David Cook
Gossip (Page 3)

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.

Continue Reading...

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.

Yup, this headline pretty much sums up what went down in Las Vegas last week between the three remaining American Idol finalists and one very lucky mammal.

In between last week's performances and tonight's big final four showdown, David Archuleta, David Cook and Jason Castro all befriended a dolphin, of whom we're guessing millions of teenage girls are jealous...

Tonight, these three will join Syesha Mercado on stage for the latest set of American Idol performance. We'll have a full report on it tomorrow!

As most American Idol fans know by now, David Cook had tears in his eyes following his performance last week for a very good reason:

His cancer-stricken brother, Adam, was watching from the front now.

In an interview with B1027.FM, a radio station that helped facilitate the trip, Adam had the following to say about the experience:

"I am blown away. The support of the community made this possible, it literally just lifted my spirits to know I'm from Terre Haute. That might sound corny, but it's the God's honest truth. My feelings for back home were just amplified."

Deservedly so, Adam also received the VIP treatment.

"They came in and asked if it was okay if they seated Teri Hatcher and Minnie Driver next to us," Adam said. "When Teri sat down, I didn't even know who she was. She weighed all of 90 pounds. I expected her to be taller. But I'm not stupid. I figured it out. She's a desperate housewife and hey, I'm a desperate house something."

Tomorrow night, Adam and all other American Idol fans can hear David sing an Andrew Lloyd Webber song.

We'll publish a more in-depth review of American Idol later on. For now, allow us to praise the singing specimen that is David Cook.

His version of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" was original, entertaining and professional-sounding. We rocked out to it.

So did Randy Jackson, who gave Cook his first standing ovation of the season. Paula and Simon agreed that it was the best performance of the evening and we can only hope David Archuleta fans agreed. Even they have to admit it at this point:

This David is seriously cooking.

Check out David Cook rendition of "Always Be My Baby" right now. What do you think?

Like an endorsement for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton from Al Gore, the support of Jordin Sparks should mean a lot to this year's American Idol finalists.

With that in mind, the two heavy favorites - David Cook and David Archuleta - should rest easy tonight.

"I really like Jason Castro," Sparks told MTV News from the orange carpet at last weekend's Kids' Choice Awards. "I like his look, and I love his vulnerability. He goes out there, and if he messes up, he's just like, 'Oops.'

But I like David Cook too. I think the guys are where it's at this year. I love you, girls â€" please don't get me wrong â€" and I could be totally wrong, because the show is so unpredictable."

Jordin Sparks won American Idol last season. Who will win this season?

Come on now, Jordin, pick a winner.

"It's going to be either David Archuleta or David Cook," she said, before sating that she ultimately believes David Cook will be America's next Idol.

We hope she's right!

David Cook gave his millions of fans a scare last night.

As first reported by TMZ, Cook felt ill for most of yesterday and the condition worsened following his (outstanding) performance. The American Idol hopeful was examined by show doctors who determined his blood pressure was "far too high."

After the show, David Cook was taken to the hospital, but he wasn't rushed there by ambulance, as some celebrity gossip sites have reported.

It was a relatively calm experience, as the doctor gave Cook medication to bring his blood pressure down and sent David home.

An American Idol insider told TMZ that Cook has been stressed out due to his brother's recent cancer setback.

We'd like to wish the entire Cook family health and happiness.

Tuesday's American Idol featured the top 10 contestants performing songs from the year they were born. You'll be happy to know that not a single contestant â€" they are all far too young â€" sang anything by the Beatles, for a change!

It was a night of strong performances, but one stole the show.

Born in 1982, David Cook finished out the night with a stunning, brave performance of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." Cook slowed the dance track down, rocked it out and created an entirely new vibe for a very familiar song.

Randy Jackson described it as "original," "bold" and "molten hot." Paula Abdul was "blown away" while Simon Cowell, acknowledging the risk of changing the song so much, remarked on the singer's bravery and called David Cook "amazing."

David Cook might be the new frontrunner on American Idol after this.

Earlier, defying expectations, Kristy Lee Cook finally had a good night!

The cutie chose to perform "God Bless the U.S.A.," by Lee Greenwood from 1984, adding her familiar country twang. The judges liked it and praised Kristy Lee Cook for picking a both a "poignant" and "respectful" song.

Simon Cowell called it the "most clever" song choice he'd heard in years. We are pretty sure he was actually serious, as well.

The judges also seemed to like David Archuleta but only Cowell seemed to recognize his song (He sang "You're the Voice" by John Farnham).

They weren't quite feeling Carly Smithson, although she mastered "Total Eclipse of the Heart," but they loved Michael Johns, who combined two Queen songs, opening with "We Will Rock You" and finishing with "We Are the Champions."

But David Cook definitely owned the night.

Randy called him "the most original, the most bold contestant we've ever had" and suggested he "might be the one to win the whole lot."

Could Jackson be right? You tell us. Who do you think had the best - and the worst - performances from Tuesday's American Idol?

Here's David Cook doing "Billie Jean" from last night ...

Sorry, David Archuleta lovers, but you cannot forget the lyrics to a song and hold on to the top spot in our American Idol Power Poll.

Feel free to write in and voice your complaints about your favorite singer dropping in the rankings - just make sure not to forget the words when you do...

1. Brooke White: Every time we see White strumming the guitar or fingering the piano, we can't help but think of folk sensation Patty Griffin. White is an American Idol original with a huge career ahead of her.

2. David Cook: Chris Daughtry proved that an Idol rocker can have a bright future. Cook has a serious shot at being the first to actually capture the show's title.

3. David Archuleta: He's still cute. He still has a great voice. But fans must ask themselves: can you actually see Archuleta as a best-selling artist?

Stage fright got the best of David Archuleta last week. Can he recover?

On last night's American Idol, four contestants stood up and make one thing clear: David Archuleta hasn't won anything yet!

While everyone's favorite, 17-year old, former Star Search winner did a solid job with the Phil Collins' song "Another Day in Paradise," he wasn't on the receiving end of the evening's strongest praise from judges. That went to the following four hopefuls:

1. David Cook: His version of Lionel Richie's "Hello" was met with raves from Randy Jackson, who said the single could be a hit today. Simon Cowell echoed those sentiments, with: "David, that was a very brave thing to do, and I loved it."

2. David Hernandez decided to play directly into those gay rumors by singing Celine Dione's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." Gotta admire him for that. While not as beloved as Cook, Hernandez did hear the only words from Simon that anyone could ask for: "You've 100 percent secured a place in the finals."

3. Michael Johns sounded like the original singer of "Don't You Forget About Me." We agreed right away with what Randy said that it was a "good song choice," while even Paula Abdul made sense with: "I'm so glad you are the type of artist who is defining who you are."

4. Jason Castro: Hallelujah! This dreadlocked star calmly performed a stellar version of the son "Hallelujah." Simon summed it up thusly: "I thought it was absolutely brilliant what you just did... You are getting better and better and better. I'm very happy."

Who was your favorite performer of the night?