
We love David Cook for many reasons. He was consistently awesome on American Idol, he beat out pipsqueak/stage robot David Archuleta, and he makes a song about rainbows and butterflies tolerable. Here he is performing his new single, “Kittens Spew Sunshine Miracles,” on The Tonight Show. If you want to really enjoy the performance, take a drink every time you hear an inspirational word. CONTINUED »

American Idol runner-up David Archuleta wasn’t born into the best parenting situation in the world — his father, Jeff, was apparently so controlling he was asked to never step foot behind the Idol stage again. And, naturally, his mother, Lupe, is the latest to drum up negative publicity for her son:
‘She was very resentful that David Cook took home the title and she wasn’t shy about letting people know how she felt about it,’ a backstage spy told the National Enquirer. ‘She said her son was the clear favorite, and it was obvious that the voting was fixed so that David Cook could win.’
Lupe also allegedly complained about the second prize Ford Escape Hybrid SUV David won. She claimed that if he drove it, everyone in Salt Lake City would recognize him.
You know what else would make people recognize you? Being on the most popular show on television.
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American Idol Top 24 finalist Luke Menard, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, had a special visitor prior to last week’s Idol finale: winner David Cook.
David said the two became close during the show’s Hollywood week and wanted to stop by in between rehearsals to “make sure that [Luke] understood that I love him and know that if there’s anything I can do for him and his wife, sign me up, you know?” David’s older brother Adam has battled brain cancer for 10 years, so the newest Idol said he is glad to be in the spotlight so he can bring attention to the issue and help others: “Any time one of your own is going through something as horrible as that, it makes everything else seem a little bit insignificant.”
We really can’t say anything bad about this guy.
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It’s that time again: The months of hard work and dedication have come to an end for both American Idol contestants and viewers around the nation. Every year, the season finale is littered with inane sketches, awards and group medleys, usually leaving five minutes of noteworthy television. But Whitney is dedicated, and she will be taking the bullet for you tonight as she liveblogs the entire two-hour event. Feel free to join her on the journey — or if you refuse to watch these shenanigans, you may catch up on the happenings without having to turn on your television. You’re welcome.

Simon Cowell spoke to Ellen today about the upcoming American Idol finale (he predicts David Cook will win), his harshness and, of course, FantasiaGate. The former Idol’s performance on last week’s results show “just sort of exploded,” according to Cowell, whose commentary always perfectly sums up everything we were feeling as well.
Click through for the clip. CONTINUED »

In all seven seasons of American Idol, never have I seen this expression on Simon Cowell’s face. The sheer horror and confusion were warranted: The performance he had just witnessed was, in a word, disturbing — and courtesy of former Idol winner Fantasia Barrino. Perhaps you would expect something manic from William Hung or Sanjaya, but this was from the “talented” individual who took home season three’s crown. I’m unsure as to why they chose this night to unleash Fantasia, but it has to be encouraging to the two Davids (yes, Syesha finally went home) — come next week, all this will be theirs for the taking. I wouldn’t be surprised if they both haven’t already dropped out at this point.
To restore your faith in the voting public, click through and view what will surely go down in the record books as one of the greatest performances in Idol history. CONTINUED »

After all that begging, I sit here, typing through the tears (OK, maybe that’s a bit melodramatic), hoping for a miracle to save Jason Castro. Except maybe I don’t want him to be saved. After last night’s unwarranted beating by the judges, maybe he deserves to be done with this show and the horrible people who run it; the brutality will be even worse if he survives this week, and the public will hate him for not being voted off after his roughest night to date. CONTINUED »

From the Dallas, Texas area (in Jason Castro country, oddly enough): American Idol contestant David Cook is apparently running for mayor.
American Idol’s Neil Diamond night was just as disastrous as I feared, and it’s safe to assume everyone not named David is in danger of getting axed tonight. Everybody was off their game, including sobriety princess Paula Abdul. Once each contestant had performed their first songs of the evening, Ryan asked the judges to offer their comments; naturally, Paula began giving Jason Castro her critique of both his songs, one of which had yet to be sung. Her excuse: “This is hard.”
So what happened? Conspiracy theorists are crying foul, saying the show is fixed and she had written the critiques beforehand, but we’re talking about Paula Abdul here. It’s quite possible that she just mixed the wrong meds.
Tonight’s American Idol is all about Neil Diamond, because what better way to recover from the disaster that was last week’s Andrew Lloyd Webber theme than to give us more train wreck material?
The magical TMZ moles have uncovered this week’s song list, and we’re just hoping Jason Castro can use his two (count em, two) songs to squeak by another elimination.
Every week, a bunch of “real” people say really stupid things on reality TV. These are their stories.

10. “If there’s somebody there to help you through each thing, then who are you? Are you you? Or are you us? And then if you’re us, then who the hell are we?” — Nicky2States, Miss Rap Supreme
If you missed last night’s American Idol elimination, this little video nicely sums up the hour-long episode in a mere five minutes. Amazing how that works out — it’s almost as if the majority of last night’s show was a waste of time. If you don’t want to know the result, don’t press play and don’t keep reading. CONTINUED »
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So last night was the Mariah Carey hour on American Idol, and it was just as much the train wreck as we expected. The girls failed to deliver, David Archuleta refused to go away and Mariah gave lots of awkward half-smiles as she offered the contestants advice.
We couldn’t pick one favorite performance from the evening, so we’ll let you decide between our top two picks. CONTINUED »
HEARTWARMING “American Idol contestant David Cook will have a very special guest in the audience Tuesday and Wednesday night — his brother Adam Cook. Adam, 36, is suffering from brain cancer. … Doctors initially told Adam his condition was too delicate for him to fly commercially. But as news spread of Adam’s health and sadness over not being able to see David perform, friends rallied and were able to get him and his wife a chartered medical jet.”
Last night on American Idol, David Cook chose to sing “Little Sparrow” from the Dolly Parton songbook. It was, to borrow some Randy Jackson lingo, another solid performance from David — who was rushed to the hospital after the show finished taping.
David was reportedly experiencing heart palpitations and high blood pressure during the show but stayed until the end against producers’ requests. He was released late last night after being given medication to lower his blood pressure.
According to an Idol exec, David has been stressed because his brother Adam, who has cancer, experienced a setback this past week. (Side note: The AC on David’s guitar is in honor of Adam.)


