Cookie Love

I've never been a fan of the "American Idol" franchise the way some of my other friends and family have been (Raymond and my dad, in particular). And much as I love music, rock has never been my favorite genre. But in my case, idle minds turn to "Idol" minds, and I found myself tuning into this year's competition... and actually rooting for someone - and a rocker, to boot!

My bet, David Cook, is the winner of American Idol season 7!

I would have voted for him via text if I could... not that he needed it, with a 12 million vote margin against runner up, tweener favorite and crooner-wanna be David Archuleta.

I started watching AI this season just to pass the time - and also because I was curious about the Filipina finalist Ramiele Malubay. But the Cookie soon emerged as my runaway favorite, catching my ear with his now-famous Mariah cover and finally making me a believer with his version of Neil Diamond's "All I Really Need is You."



David Cook, hands down, beats the rest of the playing field in stage presence and being a total performer. Archuleta, the Cookie's closest rival, is strong vocally, but as a performer still needs a bit of growing up to do.

While the Cookie was the pundits' clear favorite, the judges were particularly scathing to him during finals night. Coupled with the Little David's strong performance, it seemed as if Big David's AI hopes were down the drain. In fact, my friends and fellow Cookie fans and I were already consoling ourselves that maybe not winning the AI title would even be a good thing for him - less pressure and more freedom.

There are some speculations that the anti-Cookie sentiments from the judges were just put-on to add to the drama of the win. Nonetheless, drama or no drama, I really think David Cook deserved the title.

Besides, the final song was perfect for him - and is, hopefully, a hit waiting to happen. If "All I Really Need is You" will be on the album, I'm definitely going to be one of the first people standing in line to buy it. But even without it, my non-rocker self will probably get a copy anyway.

I should have thought of betting money against my dad - who predicted with impunity that it was the Arch that would triumph (he thought Cook was too cocky for his own good). I could have put the money into my must-have-these fund!

Did any of you watch the AI season 7 finale? And if so, who were you betting on, the Cookie or the Arch?



Go, David Cook!
Click here to read the rest of this post.

Of Men and Monsters

After six weeks of making studying my life, I can finally take a guilt-free break from it and catch up on my TV life.

I'm not a big television fan, but there are some shows that I reach my remote control for. Of the three CSI shows, I follow CSI:NY. I also enjoy Fox TV's Bones and the missing persons drama, Without a Trace. The Closer, a crime drama about a kick-ass woman police chief, is also a huge favorite of mine. Of course, crowd-favorite Heroes is on my list, as well as the paranormal hunk-fest Supernatural.

Unfortunately, the WGA Writer's Strike has made all of my favorite shows come to a dead halt mid-season - which means I don't have much in TV land to catch up on.

My solution? Find a new series to get hooked on. After shopping around and listening to the buzz, I decided on Showtime's sleeper TV hit, Dexter.

Dexter Morgan has a day job as a forensic blood-spatter specialist working for the Miami Police Department. Clean-cut, soft-spoken, and on the surface a really nice guy who seems to have everything going for him and dreams of having a "normal life." But he hides a secret that none of the people around him can even begin to imagine.

Dexter Morgan is a serial killer.

This piece of disturbia further draws the viewer in by throwing in another interesting plot twist -Dexter is a serial killer who stalks and kills other serial killers.

The show is intelligently written and stories are dispassionately narrated by Dexter himself as events unfold. Just like the rest of us watching him, the genuinely sociopathic Dexter grapples with understanding what he is and who he is - not quite human, but not quite the monster that others of his ilk seem to be. Dexter's conflict is at the heart of this show, his struggle to keep his mask of normalcy on while the restless energy of his compulsion churns beneath the surface.

Watching Dexter is like passing a terrible car accident on the highway - it's a horrible sight but you can't make yourself look away.

Dexter is hero and anti-hero rolled into one, and his existence challenges you into examining nuances of what is right and wrong. You know it's wrong to like him because of what he is - a murderous sociopath - but you find that you can't help yourself because he gives you glimpses of the humanity that lurks beneath the monster. You know it's wrong to root for him and hope he eludes capture - but when you examine him along side his choice of victim, you almost hope he can keep on doing what he's doing.

If you like watching shows where you know who the real good guys and who the real bad guys are, this show is probably not the show for you. There are no blacks and whites here. But if you're ready for a disturbing ride and a good piece of storytelling - grab your copy and meet Dexter Morgan today.
Click here to read the rest of this post.