Crossword puzzle enthusiast David Cook proudly declared himself a "word nerd" during his Season 7 "American Idol" run, and he indulges this side of his personality in his brand-new video for "The Last Goodbye," as he broodingly scribbles in spiral notebooks, in newspapers, and on pizza boxes.

His scrawls are just lyrics for the video's titular song, of course--but a series of "Three's Company"-style misunderstandings leads the world to think they're beachside suicide notes, and that he has drowned...and the Idol community mourns.

Sounds morbid, yes--Cook fans are probably freaking out just imagining their Idol landing in a watery grave (a scary headline in one of those newspapers). But fear not: David survives to rock again, and the video has a very funny, very cute ending.

David lives! What do you think of his long-awaited new video?

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The average American has a better chance of being struck by lightning than making it onto "American Idol." This is a statistical fact. No wonder the few, the proud, who have appeared on the show share such a special bond--even if they competed on different seasons (or even competed against each other!). So when The Hollywood Reporter's Shirley Halperin organized an "Idol Allstars" photo shoot in Los Angeles this month for the magazine's big "Idol" finale issue, it was a total lovefest, a giant family reunion.

Read The Hollywood Reporter's "American Idol" Cover Story

Thirty former Idols (29 runners-up, plus Season 8 winner Kris Allen), ranging from Season 1's Kristin Holt Adams to this season's Casey Abrams and Pia Toscano, gathered to take a "Class of 2002-2011" photo, and here's the magic that ensued:

The idea behind this historical shoot was that even if most of these contestants didn't make it all the way on "Idol," they've since used the show as a springboard for their showbiz

"American Idol" judges and viewers alike love "moments"--those breakout, breath-taking performances that have everyone gabbing around the watercooler the next morning, and are seen in "Idol" highlight reels and remain on fans' DVRs for seasons to come. We've had a couple standout performances this year--Haley Reinhart's "House Of The Rising Sun" and "I Who Have Nothing" come to mind--but have any of them measured up to the greatest performances of the past nine seasons?

Well, no. While a decade of "Idol" has yielded countless cringe-worthy karaoke performances that had Simon Cowell making cat-in-a-blender analogies and Randy Jackson using the word "pitchy" more times than he says "in it to win it," there have been many excellent performances as well, ones that have lent the show much-needed credibility. Below are my top 10 all-time picks; what are yours? Feel free to nominate your favorites on the message board below.

10) Casey James - "Jealous Guy"
True "wow moments" were sadly few

"American Idol's" Ryan Seacrest may make the big bucks, but really, it's Cat Deeley who is the hostess with the mostess. Her effusive English charm adds so much to "So You Think You Can Dance," and her love for the cast members is evident in everything she does.

Case in point: I recently attended the Season 8 "SYTYCD" callbacks in Las Vegas, and I couldn't help but notice that she sat in the Planet Hollywood theater for the entire all-day session, avidly observing all the dancers' solos. No wonder the contestants (and not just smitten allstar Dominic Sandoval) adore her so much.

"You know how much I love my job," Cat told me that fun day. "I'm a pretty happy bunny." Watch below to see this bunny happily discuss Season 8 (which premieres May 26), this year's crop of talent, and if she thinks she might finally earn a Best Host nomination at the Emmys this year.

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