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Cooper, on the cusp of some cherry pie and a steaming black cup of coffee, mingles with the little guy.
Later in his career, the little guy would constantly refer to management on the HBO series "Carnivale."
Cooper would go on to discuss impotence on "Sex and the City."
Glenn Close can be creepy.
We would arrive by 11 or so, parking the army green Camaro into one of the few microscopic natural parking spaces at the edge of the cliff.
Down below you could hear the rush of the rapids, sparkling fresh ice-cold mountain water circling its way through the rounded stones, descending like a roller coaster amid still, placid pools.
It was a steep descent into the heart of the Esopus Falls and we carried only a few necessities — a cooler of roast beef sandwiches and Heineken, our towels and the Panasonic cassette deck. The usual choices were the Who, the Doors, ZZ Top, Kansas and Marshall Tucker with some variety tapes, which could include anything from Jackson Browne to Frank Zappa.
This was the place Rip Van Winkle fell asleep for 20 years, Washington Irving's short story very much a part of our summer lives.
We'd ascend the large flat saucer rock, settling in for the afternoon, watching the summer sun sparkle on the water and glisten on the rocks. Small birds flew overhead and an occasional harmless bee would invade our space.
We dived off those cliffs, fearless, youthful. We swam with vigor and passion. We climbed back up those cliffs, pausing under the pulsations of roaring water, pulling ourselves back to the flat saucer rock, drinking in the sunshine, drinking another beer.
We were on the south side of 25 and life was good.
You like Queen better than James Taylor? Adam gets your vote. You prefer America over Guns 'n' Roses? Kris is your man. Musical taste has everything to do with the vote, not necessarily talent. As for the final song, can we do away with the Idol-authorized crap-pop single? The Kara DioGuardi-penned schmaltz was awful and didn't help either singer. Here's the order of how the two finalists performed last night, with the odds of winning it all tonight:
1. Adam Lambert
The element of surprise is gone and he's cruising along, week after week. "Mad World" was strong once again, but not as emotional as the first time. What was with the Dracula look and ambiance? Muted percussion in the background was distracting. Blew out Sam Cooke with "A Change is Gonna Come" with strong use of dynamics and did the best he could with aforementioned third song. For pure singing talent, there has never been anyone better on the Idol stage. Amazing vocalist.
Odds of winning: 2-1
2. Kris Allen
Probably the best Idol was going to get to match up with Adam, although there's a chasm between the two. Pulled out his best with Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and performed it admirably once again with patient, effective timing. Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On" was just OK. He did nothing special with it. Final song was below average, but he didn't have a lot to work with. Nice kid who will get the tween vote with their speed-dial fingers and could steal this thing.
Odds of winning: 5-1
