Tulsa World - Tulsa, OK, USA - Now that Season 7 of "American Idol" is complete, it's time for winner David Cook and runner-up David Archuleta to take their next step.

That means trying to build and maintain a successful career in the music industry.

Some past winners have thrived, others not so much.

Here's a look at their careers and where they are today.

Season 1

WINNER: KELLY CLARKSON

Clarkson has definitely had one of the best post-"Idol" careers.

Her debut album "Thankful" went double-platinum and in 2004 she received a Grammy nomination.

With her second album, "Breakaway," she developed more of a pop-rock persona. With five Top 10 singles, she earned two Grammys.

Her

National Ledger - Apache Junction, AZ, USA - American idol Carrie Underwood will grace the stage in Hollywood once again.  Fresh off her big win and incredible performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM Awards) she will join the Jonas Brothers (Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas) for a big time finale for American Idol.  Both acts will take the stage Wednesday night when America votes for either David Archuleta or David Cook to become the season seven and reigning champion of American idol.

Carrie Underwood took home the female vocalist of the year the Academy of Country Music Awards on Monday night where she gave a humorous

Country Weekly - USA - The annual softball game, the kickoff event to the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, features two teams of celebrities in an afternoon of softball, fun and pranks. The game raises money for the City of Hope, a leading research and treatment center for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Phil Vassar, Chuck Wicks, Danielle Peck, James Otto and Jake Owen are also part of the all-star lineup, with others to be announced soon.

AHN - USA - Country music artist Carrie Underwood never forgot where she got her start. Underwood, who won Female Country Vocal Performance at Sunday's night Grammy's, thanked "American Idol" during her acceptance speech.

Underwood's song "Before He Cheats" won her the Female Country Vocal Performance award and the song also won the award for Country Song for songwriters Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins.

Underwood was the winner of season four of "American Idol." Following Idol, the Oklahoma resident soared to fame, becoming a multi-platinum selling recording artist. She was the first Idol winner to win awards from the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards

National Ledger - Apache Junction, AZ, USA - When Carrie Underwood took the title of American Idol during season four it was obvious that she had a lot of range. She is a born country singer, but could also deliver pop and now has show that she can deliver some serious rock and roll. She sounds incredible on the lyrics of "I Remember You," originally sang by Sebastian Bach of Skid Row.

But you don't have to take my word for it, you can see and hear it for yourself on video and Bach has penned a post that details that he wholeheartedly agrees that Carrie can

RTE.ie - Ireland - Carrie Underwood, the winner of the fourth series of 'American Idol', is to release her second album in the autumn.

Billboard reports that the as-yet-untitled record, the follow-up to 2005's 'Some Hearts', will be released on 23 October.

'Some Hearts' has been a bestseller in the US, providing the singer with hit singles 80 weeks after its release.

National Ledger - Apache Junction, AZ, USA - American Idol Carrie Underwood has her Dallas Cowboys QB in hot pursuit. According to a report in this week's National Enquirer, football star Tony Romo wants Carrie back in his life- so he tried to make her jealous by stepping out with a Carrie look-alike! And amazingly, it looks like Tony’s plan is working, because the former twosome are back in contact.

The mag reports that Carrie dumped the Dallas Cowboys quarterback because he refused to put their relationship before his football career. But Tony regrets making the move that ended the eight-month relationship. And he definitely

BuddyTV - USA - Die-hard fans of American Idol will be delighted to know that their favorite show is about to make waves in the fashion industry. Recently, FremantleMedia, the show’s producer and licensor, made a licensing agreement with Lyric Jeans, Inc. in order to create a “lyric-inspired” American Idol clothing line.

For those who are unfamiliar with the company, Lyric Jeans, Inc. specializes on designing clothes to reflect a particular song. Their unique designs allow wearers “to express themselves through the words of their favorite song.” The company is currently affiliated with a number of recording companies, including Warner Chappell, EMI,Universal,