Live Blog: Battle of the Davids

9:00 - Has anyone figured out what this Ruben Studdard song means? Oh well, whatever. I'll allow him to celebrate me out of this live blog. Goodnight!

8:58 - If Simon really means that the show is about finding a great performer, is Archie really the best? His stage moves haven't changed since the first round, he often sounds as if he's running out of breath during song verses, and he's kind of awkward. Cook has faults too, but in the contemporary music market, whose CD will really sell? Anyone out there reading, please weigh in on this one. I would buy a CD by a David Cook. I wouldn't buy a CD by a David Archuleta. And that is just the honest to blog truth.

8:56 - Archie's performance helps me remember that, before choosing to ignore some of his later faux pas, the judges were right saying that David Archuleta has a great voice.

8:51 - Um, gross. Did someone actually lose the tip of his thumb in someone's food on tonight's Hell's Kitchen? That promo makes me glad I don't watch that show.

8:49 - Instead of picking a song he'd already done so well on, I think Archuleta should have given one of his missteps another shot (even though the judges commentary this season would hardly allow you to think he'd had any). We'll see how "Imagine"-redux goes soon enough.

8:48 - Why is Simon hardcore pimping lil' Archie tonight? And did he just wink at Cook?

8:47 - He's standing in his truth? What does that mean, Paula!?

8:46 - Yet another subdued final note for Cook. Nice job. This song choice was much better than last week's Switchfoot song. And he always gets me with those tears.

8:43 - I hope Cook keeps it acoustic.

8:42 - Who is that boxing guy, and why are they giving Andrew Lloyd Webber, the worst guest judge of the season, more screen time?

8:36 - I won't fault Archie for the awfulness that was that song. He didn't have anything great to choose from, I get it. I am so sick of hearing Randy saying this kid can sing the phone book. I for one would not pay to hear that. Or anything else that he puts out, but that's just me. It's surprising to me that Simon would prefer yet another sappy ballad out of the AI winner to something uptempo.

8:35 - Did anyone else just see those tickety-tack fake nails some girl in the pit was wearing? They were on extreme close-up, so they were hard to miss.

8:28 - I'm afraid Cook may have given off a bit to much of an 80's vibe with this "Dream Big" song, but the simple fact that he didn't sing it as a ballad is a MAJOR improvement over the past six Idol winner songs.

8:24 - Interesting spin on the song competition. The Davids get to choose which of the entries sucks the least. And, based on Slezak's review of the entries, sucks least is about the truth.

8:19 - Side note. Archie should now be considered part of the four-way song showdown over "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Was he better than Clay Aiken, Bo Bice, or Justin Guarini? I don't know, and I certainly don't have the energy to watch all three of their performances to decide.

8:17 - Archie has a nice voice, but is he interesting? That performance doesn't have me convinced that he is.

8:16 - That faraway shot of Archie all alone on the steps was kind of sad.

8:13 - Pretty solid start for Cook. Resisted the urge to put forth his typical power note at the end. Moved around the stage instead of sticking like glue to the mic stand. All in all, he looks good up there.

8:11 - U2 for Cook and Elton John for Archie? Not your best work, Clive.

8:10 - Let's get this party started. Clive Davis better have some good stuff picked out for these guys.

8:05 - David Archuleta may not have made the best decision. Going after David Cook will only work if David Cook doesn't flip whatever crap song they've got to sing this year into something kind of awesome.

8:00 - Super cheesy boxing-style intro? Totally unnecessary.