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Cook Is Having The Time Of His Life As 'Idol' Winner

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 22, 2008

The grown-up rocker triumphed over the smooth-voiced kid as David Cook claimed the "American Idol" title Wednesday, and it wasn't as much of a surprise as it seemed.

While 17-year-old David Archuleta was heaped with praise by the judges the night before, the voters decided otherwise - and did they ever. Host Ryan Seacrest said during Wednesday's show that 12 million votes was the difference, and they broke in the favor of the 25-year-old from Blue Springs, Mo.

Cook was overcome by emotion, bending toward the stage after his name was announced.

"This is amazing," he said. "This is all your fault," he added, addressing the brother who Cook had accompanied to the "Idol" audition that started it all.

Cook immediately took the microphone and began to sing "Time of my Life," which won the annual "Idol songwriting competition, to close out season seven.

Judge Simon Cowell skewered Cook's performances Tuesday and told Archuleta that he'd scored a "knockout" performance in the boxing-themed performance finale.

But right before Seacrest announced Cook as the winner, Cowell issued an uncharacteristic apology to the rocker for his critical remarks. Cowell went so far as to say that the remarks he made the night before were "verging on disrespectful."

"When I went back home and watched it, it wasn't quite so clear cut as we called it," he said to the final two.

Cowell congratulated and praised both Cook and Archuleta. Cowell even revealed that "for the first time ever, I don't really care who wins."

With a record 97.5 million audience votes cast by phone and text, the split between the two contestants was 56 percent for one David and 44 percent for the other, Seacrest announced at the start of the show.

Did the "America Idol" voters get this one correctly? Sound off on the outcome of the battle of the Davids at TBO.com, keyword: Idol.

Alba Marries Producer Warren

Jessica Alba's "taken" status is legal.

The 27-year-old actress quietly wed producer Cash Warren on Monday, her publicist, Brad Cafarelli, said Tuesday in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Cafarelli didn't give further details.

The pair became engaged in late December following Alba's announcement that she's expecting a baby with Warren, 31. They met on the set of the 2005 film "The Fantastic Four," which co-starred Alba and employed Warren as a director's assistant.

Today's Birthdays

Singer Morrissey is 49. Rhythm-and-blues singer Johnny Gill (New Edition) is 42. Model Naomi Campbell is 38. Olympic gold-medal speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno is 26.

CORRECTIONS

It is the policy of The Tampa Tribune to correct all errors of fact. To report an error, call (813) 259-7600 or e-mail news@tampatrib.com.

Source: The Associated Press

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