Susan Pierce: David Cook locked up the title the night he sang “Billie Jean.” We’ve just been marking time until the confetti falls tomorrow night.

Clint Cooper: I still have hopes for David Archuleta, but I believe David Cook has pulled in the support of most of the other people who have been eliminated and will pull it out. I liked David A.’s voice from the first time I heard it and believe he can have a very successful career if he keeps his seeming humility about him and keeps his stage father at an arm’s length.

I’m really delighted that the “American Idol” finale is between two ostensibly good young men. David Cook, with his vocal range, the variety of songs he is comfortable with singing and the arrangements he has chosen, has shown he has the tools to become a star. His age and looks enhance that package. I’ll still cheer for David Archuleta to pull it out, but I believe David Cook will wear the crown.

Karen Nazor Hill: David Archuleta has a beautiful voice, but David Cook is the one who should earn the title. He’s got the voice, the look, the charisma and maturity. Archuleta is simply too immature to handle the responsibility of being the American Idol. The teenager needs more time to be a teenager and not a full-time singer. I don’t think his maturity level could handle the pressures of being the American Idol. Unfortunately, his stage father may continue pushing him until he either makes him or breaks him.

Cook, on the other hand, is 100 percent ready to be American Idol. Cook has the determination and talent to make it all the way. He won’t be one of the American Idols to fall by the wayside. Cook has the determination to make it big, and I think he will.

Anne Braly: It’s David Cook all the way for me. His versatility, as I’ve said time and again, is what makes a good singer, and he has David Archuleta beat hands down. I don’t care what young Archuleta sings, it sounds the same over and over again. Simon Cowell’s remark about his singing last week says it all. When he picked his own song, “With You” by Chris Brown, Cowell compared him to a Chihuahua imitating a tiger. Good comparison, though I find that hard to picture. He is young, but so was Jordin Sparks. So I don’t think we can say he shouldn’t be the Idol because of his age. It’s because of his voice. Yes, he can carry a tune, but — and this sounds like a broken record — he just doesn’t have the tonal quality, or the maturity, of David Cook.

Christine Simmons: For me there is no comparison. David Cook is a natural talent and should win. But David Archuleta has a huge fan base, and the little girls love him. I think it’s going to be very close. I almost hate to see Cook get locked into that contract with “American Idol.” I would love to see him do what Chris Daughtry did and put together his own band and make his own choices instead of being led around by “Idol” producers. While on the other hand, I can’t see Archuleta being able to do anything on his own. Of course, from what we’ve all heard about his father, I don’t think Archuleta will be making any decisions on his own anyway. David Cook is clearly more talented, but we all know it’s not just about talent.

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