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David Cook vs.
David Archuleta on
American Idol Finale
It's
what everyone had
been predicting: A
David Cook vs. David
Archuleta finale on
American Idol and
Gambling911.com is
predicting a massive
betting frenzy like
unlike any other
season.
Payton O'Brien,
Senior Editor of
Gambling911:
"The
competition between
these two is so
close that the odds
will not be
outrageous for
either like in past
seasons."
O'Brien was
referring to past
American Idol
betting seasons
where the likes of
Carrie Underwood,
Taylor Hicks and
Jordin Sparks were
big favorites
heading into the
finale.
"We
anticipate odds for
the American Idol
finale opening
around even for both
Davids and the line
is likely to
alternate throughout
the week," O'Brien
said.
Cook
was born in Houston,
Texas and raised in
Blue Springs,
Missouri. Cook's
interest in music
began early in life;
he received his
first guitar at the
age of 2. He began
singing in second
grade, when his
elementary school
music teacher gave
him a solo in a
school choir
performance. He
proceeded to perform
in virtually every
Christmas and PTA
program.
Cook
was the lead singer
and guitarist of the
band Axium from 1999
until 2006. He
formed Axium in his
junior year of high
school with drummer
Bobby Kerr. One of
the band's songs,
"Hold," was picked
up by AMC Theatres
Movie Tunes and was
played before
previews on over
20,000 screens
nationwide. Axium
was also named one
of the top 15
independent bands in
the country in the
"Got Milk?"
independent band
contest, and it was
chosen as the best
band in Kansas City
in 2004.
In 2006, after the
breakup of Axium,
Cook relocated to
Tulsa, Oklahoma, and
joined the regional
touring band Midwest
Kings, playing
guitar, bass, and
singing backup
vocals. He recorded
one EP, Incoherent
with Desire to Move
On, with the band in
2006. He also worked
as a bartender at
several Tulsa clubs,
including Blank
Slate and Rehab
Lounge.
Cook released a solo
independent album,
Analog Heart, in
2006, the year he
graduated from the
college. It
was written from
2004 to 2006, and he
designed the artwork
as well. The album
was chosen as the
fourth-best CD
released in 2006 by
website Music Equals
Life. Cook also won
the Urban Tulsa
Weekly's "Absolute
Best of Tulsa" award
for "Best Locally
Produced,
Independent Album"
in 2007. He had
completed recording
his sophomore album
before his
appearance on
American Idol.
Over the weekend of
April 18 to April
20, 2008, Analog
Heart was listed as
the number one album
for "Today's Top MP3
Albums" on
Amazon.com. Soon
there after, the
album was removed
from Amazon.
As
for David Archuleta,
at the age of
twelve, Archuleta
won the Junior
Singers competition
on Star Search.
Archuleta started
singing when he was
six because he was
inspired by Les
Misérables
10th-anniversary
concert: Live at the
Royal Albert Hall
video (starring Colm
Wilkinson, Lea
Salonga and others)
he was watching,
"That musical is
what started all of
this." He
started performing
as an entertainer at
ten years old when
he participated in
the Utah Talent
Competition singing
"I Will Always Love
You" by Dolly Parton;
he received a
standing ovation,
and won the kid
division.
Despite news that
American Idol Season
7 has lost a large
number of viewers,
many anticipate this
being among the
highest rated
finales for the
show.
-----
Christopher
Costigan,
Gambling911.com
Publisher
CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com
Originally published
May 14, 2008 10:13
pm EST
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