The Hollywood Gossip staff is proud to bring you Tale of the Tape, a feature in which we break down prospective matchups within the celebrity world. The following is an obvious one.

Next week, David Cook will take on David Archuleta in what may be the most anticipated American Idol finals match-up of all-time. Forget Tuesday night, though.

Who will emerge victorious in the following 10 rounds? Let’s find out. Ding, ding!

1. PAST IDOL HE MOST REMINDS US OF

David Cook: Chris Daughtry
David Archuleta: Clay Aiken
Edge: Cook

2. FAMILY TIES

David Cook: Cancer-stricken brother, Adam
David Archuleta: Insanely controlling father, Jeff
Edge: Cook

3. FIRST NAMES

David Cook: David
David Archuleta: David
Edge: Even

4. BEST PERFORMANCE

David Cook: “Always Be My Baby”
David Archuleta: “Imagine”
Edge: Archuleta

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The American Idol finals will come down to the two men who have carried the burden of being favorites for weeks now: David Cook and David Archuleta.

Syesha Mercado, who was eliminated tonight, has nothing to be ashamed of. She made it farther than anyone could have dreamed a couple months ago. We wish her the best.

Here’s a photo montage in honor of Mercado. Click on the images below for larger versions of Syesha…

As you debate which American Idol finalist will be voted off tonight - David Cook, David Archuleta or Syesha Mercado - contemplate the following question:

Has last week’s eliminated contestant, Jason Castro, ever been on drugs?

The dreadlocked singer says no, he’s never been high. Seems kinda hard to believe, doesn’t it?

“I think that, especially with things like [Idol], people like to stereotype so easily. Just because a guy is really easy going… People have always said that [about me],” Castro said.

“When I was younger I was real hyper and they’d think I was always drunk and I had never had a drink of alcohol until, like, last year. But the fact is I’ve never been high in my life.”

Do you believe Jason Castro?

We’ve been blown away by Syesha Mercado over the last few weeks. Left for dead episodes ago, the singer should be proud of herself no matter how she finishes on American Idol.

After last night’s performances, though, it would take a Michael Johns-like shocker to see her end the season better than third.

The two Davids - David Cook and David Archuleta - stood out on a night that featured a whopping three songs by each artist. Our favorite of the evening was Cook singing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”

David Cook doesn’t want to miss a thing. And we don’t want to miss a single David Cook performance.

Do you agree that Cook was the best of the night? Or were you most impressed by Archuleta’s rendition of “And So It Goes,” one Paula Abdul deemed “a beautiful performance”?

We’ll post a more in-depth American Idol review tomorrow. For now, we have one simple question:

Which semifinal performance was your favorite?

Who is your American Idol favorite: David Archuleta, David Cook or Syesha Mercado?

Before they compete against each other on American Idol tonight, David Cook, David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado watched others compete this weekend across the professional sports landscape.

Each American Idol finalist performed in front of thousands of fans, using the opportunity to ready themselves for this evening’s pressure-packed semifinal round.

First up, David Cook sang “Take Me Out the the Ball Game” during a Kansas City Royals game. It was the most excitement the franchise has seen this decade. Watch the performance HERE.

David Cook threw out the first pitch before a Royals game.

Meanwhile, Syesha Mercado sung the National Anthem prior to a Tampa Bay Rays game. The star can only hope she remains as hot as this franchise, which has won five games in a row. Watch her performance NOW.

Who should Syesha Mercado make this out to?

How did David Archuleta fit into this sports-themed weekend? You’ll have to follow the jump on this article to find out.

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As David Cook gets set to battle David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado on American Idol this week, he practiced by getting in the ring with equally tough competition:

Bulls.

Well, sort of.

The talented singer is actually shown below in a shot from a recent commercial he shot with fellow Idol finalists. Still, Cook looks comfortable in the outfit, doesn’t he? It should be nice to know he has a back-up career if this singing thing doesn’t work out.

While Jeff Archuleta may deny that he’s a controlling father, his son will need to finish his run on American Idol without the assistance of his dad.

According to reports, Jeff has had his backstage access revoked, leaving David Archuleta to practice on his own as the series heads to a conclusion.

Jeff Archuleta, seated on the right, isn’t loved behind the scenes of American Idol.

People says Jeff Archuleta is accused of overstepping his boundaries when he wanted David to alter his “Stand By Me” performance by adding a verse from Sean Kingston’s 2007 summer hit “Beautiful Girls.”

Show sources said Jeff ignored the producers’ objections, which led to problems with the song’s publisher. Despite being banned backstage, the elder Archulea will be allowed to sit in the audience during the live show.

With American Idol down to its final three contestants, David Archuleta remains the favorite (even though we prefer the stage presence of David Cook).

Below, the 17-year old cutie speaks with Billboard about his experiences so far on the show:

It seems like you’re always emotionally connected to the lyrics you’re singing.
When I was younger, I didn’t know what made me sing the song differently or how I sang it. I still don’t really understand fully, but the lyrics do mean a lot to me now, a lot more than before. I didn’t even pay attention to the lyrics when I was 12, 13.

Probably around the second year I did “Star Search” is when I paid more attention to the lyrics. I thought the music itself had such a power to it and now that I’ve understood how powerful lyrics are as well, I think that has allowed me to progress.

Simon Cowell said David Archuleta “crushed” the competition this week.

Earlier this season, you talked about suffering vocal paralysis a few years ago. Were you worried you wouldn’t be able to sing again?
The year after “Star Search” is when I found out I had vocal paralysis. That’s when I was really struggling, barely getting through a minute-and-a-half song. I took a break after that, because I thought, “I can’t do this.” I was having a hard time singing and I didn’t have a range back then and I didn’t know if it was permanent or not. I had no idea what it was.

I’d never even heard of it. I didn’t know your vocal chords could get paralyzed. After a while, I thought, “I need to start singing again. I just love it too much.” You know, there’s just something about it that makes you feel something that you can’t feel anywhere else.

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Jason Castro may have been voted off American Idol last night, but at least the talented crooner can take comfort in the fact that he advanced farther than any other dreadlocked singer that appeared stoned all the time in the show’s history.

Following the Idol tradition of saluting each eliminated finalist with a farewell montage, here are a series of Jason Castro photos from the last few months. Click on them now for enlarged versions…