this is not a post about the chicago bulls getting the number one pick in the nba draft when they only had a 1.4% chance.
rather, this is a post about american idol… sorry.
i don’t think any self-respecting david cook fan really believed that he would win tonight. i think we all collectively believed that even though david cook was consistently the most original, hardest working contestant, the droves of teenage girls voting for the also very talented david a. would far outnumber us.
tonight was a victory in the mantra “hard work pays off.”
i understand that there is a lot of cynicism out there over american idol being all that’s wrong with the music industry, and i get it. i get the people who have never watched a show and never will… i understand it. but i’m telling you, never before have i seen a reality show contestant that i have felt so proud of. this guy came from nothing, tending bar in kansas city to be exact, to winning the biggest competition on the planet. don’t believe me? ninety-seven million people voted last night in under four hours. that’s asinine. the kicker? david cook didn’t even go to the auditions for himself to begin with. he was there supporting his brother who wanted to audition, but got talked into trying out himself at the last minute. absolutely incredible story.
of all the reasons i could pick out of a hat to say that i am most happy for the results tonight, the biggest of them all is the idea of hard work. david cook took time to make nearly every single one of his performances at least slightly different than what you would have expected. it was never just a karaoke competition with him. his hard work and determination showed every week, whether or not you liked the performance, at least it was “different” than everyone else just doing a cover. don’t believe me? watch a few performances yourself…
*ps - i’m aware billie jean is actually chris cornell’s version
