I heart David Cook

I really do.

Let me start off by saying I have never been into American Idol. Sure, it's this mega-reality show, millions of people watch it, it's in its seventh season, singers like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken have come from it...blah blah blah. But I've never been "into" it. I heard people talk about it each year but never really cared enough to make it a weekly show I watched (unlike LOST or The Office).

BUT.

Then along came David Cook.

I happened to be flipping through channels on a random Tuesday evening and I came to this. My jaw dropped. Who IS this guy?! So then each week I checked in, just for David Cook. Yeah, a few other singers were good. But week after week, David was hitting it out of the park! "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Little Sparrow", "Day Tripper", "All Right Now"....heck he even rocked "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey! I was like, "This guy can do no wrong."

And then to make things even better, this past week was Andrew Lloyd Webber week. All the finalists had to sing songs from musicals he had written. Cats, Starlight Express, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom of the Opera, etc.

I grew up with a love for musicals, but especially Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. My mom LOVED him and we listened to Phantom in the car to and from school growing up. She and my dad even got to see Michael Crawford in LA as the Phantom, which to this day, they say is one of their most memorable nights together.

When I was 12 (I think) my parents surprised my sisters and I and took us into SF to see The Phantom of the Opera. My first time seeing a musical! I will never forget that night. They even rented a limo and we got all dressed up and had dinner in the city and everything. It was a magical night. I was captivated by the theater, the music, the orchestra, the sets and costumes, and seeing everything played out in front of me, whereas before I had just sat in my mom's Volvo and imagined everything in my head.

This past week on American Idol, David Cook said he was going to sing "The Music of the Night" from Phantom and I almost lost it. One of my favorite musicals, one of the coolest songs, and sung by my favorite finalist. It was like I had died and gone to heaven.



I seriously almost cried. Again, who IS this guy!? I went on iTunes and bought the full length version he recorded (all the finalists record full versions in a studio) and have been listening to it all the time.

So it's official.

I heart David Cook.

And he should definitely win American Idol.