Today Hot Report

As expected, a David did win the seventh season of “American Idol.” Just not the David some of us (ahem) predicted.

David Cook, Texas-born, Missouri-raised, and a former bartender who will never have to tend another bar in his life, won “Idol” Wednesday night, and it wasn’t even close. Per Ryan Seacrest, 97.5 million votes were cast, and of those about 55 million votes went to Cook.

He didn’t look that surprised when the nod went to him just before 10. “I started this season as the word nerd, and I’m at a loss for words,” he said, wiping away tears, and maybe a season of doubting Thomases who believed he would never make it this far. “This is amazing. Thank you.” And he turned away from the audience, before welcoming his brother, Andrew, on the stage.

“This is his fault.” Yes, some fault. His brother encouraged him to audition last year for “Idol,” and now the rest is history. Adam — “AC” — is his other brother, suffering from cancer and an unseen presence on this season’s show. His initials have appeared on his brother’s guitar and his illness has been part of the Cook legend.

Not that Cook milked the “sympathy vote.” He didn’t. It was just impossible to ignore.

And the other David? The 17-year-old Utah native was the front-runner much of the season. He stumbled during the Beatles rounds, but “Idol” — cleverly — never indicated that his votes were starting to tail behind Cook’s, as they did (per bloggers) about five weeks ago. On Tuesday’s finale, he easily won the duel of the front-runners: He sang better, and with more passion, than Cook, but perhaps Simon Cowell’s words should have served as a sign of things to come. For years, Cowell’s reputed get-out-the-vote strategy for his favorite has been to chastise the contestant he wants to win. Why? So that fans will be motivated to vote against Simon.

Begs, of course, another question: Why would “Idol” and Cowell want David Cook as opposed to the equally gifted David Archuleta to win? Perhaps because “Idol” and its record producing sibling, 19 Entertainment, simply believe David Cook will sell more records in the long run. (Also, Archuleta’s father, Jeffrey, was considered difficult and a meddling backstage dad — not fun as a potential partner.)

Meanwhile, how about that finale? Exhausting, endless (nearly) and undeniably entertaining. The show was sort of like an extended time-warped Grammys, spread over half a century, with stars who appeal to a demographic spread between the ages of 8 and 80. For a show that’s been buried by critics, pundits, and opposing networks anxious to throw some dirt on the “Idol” coffin, last night’s capper sure acted like a lively, culturally aware corpse.

It started with a Nickelback duet between the two Davids and ended with George Michael.

What did this all mean? That “Idol” had something to prove. This megahit can still draw the big names, create an “Event,” and make the pundits swallow their words.