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David Cook crowned new 'American Idol'

The e scruffy rocker thrashed the Kewpie doll. David Cook, a 25-year-old bartender from Missouri, was recently named the winner of Fox's "American Idol".With a record 97.5 million votes cast, Cook beat 17-year-old Utah resident David Archuleta by 12 million votes. His victory was a stunning rebuke to judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, who had all but crowned Archuleta the winner.
The 126-minute live finale brought out just about every entertainer in the Los Angeles area looking to plug a product. George Michael, Bryan Adams, Boston's own Donna Summer, ZZ Top, the Jonas Brothers, Graham Nash, OneRepublic and previous "Idol" winners Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks all performed. Mike Myers promoted his upcoming film "The Love Guru" in character and warned baby-faced Archuleta about "making a boom-boom in his Pull-ups."
It wouldn't be "Idol" without gratuitous humiliation. Seacrest introduced a montage of the worst singers from the audition round. Then the worst of the worst, Renaldo Lapuz, came onstage singing his endless tribute to brotherhood and was joined by the marching band from the University of Southern California. In one of the show's funniest bits, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel introduced a montage of Cowell's greatest insults set to music.
Will Cook's victory restore any credibility to "Idol"? The No. 1 network show on prime time has seen its lead slashed by millions as ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" picks up momentum. In what is expected to be the first of several changes, Fox announced that the regular Wednesday results show will be reduced to a half-hour. Cook's win is no predictor of success. Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks recently was dumped by his label.
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