Ode to David Cook, American Idol Cutie

Well, I can't help it. Lately I've tried to blog all reflective like and serious, and stay away from all the pop culture, but I guess the shallow side of me wins out. Especially with Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Greys, and Desperate Housewives all having had finales this week, I have some catching up to do. Starting with American Idol.

I was so glad to see David Cook win. Not that Archuleta wasn't talented. It's just that from the get go, David Cook has performed songs that could be on the radio tomorrow. And all of them sounded different. David Archuleta needs a little variety in his repertoire. Enough with the ballads.

The finale was great. Better than last year I thought.

Moments I loved:

• Jason Castro doing Hallelujah. He's so pretty.


• Anytime Michael Johns was onstage. Sigh.


• The guys singing Summer of 69.
  
• The girls singing She Works Hard for the Money. That's my theme song.


• The medley of George Michael songs.


• David Cook fronting for ZZ Top.


• Simon apologizing to David Cook. I felt like it was a long time coming. I was still miffed from way back when he called him out for being a word nerd. I happen to like word nerds.


• And of course, the Guitar Hero homage to Risky Business. But only the David Cook one.
  

Moments I could've done without or would've liked to change:

• Anytime Amanda was onstage. Did they have to tie her up and drag her there to get her to perform? I've never seen anyone look so miserable on stage.


• The Michael/Carly duet. While I liked the Michael portion (see above) I never cared for Carly.


• Where was Kristy Lee Cook's solo or duet? Why didn't she get one and some of the others did? (She, Chickeze, and Ramile were the only ones from the Top 10 who didn't get their own stage time...)


• The Jonas Brothers. Why were they there at all?? All the other acts had AI Contestants with them.


• The costume mistakes--putting pretty Jordin Sparks in that horrid gold dress, AND forgetting to put enough material on the bottom of whatever that was Carrie Underwood had on.

My other thoughts? First, the only thing I don't like about David Cook is the pair of weird boots he wears. They are black and the toe of them points upward like elf shoes. They make his feet look like planks. Lose the boots David, and you'll go far!

Was it just me, or did David Archuleta sound better on the One Republic song that the actual lead singer usually sounds? That style of music should be his niche, he just needs to learn to do some faster songs too. (and NOT in the style of Chris Brown as we saw him do a couple of weeks ago)

As usual, I hated the hokey American Idol winner song at the end.

I predict there will be a few from this season who go on to have reasonable success in the music industry. And some who will ride their wave of fame over to the TV Guide network along with their previous season counterparts.

The song of the day was hard to decide on. Obviously a David Cook song from this season. Billie Jean was good. Hello was good. So was You Don't Wanna Miss a Thing. I was really torn, but I decided my favorite was his rendition of Mariah Carey's Always Be My Baby. So enjoy!

Pomp and Circumstance

Okay, I don't dispense advice very often, at least not publicly. But as the graduation season is upon us, I couldn't help but make a list of my best "I wish I'd have known" tidbits.

I have 3 special high school graduates in my life this year, and each of them are about to embark on an exciting adventure.

So Diana, Dustin, and Jessica...here's my take on life after graduation.

1. Don't beat yourself up over mistakes you make. And you will make them. Learn from them, try not to make the same mistake twice, but forgive yourself.
2. When a good opportunity comes your way, take it. Don’t let fear of the unknown hold you back. I had never been on an airplane before I spent a semester in Italy. I almost let that fear, along with a controlling ex-boyfriend, keep me from going. Today, I’m so glad I went—since that summer, I’ve traveled all over the world and the boyfriend isn’t even on my radar anymore.
3. Pray. Your life will get busy. Classes will be harder, work will be tougher, relationships and social outings will become higher priorities. Even so, carve out time daily for prayer. You’ll be glad you did.
4. Meet new people. You never know when you’re going to meet a lifelong friend. The best friends I have today, those who I know will be in my life until we’re little old ladies at the nursing home, I didn’t meet until I was out of high school.
5. Your heart will get broken. You will probably break someone else’s heart too. It’s okay. Someday you will look back on it and see how it helped you to get where you needed to be.
6. Keep a journal.
7. Go to class. It will be tempting to skip. Especially in those classes where the professor doesn’t take roll. You’ll be sleepy and will have something better to do. Go to class anyway.
8. Try and eat healthy. It won’t always be possible, but don’t eat pizza and burgers every night. If you do, it will take a toll, not only on your weight, but also on your health.
9. Take responsibility for your actions. If you mess up, admit it. If you hurt someone, apologize. You’re a grown up now, and can’t expect your parents to smooth things over for you anymore.
10. Finally (and I hate to be a cliché) remember who you are and whose you are. I know, it’s something grandma’s say, but seriously. You never know who looks to you as an example. Younger siblings or cousins, friends, or maybe even someone you don’t know very well. Make sure that your actions show people that you are a Christian.

And I’m off my soapbox now.

Song of the day…the Sunscreen Song. Thought it was appropriate. And I agree with most of it, so listen up!