David Cook takes on "Billie Jean" and comes out a winner

Kristy Lee Cook was born January 18, 1984 in Seattle, Wash. She says her parents didn't ell her much about when she was born except for the fact that she came out smiling. She says when she was little, she was really loud, singing all the time. They show her parents and her dad is super cute. He says Kristy started singing when she was about 2 or 3. Kristy says she does remember singing this song called "Kristy" and that she loved that song because her dad used to sing it and It was her name, so that was her father/daughter song. Her dad says they used to travel a lot when she was young and she would sing in the car and wouldn't stop. He said the kids would tell her to shut up but he'd tell them to let her sing because one day, she may be something.

She sing "God Bless the USA," by Lee Greenwood and all I can say is she is one smart cookie. She picked a great song to appeal to most of the country - a nice patriotic, good old American song. I think just her song choice will keep her in this competition another week, and truth be told, I think this week, she deserves the spot. She sounds pretty terrific tonight - it's a good song for her voice. There are a couple of spots where she's a bit out of tune, just a tiny bit flat. But for the most part, it's really good. I'm a little surprised.

Huh... a thought just came to me. What if Carly Smithson really is pregnant? Wouldn't this be a great week to get rid of her without anyone making a big fuss? Kristy was actually good and Carly was already in the bottom three last week, so it wouldn't seem so far-fetched. I'm curious to see how it all pans out tomorrow.

Randy tells her it was a great song choice and other than a few pitch problems in the middle, he thinks it was a great performance from her. Paula says it was good choice, that she's seen better performances from her, but her voice is sounding much stronger, that she's growing. Simon says it was her best performance by a mile, and he says that it was the most clever song choice he's heard in years and he thinks this performance will keep her in the competition.


David Cook is last tonight, so I'm hoping that means they saved the best for last. He was born December 20, 1982. He says most of his family think he was a cute kid, but he think he had a massive skull, that it was unreal, like one of those super villains from Marvel comics or something. I would agree with him - the skull is pretty massive. He says his family was really into photos and really anything that would look funny in a photo, they'd put it on him and take a photo. He got his first guitar when he was two. His moms says he got it for Christmas and he would stand in the middle of his bed with his sunglasses and his tube socks and short shorts and strum his guitar because he was a rock star. David says music was always available to him, but not forced on him, and he just knew early on that it was something he wanted to do.

He's singing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," and I think we can all agree that this song is a classic and I'm always afraid of people messing with classics - some songs should just be left alone. But again, in my opinion, David Cook is on fire - there's nothing he can't do. I don't have too much to say about it , really. He took on Michael Jackson and held his own, completely changed the song and it was amazing. It was just another fantastic performance - it's like he's the only one who's really thinking outside the box this season. If you missed it, you've just got to see it.



Having said that, I got an e-mail from Genetta, my friend from work, not too long after "Idol" was over, which said, "Dude stole that arrangement from Chris Cornell." She also felt like the judges praising him for being original wasn't fair since the arrangement was not his own. So, I think it's only fair that we compare the two, don't you think?



So, what's the verdict? Is he original? Or a copycat? I have to say, they do sound rather similar. I wish it somehow made me think less of David Cook, I really do, but it just doesn't - I still think he's awesome. Even if he's not coming up with the arrangements himself, he's still entertaining and creative enough to use the alternative versions of the songs, instead of singing the same old tune, like the others do.

Randy tells him he's the most original, most bold contestant they've ever had and based on his performance tonight, he might be the one to win the whole competition. Paula says she's blown away and can't sit down (yes, she's standing). She says he's smart and brave and willing to stretch the boundaries. Simon says "David, that was brave. I mean, it could have either been insane or amazing, and I have to tell you, it was amazing."


So, I've lost track on how well I've done with the guessing so far. I think I might be 7 for 14 right now - not entirely sure. But for tomorrow, I think it can go a few ways. It could be Carly Smithson, since she wasn't great and the whole pregnancy rumor. It could be Chikezie, because I'm sick of him and maybe other people are too, or it could be Ramiele Malubay, because she's been consistently not great for a few weeks now. So, I'm going to put my cynicism aside and go with Ramiele because I think she's the fair choice. (But part of me really does think it could be Carly.) We'll see soon enough.