David Cook |
In the head-to-head battle of the Davids, Missouri bartender David Cook emerged as the latest winner of American Idol on Wednesday’s live season finale on FOX. With 97.5 million votes cast (a record high for Idol), Cook beat out Utah high school student David Archuleta by a surprising 12 million votes in front of the crowd of 7,000 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
Click here for photos of the Red Carpet action!
The two-hour build-up to the much-anticipated announcement was jam packed with brilliant surprise performances by superstars like Donna Summer, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, One Republic, Jonas Brothers and George Michael. But Cook’s crowning moment was well worth the wait as he broke down in tears of joy and then proudly sang his soon-to-be released debut single, “Time of My Life.”
After the show, both Davids made their way to the press room (as other performers had done earlier in the night) to spill all to the media. Hollywood.com was there to chat with the star-studded bunch. Below are the highlights from both the press room and red carpet arrivals.
DAVID COOK
David Cook |
On thinking he wouldn’t win: “I didn't think I would win. You know, the respect that I have for David Archuleta is very much past the competitor thing. He has more talent at his age than I'd know what to do with at 25. To be able to share the stage with him was an honor for me. And I kind of went into Tuesday just to have fun. And so the fact that I walk out of here as the next American Idol is not a testament to me, so much as it's a testament to the other 23 contestants we had here this season and to everybody behind the scenes.”
On Simon Cowell’s apology: “Well, Simon's apology came a little late for the votes. But, you know, I don't really know that the apology was warranted. I thought what he said was an opinion, nothing more. But at no point did I feel disrespected. Yeah, I'm appreciative of the fact that he decided to apologize. An apology from Simon is a pretty rare gem.”
On his favorite performance: “The last one! I've been holding my breath for four months, so tonight was just about exhaling and enjoying what this show is and what it isn't.”
On what type of record he wants to make: “A good one! That's the kind I want to make.”
On his expectations for being the new American Idol for a year: “I actually walked into this with no expectations and I'm walking out of it with no expectations. I think this show is a springboard, but you know, it's still a crap shoot. I could easily walk out of this arena and be just a regular Joe tomorrow. I hope that's not the case. It's kind of up to everybody else.”
On having his brother and mom next to him on stage after he won: “For me, it just made the whole experience full circle. In August, I stood in line in Omaha, Nebraska, at 5:30 in the morning when it was raining, with no intention of auditioning. And now I'm here, and I got to share that moment with the same two people that I stood in line with, seven, eight months ago. So, yeah, it was a nice bookend.”
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