Silda Spitzer Steps Out, David Cook Wins American Idol and All the Rest

• Very interesting points. Thanks!

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• The most beautiful and intelligent is Silda Spitzer. She has shown that, amongst all the virtues, love and forgiveness are far more important than moral rightness. A very, very great lady !

• The most beautiful and intelligent is Silda Spitzer. She has shown that, amongst all the virtues, love and forgiveness are far more important than moral rightness. A very, very great lady !

• Hate to say it, but I agree that The Powers that Be at AI and Fox (I'll just call them Fox) somehow manipulated the votes so Archie wouldn't win but would remain on the show unitl the Final 2. I thought about why Fox would do that and here's what I think. From the very beginning--the Hollywood Auditions--it was obviously that this kid was in a class by himself. He was blowing everyone out of the water during first week of auditons. Even Simon said Archie was incredible. How could anyone compete with that? This gave Archie an unfair advantage over the rest of the competition. Fox had never had this happen before and didn't know what to do. I think from then on the contestants who made the Top 24 realized that they were pretty much competing for 2nd place, Archie was going to go all the way, he was THAT good. He peaked early on and in March/April he wasn't as good as before but he was still great. Idol is about singing and Archie hit those notes every time, even if the song choice wasn't the greatest. He takes listeners on a vocal magic carpet ride, he has the most beautiful voice, with clairty and perfect pitch (a female equivalent is Karen Carpenter). Along the way he received a tremendous amount of publicity and built up a huge fan base. I believe that the only things working against Archie were his lack of maturity and stage presence--but those would come in time. However, maybe Idol couldn't wait for that. And perhaps they felt he couldn't handle the pressure & scrutiny that would result if he won. There was also pressure to have a "rocker" in the Final 2 because of Chris Daughtry getting voted off. The producers wanted a David/David finale and that's what they got. But how could they get what they wanted unless they moved things in that direction? Great vocalists such as Carly were voted off unexpectedly--Fox didn't want anyone in the finale but the 2 Davids. I also question the voting--how does the audience know it's honest? There's no way you can know, you just have to trust Fox and I don't trust them! They can say anything they want. And wouldn't one vote each make better sense, it would be simpler and more honest. Why vote 10 billion times? What's the point? Anyway, it became clear to Fox that Archie was going to have a successful career as a singer whether he won or not, he had millions of fans and lots of publicity, he was easily the most popular contestant. But if he got voted off the show before the final 2, then the ratings would probably go down a little and Fox didn't want that. In other words, Archie would lose nothing by coming in 2nd. He would not go back to being an obscure high-school student without a record deal--in fact, it would be the opposite. BUT any other contestant might not have been as lucky. True, Cook might not have gone back to being a bartender in Tulsa but he stood a better chance of returning to his old life than Archie and Fox wanted to give Cook his chance, he had been plugging away for so long, plus he had more stage experience and maturity. Archie was so young and had plenty of time to grow up, plus his talent wasn't going anywhere, it was going to get better. I think Simon's comments on Tuesday night were deliberate--lulling Archies into a feeling of false security that they didn't need to vote, while enraging and mobilizing "Cookies" into running for their phones. Like millions of other viewers, I was shocked at the outcome. When the greatest Idol contestant EVER does not win, something is fishy somewhere. The bottom line: out of all the contestants on Idol, Archie was the one who could afford 2nd place because all that would seperate him and the winner would be the title of American Idol. The same opportunities for a music career would exist. I also feel that his family's name was unnecessarily dragged through the mud in the name of ratings and at least coming in 2nd spared further humiliation. I don't mean to sound like a sore loser because even though I LOVE David Archuleta, I do like David Cook and hope he doesn't get screwed by his contract. But when the most talented contestant in Idol history doesn't win, something is wrong somewhere. I know for a fact that lots of people who never before watched American Idol did so this year because of David Archuleta and will probably never do so again--I'm one of them. Good luck to David Cook, I hope he does well. But I think in the long run that David Archuleta will be the real winner.

• I have watched this whole season with an open mind. I enjoyed both David's. I knew it would come down to the two in the finale. I personally thought David A would and should win since his voice is without question the best of the year, all year. David C was great as far as originality of his song choices and style, but he didn't carry through with vocals. I felt the competition should be about the best talent. David A was the best talent. Hands down, he had the consistency of an Idol. I liked David C, but would not want to hear him in person, he just doesn't have a consistent voice. David A has the ability to carry the live voice consistently. No question, he will soar above David C in his endeavors. I wish them both success, but David A is a given...

• What a bunch of sore losers. David A. has much more style than the people bashing David Cook. David A. has nothing but nice things about David Cook. David Cook is an awesome singer with PERSONALITY on and off the stage. His writing is off the hook, go listen to his personal lyrics on Analog Heart. Why does everyone complain about his covers on the show. Everyone did covers, but Cook made the smartest choices. Hello, Billy Jean, and Eleanor Rigby were exciting to watch. Yes, David A. has better singing voice, but I would not pay my hard earned money to watch him sing slow ballads with his eye closed for 2 hours. Going to a David Cook concert is going to be fun, unexpected, and passionate, because that is the kind of guy he is. The voting was not rigged. He won by a landslide. And David A. fans had the same technology and they were bragging on their boards how they were using those special devices to get in thousands of text messages. And Randy bashed Cook the last couple of weeks and was very biased towards Archie, so don't say the judges rigged it either. Let David A. mature a little and he will do just fine.

• David Archuleta and David Cook both have remarkable voices, but David Archuleta is still learning how to master his. David Cook, on the other hand, has learned how to adjust the quality of his voice to match the genre he is singing. Listen to some of the heavier stuff he recorded with his band Axium and then listen to his rendition of the Andrew Lloyd Webber song "Music of the Night", and you'll get an idea of his phenomenal range as a singer. To suggest that anything but his superior (at this point) talent was responsible for his win is ridiculous. David A. is going to be a great talent. David C. already is a great talent and is on his way to being a superstar. One last thing I have to say is this, picking on a mother's concern for her son or a dad's concern for his son is reprehensible no matter where it's coming from. The Cook family is obviously very close and has been through a great deal. Her son was in tears, and there was no one in that arena that could understand the why better than she and his brother could. The family deserved that moment just as Jeff Archuleta and his wife would have deserved the same with their David.

• OH COME ON. he deserved it. Archuleta the eye-shutter should go on Disney. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. But, bravo to him though. And stop being so harsh on Cook, aryt? And what if Archuleta has no music career in the end? can I hear a HAH? 12,000,000 votes. where were you Archie fans? STOP and accept. GEEEEE.

• I never watched American Idol this much before and I never voted before. Since I see David Archurela in the show. I'm his BIg fan of David Archuleta in JAPAN. IN JAPAN so many people love David Archuleta. and we are waiting his album. Doesn't matter he didn't win. He is WORLD STAR!!! We all love you!!!

• I'm his BIg fan of David Archuleta in JAPAN. IN JAPAN so many people love David Archuleta. and we are waiting his album. Doesn't matter he didn't win. He is WORLD STAR!!! We all love you!!!

• it is so sad that we cannot vote hir in the philippines. but we really love david a. i was shocked when they announce cook won... david a performed like there is no tomorrow. he gave his all. hope that he will have a successful career.

• Geeks, there's a big age diff DA and DC. DC is 25 while DA is 17. DA is pure,simple,and innocent.DC is experienced. DA's fans did not get to vote as much as they want because DC's fans rigged it!!!or let's say AI producers wants a rocker? THINK ABOUT IT, 12MILLION VOTE DIFFRNCE?It's so untrue!!!where are the votes of the youth?the single adults?the adults? I'll never watch AI again!!! but surely I'll buy plenty of cds by David Archuleta....!!!in the philippines we like DAs music...im a mom with 3 kids ...

• Say what you want...if this voting contest was held on Sat morning, Archie would have won HANDS DOWN!!!! Many of his fans had to head to bed right after show. DC's fans had all night to dial...the end.

• I could but agree with Robin. In was clearly a manipulation. This winning by David Cook is a convoluted orchestration by the American Idol management to have a rocker win this year, for a change. Whether the rocker is worthy or not, he has to be declared the winner. Yes, Simon has been promoting in all tv talk shows that David Cook is going to win, and it would a shame on his part if David Cook did not. But no matter what, AI has done some rigging of the votes, cheating per se. At the beginning of the final show, Ryan Seacrest announced the 90+ million votes and the ratio between the winner and the loser. So, they knew already at the very beginning the result and yet at the end of the show when it is time to reveal who won, an independent auditor brought a sealed envelope, what an insult to the integrity of the viewers. Who knows, the telephone lines for David Cook I couldn�t agree more with you Robin. In was clearly, I believe, a manipulation. This winning by David Cook is a top convoluted orchestration by the American Idol�s management to have a rocker win this year, for a change. Whether the rocker is worthy or not, which I believe it was the later, David Cook had to be declared the winner. Yes, Simon had been promoting in all tv talk shows that David Cook was going to win, and it would be a shame on his part if Cook did not. Simon is Simon. He had to be right even if he was wrong. And no matter what the people will say, AI had to do something, up to the extent of rigging the votes, cheating per se. At the beginning of the final show, Ryan Seacrest announced the 90+ million votes and the ratio between the winner and the loser. So, they already knew at the very start of the final show the result and yet at the end of the show when it was time to reveal who won, an independent auditor came, brought a sealed envelope, what a hoax, an insult to the integrity of the viewers. Who knows, the telephone lines for David Cook remained open longer that David Archuleta's! Who knows, the said 12 million differential was a made-up numbers, not real. Anything is possible. My feeling suggests strongly that it was so. Just so AI plans all along since the beginning of the season to crown a rocker will become a reality. I believe it was all orchestrated and AI did it so wisely. When the news about Jeff Archuleta came out that he was no longer allowed to join at the backstage, there were so many nasty articles that came out bashing and maligning the guy. And the origin of the news exactly came from an AI staff, which anonymously squealed it. How come AI management did not even reprimand that staff for spreading the gossip, which was exactly against their policy. AI management has the moral responsibility to the people, they could have apologized to the people for the action of their very own staff doing the talking, while contestants and their guardians were forbidden to. But no, AI management did not even apologized, nor announced they were handling the matter internally with the staff. They did not do anything. Cleary, that was part of AI plans to put down negatively the Archuletas which will have an upside positive effect to Cook. That was all planned, people. AI can be deceitful as they can and hook or by crook will do anything and everything just so their plans will at the end materialize. Poor David Archuleta, he was defeated by fraud.

• The problem with American Idol is that it is too much of a "popularity contest" or a "personality contest." As much as American Idol would like to think of itself as an authentic "singing competition," that it is not. First and foremost, it's a TV show. If it were a true "singing competition," voice teachers and people who have actually studied singing would be judging and voting for the contestants. From a technical standpoint, David Archuleta has a much better singing technique than Cook. I've taken singing classes, so I know a thing or two about singing. You may not like his style, you may not like the type of songs he sang, but you can't say he isn't a really good singer. David Cook is good at what he does, but his actual vocal ability is just OK. Don't get me wrong--I love "rockers"--they can be incredibly charismatic and charming. But the truth is that most rockers are not great vocalists. Most rock bands don't require great vocalists. As for me, I'm done with American Idol. That show has disappointed me too many times. I will always think Archuleta should have won.

• I have to laugh at the sore losers on here. David A is going to do very well and he was very happy for David C. He may be only 17 but he proves he can take losing like a man unlike others on here. If you don't like Idol, don't watch it. I like Idol and will continue to watch it. Both Davids are really good even though I really did want David C to win. BTW, people really need to get over Taylor winning as well.

• Emily, are you so naive that you don't know Simon had been going on talk shows promoting David Cook and that he is smart enough to get David cook's fans all up in arms and voting by the things he said tuesday night. A lot of manipulation by the producers was going on here. They knew who they thought would be better for the shows future ratings and felt that a rocker needed to win to legitimize the show after they lost Chris Daughtry. Simon is a VERY smart guy and know exactly how to manipulate people.

• David Archuleta has a lovely voice for sure, but that's all. No charisma. He's too young yet. David Cook on the other hand has true star quality. He has a distinct vocal sound and stage presence. He proved he CAN sing both ballads and rock. David A. is singing ballads because that's all he can sing. I'm sure David A. will make money in music, he'll probably become the Wayne Newton of his generation, which is not a bad thing, Wayne is a VERY rich man. For those so disappointed about David A's. loss just take a look at the American Idol demographics. They have lost the 12-17 year old voters, who would have put David A. ahead. The average age of watchers is now 42, so Cook's win shouldn't surprise anyone. Also, to Simon Cowell...a nice bit of backtracking and CYA on Tuesday night, albeit way too transparent. It's obvious Simon knew who the winner was when he made his apology to David C. He didn't want to be called out as totally blowing the whole thing in front of the world as that wouldn't be good for his "supposed" ability to pick stars. Of course, he will never admit it. Both David's are very talented, each in their own way, and I wish them both the best of luck.

• HEY yALL, I think it's clear who you guys were rooting for in this competition, to be honest there was once a stage when I found Cook to be an arrogant boy without direction, I also thought Archuleta was a talented kid with no charisma, however. In the end, America voted for a man they think is most likely to get them bopping their heads whilst listening to him at campus, or somebody to actually make them consider skipping football to watch Live. Alas, I won't have the privelege since I'm all the way from South Africa!

• What the David Archuleta fan club seems to be forgetting is that American Idol is supposedly out to find the best undiscovered TALENT in america not the best undiscovered BALLAD singer. Don't get me wrong, Archuleta has a fantastic voice and to say anything else would be lying but he is a one trick pony. Give him something else to sing other than a ballad and watch the disaster than ensues. Cook had the ability to sing a much wider range of songs and that is the reason why he won. Because while he did not have the best voice he was the MOST TALENTED.

• You all sound like a bunch of poor losers to me. Way to go Cook! You are the man!. America has voted!!!

• Geez...if you need ear plugs for David Cook...then by all means plug them in! Thank God the majority isn't like you! I am in my fifties and David Cook is truly talented. He proved that he can sing anything from rock to show tunes. David A is extremely talented...but he just needs to mature a little more. He's a very innocent 17 and doesn't seem ready for the cold cruel world. He sings like an angel and in a few more years...he is going to be dynamite. Right now....it is David Cooks turn to shine and I for one have downloaded almost all his songs...and can not wait to for him to get a CD out! Lighten up!

• Hmm, I spy some bitter Archuleta fans. This article hit the nail on the head: 12 million votes is not an upset. The real story is that almost every Idol article going into the finale was about Archuleta winning on the back of the previous night's performance, while ignoring the fact that Cook had completely outsung him for weeks prior, and was sitting on an enormous fanbase lead going in.

• Hey all you archie fans. If you want to hear a great REMIX of one of his songs "think of me" go to youtube and listen. It rocks. Go to the one SONIC ETHER REMIX did. Let's hope he gets to record this on an album. GO DAVID ARCHULETA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Are you kidding me? I am SO glad that David Cook won American Idol. Sure, a lot of the songs that people thought were his arrangements weren't actually his arrangements. He didn't hide that fact though. He still had to the perform the music and did it darn well. Cook performs like a seasoned performer whereas Archuleta just closed his eyes and hoped he appeared somewhat professional on stage. Don't get me wrong, I love David Archuleta's voice. His voice is mature past his years. Unfortunately, his performing abilities are not. He still is uncomfortable on stage and has zero personality. Whenever the judges gave him comments, he just said "thank you" in his "shocked" way each week. There was no real commentary, banter, whatnot with the judges. Opposing this you have contestants like Brooke White, who was so honest and humble, it kept her in the competition. I truly believe people just downright liked her as a person, so they voted for her (in addition to the fact that her voice was quite nice on occasion). David Cook is a great guy with a big heart. There is no question that he was in it to win it and I resent Simon declaring that Archuleta smashed Cook. I am a former high school music teacher and every season I have completely agreed with Simon until this year. I think his comments were off. I think he was nasty for no reason (at least in the past I felt the people he was nasty to deserved it since they were horrible). Cook sang VERY well at the finals, showing a variety of song selections. Archuleta sang ballads and mildy up-tempo songs, but nothing really fast. This doesn't show versatility at all. Thank you, America, for seeing through Simon's feeble attempts to sway us into voting for Archuleta. He will have his day, but he needs many more years of performing in front of crowds to become truly comfortable on stage.

• I am completely agree with Adam you hit it bulls eye. What do you think contributed to David Cook winning American Idol? Have you heard about the DialIdol software (Website: DialIdol.com search it thru Google) - that is what they been using instead of the phone or wireless phone - It's hightech dude you cannot beat that with your fingers for 4 hours this can generate 500 votes for 2 hours that is 1000 votes per 4 hours without sweating at all. That is the reason why David Cook won. I would say that was the great part of it that he won just to be fair. A lot of people don't know about this software I just found this out just Monday before the Finale - One of the fan was spreading the word and I tried checking the website myself and it true there is a software free download - But I tried the best I can to spread the words but it is already to late. I think this contributed to Cook winning tonight. I believe most of America was just SHOCK what happened but modesty aside David Archuleta will have a good career ahead of him for me he is THE EPITOME OF THE REAL AMERICAN IDOL AND HE IS THE WINNER. Archie, not winning an American Idol is not the end of everything is just the beginning for a New Horizon. You inspired and gave hope to a lot of people not only in the U.S. but around the world with your singing that is the reason why your fans loved you so much. Remember remain true to yourself and remain humble for your fans will always support you thru thick or thin. We can't wait to buy your CD. We all love you. Always, P.S. I am done with American Idol. I did watch it because of David Archuleta. No matter what I will still be supporting Archie in his music career.

• David Cook's win does not guarantee grand success. Taylor Hicks won too. Taylor who?????? I am so happy for David Archuleta, he no longer has to put up with the Simon Cowell and producers abuse and using him and his family to boost ratings. He is not free to follow his dream and has already more than one choice for musical contract options. I feel bad for David Cook though. He is under their spell for at least a year. But again, arrogance working with arrogance, sounds like a marriage made in heaven. Now he can sell all his former CD's he could not sell for peanuts. Very clever marketing campaign the last few weeks by Simon declaring him the winner in all the talk shows. They wanted a rocker on the list they got one. Good for them. The freak show is coming your way soon. Get your ear plugs. Amazing how nobody said anything about David Cook's mother, jumping on stage. Now think if Jeff Archuleta did that, we will have headlines for months. YUK. We thank American Idol for one thing, great entertainment and introducing some other great talent to the rest of us, including an incredible 17 year old with a very big voice.

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