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?