BEECH GROVE, Ind. - Barack Obama teamed up with wife Michelle on Wednesday to court working families with a little kitchen table conversation about tax cuts. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton hitched a ride in a pickup truck to a gas pump to illustrate the pain inflicted on ordinary families by skyrocketing prices.
Clinton was underscoring her call for a summer-long hiatus on collecting the federal gas tax by pulling into an Indianapolis gas station with sheet metal worker Jason Wilfing, 33, who pumped regular unleaded.
"Sixty-three dollars for just about half a tank," exclaimed Clinton.
Wilfing told Clinton that the high price of gas means his family won't be able to take an annual summer trip to Lake Michigan.
The Obamas headed to suburban Beech Grove, where they had lunch and chatted with Mike and Cheryl Fischer, hearing their stories of struggle. He's a machinist at a local Amtrak facility where 77 jobs are threatened this summer.
"They say it's not personal," Fischer said. "Yes, it is very personal."
Their tactics were different, but the goal for both Democratic presidential candidates was to connect with blue-collar workers who will play a key role in primaries Tuesday in Indiana and North Carolina.
"Michelle and I grew up in a pretty modest situation," said Obama, who said they understand the pressures facing working families.
"We are still so close to the lives most Americans are living," said Michelle Obama, who described herself as "a working mom."
"Work isn't a choice. It never felt like a choice to me," she said. "Being a good mom, being a good wife, keeping your marriage together, these are the stresses people feel."
The Obamas sat around the kitchen table with the Fischers, with Michelle serving ice tea and diet soda. The Fischers are worried they'll be forced to move away from their three grown children if he loses his job. Fischer is 53 and his wife, a hospital technician, is 52.
"I know it means so much to have your folks stay put," Michelle Obama said. "We live 10 minutes from my mom, who just retired, and there's nothing like having grandma right there."
It was the first time the Obamas have campaigned together since appearances before Pennsylvania's April 22 primary.
Clinton held her own kitchen table conversation with a family in Hobart, Ind., a blue-collar town outside Gary, on Tuesday evening.
The former first lady sat at the table with Johnnie and Peggy Parker and their children and grandchildren, tea and cookies in front of her untouched. Reporters and cameras jammed in to record the meeting, overtaking the tiny house.
Clinton listened and nodded as Johnnie Parker, a sheet metal worker, described being out of work for nine months and paying a steep price for health insurance to care for his wife, who has multiple sclerosis. He said he'd recently found another job and now has good health coverage through his union.
Clinton talked to the Parker children about school, asking which subjects they enjoyed studying. She also mentioned how she played softball in high school. "I played center field and pitched a little," she said.
Clinton argues that Obama has been insensitive to the needs of working families, while Obama says that suspending the gas tax amounts to a mere pittance.
"It's not a real solution. It's a gimmick. I don't want to provide gimmicks," Obama said.
Instead, Obama said he would push for a middle-class tax cut that could save working families an average of $1,000 a year.
On a deeper level, the Obamas were seeking links to working families to ease concerns raised by comments by their former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, which have offended some voters, and by some critics' suggestions that they are elitist and out of touch with workers.
Obama pointed to "the fact that both of us come from modest backgrounds, that both of us saw our parents struggle."
"We weren't born into wealth or fame or fortune, and Michelle didn't marry into wealth," he said.
There was an emotional moment at the Fischer home when Michelle Obama approached their 19-year-old daughter, Abby Maddox, noting that she is pregnant and her husband is about to be deployed to Iraq. The daughter teared up, and the two embraced.
While most polls have shown Obama favored in North Carolina, the race in Indiana is considered far too close to call.
Obama picked up the backing of three superdelegates during the day to Clinton's two, continuing to expand his overall delegate lead.
After the lunch, Obama headed to an Indianapolis park for a town hall meeting before about 30 people. He was asked how he's holding up in light of the dispute with Wright, whom he denounced Tuesday.
"The situation with Reverend Wright is difficult, I won't lie to you," said Obama. "We want to make sure this doesn't become a permanent distraction."
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Fed Rate Cut Countdown
All eyes are on Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve today, the big question being: Will there be another Fed rate cut?
Just about everyone is predicting another rate cut, but will this rate cut be the last for a while?
CNN says “trading in futures markets predicts the Fed will cut its key fed funds overnight lending target by a quarter-point, to 2%, and hold the line there in coming months.”
The BBC says: “Fed ready to cut interest rate.” “Rate cut seen,” says Reuters.
“The interest-rate reduction could set in motion a series of diverse global events that will impact such seemingly unrelated areas as European inflation, global food prices, the US. dollar, American exports, and the already chilly relationship between the European Central Bank (ECB) and the government of France,” says Jennifer Yousfi in Money Morning.
Chuck Butler in The Daily Pfenning says thoughts of another rate cut by the Fed “has the dollar swinging the hammer again… And every currency has taken a hit from the hammer overnight… Except for Chinese renminbi…”
Bill Bonner has Paul Volcker in mind (and his warning that a painful adjustment is coming) but all he sees is “Ben Bernanke promising to drop dollars from helicopters, if necessary, in order to keep the economy bubbling along.
Bill says, “the Fed is unlikely to fall victim of a sudden attack of monetary integrity. The dollar is unlikely to rise very far against gold.”
Just about everyone is predicting another rate cut, but will this rate cut be the last for a while?
CNN says “trading in futures markets predicts the Fed will cut its key fed funds overnight lending target by a quarter-point, to 2%, and hold the line there in coming months.”
The BBC says: “Fed ready to cut interest rate.” “Rate cut seen,” says Reuters.
“The interest-rate reduction could set in motion a series of diverse global events that will impact such seemingly unrelated areas as European inflation, global food prices, the US. dollar, American exports, and the already chilly relationship between the European Central Bank (ECB) and the government of France,” says Jennifer Yousfi in Money Morning.
Chuck Butler in The Daily Pfenning says thoughts of another rate cut by the Fed “has the dollar swinging the hammer again… And every currency has taken a hit from the hammer overnight… Except for Chinese renminbi…”
Bill Bonner has Paul Volcker in mind (and his warning that a painful adjustment is coming) but all he sees is “Ben Bernanke promising to drop dollars from helicopters, if necessary, in order to keep the economy bubbling along.
Bill says, “the Fed is unlikely to fall victim of a sudden attack of monetary integrity. The dollar is unlikely to rise very far against gold.”
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Injury on “Dancing with the Stars”
Cristian de la Fuente suffered a muscle cramp while dancing the samba with Cheryl Burke on “Dancing with the Stars”. During their performance, Cristian grabbed his arm and tried to go on.
Cheryl Burke went in for the final dip, but Cristian couldn’t hold her and she fell.“It hurts,” de la Fuente told cohost Samantha Harris backstage, holding an ice pack to his left forearm. “It hurts the arm and it hurts that I couldn’t do it, you know, it’s tough.”
Cheryl Burke went in for the final dip, but Cristian couldn’t hold her and she fell.“It hurts,” de la Fuente told cohost Samantha Harris backstage, holding an ice pack to his left forearm. “It hurts the arm and it hurts that I couldn’t do it, you know, it’s tough.”
Jimi Hendrix sex tape to be released
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vivid Entertainment is releasing a sex tape allegedly starring Jimi Hendrix.
The Los Angeles-based adult entertainment company said they obtained the footage of the music legend shot in a hotel room about 40 years ago from a memorabilia collector.
The footage features Hendrix engaging in various sexual acts with two women, according to a statement released by Vivid. The company said they consulted with several experts to authenticate the footage.
Hendrix died of a drug overdose in 1970. Seattle-based representatives for Hendrix's estate did not want to comment about the tape.
Vivid Entertainment was also responsible for the release of celebrity sex tapes starring Kim Kardahsian and Pamela Anderson.
The Los Angeles-based adult entertainment company said they obtained the footage of the music legend shot in a hotel room about 40 years ago from a memorabilia collector.
The footage features Hendrix engaging in various sexual acts with two women, according to a statement released by Vivid. The company said they consulted with several experts to authenticate the footage.
Hendrix died of a drug overdose in 1970. Seattle-based representatives for Hendrix's estate did not want to comment about the tape.
Vivid Entertainment was also responsible for the release of celebrity sex tapes starring Kim Kardahsian and Pamela Anderson.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Mindy McCready is Roger Clemens’ Affair
Mindy McCready is a country singer who’s been in trouble with the law a few times. McCready is reportedly also the ten year affair of former major league pitcher Roger Clemens. You can see her biography, photos and video below.
Mindy McCready is Roger Clemens’ Affair
Mindy’s affair with Roger Clemens allegedly began when she was only 15-years-old and he was pitching for the Red Sox at 28. Clemens was married and had two children at the time. Clemens acknowledges the relationship, but, through his lawyer, denies it was ever of a sexual nature.
“He flatly denies having had any kind of an inappropriate relationship with her,” Hardin said. “He’s considered her a close family friend. … He has never had a sexual relationship with her.”
Mindy McCready Biography
Mindy McCready was born Malinda Gayle in Fort Myers, Florida on November 30, 1975, which makes her age 32. Mindy’s singing career can be traced back to age 3, and like a lot of country artists, started in church. She graduated from high school early at 16 so she could pursue a professional singing career. According to reports, this would also be the time Roger Clemens came into her life. Two years later she moved to Nashville and was signed by BNA records.
Mindy’s debut album, “Ten Thousand Angels,” went gold in six months with the help of her two singles “Ten Thousand Angels” and “Guys Do It All The Time.” Her sophomore album, “If I Don’t Stay The Night” did not prove to be as successful. The third album in her discography, “I’m Not So Tough,” was a commercial failure after Mindy split ways with her label before any promotion was done. McCready later signed with Capitol records, but was subsequently dropped by them two years later.
Mindy has since had several run-ins with the law and a history of personal problems. McCready appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and spoke of her battle with domestic abuse, depression, and drug abuse. She has been arrested several times, the first in August of 2004 when Mindy used a fake prescription to buy the painkiller OxyContin. In July 2005, McCready was charged in Arizona with “identity theft, attempted fraudulent scheme and artifices, unlawful imprisonment, hindering prosecution and unlawful use of transportation.” In August 2005, she was arrested for violating probation and the next month confirmed a drug overdose was a suicide attempt. Her troubles continued in 2007 when she was charged with battery and resisting arrest. McCready has also had several altercations with the father of her baby, Billy McKnight. He was arrested for allegedly breaking into her house, beating her and choking her. McKnight was charged with attempted murder and aggravated burglary.
It sounds like the last thing she needs is to be involved in this media story with Roger Clemens. You can see more pictures and video of Mindy McCready below.
Mindy McCready is Roger Clemens’ Affair
Mindy’s affair with Roger Clemens allegedly began when she was only 15-years-old and he was pitching for the Red Sox at 28. Clemens was married and had two children at the time. Clemens acknowledges the relationship, but, through his lawyer, denies it was ever of a sexual nature.
“He flatly denies having had any kind of an inappropriate relationship with her,” Hardin said. “He’s considered her a close family friend. … He has never had a sexual relationship with her.”
Mindy McCready Biography
Mindy McCready was born Malinda Gayle in Fort Myers, Florida on November 30, 1975, which makes her age 32. Mindy’s singing career can be traced back to age 3, and like a lot of country artists, started in church. She graduated from high school early at 16 so she could pursue a professional singing career. According to reports, this would also be the time Roger Clemens came into her life. Two years later she moved to Nashville and was signed by BNA records.
Mindy’s debut album, “Ten Thousand Angels,” went gold in six months with the help of her two singles “Ten Thousand Angels” and “Guys Do It All The Time.” Her sophomore album, “If I Don’t Stay The Night” did not prove to be as successful. The third album in her discography, “I’m Not So Tough,” was a commercial failure after Mindy split ways with her label before any promotion was done. McCready later signed with Capitol records, but was subsequently dropped by them two years later.
Mindy has since had several run-ins with the law and a history of personal problems. McCready appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and spoke of her battle with domestic abuse, depression, and drug abuse. She has been arrested several times, the first in August of 2004 when Mindy used a fake prescription to buy the painkiller OxyContin. In July 2005, McCready was charged in Arizona with “identity theft, attempted fraudulent scheme and artifices, unlawful imprisonment, hindering prosecution and unlawful use of transportation.” In August 2005, she was arrested for violating probation and the next month confirmed a drug overdose was a suicide attempt. Her troubles continued in 2007 when she was charged with battery and resisting arrest. McCready has also had several altercations with the father of her baby, Billy McKnight. He was arrested for allegedly breaking into her house, beating her and choking her. McKnight was charged with attempted murder and aggravated burglary.
It sounds like the last thing she needs is to be involved in this media story with Roger Clemens. You can see more pictures and video of Mindy McCready below.
Miley Cyrus Said Vanity Fair photo spread embarrassed her
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Miley Cyrus is taking issue with a photo of herself that's going around, and it's not another amateur, truth-or-dare Internet snapshot — it's the handiwork of Annie Leibovitz.
"I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," Cyrus said Sunday in a statement through her publicist. "I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."
The photos, appearing in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, were taken by Leibovitz, a renowned celebrity photographer whose edgy, silver-toned portraits have included subjects such as Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and a naked, pregnant Demi Moore.
The Cyrus pictures accompany an interview with the 15-year-old pop star and her father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus. They include shots of the teen wrapped in what appears to be a satin bedsheet, looking over her shoulder with her back exposed.
The Disney Channel, which airs Cyrus' TV show "Hannah Montana," was also critical of Vanity Fair.
"Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines," a network statement said.
A phone message left for a Vanity Fair representative was not immediately returned Sunday night. But in a statement to the TV show "Entertainment Tonight," Vanity Fair defended its position.
"Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day," the magazine said. "Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley."
In a caption released by Vanity Fair with the photo last week, Cyrus expressed her comfort with how the apparently topless picture turned out.
"I think it's really artsy," she told the magazine at the time. "It wasn't in a skanky way. Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool. That's what she wanted me to do, and you can't say no to Annie."
A handful of borderline racy snapshots of a girl who appeared to be Cyrus have appeared on the Internet in recent months, including images of a girl posing in her underwear and bikini last week.
Cyrus is one of the biggest — and most G-rated — acts in the country and is often considered a role model for young girls. Her "Best of Both Worlds" tour sold out arenas, and her successful 3-D concert film collected $31.3 million in its opening weekend in February.
"I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," Cyrus said Sunday in a statement through her publicist. "I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."
The photos, appearing in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, were taken by Leibovitz, a renowned celebrity photographer whose edgy, silver-toned portraits have included subjects such as Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and a naked, pregnant Demi Moore.
The Cyrus pictures accompany an interview with the 15-year-old pop star and her father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus. They include shots of the teen wrapped in what appears to be a satin bedsheet, looking over her shoulder with her back exposed.
The Disney Channel, which airs Cyrus' TV show "Hannah Montana," was also critical of Vanity Fair.
"Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines," a network statement said.
A phone message left for a Vanity Fair representative was not immediately returned Sunday night. But in a statement to the TV show "Entertainment Tonight," Vanity Fair defended its position.
"Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day," the magazine said. "Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley."
In a caption released by Vanity Fair with the photo last week, Cyrus expressed her comfort with how the apparently topless picture turned out.
"I think it's really artsy," she told the magazine at the time. "It wasn't in a skanky way. Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool. That's what she wanted me to do, and you can't say no to Annie."
A handful of borderline racy snapshots of a girl who appeared to be Cyrus have appeared on the Internet in recent months, including images of a girl posing in her underwear and bikini last week.
Cyrus is one of the biggest — and most G-rated — acts in the country and is often considered a role model for young girls. Her "Best of Both Worlds" tour sold out arenas, and her successful 3-D concert film collected $31.3 million in its opening weekend in February.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Ex-Olympic skater Pasha Grishuk drugged with GHB
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Former Olympic ice dancer Pasha Grishuk was drugged with the so-called date-rape drug GHB during a business meeting at a Southern California resort hotel but she was able to seek help after spotting a pill in her drink, a sheriff's spokesman said Tuesday.
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Grishuk, who won two Olympic gold medals for Russia in the 1990s, was at the St. Regis Monarch Beach on April 12 when she began to feel ill and numb, said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.
Grishuk was at a meeting with at least one man and first had a drink in a lounge while waiting for a table, Amormino said. They later moved to a table, and when Grishuk began feeling ill she noticed the dissolving pill at the bottom of her red wine, he said.
She pulled the pill out, and an ambulance and sheriff's deputies were called, he said. Investigating detectives found a similar dissolved pill in her first drink, Amormino said.
The skater was taken to a hospital by ambulance and later released.
Amormino said Grishuk described the dinner as a business meeting and indicated she knew the man or men she met with, although Amormino did not know how well. He did not know what kind of business they were discussing.
Grishuk never left her drinks unattended and it was unclear how the GHB got in them or who put it there, Amormino said.
"She never left her drink, never left her table," he said.
He declined to release the identity of her dinner companion or companions. He cited the continuing investigation in declining to specify how many people were present.
Toxicology test results that came back Tuesday were positive for GHB. Amormino said detectives have questioned the person or people Grishuk ate with, but said they were not currently considered suspects or persons of interest.
"How somebody was able to do that, I honestly don't know, but it appears that somebody, for whatever reason, attempted to drug her," he said.
GHB, or gamma hydroxy butyrate, can cause breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration labels GHB a "predatory drug" that can be mixed with alcohol to reduce resistance from a victim before a sexual assault. It is also popular with teenagers at raves and is sometimes used by bodybuilders for its anabolic effects, the DEA said.
Grishuk, 36, won gold medals in ice dancing in 1994 and 1998.
In 1999, Grishuk split with her dancing partner Yevgeny Platov, dropped her agent and joined Alexander Zhulin for a "Pasha and Sasha" duo on the ice. Her Web site says the native Ukrainian is now a solo dancer and lives in Los Angeles, but Amormino said she gave investigators an address in Aliso Viejo, in southern Orange County.
An e-mail to Grishuk was not immediately returned.
Kristi Turek, a spokeswoman at the St. Regis, said she had no comment.
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Grishuk, who won two Olympic gold medals for Russia in the 1990s, was at the St. Regis Monarch Beach on April 12 when she began to feel ill and numb, said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.
Grishuk was at a meeting with at least one man and first had a drink in a lounge while waiting for a table, Amormino said. They later moved to a table, and when Grishuk began feeling ill she noticed the dissolving pill at the bottom of her red wine, he said.
She pulled the pill out, and an ambulance and sheriff's deputies were called, he said. Investigating detectives found a similar dissolved pill in her first drink, Amormino said.
The skater was taken to a hospital by ambulance and later released.
Amormino said Grishuk described the dinner as a business meeting and indicated she knew the man or men she met with, although Amormino did not know how well. He did not know what kind of business they were discussing.
Grishuk never left her drinks unattended and it was unclear how the GHB got in them or who put it there, Amormino said.
"She never left her drink, never left her table," he said.
He declined to release the identity of her dinner companion or companions. He cited the continuing investigation in declining to specify how many people were present.
Toxicology test results that came back Tuesday were positive for GHB. Amormino said detectives have questioned the person or people Grishuk ate with, but said they were not currently considered suspects or persons of interest.
"How somebody was able to do that, I honestly don't know, but it appears that somebody, for whatever reason, attempted to drug her," he said.
GHB, or gamma hydroxy butyrate, can cause breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration labels GHB a "predatory drug" that can be mixed with alcohol to reduce resistance from a victim before a sexual assault. It is also popular with teenagers at raves and is sometimes used by bodybuilders for its anabolic effects, the DEA said.
Grishuk, 36, won gold medals in ice dancing in 1994 and 1998.
In 1999, Grishuk split with her dancing partner Yevgeny Platov, dropped her agent and joined Alexander Zhulin for a "Pasha and Sasha" duo on the ice. Her Web site says the native Ukrainian is now a solo dancer and lives in Los Angeles, but Amormino said she gave investigators an address in Aliso Viejo, in southern Orange County.
An e-mail to Grishuk was not immediately returned.
Kristi Turek, a spokeswoman at the St. Regis, said she had no comment.
Kristy Lee Cook talks about 'American Idol' experience
"I know -- in the bottom of my heart -- that I haven't shown America and [Simon Cowell] what I have, and it's basically because I haven't been able to do the kind of music, the country," Cook told reporters during a Thursday conference call.
"I got to do 'God Bless the USA' and 'Anyway,' and those are two of the songs that I really like, and I got praised on both of them. And that's just what I'm comfortable with because I've never stepped out of that genre and done something else, so it was all new to me. But I know that once they see me singing country music, they'll see a whole other side of me that they never got to see on the show, which is kind of unfortunate because I would have loved to have shown them my country side and just gone out there and shown America and everybody what I really have. But, luckily, I get to do that on tour."
Fans will have to wait for the annual tour because the 24-year-old from Selma, OR was ousted from Idol's seventh season based on the "almost 36 million" home viewer votes that were cast immediately following Tuesday night's live performance broadcast that saw the Top 7 finalists sing Mariah Carey songs.
Despite the fact Cook feels she has more to show and was "shocked" by her elimination, she thinks Idol did provide her a big enough platform to succeed in the music industry moving forward.
"I think I showed myself enough to where I can do something with my career in country music," she said. "The show's about being versatile and being able to do other things out of your element, and you have to be able to be versatile, and I thought I did a pretty good job considering I had never done that kind of stuff before, so I was really happy to have that kind of opportunity to be able to expand my genres and try different things. It was very fun and very interesting."
Cook was one of several Idol seventh-season finalists with previous professional experience, signing with the label BMI as a 17-year-old -- which she told reporters was "definitely a long time ago."
"I needed this push to get my career back starting again because nobody knew who I was before American Idol," she said. So it was definitely the biggest push I could have ever done to get my career started. To be able to sing in front of that many people and in front of judges that you know are criticizing you, I think anybody that can sing in front of that, and to the remaining contestants, will be able to sing in front of anybody. It's a pretty amazing feeling."
Cook added that while some of the other finalists -- including David Cook, Carly Smithson, and Brooke White -- may have also had previous professional experience doesn't mean they should have been shunned by Idol.
"Everybody has some sort of music background, so it's kind of like, we weren't discovered before this whole thing, so this kind of like a second chance," she said. "And everybody, I believe, deserves a second chance, so it was a great opportunity for all of us."
Cook was also one of the first artist signed by Britney Spears' production company in 1999, but told reporters it's been a while since she's talked to the pop star.
"I actually haven't heard from her. It's been a long time since I've been in contact with her, but maybe one of these days we'll catch up again," she told reporters with a laugh.
The performance that Cook was most praised for during her Idol run was "God Bless the USA." While Cook has been criticized for the song selection being a strategic move, she claims she and her sister "plotted our heads together and came up with that song."
"It wasn't like a huge thought process for me. It was the year I was born. It came out again, and my dad was in Vietnam, and he absolutely loved that song, and I just love that song, and I've sang it for a long time," she told reporters. "It just kind of hit me when I saw that [it was from the year I was born]. And my sister called me, and she was like, 'Well, you should do God Bless the USA.' It was done in that year. And then I was already thinking about it. And I was like, 'That's the one.' And so we kind of just stuck with that one. It was kind of an instant yes in my mind."
Cook was among the bottom three vote getters four out of her six weeks in the Top 12, and if that weren't bad enough, she was also frequently a whipping post for Cowell's sharp tongue.
"I believe that he was just being skeptical because I started out kind of weak," explained Cook about Cowell's constant criticism.
"I was struggling the first three weeks on being sick, and recovering took awhile. I think I outlasted what he thought because I started getting stronger towards the end, and I was getting in the comfort zone of some of the songs that I've been used to and that I've done for awhile. So I was starting to come out of the shell and sing the songs that I'm comfortable with and the ones that I knew that I could sing well. And he saw that a couple times, and unfortunately, it ended when I had to leave, but I thought my performance was pretty strong this past week, so I'm happy I went out on that note."
Prior to her ouster during Wednesday night's results show, Cook retaliated by calling Cowell a "butt."
"I was debating between brat and butt, but I figured I would just say butt. I don't know why," she said.
In addition, Cook sang the beginning of her exit performance on Wednesday night seated on the judges' table directly in front of Cowell.
"He said, 'Well, you made it awkward for me,'" Cook told reporters on Cowell's comments afterwards. "And I said, 'Well, now, you know what it's like to feel like us singing in front of you all the time.' And he just started laughing. It was kind of funny."
Cook also touched upon her comments to Cowell following her Top 11 performance of "Hey You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," in which she told him if given the chance she'd "blow you out of your socks."
"It really does take a lot to get me embarrassed. And I really wasn't embarrassed after it," said Cook, although she seemed embarrassed immediately after she said it.
"It's just my way of saying that I'm going to show you what I have. He didn't really get what I have, and I don't think he still does because I still have a lot more to give. But it's just my way of basically saying, 'Watch out because I'm going to show you what I have.'"
When pressed by reporters about how the comment could have sexual connotations if taken out of context, Cook quickly brushed off that notion.
"I don't look at it as that was being something bad to say just because I'm not that kind of person, but I just was saying I'm going to blow you off your socks, so I just thought it was appropriate," she said. "And I thought it was kind of funny, got everybody's attention."
Cook also got viewers' attention with her sob story of how she had to sell her horse in order to pay her way to her Idol audition. She reiterated her Wednesday night comments that the horse's new owner is unwilling to sell it back.
"I've talked to him a few times, and he doesn't want to sell. He doesn't want to sell him back," she told reporters. "He's really attached to him because he's such a good horse. But the least I could have asked for was a good home, and he got a really good home, so I'm happy with that, but it does kind of suck that I won't be able to get him back as my own horse."
Cook promised her fans she'll "put on a show" during Idol's upcoming tour before she has to do some planning for her wedding. Cook and her boyfriend Andy Dobner got engaged March 15, kept it secret, and he re-proposed following her ouster on Wednesday night.
She said she would "definitely" invite the judges to her wedding, and added she might even take the microphone.
"I've always wanted to sing at my own wedding, since I was little. I don't know why," she told reporters. "I've always had this thing about walking out singing, but I don't know if that'll happen or not, but I probably would sing a number at my wedding."
"I got to do 'God Bless the USA' and 'Anyway,' and those are two of the songs that I really like, and I got praised on both of them. And that's just what I'm comfortable with because I've never stepped out of that genre and done something else, so it was all new to me. But I know that once they see me singing country music, they'll see a whole other side of me that they never got to see on the show, which is kind of unfortunate because I would have loved to have shown them my country side and just gone out there and shown America and everybody what I really have. But, luckily, I get to do that on tour."
Fans will have to wait for the annual tour because the 24-year-old from Selma, OR was ousted from Idol's seventh season based on the "almost 36 million" home viewer votes that were cast immediately following Tuesday night's live performance broadcast that saw the Top 7 finalists sing Mariah Carey songs.
Despite the fact Cook feels she has more to show and was "shocked" by her elimination, she thinks Idol did provide her a big enough platform to succeed in the music industry moving forward.
"I think I showed myself enough to where I can do something with my career in country music," she said. "The show's about being versatile and being able to do other things out of your element, and you have to be able to be versatile, and I thought I did a pretty good job considering I had never done that kind of stuff before, so I was really happy to have that kind of opportunity to be able to expand my genres and try different things. It was very fun and very interesting."
Cook was one of several Idol seventh-season finalists with previous professional experience, signing with the label BMI as a 17-year-old -- which she told reporters was "definitely a long time ago."
"I needed this push to get my career back starting again because nobody knew who I was before American Idol," she said. So it was definitely the biggest push I could have ever done to get my career started. To be able to sing in front of that many people and in front of judges that you know are criticizing you, I think anybody that can sing in front of that, and to the remaining contestants, will be able to sing in front of anybody. It's a pretty amazing feeling."
Cook added that while some of the other finalists -- including David Cook, Carly Smithson, and Brooke White -- may have also had previous professional experience doesn't mean they should have been shunned by Idol.
"Everybody has some sort of music background, so it's kind of like, we weren't discovered before this whole thing, so this kind of like a second chance," she said. "And everybody, I believe, deserves a second chance, so it was a great opportunity for all of us."
Cook was also one of the first artist signed by Britney Spears' production company in 1999, but told reporters it's been a while since she's talked to the pop star.
"I actually haven't heard from her. It's been a long time since I've been in contact with her, but maybe one of these days we'll catch up again," she told reporters with a laugh.
The performance that Cook was most praised for during her Idol run was "God Bless the USA." While Cook has been criticized for the song selection being a strategic move, she claims she and her sister "plotted our heads together and came up with that song."
"It wasn't like a huge thought process for me. It was the year I was born. It came out again, and my dad was in Vietnam, and he absolutely loved that song, and I just love that song, and I've sang it for a long time," she told reporters. "It just kind of hit me when I saw that [it was from the year I was born]. And my sister called me, and she was like, 'Well, you should do God Bless the USA.' It was done in that year. And then I was already thinking about it. And I was like, 'That's the one.' And so we kind of just stuck with that one. It was kind of an instant yes in my mind."
Cook was among the bottom three vote getters four out of her six weeks in the Top 12, and if that weren't bad enough, she was also frequently a whipping post for Cowell's sharp tongue.
"I believe that he was just being skeptical because I started out kind of weak," explained Cook about Cowell's constant criticism.
"I was struggling the first three weeks on being sick, and recovering took awhile. I think I outlasted what he thought because I started getting stronger towards the end, and I was getting in the comfort zone of some of the songs that I've been used to and that I've done for awhile. So I was starting to come out of the shell and sing the songs that I'm comfortable with and the ones that I knew that I could sing well. And he saw that a couple times, and unfortunately, it ended when I had to leave, but I thought my performance was pretty strong this past week, so I'm happy I went out on that note."
Prior to her ouster during Wednesday night's results show, Cook retaliated by calling Cowell a "butt."
"I was debating between brat and butt, but I figured I would just say butt. I don't know why," she said.
In addition, Cook sang the beginning of her exit performance on Wednesday night seated on the judges' table directly in front of Cowell.
"He said, 'Well, you made it awkward for me,'" Cook told reporters on Cowell's comments afterwards. "And I said, 'Well, now, you know what it's like to feel like us singing in front of you all the time.' And he just started laughing. It was kind of funny."
Cook also touched upon her comments to Cowell following her Top 11 performance of "Hey You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," in which she told him if given the chance she'd "blow you out of your socks."
"It really does take a lot to get me embarrassed. And I really wasn't embarrassed after it," said Cook, although she seemed embarrassed immediately after she said it.
"It's just my way of saying that I'm going to show you what I have. He didn't really get what I have, and I don't think he still does because I still have a lot more to give. But it's just my way of basically saying, 'Watch out because I'm going to show you what I have.'"
When pressed by reporters about how the comment could have sexual connotations if taken out of context, Cook quickly brushed off that notion.
"I don't look at it as that was being something bad to say just because I'm not that kind of person, but I just was saying I'm going to blow you off your socks, so I just thought it was appropriate," she said. "And I thought it was kind of funny, got everybody's attention."
Cook also got viewers' attention with her sob story of how she had to sell her horse in order to pay her way to her Idol audition. She reiterated her Wednesday night comments that the horse's new owner is unwilling to sell it back.
"I've talked to him a few times, and he doesn't want to sell. He doesn't want to sell him back," she told reporters. "He's really attached to him because he's such a good horse. But the least I could have asked for was a good home, and he got a really good home, so I'm happy with that, but it does kind of suck that I won't be able to get him back as my own horse."
Cook promised her fans she'll "put on a show" during Idol's upcoming tour before she has to do some planning for her wedding. Cook and her boyfriend Andy Dobner got engaged March 15, kept it secret, and he re-proposed following her ouster on Wednesday night.
She said she would "definitely" invite the judges to her wedding, and added she might even take the microphone.
"I've always wanted to sing at my own wedding, since I was little. I don't know why," she told reporters. "I've always had this thing about walking out singing, but I don't know if that'll happen or not, but I probably would sing a number at my wedding."
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