David V. David on American Idol Finale

The American Idol finale, David v. David, has left me a little conflicted.

I believe David Archuleta will win. And I want him to win. Well, sort of.

In one corner, you have David Cook, who is arguably the best raw talent American Idol has ever seen. He is different, he is a good singer, he is original and creative, and he definitely has charisma on stage.

In the other corner, you have David Archuleta, who is definitely an adorable little teenager. He has a fantastic voice and is one of the most technically sound vocalists I've ever seen on the show. He's also a heartthrob for all of the pre-teen and teen females in the American Idol demographic. I'm sure his puppy-dog, blue eyes and dark features have caused many a 13-year-old girl to swoon.

This is where it becomes difficult. I think Cook is by far the better all-around performer. Does he have the purest, most technically sound singing voice? No. But what he does have is the ability to drive ticket sales.

Cook is fun to watch on stage. Pardon the pun, but he's great at making love to the camera when he performs. His husky rock sound and sultry looks into the camera certainly have aided his progress on American Idol.

And while I respect and admire Archuleta's vocal gift, watching him perform is sort of like watching a high school choral concert. He's a fantastic singer. But he's also somewhat boring and cheesy.

Archuleta would be perfectly cast in one of Disney's High School Musical movies. I can see him fantastically playing the role of Aladdin in a stage adaptation of Disney's animated feature.

Conversely, Cook draws me in, and I'm excited every time he's about to perform because I never know what amazing arrangement he'll be performing. He's also a great guitar player (in my humble, but not expert, opinion).

Cook is at home on stage, and I could see him performing with the likes of other rock greats.

Archuleta does not have the same stage presence as Cook, and I can see him performing for soccer moms and teenage girls. While those demographics have quite a bit of disposable income, their tastes are also very fickle.

It's likely, should Archuleta win on Wednesday, that he will have a highly successful, five-year-or-less career. There is only so much you can do with pop music, and Archuleta really lacks his own style and character to bring something different to the music world.

Cook, on the other hand, could have a very sustainable product that would keep him in the limelight over the long haul. He has his own style that would allow him to continue producing a variety of musical sounds, and his audience would likely be less fickle than the typical bubble-gum pop crowd that follows the American Idol winner.

At the same time, I do not want to see Cook strapped into a bubble-gum pop contract as stipulated by winning American Idol. Like Chris Daughtry and Blake Lewis before him, Cook is likely better served NOT winning American Idol.

So during the finale, I'll be sitting on my hands to avoid texting a vote for my favorite contestant, David Cook, knowing he will achieve far better things in his career than winning American Idol.