In "The world I know," David Cook would have put forth some effort to win

Round 3 is contestants' choice - they can choose whatever they want. In the past, I believe they've been able to choose their favorite song of the season. This year it seems like they can sing anything at all. Well, if David Cook is smart, he'll choose one of his many "wow" performances of the season... like "Hello," or "Eleanor Rigby," or "Billie Jean," or even "Always Be My Baby." David Archuleta has two choices - either try to relive his one shining moment by singing, "Imagine," or he could try something new - maybe an uptempo song??? Doubtful.

Anyway, looks like David Cook is not as smart as I thought - he chooses to sing "The World I Know" by Collective Soul, and as expected, David Archuleta is going with his security blanket song, "Imagine."

I'm beginning to wonder if David Cook even wants to win, because I have to be honest - it doesn't seem like he's really trying his best tonight. It makes me rethink the statement he made early on... he said that as far as he was concerned, the competition was over. It's been said before that winning "Idol" is actually a detriment to the "rockers," that it carries some kind of stigma. Is it possible that David may not really want to win the title, knowing that he'll probably sign a recording contract either way? I don't know - it's all I can think of to explain his choices tonight.

Anyway, the good thing is that David Cook's song is very nice - he plays the guitar and it's just a real mellow number, no running around the stage, he just stands in the middle of the stage and sings - and he sings the song perfectly. He does a fantastic job, but I still feel like he could have had this competition in the bag if he had sung "Hello."

He's really emotional and I wonder why - is it because it's the end of the show, or is it because he's singing on the stage at Nokia Theater or is it something deeper? Is he thinking about his brother, his family, his life? David Archuleta was emotional after Round 1 and has been on several other occasions, so it doesn't spark my curiosity as much. Plus the song he just sang is really deep - I wonder if it holds some meaning for him. Here are the lyrics...

Has our conscience shown?
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Has all the kindness gone?
Hope still lingers on.
I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in New York City
And I don't know why.

Are we listening?
Hymns of offering.
Have we eyes to see?
Love is gathering.
All the words that I've been reading
Have now started the act of bleeding
Into one.

So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below.
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down.
'Cause it's the world I know.
It's the world I know.

Anyway, Randy tells him one of the cool things about him is that he's showing people a lot of different sides of David Cook tonight, that this was a nice sensitive side of David and he loves Collective Soul and he thinks this is the kind of record he could make and get by with, that it was a very nice job. Paula says something about how he's standing up there in his truth and again, I apologize, but she sounded so ridiculous, I fast-forwarded her. Simon says he just wants to say publicly that he is one of the nicest, most sincere contestants they've had. He says he thought it was a beautiful song, but he's going to be honest with him, it was completely and utterly the wrong song choice for him tonight, because he should have sung "Billie Jean," or "Hello." Simon asks him if he understands what he's saying and David says "Yes and no." Ryan asks him to elaborate and he says that for him, this whole competition has been a progression and the way he was looking at it was, "Why do something I've already done?" But he says that he understands what Simon is saying, and for that, Simon gives him a little wink.


David Archuleta is next and to be honest, there isn't much to say - he sings "Imagine" and he sings it perfectly, just like he did the first time. OK, OK - I'll take a moment to be a softy about him - I was just thinking what it must be like for his parents - yes, even his crazy stage dad - to be sitting in the audience listening to their son sing like an angel. They must be so moved by him, so proud of him. But going back to the song choice thing, I think it could go either way for him - it could be seen as smart to choose a song he did so well with the first time around, especially one so popular, but next to David Cook, who some may say dared to do something new, David Archuleta runs the risk of looking a bit repetitive and cowardly. I guess we'll see tomorrow which way America saw it.

Randy says he's real happy and proud that it's the two Davids standing on the stage because the judges thought all season it would come down to this, and he tells David that he was so good tonight and that he's exactly what this show is about, finding the best singer they can find and the best singer of season 7 is right there. Paula says she's speechless, that he was stunning tonight. Simon says that at the end of the day, the show is about finding a star and tonight, he thinks they've witnessed one of the great finals, but here's the difference. In his opinion, David came out there tonight to win and what they have witnessed is a knockout.


So time to guess, I suppose. It's a tough one tonight, because if we're basing it on just tonight, I would have to say that David Archuleta is winning... but a competition that is won in one night alone isn't really a competition worth watching. Now, if you take the entire season into account, it gets even tougher, because they've both been good. In my opinion, though, David Cook has been better - he's been more daring, more original and more contemporary. So, like I said, it's a tough call. But, I'm gong to go with what Simon said a few weeks back. He said if this competition was based on talent, David Cook would win it. And I think this competition is supposed to be based on talent, so for that, I'm gong to stick to my guns and say that David Cook wins tomorrow night.