Reaching Out to the Stars by Donna DeMaio Hunt Page A

camera. As in most shows, I could always remember the performances so clearly and could always remember what they were wearing but for some reason it was like a complete blur to me. I think what happened was that I was so focused on his face and so taken by the sound of his voice that I didn’t remember a freakin’ thing.
    As runner up, David Archuletta rose up through the stage playing piano and singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.” The crowd erupted. There were tons of Archuletta fans. Bryce and I were laughing because there was a woman who was going absolutely nuts about four rows down from us who was easily in her forties. I thought she was going to come out of her skin. What was even funnier was the forty something year old gentleman who then walked up our aisle with a homemade David Archuletta t-shirt.
    The one thing I will never forget was the outstanding performance by David Cook. He was definitely one of the most genuine American Idol winners. I remember watching the show week after week and Simon calling him arrogant. What really bothers me about this is that the judges tell the performers they need to have confidence and then when they have it, all of a sudden they are deemed arrogant. As I mostly agree with Simon’s opinions when it comes to singing, I totally disagreed with this comment.
    I also disagreed with his comment about Carly Smithson not dressing well. She was another one of my season seven favorites. Mr. Man Boobs himself, with the black t-shirt he wears on every show, as he should appear in a daily animated cartoon, should not be giving fashion advice to anyone. If I remember correctly, it was him five years ago who said with his English accent, “This is a singing competition!”
    As I watched David Cook perform that night, it was obvious that he is just a natural performer. At one point during his performance, he came to the side of the stage that we were sitting on and there were a couple of teenage girls trying to take his picture. When he completely acknowledged them by pointing and smiling at them, they looked at each other, mouths wide open screaming.
    It was such a great example of what kind of an overwhelming feeling a fan gets when they are actually acknowledged, individually picked out in the crowd. Although he didn’t know them, he probably made there night more special than he could ever imagine. I will most definitely be purchasing the new David Cook CD when it is released.
    When I went home that night, I was so excited. I was anxiously awaiting a phone call in the morning from Marilyn, but at the same time I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
    I usually do not have that kind of luck, in a way, I guess I kind of did that night. When Marilyn called, she told me she got me the top five contestants’ autographs along with Michael Johns, who finished eighth in the competition. She also got my eight by ten signed. I was so excited because I did not expect all of those autographs. I was just hoping for the one, hoping that she could get close enough to just get the one.
    She also got personal pictures with most of them and she had them made for me. After looking at the pictures, I noticed that my idol was wearing a white denim jacket and jeans. It still did not ring any bells to me other than the hair being tied half back. The truth is that I was so enthralled with just being in the same room with him that night that I don’t think I would have noticed if he was not wearing anything at all. Okay, yes I would!
    In truth, I have never been attracted to any man for his body. It is actually always the last thing that I notice. I have always seemed to be attracted to taller thinner men. I always notice a face first. Smile and teeth are always important followed by eyes and hair. To me, there is nothing sexier than a man who can sing. Playing an instrument is another plus. The most important things, of course, are sense of humor and personality because without that, none of the other things