The battle of the Davids produced a clear winner for the "Idol" judges -- and unfortunately for rock crooner Cook, baby-faced Archuleta outsang him in a focused and commanding shot at the AI title.
The evening consisted of three rounds of songs chosen by the producers, judges and singers themselves -- and Simon declared Archuleta the winner of all three. The final round had Archuleta and Cook singing songs of their own choosing; Archuleta chose his well-tested version of John Lennon's "Imagine," while Cook opted for a somber version of Collective Soul's "The World I Know."
Cook's song choice drew criticism from the notoriously harsh Simon, who suggested it was the wrong song for this point in the competition -- but Mr. Mean had heaps of praise for young Archuleta, saying, "You came out here tonight to win, and what we have witnessed is a knockout." Judge Randy Jackson agreed, saying to Archie, "You are so good tonight -- you are exactly what this show is about."
The judges all but crowned Archuleta -- but will viewers agree? Find out tonight on the final results show tonight on FOX!
Related Stories: And Then There Were Two! Paula Leaving 'Idol'? 'Idol's' Stage Dad Ban ...
Anytime
The battle of the Davids produced a clear winner for the "Idol" judges -- and unfortunately for rock crooner Cook, baby-faced Archuleta outsang him in a focused and commanding shot at the AI title.
The evening consisted of three rounds of songs chosen by the producers, judges and singers themselves -- and Simon declared Archuleta the winner of all three. The final round had Archuleta and Cook singing songs of their own choosing; Archuleta chose his well-tested version of John Lennon's "Imagine," while Cook opted for a somber version of Collective Soul's "The World I Know."
Cook's song choice drew criticism from the notoriously harsh Simon, who suggested it was the wrong song for this point in the competition -- but Mr. Mean had heaps of praise for young Archuleta, saying, "You came out here tonight to win, and what we have witnessed is a knockout." Judge Randy Jackson agreed, saying to Archie, "You are so good tonight -- you are exactly what this show is about."
The judges all but crowned Archuleta -- but will viewers agree? Find out tonight on the final results show tonight on FOX!
Related Stories: And Then There Were Two! Paula Leaving 'Idol'? 'Idol's' Stage Dad Ban ...