Rumor Has It

Rumor has it that this year’s American Idol had the best collection of talent since the show began seven years ago. I do not beleive this is a rumor, this is very true! On May 21st, 2008, David Cook, a 25 year old part-time bartender and soloist singer/songwriter as well as front singer for a rock band was crowned Season 7 American Idol. We, his fans, were not surprised, the “Archie” fans might have been slightly. What is an Archie fan, you may ask? They are his opposition’s fans, David Archuleta, the 17 year old contestant, whom also is a wonderful singer and a very nice guy as well.  All in all, though, this season’s contestants and fans were a step above the rest. Everyone was nice to one another, they were all friends with one another, genuinely sad to see the other go. This is the first season we have seen so many nice contestants whom appeared to genuinely connect as friends. We kept hearing about the enormous talent of this year’s group, it was obvious and utterly amazing to see their improvement weekly. When one contestant was voted off, it seemed the contestant staying would have been just as happy to go if it would have honestly given their opponent a better chance at winning. They all knew it wouldn’t, they knew that David Cook would be the winner unless by some fluke, he was not there. As it comes to mind in the case of Chris Daughtry. We all thought he was Season 5’s hands down best talent and the contestant that should be crowned that season’s American Idol. It did not happen, by some fluke, slack fan vote (I don’t think), malfunction in the voting lines, something I don’t know, but suddenly the “by far favorite” was gone. In a Idol history making moment, a stunned audience, judges, fans, and contestants stood staring at Ryan with mouths gaping as he held the envelope that placed Chris in 4th place. Everyone was stunned…I still have a hard time talking about it! As time would tell though, this did not hurt Chris one bit, as he has gone on to break records in the sells of his CDs and concert tours. Chris has done just fine! But, as I was saying, this type thing was the only way Cook was not going to win, so as each contestant left, they knew that the one staying had no better chance of winning than they did. You know, it was really okay, they all seemed to be pulling for Cook and they all liked Archie too. The only immaturity and fighting amongst themselves that we, the audience, saw was between the judges. They “entertained???” (maybe sickened is a better word) us with snide remarks; smacking, picking, and pinching one another; and the over zealous, rude comments made to the contestants (to the point of making us, the viewer, feel uncomfortable) week after week by the majority of the judges.  Paula is the least rude of the three in her critique of the contestant’s performances, but she does her part in the rest of the routine and more than her part in some areas.  Let us crawl out of this hole, this is not being written to express any negativity. I am writing this in celebration of a wonderful group of contestants that entertained us over a period of approximately 5months…cold that be right?????

As mentioned, our winner was David Cook, a 25 year old from Blue Springs, MO.  I think he is without a doubt the most talented artist to haved graced the Idol stage and he has the added benefit of being gorgeous! This will not hurt his record/cd sales one bit He already has a huge fan following, hoards of screaming girls, interviews with everyone that can get him, and has already SIGNED A RECORD DEAL in less than a week from winning. He wisely signed with the Idol production house adjunct, 19 Recordings/RCA Label. He has a freshman CD that was released in 2006 (Analog Heart) that has been pulled and is to be re-released after the Idol tour. He wrote all the songs and produced this album and it really is amazing, but you can’t get your hands on a copy anywhere now or find a download either. Shucks!  David has many fan clubs, but I find this one interesting because of it’s premise….it is known as “Word Nerds”, it is based on one of the interviews he did for an Idol intro in which he mentioned that he was a “word nerd”. He said he enjoyed finding and using new words, doing crossword puzzles, word finds, etc. The “Word Nerds” group posts a word that they would like to see him use in his next interview and so far he has been doing this….fun and thrilling for the fans.

David is a sincerely nice guy, well liked by his fellow contestants, his fans, his family, his friends and hometown. One of the Top 16 contestants, Luke Menard, became a very close friend of David’s as well as other contestant’s Michael John’s and Jason Yaegar’s. The four friends were nicknamed, “The Four Horseman”. Shortly after Menard was voted off, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the Lymph system or Lymph Nodes. David found out and left the finale rehearsals to visit Luke and his wife…he said he thought it was important for him (Luke) to know that he (David) would be there for them (Luke and his wife) in any way that they needed him and anytime they needed him. David’s own brother, Adam, has brain cancer. We have not been told very much about his condition or rate of recovery, but we have seen David struggle when Adam has had bad weeks. David is very close to his brothers, if not for Andrew, David would not have even been on Idol. Andrew was coming to try out and David was coming as support…the producers and Andrew talked David into trying out. Andrew has been to every show cheering and supporting his brother…you can see him saying, as he points to David, “That’s my brother.”. We have been told that David is a genuinely nice guy” and this has been evident in so many of the things that we have seen in just the little bit of time we get to see him on television. I have not even mentioned a fraction of the many humanitarian acts he has done. We will hear much more from him in the near future, but this is one artist that will be around for many years to come.

His first Idol song (as is customary, the American Idol releases a single for the Idol franchise) was released to iTunes the night of the American Idol finale. Within 11 hours it was already #1 on the charts…aaaaamazing. David will continue to break records. He won Idol by a smashing 12 million votes! People are waiting in great anticipation for his first album, including me…I am on the waiting list too…I wonder how many more are???? He will be doing rock music. He will be doing beautiful rock music with that awesome voice…a smooth honey voice touched with a grain of sand…close your eyes and listen…..that voice will grab you with the very first note and will never let you go. If you get lucky enough to gaze into his soulful eyes as well……oh well, you are really a goner then!!!!!

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Rumor has it that the fillies can’t run with the colts…I don’t agree. The filly I saw yesterday could run with the best of them and I would not have been afraid to wager on her to beat them. Although, if you watched yesterday’s Derby you might agree, many will agree, the whole controversy will be brought up again. People will say they don’t have the strength and endurance to run the distance. This may be true in some fillies, but it is just as true in some colts. There are champions in both sexes, strong and weak ones in both both sexes. I saw a very strong filly yesterday that had a terribly unfortunate accident.

It was truly a sad sight to see the magnificent filly down, such a promising career, such a promising life as a producer of quality foals. It is all speculation now, we will never know, as she will not have the chance to prove any of this. It was a heartbreaking sight, one that gave me that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I used to breed, raise, and show horses and have lost a few in my lifetime. I lost a young champion mare too. I had raised her from the bottle, as her dam became ill and her milk dried up. I bottle fed the filly, spent many a long night in a cold barn in February, uncertain if she would make it. She did and went on to win numerous championships. I was forced to euthanize her when she accidentally foundered due to an unlatched barn door. She lived for months, long hours were spent with different therapies, and happy “she’s going to make its”, when all of a sudden we also had a cannon bone problem. It rotated and broke through, there was little else we could do. I cried for weeks. I am sure the owners of this promising filly will as well.

There will also be the second guessing the decison made. I would say, “Don’t do that to yourself”, but that is fruitless, I still do after 19 years. I would say, “Don’t let the media or those that might say unkind words get to you”, but this to, would be fruitless. If you watch televison, you are going to hear them, if you do an interview, you will get the questions. So far, you have been wise (as far as I know) and you have avoided the public eye, I would say, “Continue to do so, no matter what others say”. You know your own truth, what others say makes no difference. Sadly, it is over, nothing can be changed, life goes on. Realize this, you will not be “the story” forever. Rumor has it that the media will find something else on which to fixate, actually this is no rumor, this is a proven fact.

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