Here are some of the highlights from the Billboard article about the results: Amid deafening applause, David Cook was crowned the seventh "American Idol" tonight (May 21) at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre. The 25-year-old Blue Springs, Mo., native earned 56% of the record 97.5 million votes cast at last night's performance finale, defeating 17-year-old David Archuleta on the Fox TV series.

As the credits rolled, Cook, who was a bartender before auditioning for "Idol," sang "Time of My Life," which won the the show's songwriting competition. He cried as host Ryan Seacrest announced his victory, proclaiming, "I am absolutely at a loss for words right now." - Read more and check out Billboard's interviews with the finalists

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