Knockout punch? Tide seems to turn Archuleta's way on show

LOS ANGELES — Heading into the NOKIA Theatre on Tuesday night, the consensus seemed to be that David Cook would be the next "American Idol."

On the way out, however, things looked entirely different. David Archuleta fans were jumping up and down — literally — with enthusiasm. Cook fans were considerably more subdued.

Just when the tide seemed to have turned against him, Archuleta fought back with his not-so-secret weapon — his amazing voice. His three songs brought the crowd to its feet and brought major praise from the judges, while Cook didn't get the same kind of enthusiastic response. Particularly from the judges.

Simon Cowell went so far as to declare, "What we have witnessed is a knockout" by Archuleta.

"Idol" producers couldn't resist a boxing/fight theme that didn't get any less dopey as the night went along.

The judges weren't entirely sold on Cook's first song, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Randy Jackson said he was "not sure if you did everything you could with it."

But the judges fell all over themselves praising Archuleta's rendition of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me." Jackson said it was "molten hot"; Paula Abdul called it a "beautiful, stunning performance"; Cowell said it was "the best you've done so far" and gave the round to the Utah teen.

And the judges preferred Archuleta's rendition of "In This Moment" to Cook's performance of "Dream Big." The songs were from the "American Idol" songwriting contest.

If there was a knockout punch, it may have been Archuleta performing "Imagine" ("Stunning," Abdul said) for a second time in the competition. Fans were even singing it outside on the plaza after the show ended. It blew away the audience and overshadowed Cook's take on "The World I Know," which Cowell called "utterly the wrong choice" for the night.

"David Archuleta won the night for sure. He was amazing," said Laura Lovas of Los Angeles, who was in the audience. "He gives me goosebumps.

"It's pretty surreal to be there in person. The stage is larger than life and the talent is as well."

Lovas had turned into such an Archuleta fan she left the theater wearing a T-shirt with his face on it — a T-shirt she bought it at the "overpriced concession stand."