Cook released his CD "Analog Heart" in 2006 and although it failed to shoot him to stardom back then, downloads of it beat Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" on the Web site this past weekend, Fox columnist Roger Friedman notes.

It marks the first time an "American Idol" contestant has marketed a product before the end of the season and murks up the show's stated goal of making stars of undiscovered artists, Friedman wrote.

While fingering Cook as a "ringer," the columnist gave him props for possibly being smarter than judge Simon Cowell by releasing his music digitally -- thus possibly avoiding the mandatory first refusal right all "Idols" are required to give to recording giant BMG.