved him. They cheered for him after his flawless rendition of his song and gave him the loudest applause. During the video segment wherein it shows short clips of all performances, the moment it showed David’s the crowd rouses screaming and cheering. It is becoming apparent that he is heading to the finals and all he has to do is to nail every performance. David Cook is now the star of American Idol season 7.

Final 5: Cook's Inching To The Top Of Idols

Original Air Date: April 29, 2008
Theme: Neil Diamond

The tide is turning for David Cook. For two weeks the ladies have been miserably screwing their performances. Kristy Lee and Carly were eliminated on previous weeks while Brooke was toasted in her last performance. On the other hand, the judges got tired of listening to Jason Castro’s bland vocals. They got tired of looking at him strumming a guitar, singing while sitting on the stool looking like his constipated. However, there were still two people who were gunning strong for the finish line. David Archuleta’s popularity was still rock solid and Syesha’s performances were the strongest in last two weeks.

This week David Cook along with Archuleta, Syesha, Brooke and Jason were performing two songs from the song catalog of Neil Diamond. David chooses two of the least popular songs called I’m Alive and All I Really Need is You. He knew he will be compared to the original artist if he had chosen a more common song. That was a wise move for David. What I cringe about this episode was Paula Abdul’s famous blooper. During the end of the first round of performances, she started talking about her critique to Castro’s first song and then she successively continued talking about Castro’s second song which he still had to sing for the following second round. Ryan had to anxiously stop her because she’s talking non-stop. She totally made a fool of herself that was awesomely funny, very squirmy moment. Rumors about the show being scripted and staged floated after that.

As usual, in his most self-assured performance, David Cook delivered the goods. He became so cool this was becoming his own show. He and Ryan were fooling around, he looked so good in this episode, and he was the star of this season. All the judges admired his talent that they made it clear to the viewers that he can’t do anything wrong. They wanted him in the finals.

Final 4: Jason Castro's Epic Fail and David's Continuing Streak

Original Air Date: May 6, 2008

Ahhh, rock and roll… the theme for this episode, this is David Cook’s comfort zone. Everyone was agreeing that David will kill the competition this week and he can easily pass through to the top 3. The possibility for him to be in the finals, even though there are still little amount of doubts, are getting clearer, he’s heading closer to become the next idol. Since Paula’s shameful blunder last week, Ryan Seacrest made it sure to tell the judges that there are two songs for the contestants to sing and they will give their critique after each of their performances. Hoping Paula will not get confused this time. I thought she’s still embarrassed about that, poor Paula.

Theme: Rock and Roll

"Hungry Like the Wolf"
Duran Duran

song 1

"Baba O' Riley"
The Who

song 2

David’s first song was DuranDuran’s Hungry Like the Wolf. That was not a good performance in my opinion but the judges didn’t criticize it. They were so obvious. I like Syesha, she is very beautiful and talented but the judges were unfair to her. Archuleta’s singing was still the same old crooner since day one and his losing his grip in the lead. Archie is really a lovable kid though. The most awkward moment belongs to Jason Castro. Simon dissed him in stratosphere level telling him to start packing. There was no more love left for this untalented fugly guy. The best part of this episode was after David sang his second song Baba O’Rielly. Simon simply said to him, “Welcome back David”. That was awesome.

And so... David Cook was going in to the final three of the competition unchallenged. I also noticed... fangirls scream, “We love you David!” every episode since the top 6 then he acknowledge it by saying “thank you” in the cutest possible way. It brought a smile on my face that his enjoying his well deserved popularity.

Final 3: See Yah in the Finals David Cook!

Original Air Date: May 13, 2008

This was a crucial episode for David Cook to overcome. It is one more step for him to be in the final two. Considering all the dynamics that had built up, the inevitable David vs. David final two will most likely to happen unless Syesha will continue pulling off remarkable performances. In this episode David Cook, David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado will sing three songs in three rounds namely: The judges’ choice, contestant’s choice and the producer’s choice.

Theme 1: The Judge's Choice

Back from his homecoming in Kansas City, he was mobbed by thousands of adoring fans. David had realized the magnitude of popularity he had achieved it was so overwhelming for him. He is living in his dream. In his visit, David Cook received a text message from Simon Cowell while he was being interviewed in a local news show. Simon picked the song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face from Roberta Flack for him to sing in round 1.

Back in the show, the song that Simon had chosen for him had helped him cementing his place in the final two. There was no more doubt about it. The performance left the audience felt mesmerized that they were clapping and cheering even before David belted the incredible high note in the end. This is another one of my favorite David’s idol moments.

Theme 2: The Contestant's Choice

David chose the song Switchfoot’s Dare You to Move. I became more and more of a fan of his because that song was one of my most favorite songs. It was the right song choice for him as a future recording artist. David solidified his position to be the winner. He knew who he is, an earthy rocker. He showed that in this one solid performance.

Theme 3: The Producer's Choice

Performing the best song to breeze through this round, David Cook didn’t looked back and sealed his position as the top contender when he nailed Aerosmith’s I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing and showing to the world that he is the most talented, the best singer of this year’s competition.

Final 2: Giving Up His Dream

Original Air Date: May 20, 2008

David vs. David was the much awaited event of the season. David Cook was still considered as the underdog coming into the final two because Archuleta’s popularity was still thought to be formidable. The jump pack crowd in Kodak Theater was filled with energy of excitement. In that particular venue, David Cook had to battle the kid who got all the attention from the very start of the season up until this point. People were about to be treated to the dramatic duel between our captivating rocker David Cook and the lovable 17 year old crooner David Archuleta.

Theme 1: Clive Davis' Choice

Jumping into the competition, David Cook belted the first song I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For from U2 which Clive Davis had chosen for him to sing in the first round. As I am watching him singing, I realized how he evolved into a true star. Despite his obvious pour of emotion and excitement in his face, he still looked so awesome, he is worth the admiration from his fans, he is it, and he is ready to dive into the sea of stardom. I don’t even care if the judges were favoring Archuleta, I don’t even notice the kid anymore. For me, it’s all about David Cook from now.


Theme 2: Original Song Choice

Simon Cowell destroyed every excitement and hope or whatever was left in David Cook’s positive feelings during the second song. Throwing criticisms into David’s performance of the song Dream Big in his most important night in his life, Simon showed how he is favoring Archuleta no matter how well David sang. David’s face turned from happy and excited to being desperate. No matter how he pretended that it was ok, it still showed how unhappy he was that the judges don’t want him to win. It somehow pierced my heart seeing him like that.

Theme 3: The Contestant's Choice

The most emotional moment happened for David Cook was during his rendition of his third song which was also his song choice. He chose The World I Know from the artist Collective Soul who is another one of my favorite band. While he was singing in his most poignant rendition I ever saw from him, I saw his face looking so sensitive, so lonely, and so riddled with saddest emotion that I can’t help but to sympathize to whatever heartache his been going through at that moment. He could have realized by that time that the song was his last song to sing as a contestant in American Idol, or he was thinking that the song was his way of saying goodbye to his big dream which he thought he can no longer have. By the end of the performance, tears are pouring in his beautiful eyes before the judges could even tell him their critique. I hated Simon Cowell very much, why have he made this charade so painful for David Cook that it put him in grief?

David Cook is 2008's American Idol

Original Air Date: May 21, 2008
Declaring the American Idol 2008

The audience was so excited in this culminating night when they were about to know who will be their new American Idol. Simon Cowell took time to address to David Cook that he was sorry for the things he had said during last night’s performances. He said that he was on the verge of disrespecting him and he doesn’t deserve it. He also said that he reviewed the show in his home and he thought that there was not quite a clear cut winner and whoever wins tonight either one of them deserved it.

Right about then, Ryan Seacrest was handed the envelope containing the result of last night’s voting. It revealed a record breaking 98 million votes. Everybody was tensed and were on their feet preparing themselves for the announcement of the new American Idol.

Ryan Seacrest held the envelope and getting ready to read the announcement. David Cook and David Archuleta were standing side by side awaiting for the revealing moment. Both of them were anxious to know their fate. An eerie silence enveloped the Kodak Theater as host Ryan Seacrest started to read:

“Ladies and gentlemen, David and David, the winner by 12 million votes of American Idol 2008 is, David... (paused) COOK!”

David looked overwhelmed. Archuleta congratulated Cook and both of them gave each other a hug. Archuleta was such a talented young kid and demonstrated a class act accepting his defeat to Cook. The theater exploded with excitement. The people of America finally have their new American Idol and a very deserving one.

David Cook looked down and then tears are pouring on his face beleaguered by the enormous dream that became a reality in his life. He knew his life will never be the same again but this is what he has been looking for. He loves to sing and to share his passion for music to the rest of the world.

Singing his coronation song The Time of my Life, he led his fellow top 12 contestants, who he single handedly beaten in the contest, to the stage. He grabbed David Archuleta beside him and he put his arms to his shoulder sharing some of his victory moment to his worthy opponent. His voice showed why he was the winner of the contest, his face had left tracks of his joyful tears, his parents and his brother were so proud of him and everyone in the studio including the judges Simon, Paula and Randy were looking up to him. From a humble bartender and musician in Tulsa Oklahoma and through his humility and pure talent, America had chosen him to be “The American Idol”.

Homecoming: David Cook's Return to Idol Stage

Original Air Date: April 1, 2009
David Cook's Return to Idol Stage

A year after his historic moment of being crowned as 2008's American Idol, David Cook returned to the idol stage, the place where his moving story to stardom took place. This time he doesn't need to worry about what Simon would say after his performance or to think if the voting public would keep him in the show for another week. This time he's in the idol stage for his fans and give homage to his beloved show a.k.a. his former boot camp.

David enjoyed tremendous success after his post idol moments. Throughout the year and after the idol tour, he came up with a self titled album "David Cook". He released his first single "Light On" and was received exceptionally well charting in the Billboard top 100. He started "The Declaration Tour" and toured all over the country performing live to his fans in small venues.

Success could also have some setbacks, I also heard stories about him writing something in his blog requesting some of his fans not to stalk him. Then there were reports that he was canceling some of his shows. The reason why is because his cancer stricken older brother Adam was reported to have a worsening health condition. The situation left him sad, he always breaks down during his rendition of "Permanent", a song about his brother's battle of cancer.

About his homecoming in American Idol, David performed his next single "Come Back to Me". I was really excited of seeing him again in the show after almost a year, dang! he looked so different now, he looked like a star. He had really came a long way since he first performed in the show, remember "Happy Together"? And as I was forgetting about the usual fangirls drooling chant, again they were at it screaming "We love you David!" and here goes our David acknowledging it in still his cutest possible way, sigh, nostalgia is setting in.

Ryan Seacrest, this time looking star strucked (I remember him last year always trying to cheer up our shy David), announced that his album "David Cook" had sold more than 1 million copies in 3 months. He was awarded a platinum plaque for that very impressive feat. David Cook is truly a successful artist and is living his dream, congratulations to him. So, try to check out the music video of his first single "Light On".

Before I end this post, I would like to share to you my thoughts on how David Cook had change the way contestants should play the American Idol. He brought the game into another new level which made the show even more exciting. American Idol could now be divided into two eras: "The Pre-David Cook era" e.g. S1 to S6 and "The Post-David Cook era" e.g s7 to present. His technique on changing up songs to suit his niche and image and being original sparked another exciting contestant to audition for American Idol just like he was motivated upon seeing Chris Daughtry to audition. I am refering to this season's front runner Adam Lambert who I think is using David Cook's recipe book. With that said, David Cook is really a historical winnner of American Idol.