Smallscreen Features
David Cook is the American Idol for season 7
By April MacIntyre
May 22, 2008, 2:04 GMT

Where to begin. The show tonight had an interesting array of great musicians and performers: ZZ Top, Graham Nash, Bryan Adams, Seal, George Michael, The Jonas Brothers.

It saw past Idol winners and notables like Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood on stage.

The top twelve Idols were assembled for a great George Michael medley of some of his best songs ever, and a well-dressed Michael Johns gave me an early Robert Palmer flashback.

The show starts with Ryan doing his bit with the two Davids, both dressed in white are standing face to face on the stage.

Ryan says over 97 million votes came in last night, breaking the record.

One David got 56% of the vote, while the other David received 44%.

Everyone’s dressed in white and performing “Get Ready.”

Cook takes the stage and sings Hero and Archuleta soon joins him and contributes some harmonies before Cook backs him up.

For two different voices, they blend well.

Syesha gets on stage and sings “Waiting For You” with Seal, she doesn't do such a great job, nerves perhaps.

Jason Castro sings “Hallelujah.”  The six female contestants take the stage to perform a Donna Summer medley in red.

Carly and Michael Johns team up for a duet of “She Wrote Me a Letter.” Johns sounds good but Carly is too shouty.

Jimmy Kimmel jokes about Sanjaya serving as the valet who parked his car tonight. There's Sanjaya in the audience laughing. Cut to the montage of Simon saying his bon mots from the season.

The guys sing “Summer of ’69.” David and David join them and start singing “Heaven.”

Bryan Adams joins them onstage. 

David Cook and ZZ Top belt “Sharp Dressed Man.” Cook is awesome.

Graham Nash and Brooke White sit on stage playing acoustic guitars and singing “Teach Your Children Well.” Nice.

Then the Jonas Brothers perform, I don't have teenage girls and I don't get them.  But millions do, so what do I know.

Now we get the sad bastard contestant reel; the losers, delusional and over the top bad singers who made us howl during audition time. The segment ends with the "You Are My Brother" singer in his white hat with the GREAT USC Trojan band and cheerleaders onstage.

One Republic performs “Apologize.” Archuleta joins and completely upstages the lead singer. 

Okay, time to talk honestly. Idol winner and beauty Jordin Sparks steps on stage wearing an unflattering voluminous gold lame dress and starts singing “One Step at a Time.”

Who dressed her? Why aren't they in a stockade somewhere? What a cruel thing to do.

Cut to a cut montage of classic Gladys Knight and her "pips" that were Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr.  Cute moment.

Let's discuss this one too: Carrie Underwood performed, who seemingly forgot her pants.  I felt like her OB-GYN.  Her song,  by the way, involves having sex with some guy she left a club at 3 AM with (she doesn't know his name) who drives a Pinto (!!!). Then she wakes up with a ring on her wedding finger.  

Are we having a laugh here? This was the most bizarre moment of the night for me, but then again, I was never a country girl.

Okay, back to Idol.

Now the good stuff starts: The final twelve sing a George Michael medley of “Faith.”  “Father Figure” and then “Freedom,” the best song EVER.  

George Michael! George Michael! He does “Praying For Time.” The lyric to that song is heavy if you ever really listen or read it; I love that he is there.  Bravo AI producers.

The time is here. Simon actually apologizes to David Cook after he copped to rewatching last night’s episode, and claims he was “borderlined on disrespectful.”

By 12 million votes: The winner of this season of American Idol is: David Cook

Cook is sobbing quietly; he is truly overcome and shocked. His parents and brother join him stage.   Now he sings the song that one the online contest.

The right David won in my opinion.  Season seven is over. 

See you in January 2009.