David Vs. David: Idol's Ultimate Psychological Struggle
You know, I don't think I've ever been so conflicted, so existentially torn, about an American Idol finale. Seriously, I feel like I'm in the middle of some sort of odd reality-TV love triangle, forced to choose between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now. Because my heart is rooting for one man, yet my brain tells me to vote for the other. So, should I follow my heart or my head when making my official pick for the season 7 winner? I just don't know...
See, my heart fully belongs to David Cook. I've been Team Cook almost since day one; conversely, I have never, EVER understood all the rammed-down-the-throat hype surrounding David Archuleta (a boy who can muck up his lyrics repeatedly, sap all the soul out of a Chris Brown song, and sing an entire season's worth of material with his eyes wide shut, and yet somehow never once end up in the bottom three).
David Cook is the contestant for whom I might actually fork over my hard-earned Yahoo! paycheck to download an album or watch in concert. David Cook is the contestant whose name I can more easily imagine seeing in lights (and not just because his surname's much shorter, thus saving a whole lot of electricity in this green-conscious era). The bottom line is David Cook is the true rock star to me, the total package, the real deal.
David Cook is "Mr. Right."
So...why am I conflicted about following my heart and endorsing Cook? Honestly, it's only because I care. Hoping that Cook actually loses is an act of true tough love; I only have his best interests at heart. See, I fear that winning American Idol could actually RUIN David Cook's career. And I don't want that.
Let's fact it, AmIdol still has little cred in the rock 'n' roll world. Chris Daughtry was obviously better off losing, and Cook--who's long been promoted by Fox/19 as Daughtry 2.0, or Daughtry With Hair--would probably be better off as well. I mean, just LOOK at all the humiliating hokeyness the Idol producers force Cook to mime along to on the show: those dorky disco-dancing medleys, those lamely lip-synched Ford car promos, etc. Do you think that's the kind of puppetmastered career Cook wants for himself? I say let Cook come in second, then he'll go off and sign his own record deal in record time (probably a more lucrative deal than he could secure as the "winner" of Idol's iron-clad recording contract), and he will make the sort of album he WANTS to make--not the kind of watered-down, Diane Warren-penned, Goo Goo Dolls-lite pap that BMG would probably force him to record.
If David Cook loses Wednesday night, in a way it'll actually be a victory. He's won already, really. So, my heart is still Team Cook, but my brain is cheering on Team Archuleta.
David Archuleta is "Mr. Right Now." Even Vote For The Worst agrees!
Archie is probably going to win anyway; this year's Idol viewing audience is the series' oldest-skewing yet, so you just know all the grannies and shut-ins are going to speed-dial Li'l David's voting number to ensure their golden boy wins. These older viewers adore Archie because he's what they want young people to be: 
They want so badly to believe that today's teenagers are lovably non-threatening dorks, not profanity-and-textese-spewing emo boys like Danny "TMTH" Noriega or stoner dudes like Jason "I Was Thinking Bob Marley!!" Castro. So I predict Archie will win and go on to become the even gentler, kinder Clay Aiken. Meanwhile, Cook will become the hotter, hairier Daughtry, and will probably outsell Archuleta in the long run.
You know, since I've already assumed Archuleta is going to win, maybe this entire blog is my subconscious coping mechanism, my way of bracing myself for that inevitable dreaded outcome. Wow, I'm getting pretty psychoanalytical (or psychobabbling) here, huh? Well, if you want even more in-depth Idol analysis, check out other experts' predictions and picks HERE.
And in the meantime, root for David Cook! I mean Archuleta! Damn, I don't know what I want anymore...
David Archuleta WILL win but doubt he'll match the success of Clarkson or Underwood because of his music preference, style, genre, whatever. He'll fade away in a couple of years.
Cook is NOT the next Daughtry. Daughtry has an edgier/rougher, more unique tone and quality to his voice while Cook shouts and screams his songs. I give props to Cook for making his performances original but his vocals are an earsore. There IS a difference between screaming and SINGING.
I predict Archuleta to win, Cook to be more successful than Archie, but the two will be forgotten in the next couple of Idol seasons.
"I understand your dilemma, but I can't bear to see Cook lose. It just means something more when you win. Besides, I do not want to see Jeff Archuleta win!"
Too funny.
My heart also belongs to Cook, LP!
This is my first post, although I have admired our colimn all season.
I agree with your thought process, but I think that Daughtry has broken the AI stigma for rock. He has taken the criticism and sold the records.
David Cook is the best contestant by far and should win. I doubt that DC would appreciate the idea of his fans voting against him in an attempt to better his career. He seems to be a very smart guy and he knew the risks and is still "in it to win it."
Vote David Cook!!!!!!!!
manage. They brought in too many luggages that were not appealing to the producers. D. Archuleta for example, if he wins and his Dad becomes an irritant, Mr. Clive Davies might not like it. On the otherhand, if D. Cook wins and become too swell-headed, Mr. Clive Davies might say go cook your own. I understand that the first AI 2nd runner up had personality problem with the recording company. He never really gave much cooperation in promoting his work.
As much as I loved DC, I stopped voting for him a while ago hoping that he would maybe be able to leave sooner and do his own thing like Daughtry. Since that did not happen tomorrow I will be voting and texting like mad for DC as the worst thing would be for Archuleta to win!
At least with Cook as idol we would have some inkling of the music he would record. He has gained an audience that appreciate him for who he is. Archuleta has performed the entire season, and yet we have no clue what he will record. We can only speculate. Will he do the same ballads only, that probably only the much older audience would buy? Will he record pop and try to reach for the young teens. I think that he may somewhat alienate the other end of the spectrum which ever way he goes. He is not legally able to sign his own contract so his Dad will have a say whether or not AI likes it.
I think Cook wants the win as much because he would be the first rock AI as for anything else. I think he would love to be the one to break the AI mold. He has gotten the exposure and doesn't need AI, but he wants the win. I say if you are a Cook fan. Vote Cook. Vote Cook over and over and over.
Don't you know you are only perpetuating the myth that is going around the Internet right now? If David Cook really thought that winning would hurt him, do you honestly think he would still WANT to win? And he's made it clear that he really does want to win. Please do your homework. The fact is, as even a runner-up, he would still be bound by the show's label. Like Daughtry, he writes his own songs and he will have so much more leverage to bargain with. You have always declared yourself a fan of his, but now I fear you have given him the kiss of death.
Simon wants him to win, I want him to win. Come back to his side before it's too late, girl.
Signed,
a devoted "Cookie Monster"