[IMG:L]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
[IMG:R]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.”[PAGEBREAK]
DAVID ARCHULETA
[IMG:L]On the show being over: “After last night I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, no more getting judged after each performance!’ It’s like now we get to do what we love to do and have it not be viewed as a competition and be judged right after singing. Just let me enjoy this for a second!’
On the best part of his AI experience: “I love singing and I love being able to perform whenever I get a chance. I just love what I do, and what this competition has done for me, I really appreciate it and all the fans who helped me make it this far. I just can’t believe I made it this far! I didn’t think I’d even make it past the first round! This has been such a blessing.”
On what he learned from David Cook: “Cook is like my big brother. I’ve learned so much and I’ve looked up to him since the beginning of this. He’s such a great guy. He’s really humble and down-to-earth, and I just feel like, I can’t believe I’m standing next to him. I told him, ‘I feel just so honored to be standing next to you, Cook.’ I’m just so proud of him, and I can’t believe that people decided for me to be next to him, of all people! It’s just such an honor.’
On what he wants to do next after the Idol tour: “Right now I just hope to see what happens. I really want to make an album and see how that turns out. And if music doesn’t go as far as I was hoping it would, then I will focus on completing an education. That’s really important, especially after all of this. It would be nice to be living off of it but you just never know. People can have years of performing and touring and making money that way, but they have to go back to something else afterwards. So you always have to be prepared.”
On singing with One Republic: “It was really fun working with them. I’ve been a fan of them, and the fact that I was able to share a stage with them was so cool!”
On performing with Bryan Adams: “That was really cool! Bryan Adams was someone I’ve always enjoyed listening to and I sang ‘Heaven’ during Hollywood week, and it was really neat to be able to talk to him and hear what he had to say. He is such a nice guy. I couldn’t believe how just normal he seemed.”
On being seen as a new teen idol: “I don’t really see myself as that. That’s kind of weird [laughing]. I still just think I’m David.”
JORDIN SPARKS
[IMG:R]On who she was rooting for: “I voted for both of them last night so I can’t really say I have a favorite, because I got to meet both of them and they were both so sweet. But I was totally reliving the moment that I won when I was watching them both, just sitting there waiting. Both of them are going to be fine. I’m so proud of both of them.”
Her advice to David Cook: “I would say sleep as much as you can ‘cause it’s a full year later and I still haven’t gotten a full eight hours sleep yet! Get as much sleep as you can while you can, and it goes by so fast. Here it is a year later and I’m still reeling from winning last year. So I guess just try to enjoy every moment that you have. Sometimes I don’t know what I did last week, I totally forgot. So try to remember as much as you can.”
On how the Idol judges still make her nervous: “This show does something to me. After I got off the stage I was shaking. I was like, ‘Why can’t I get over this? Why? Oh, wait, I’m supposed to get off the stage now.’ During the song I was trying really hard not to make eye contact because you know sometimes they talk through the song, so I was trying really hard not to look at them. But after I made eye contact with Paula (Abdul) and Randy (Jackson)–it was like really fast. But it was really cool coming back and seeing everybody.”
On why she wears an orange bracelet: “My mom’s best friend–she was like a second mother to me–she had melanoma and the color is orange. We found out she had it in February, so we put orange streaks in our hair and have been wearing orange accessories and I painted my nails orange. She actually passed away this morning. So I’m representing her in any way I can.”
DONNA SUMMER
Her advice to new artists like David Cook: “Save your money–seriously, save your money! For the first year don’t buy any major, major things like a house unless you just make so much money that it’s stupid! And even then you should just pace yourself. The second piece of advice is to get yourself a good lawyer, a good accountant and have great songs, whether you write them or someone else writes them. If you have great songs then I think you have longevity.”
On the phenomenon of American Idol: “I think American Idol is really a social statement. It has gone way beyond just being a show. It’s much more than that. It’s an experience and is a life lesson.”[PAGEBREAK]
RED CARPET HIGHLIGHTS
[IMG:L]“I’ve never seen anything like the Idol red carpet!” said Dan Karaty, a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. “There is so much energy, so many people here, so much excitement and everyone is waiting to find out who’s going to be the next big star!” A fan of both Davids, he explained, “Both have star quality, David Cook is just a rocker and can get out there and entertain you in that way and Archuleta gets out there and just has this emotional connection with the audience that everybody feels. They both have that something special that makes you want to watch them more on stage.” Karaty also gave us a sneak peek into the new season of SYTYCD: “It’s the good the bad and the ugly with the auditions. We get a lot of great dancers, a lot of bad dancers, some crazies out there. But they definitely came out of the woodwork and this year we have so much talent. We have a well-rounded group of dancers and there’s going to be a lot to see.”
Garry Marshall, who actually bought tickets to the finale at an auction, brought along his granddaughter and Idol fan Charlotte to watch the David-versus-David showdown. “He is a little sexy, that David Cook,” Marshall joked. And in the near future you might just see an Idol or two in Marshall’s new project, a Happy Days musical. “We’re looking for another Fonzie and a Pinky Tuscadero and other parts. Kelly Clarkson sang on the Princess Diaries soundtrack and we met her through American Idol. So it’s been a great show for us to find talent.”
Season 3’s Jasmine Trias, who is currently touring and recording her second album, was thrilled to be back at this year’s Idol finale. “Every year that I come to this, it’s a reunion. It always brings back memories of when I was on the show. It was a great experience.” As for this year’s final two, Jasmine was happy to break it down. “Cook definitely appeals to that rock market and Archuleta has that Disney appeal. I think maybe he could be the next Miley Cyrus at Disney! The girls love him, and the girls love David Cook too. I love David Cook–I’m a big fan and I think he’s so hot!”
[IMG:R]Another Idol alum, Paris Bennett (season 5) wasn’t afraid to admit she’s still gets nervous at the finale, even though she’s not up for scrutiny from the judges. “It’s always crazy because every year that I am here, even now when I’m not being judged anymore, I am still nervous for the two finalists, because you know what they are thinking and know what they feel like. But I’m still very excited for them.” If you’re missing your dose of Princess P, no worries–you can catch her in two upcoming movies: Baby O and Mama I Want to Sing. And be on the lookout for Paris’s second album, which drops in November.
Right behind Princess P on the carpet was another season 5 alum with a great nickname–Kevin Covais, aka Chicken Little, who also reminisced about his time on the show. “I can’t believe it’s been two years already! I definitely miss it, but life does go on.” As a fellow underage contestant, he knows exactly what David Archuleta went through this season. “I think he did phenomenally. There’s so much pressure that goes along with being on Idol and to do it at such a young age, it’s so hard. So I really commend him. He did an incredible job.” And Kev’s not doing too badly himself. On Aug. 29, you can check out his movie debut in College, opposite Drake Bell.
[IMG:L]Jerry Springer, who stepped onto the carpet to shouts of “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” came to the finale at the personal request of Simon Cowell. Jerry joked, “With Simon, you either say yes or you sleep with the fish!” But when it comes to Simon as a judge, Jerry had nothing but praise for his friend. “The magic of Simon is that no one has their finger on the pulse of pop culture more than Simon does and that’s the truth. He knows what works and he gets it. Even though the personality is for showbiz, he makes good points. He says things in mean ways and tries to get laughs, but he’s playing a character. But the wisdom of his advice–we should pay attention to it because he’s obviously very successful.” As for this year’s Idol race, Jerry shrugged, “They are both very talented and they’re both going to have great careers no matter who wins!”
