Now It's Over.

Good grief! I haven't blogged in a couple weeks. I missed blogging about the last episodes of American Idol and the performances. But what I can say about AI is: YAY! David Cook won!!! Susan and I couldn't have been more excited about that. David Archuleta is a fantastic singer, but all of his songs tend to blend together and they begin to sound the same. There is no denying his talent. He is masterful in his inflection, tone, and delivery. I believe he will only improve with age. But David Cook is a true artist who stayed true to his music and his originality and stayed true to himself throughout. He went out on a limb and sang three different songs Tuesday in the finale, each of which showed his range and his ability to work different genres, different tempos, different feelings. I thought he did a phenomenal job. He was more concerned about the music and his integrity as an artist than with winning the competition (at least it seemed that way!) I think the judges realized this, and that is why Simon backpedaled the way he did, in fact even apologized to David Cook for his rush to declare a "knockout." Anyway, David Cook's CD will be one that we will definitely buy.

Compared to previous years' finales, this year's finale was incredible! Oh, if the producers had only let the contestants perform like they did last night instead of "forcing" the theme nights, this season would have been awesome to watch. Case in point: Carly Smithson and Michael Johns' gritty and tremendous duet. Brooke White and Graham Nash. Syesha and Seal. David Cook and ZZ Top! And then there was Ryan Seacrest driving off the stage on the big pillow. That was HILARIOUS!!! (Mike Myers and his "love guru" with the two Davids was downright creepy, though!) Ryan breakdancing on the edge of the stage. Was he having too much fun last night or what? We thoroughly enjoyed the finale, and it made up for some of the boring episodes from the past couple of months.

We loved how David Cook cared for David Archuleta like a little brother, not a competitor. How gracious the two were towards each other. We also were moved by the emotional response of David Cook to the news he had won. He didn't win like a professional programmed robot. We loved David's brother, Andrew, looking at the camera and saying, "That's my brother." That was some genuinely real joy. We look forward to the music that David Cook will produce. All in all, it was a night worth staying up late for!