I just added to the gallery tons of EXCLUSIVE (Unseen pictures) from recent appearances and a new/old candids set from ‘American Idol’ studios. Enjoy Cookies! (:

GALLERY LINKS:
- (Unknown date) David Cook on ‘American Idol’ set [1000px / EXCLUSIVE]
- Nov 12 - ‘The Wright Thing’ @ Red Carpet [1000px / EXCLUSIVE]
- Nov 18 - Debut Album Release and Concert [1000px / EXCLUSIVE]

Here are some pics:

GALLERY LINK:
Nov 12 - TRL

Idol Gives Back Distributes over 64 million to charities:
According to the Associated Press, American Idol has distributed more than 64 million dollars in grants to six US and international charities from contributions raised during last spring’s Idol Gives Back special. Grants have been made to The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Malaria No More; Children’s Health Fund; U.S. programs of Save the Children; Children’s Defense Fund; and Make It Right, Pitt’s campaign to help New Orleans recover from Hurricane Katrina.
The first IGB, broadcast last year, raised over 75 million dollars. Lots of money going to good charities. Good work!
However, the producers may be taking a break next year:

“I would like to take a break, personally,” said FremantleMedia North America CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz in May. “In the U.K., they do ‘Comic Relief’ every two years. I think that’s the right amount of time. I don’t think you should go back to the country and ask them to donate every single year. I think it’s too much. Every two years to me feels right.”

Source

Speaking of time crunches, it was 11 p.m. when I reminded Archuleta that his pal David Cook was about to perform on Saturday Night Live. “It’s on soon, I know!” he yelped. “Think they’ll make fun of me? I’m, like, an easy target. I’d be funny to make fun of, I’m so weird.”

Oh Archie. You make it too easy.

What else can we tell you? His favorite song on the new Cook album is “Life on The Moon,” and he wasn’t aware that Daylight Savings Time went into effect that same night.

• Source

David Archuleta, the runner-up of this year’s “American Idol,” is in Cincinnati, where he’s having anything but a superstar moment. The squeaky-clean, occasionally bashful and unconditionally adorable singer is appearing on a radio show with students from an all-girls school who collected 64 jugs filled with pennies to benefit a cancer charity.

If that seems like an odd way to spend a morning, it gives you just a taste of Archuleta’s bizarre life these days. But then again, he’s not the only “American Idol” vet named David for whom life has become an affair worthy of a “Twilight Zone” episode.

Immediately after more than 31 million people watched angsty/scruffy 25-year-old David Cook snatch the “Idol” crown from the reach of Archuleta’s tiny 17-year-old arms, both were whisked away to juggle two enormous tasks: hitting the road for the “American Idol” tour, and recording their new CDs at a breakneck pace so that both could be released in time for the holidays.

“I was really nervous at the beginning because this is something I always wanted to do, and it happened so fast,” Archuleta says. “The night of the finale, they’re like, ‘OK, you’re gonna be working with Jive.’ I was like, ‘Whoa.’ “

Now, with “David Archuleta” set for release by 19 Recordings/Jive on Nov. 11 and “David Cook” dropping through 19/RCA a week later, the world waits to see whether - much like in that other big “younger man vs. older dude” battle that’ll be playing out nationwide on Tuesday - age and experience can win out over youthful charisma.

Or, in the parlance of the now-legendary “American Idol” post-show sales battle between the winner and the runner-up, whether David vs. David will be the next Kelly vs. Justin or the next Clay vs. Ruben.

Whatever the result, the path to it was nerve-racking for both.

“It was kind of all over the place, because I was trying to work on the album while I was on tour,” says Archuleta, who, as he’s prone to do, starts laughing in mid-sentence. “I mostly did it in LA. Some was in Utah, some was in Minnesota, some was in Oklahoma, some was in Indiana and some was in New York. Whenever I had a day off, I’d record in whatever city I was in.”

Travel mate Cook, meanwhile, endured the same crazy pace. Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day) assembled many of the 12 tracks on Cook’s album while the singer - who set a record the week after the “Idol” finale by placing 11 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 in one week - was still on the road with the tour.

(Full Story)

He has throngs of devoted fans and will soon be releasing an album, but David Cook says his life now isn’t too different than it was before winning American Idol.

“I think in one sense everything’s changed but in another sense nothing has,” says the reigning Idol champ. “There’s all these different things around me that I didn’t have a year ago. I was able to furnish a home and get a nice car and be able to treat my family to some of the things that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do.”

But, says the singer, 25, “I’m still a goober from the Midwest. Now I’ve just got a few more resources. I don’t feel like the show changed me at all.”

Cook spoke with PEOPLE after recording a performance video with his band for Walmart’s Soundchecks, which can be viewed online and in Walmart stores. (Watch a preview video in posts below.)

The singer, who will release his self-titled debut album Nov. 18, describes his music as “eclectic rock” with some songs featuring lots of riffs and others that are “very piano driven and delicate.”

“I got to show some different aspects of who I am as a person,” he says about the upcoming album.

Cook’s next gig: performing on this week’s Saturday Night Live hosted by Ben Affleck. “I grew up watching it like everybody else so to be apart of it in any capacity is obviously a huge honor,” he says, before adding that he’s “really nervous.”

“I’m going to make sure my shoelaces are tied so I don’t trip and fall on the floor!”

• Source

The hallways of EW HQ are abuzz — yes, abuzz! — as we hunker down and enter the serious planning stages of our annual Entertainer of the Year issue. (Last year’s winner, J.K. Rowling has added the title of Tea Party Hostess to her resume since wrapping up the little matter of her Harry Potter franchise.) And naturally, we want to get your input about which singers, actors, writers, directors, circus performers, and other assorted pop-culture standouts rocked your world in 2008.

For me, the first half of the entertainment year was defined by the David Cook-David Archuleta showdown on American Idol. Even thought my heart belonged to Carly Smithson and Jason Castro, it was the two Davids who gave us an epic, fan-mobilizing, household-dividing battle on par with Federer vs. Nadal, Coke vs. Pepsi, even chocolate vs. vanilla. And despite a million and one roadblocks from the show’s producers, the scruffy Midwestern rocker and the puppy-eyed teenage belter managed to make Idol’s seventh season a wildly addictive, and ultimately satisfying, viewing experience.

Surely, though, you guys have other ideas about who belongs on EW’s list of pop-culture MVPs for 2008 in addition to or (gasp) instead of Mr. Cook and Mr. Archuleta. We’re planning to mine the message boards for this PopWatch item to create an Entertainers of the Year gallery and bracket game, the results of which will appear in the pages of EW’s Entertainer of the Year issue in November. So don’t delay: Give us your nomination(s) for Entertainer of the Year below. We’re abuzz — yes, abuzz! — as we await your picks!

• Source

‘It’s kind of out of this world,’ singer says of his idol, Chris Cornell, co-writing the single.

If David Cook has learned anything on his whirlwind trip from obscurity to “American Idol” celebrity, it’s that, sometimes, it’s best to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Which probably explains why — despite the fact that he’s standing on a deserted football field on a rather frigid (well, at least for Los Angeles) Thursday night in October — he’s still got a mile-wide grin on his face. He’s here to shoot the video for “Light On,” the first single from his self-titled album, which hits stores November 18. And though he realizes the video is a fairly big deal (it’s directed by Wayne Isham, the guy behind Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Britney Spears’ “Piece of Me”), Cook will freely admit that he’s rather starstruck by the entire process. Which is odd, considering he’s the star.

“We did the first run-through, and I felt real timid because, obviously, I don’t have any experience. It’s not like I grew up shooting music videos,” he laughed. “It’s weird, man. Little things keep happening along the way that drive the point home that I’m doing something that’s both insane and really fulfilling, and this is one of those things. To be able to shoot a music video is kind of rad — especially something on this scale. So, you know, I hope I don’t blow it.“

(Full Story)

We’re not going to pretend we know what goes on in “American Idol” season-seven winner David Cook’s swirly little head. But a peep at some of the song titles on his upcoming self-titled debut, due November 18, definitely made us say, “Huh?” (But first, a caveat: We have not heard the album at all.)

The first one that grabbed our attention was “Bar-ba-sol,” which is either an homage to the original premium shave cream — in which case we applaud his blatant Chris Brown-like product placement at a time when musicians have to get their hustle on any way they can — or an homage to season-six pinup Antonella Barba, which we would also applaud. The track “Heroes” also has some obvious product-placement possibilities, but Cook might have to battle Wendy and Lisa if he wants to muscle his way onto the hit NBC show’s soundtrack.

Another title is “Mr. Sensitive,” which, given the sourpuss, dead-eyed stare Cooky is giving on the album’s Photoshop-tastic cover, makes total sense. We’re not saying it’s a potential jinx, but considering the struggles of male “Idol” winners and runners-up over the past few years, maybe having a song called “Permanent” on your debut is putting the chart before the horse.

We are intrigued, however, by the overcapitalization of the last song, “A Daily AntheM,” which we’ll assume is a shout-out to Cook’s older brother, Adam, whose struggle with cancer was an ongoing theme in last season’s drama. If that’s the case, Cook again proves that he’s a totally decent, stand-up guy with a huge heart. Otherwise, the songs appear to be the expected mix of rockers and ballads, including “Declaration,” “Light On” (co-written by Chris Cornell), “Come Back to Me,” “Life on the Moon,” “Lie,” “I Did It for You,” “Avalanche” and the sap-tastic coronation bonus track “The Time of My Life.”

• Source

So… what you think about this article? I guess his album will be the best! (:

I have added a bunch of pictures from the American Idol Tour (unseen pictures in a better quality than MQ), The mural presentation in Blue Springs, the New York vs. San Diego Padres game with Carly (Unseen pictures in a better quality than MQ), Light On cover and the most wanted: as I promised, the David Cook promo + Skechers in UHQ. I hope you guys enjoy and please if you get any picture credit us (:

GALLERY LINKS:
- American Idol tour @ Los Angeles [1000px] [EXCLUSIVE]
- American Idol Tour @ Florida / Sunrise [1000px] [EXCLUSIVE]
- David Cook Mural Presentation in Blue Springs
- New York Mets x San Diego Padres [1000px] [EXCLUSIVE]
- Official photoshoot [UHQ]
- Skechers photoshoot [UHQ]
- Light On (Cover)