David Cook News

For now.

The real battle between these two American Idol finalists will go down in November, when each releases his debut CD.

But David Archuleta's first single, "Crush," has outperformed David Cook's initial song so far.

Archie's "Crush" debuted at number-two on the Hot 100 singles chart, a knockout blow to Cook's number-three bow in June with "The Time of My Life."

As a result, David A. is the first American Idol runner-up to out-rank the winner in head-to-head single competition since Clay Aiken outsold Ruben Studdard in 2003. And we all know how the future for those two artists turned out.

Stay tuned to see if Archuleta can have Aiken-like success in the future!

On an unspecified date in November, both David Cook and David Archuleta are expected to release their debut albums.

Whose do you think will sell more copies?

David Cook and David Archuleta greeted fans in Washington, D.C. before a stop on the 2008 American Idols Live tour.

Here are shots of the finalists:

Life is pretty good when you're an American Idol finalist.

Season seven champion David Cook and fellow singer Carly Smithson hung out on the field with the New York Mets prior to an August 2008 baseball game. Both crooners look right at home in the uniforms, don't they?

Having promised fans a rock record that's true to himself, David Cook has confirmed that the music maven tasked with helping him realize that goal is Rob Cavallo.

The producer has already lent his talents to high profile projects from My Chemical Romance, Kid Rock, and, most extensively, Green Day. Last season's American Idol champion is confident that Cavallo is the right person for his upcoming release.

"I think he's a great producer with the kind of sound that I want," Cook told Entertainment Weekly. "And in talking to him, he's just a good guy. Like the song selection I had on the show, Rob just fit."

Not exact date has been given yet for the release of the debut David Cook album, but you can expect it some time this fall.

At last night's Teen Choice Awards, a quarter of American Idol finalists posed on the red carpet for fans.

Here's a look at David Archuleta, David Cook, Katharine McPhee and Jordin Sparks. Click on each of the following images now for larger versions...

American Idol winner David Cook is currently at work on his debut. It's due in November and he recently spke on his goal for the CD:

''Something that's undeniably me... I got to write with Ed Roland from Collective Soul, Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace.... I'm gonna keep a few close to the vest. I like surprises.''

Here's a look at Cook, hard at work in the studio:

David Cook sang the national anthem before Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals.

Cook looked nervous. What do you think of the job he did?

What will the first David Cook album be about? Let's ask the American Idol winner himself!

“It’ll probably be a rock record. I just want to make a record that’s going to make the hair on your neck stand up. Even if it doesn’t do well commercially, as long as I can put out a record I am proud of, that’s the goal right now. And hopefully the success will follow.”

Will you buy a David Cook album?

** Update: We hear the album is set for a fall 2008 release. Said Tom Corson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, RCA Music Group:

"David Cook is an extraordinarily versatile and talented artist with an impressive sense of musicality. He is a natural performer and a true star. We are thrilled to welcome him into our family.”

Did David Cook expect to win American Idol? Heck, he barely expected to make it past the initial round of auditions.

"I just figured I'd go in, sing a song and they'd say I wasn't what they were looking for. I'd go back to Tulsa to work on my record some more," Cook told reporters during a Friday conference call. "Apparently, somebody had another plan."

That's for certain.

In the end, Cook defeated David Archuleta by a 56% to 44% home viewer voting margin, roughly 12 million total votes.

"I think that number is actually really misleading," Cook said. "Obviously within the bubble of Idol, it's hard to kind of get a vibe for what's going on. But I definitely thought [Archuleta] was probably a little bit ahead of me if I'm being honest. I attribute the finale vote discrepancy just to my fans being awesome. I don't really know how else to explain it."