As a way of highlighting the dichotomy of my entertainment tastes, here’s the yin to the yang of the post below…

David Cook was named the 2008 American Idol last night, which definitely came as a shock to a lot of people — even the judges thought his competitor David Archuleta would take home the title. I’m not sure how it happened, but there are millions of disappointed tween-age girls (and boys) this morning.

Apparently DialIdol.com predicted Cook would win (they track busy signals during the voting period), but I was still rendered speechless. My favorite going into the finale hasn’t won since Fantasia. Maybe that’s why I didn’t write about this season at all until now.

Anyway, congrats to David Cook. I look forward to hearing what he comes out with — hopefully the Idol svengalis will give him some creative control, because I think he knows what works for him.

As for the rest of the finale, it was wonderful to see my beloved Carly Smithson (pictured below) once again. I know some people didn’t like her, but I hoped she would go further in the competition. I would have much preferred her going head-to-head with Cook at the end (Archuleta is an undeniable vocal talent, but his sugary-sweet delivery didn’t do it for me). Here’s hoping Carly snags a recording contract as well.