David Cook claims 'Idol' crown

David Cook, who tried out for "American Idol [ tickets ]" on a whim while accompanying his brother to an audition, grabbed the coveted prize last night (5/21) after landing 56 percent of the 97.5 million votes cast in the deciding showdown between him and fresh-faced teen David Archuleta. "This is amazing. This is all your fault," Cook said to his brother, Andrew, before breaking down in tears. To those who watched the final performance night on Tuesday (5/20), the odds seemed stacked against Cook, who received mediocre reviews from judge Simon Cowell. That was especially true when Cook covered Collective Soul's "The World I Know.""I just want to say publicly you are one of the nicest, most sincere contestants we've had," Cowell said. "It was a beautiful song but I want to be honest with you, it was completely and utterly the wrong choice for you. You should have sung 'Billie Jean' or 'Hello,'" he added about songs Cook previously sang. On Tuesday, Archuleta and Cook each sang three songs. After Archuleta's trio of tunes, which included Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and John Lennon's "Imagine," Cowell proclaimed the Utah native the heir apparent. "David, you came out here tonight to win and what we have witnessed is a knock out," Cowell said to the gee whiz 17-year-old during the fight-themed finale. The other two judges, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, were all about Cook. After the Missouri resident's rendition of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Jackson proclaimed it "hot."Before host Ryan Seacrest dubbed Cook the winner on Wednesday, Cowell, uncharacteristically, took the opportunity to say he was sorry. Upon watching the television show after he went home, he said, the winner wasn't as clear cut as he thought. Cowell explained he wanted to apologize to Cook because he verged on being "disrespectful." Judge Randy Jackson called both Davids "winners." "This has been one of the strongest years ever," he said. Wednesday's results show wasn't without performances. However, most of the collaborations were from songs born long before "American Idol's" average viewer. Cook joined ZZ Top for "Sharp Dressed Man," and the six female finalists hooked up with Donna Summer for a medley of her hits. The top 12 paid homage to George Michael with a medley of his hits, before a rough-looking Michael took the stage to perform "Praying For Time." Finalists Carly Smithson and Michael Johns performed a rocked up version of the Box Tops' "The Letter." The top six men sang a handful of Bryan Adams songs before he came forth with a new tune. Brooke White and Graham Nash strapped on acoustic guitars for "Teach Your Children." On a contemporary note, "American Idol" winners Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood graced the stage. Archuleta teamed up with OneRepublic for its hit "Apologize." Early in the two-hour show, third-place winner Syesha Mercado and Seal offered his hit "Waiting for You."This year's Top 10 finalists will be appearing on the upcoming "American Idols Live [ tickets ]" tour, which gets underway July 1.