David Cook answered YOUR questions!

If anyone ever doubts the power of "American Idol," I can tell them first-hand: The show makes big stars with loyal fans.

Since soliciting questions from David Cook fans for me to ask the reigning "Idol" before I interviewed him Tuesday afternoon, just before his concert at Poughkeepsie's Bardavon 1869 Opera House, I received more than 100 e-mails in about 18 hours, literally from all four corners of the globe. (And believe me, I got all sorts of questions from which to choose!) David, himself, even said he read about me asking looking for fans' queries; and as such, he was happy to share his thoughts with his supporters. David was great to take some time out from his "Declaration" tour and give some great answers to his fans. Read his words, and you can see he where his smart lyrics come from.

So here are David's answers to six questions from "Sean's Space" readers that I asked him...

Nicole from Poughkeepsie, NY: I saw you and Carrie Underwood sing together at the opening of the "American Idol Experience" attraction at Disney World, and you sounded great together! Would you consider recording a song with her or with any of the other "Idols" past?
David Cook: I'd certainly be open to the idea. We have that Tulsa connection. We've really become close. She's a great friend and she's really helped me. There's no school that prepares you for all this.

Christina from Salvisa, KY: What has been the most memorable moment that has occurred so far during the "Declaration" tour?
David Cook: It was the second show of the tour, I think, and Brett Favre came to the show which was cool. I think it was about a week later, we got to walk on the field at Lambeau (Field in Green Bay). I'm into seeing landmarks around the country. I'm looking forward to getting to Niagara Falls later this week.Heidi from New York, NY: Did anyone ever tell you that you would never "make it" as a musician? What was that like?
David Cook: I've been told I wasn't going to make it my whole life. If it's something you feel strongly about, you either buck up and work harder or you stop. I decided to work harder.Penny from Malone, NY: How does it make it you feel knowing that so many people find themselves emotionally connected to your music and consider it such an inspiration?
David Cook: To me, it's paramount. I don't know if this would work otherwise. I wanted to evoke emotions and give people a reason to get emotionally connected to the music. I'm immensely appreciative of that.

Jen from Brooklyn, NY: If you had never auditioned for "American Idol" in Omaha that day (at 4 in the morning, in the rain), what do you think you'd be doing right now, instead of answering this question?
David Cook: I would probably be in Tulsa, bartending and playing 8 to 10 shows a month, trying to get people to pay attention to me.

Elaine from State College, PA: How does a midwestern Irish boy celebrate St. Patty's Day?
David Cook: I'll have to figure that out. I'll have a good time with friends. I think we'll be out in L.A., and I'll have some family members coming out there, so I'll probably spend time with them.

A big thanks again goes out to all of you who e-mailed questions for David, and a congrats to the half-dozen of you who got yours answered by the "American Idol" champ!

I also want to give a shout-0ut to Bob Lynch, Marist College's director of student activities, for all his efforts getting me in touch with David!

I just met "American Idol" David Cook!

For the second time now, I've met an "American Idol" champion in a Poughkeepsie post-show downpour.

Despite the constant precipitation and in spite of the fact that he's getting over a recent illness — "I think we and the tour bus have finally kicked the flu bug," he told me earlier in the day — David Cook was cool enough to spend a few minutes with his fans, including a pair of devotees who have crossed the country to take in all 18 of his "Declaration" tour stops so far. (Next stop: SUNY Brockport!)

Having talked on the phone Tuesday afternoon, it was nice to meet in person and shake hands with the reigning "Idol." I could tell you how good the show was, but that would kill the suspense when you read it here later. Let's just put it this way, America got it right last season! (No offense, David Archuleta. I've got "Crush" in my iPod. I think it's a fun, catchy tune.)

Remember: Check back here at "Sean's Space" and see which of your questions David answered during our interview...

I talked to David Cook earlier today...

...and he was happy to talk about tonight's concert at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, his current "Delcaration" tour, Walt Disney World, St. Patrick's Day and more.

After going through my own questions for the reigning "American Idol," I told David I'd opened the interview process to his fans and asked them to submit questions for me to ask him. And here's where he blew me away: David already knew about it! "Yeah, I got the Google Alert about it earlier," he said. "I can't wait to see what they came up with." So from there, we talked about his fans, though David didn't ask a single question submitted by a fan ... he answered six of 'em, which should make his supporters happy when I post his answers later.

Having already been inside the Bardavon earlier today, David said "it's a beautiful place," and he was looking forward to tonight's performance. Even after just a 10-minute conversation, I could really tell that David's college-educated, as his answers were thoughtful, insightful and very articulate.

Check back (hopefully) tomorrow to read David's answers to "Sean's Space" readers' questions!

The "American Idol" is in town

On my way back from errands, I drove past the back of the Bardavon 1869 Opera House and saw this tour bus ... hmmm, who could this belong to?
Speaking of "American Idol" champion David Cook, thanks to the 70-plus "Sean's Space" readers from literally all over the globe (I'm talking to you Brazil and Malaysia!) who submitted questions for me to ask David over the past 18 hours.

I'm scheduled to talk to David at 3:15 p.m. EST this afternoon, well before he hits the stage at 9 p.m. One of your questions will be included in the interview, and I'll likely post David's answer tomorrow, since tonight's show will get over so late. So, stay tuned...

YOU can ask David Cook a question!!!

Just got off the phone, having gotten some great news: I'll be interviewing "American Idol" champ David Cook tomorrow!

The latest "Idol" champ will be playing a show tomorrow night at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House for Marist College students. But in the afternoon, before the show, I'll share a few minutes with David, interviewing him for a Web-exclusive story I'll be writing about his performance here in Poughkeepsie. And that's where you come in...

Just as I did before when I interviewed the Jonas Brothers, Clay Aiken, Bret Michaels and Taylor Hicks, among others, I'm giving you a chance to ask David a question when I talk to him!

Now, all you've got to do is e-mail your first name, your hometown and your question for David to me at journalsean@aol.com by 12 p.m. tomorrow.I'll pick the best one (and only one) out of all the questions I receive and ask it to David when I speak with him. Then, I'll post his answer to your question right here at "Sean's Space."

Be creative! Ask the David a question that no one else has ever asked him. Then, check back here to see if he answered your question!

I'm orange with envy

There are few things I cherish in this world as much as a nice, cold Orange Julius.
As a kid, I always loved it whem Mom and Dad would treat me to the creamy, frothy drink at the now-demolished South Hills Mall. So you can imagine how excited I was tonight when on a work trip, I came across this Orange Julius at one of the local malls.

Once those orange neon lights caught my eye, I was lured in!

I had to order a large original Orange Julius (not a Strawberry Julius or on of those fru-fru drinks they now make) and it was just as good as I remembered. Between the orange juice and the ice and the secret ingredients, I was in Heaven! So much so that I drank the thing so quickly, I almost got a brain freeze ... but it was soooo worth it!

And it's a good thing I drank that Julius in record time.

Because as I took the elevator up to the second floor of the mall, I thought my eyes were deceiving me: This mall has two Orange Julius stands — one on each floor! (This is where that whole "envy" thing comes in.) Sure, this one was a part-Orange Julius, part-Dairy Queen; but even that is more of an Orange Julius stand than we have back home.

Talk about rubbing it in! I live in a town that has no Orange Julius stands, and this one mall has two Orange Julius stands just a couple hundred feet apart!

It's OK, though. A big Food Network fan, my GF was kind enough to find this for me this on the Food Network's Web site for me: Fellow foodie Alton Brown has posted the recipe for an eerily similar concoction to the Orange Julius, meaning I don't have to travel a couple of hours to find one stand (or in this case, two) that sells my favorite drink!

She finally found what she was looking for

Just got a screaming call from my GF, who went down to Manhattan for the day: SHE JUST MET BONO!Yes, that is her cuddling up with the lead singer of famed Irish rock band U2, Paul David Hewson ... you can just call him Bono. You might recognize my GF from such celebrity encounters as actor Liev Schreiber, singer Michelle Branch, trumpeter Chris Botti and comedian Jimmy Fallon. (She's shy, not as outgoing as me.)

This will go down in our collective lore as her "New Kids moment," alluding to last May 17th when I me the New Kids On The Block, my fav group of all-time. Unlike the way I lucked out meeting the guys, though, this encounter was weeks in the making.

See, Bono and the boys have played an unprecedented week of performances on "The Late Show with David Letterman," and today was the final taping for the week. (Usually, Dave tapes one show a day Monday through Wednesday, and then two shows on Thursday; this week, though, they taped two shows on Monday, followed by one per day after that.) With that in mind, the gears inside my GF's head started turning...

And make no mistake, my beloved is a veteran of waiting outside stage doors -- whether they lead to Broadway theaters, TV studios for shows like Letterman and the former Conan O'Brien "Late Night," or arenas like Madison Square Garden and our own Mid-Hudson Civic Center.

Having honed her skills for years, she knew just where Adam Clayton here and the rest of the band would be heading as they headed for the Ed Sullivan Theater for today's show. Unfortunately, so did about 200 other U2 fans who were also waiting ... but she was one of the first, arriving hours before the 5:30 p.m. taping. (What's that they say about the early bird?!)

And, as the pictures show, it paid off big-time!

With that throng of fans awaiting The Edge and the rest of the group, my GF was quick to get Bono's attention (in addition to the rest of the group except drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who she said didn't sign any autographs), resulting in a memory she's not likely to forget. And, she's got the snapshots and autographs to prove it, not to mention redemption following her first in-person encounter with the band .

Luckily, she got a second chance at this once-in-a-lifetime meeting.

The first time my GF met Bono, before one of their MSG shows a few years back (again, waiting outside the arena), she froze for the split-second she got with him, and she'd always regretted it ... until today!