To me and I suppose many out there it was unexpected but David Cook finally took the title home. One thing I can say without thinking twice is that David Archuleta was better singer but in the end he wasn't the best performer. David Cook, as one of the judges identified, was a much sincere performer especially compared to Archuleta who with his puppy dog eyes and sweet and innocent demeanor was actually more of a drama queen.

I personally found him to be a thoroughbred horse trained for competitions rather than then innocent kid that he pretends to be. The way he roped everyone in and fed on their emotions was surprising for me, looking at this the seventeen year old kid. He consistently chose songs that were "bigger" and did a very good job sticking to his strong areas. For a singer of his capability he did not need that much acting, he could have won easily without it. He had champion written on his forehead. If only he could have gone beyond being a extraordinarily good reproducer of songs to a genuinely talented singer who makes a song his own.

The performances on the finale were absolutely amazing and both of them did a great job but Archuleta was just too good. Its sad that he finally did not make it considering it was a singing competition and he ultimately was a bigger singer than Cook, but I guess Cook was a better performer than Archuleta and much more capable of and comfortable in singing a song in his own style. Probably it all boiled down to maturity.

Lovely, lovely, lovely. I just finished watching this season and all I can say is that I am hooked on this TV series. Like all great Sci-Fi work it comes with its own brand of wisdom and hope. Like all great Sci-Fi work it represents man's wish, rather fantasy, to go beyond his limitations an frailties to become whatever that he can imagine. Those who share this fantasy enjoy  reading or watching such stuff as much as those who create it. Who knows what potential is locked inside us, what the future may bring. This few pound brain of ours has brought us from the jungle to the urban jungles. We rule this planet and put the kings of jungle in cages for our amusement.

Man is the best and worst of all creations. It is so powerful that nothing can stand in its way. Vast seas, great mountains, harsh deserts, extreme weathers and the inescapable gravity, nothing can hold it back. Whatever challenge was thrown at him was overcome and man rose successful in the end. Surviving like the something destined to be fittest not matter what. The stars in the sky are afraid of this strange creature that may soon be coming to them as well and God knows best what we will do with these stars. Yet, it is so weak and pathetic that it may die of a two feel fall or kill its own self. The same few pound brain is unable to remember much, deceives and deludes itself and has such a limited imagination that it cannot think of something it has not seen already. Man is short-sighted, narrow minded, weak spirited and sells himself for a petty price.

Yet it is man alone that walks this earth like an invincible conqueror to whom the whole world belongs and everything in it is just there for his service. Who knows what else is out there in the universe, but as far as this earth is concerned, man is its hope and man is its symbol. Man is what makes it worthwhile and man alone asks the question, who am I.

Acting was not what sold Shahrukh Khan. As an actor he did manage to establish his talent but by and large it has been his charisma and his image that people loved. I believe the same was true for the previous king Amitabh Bachchan. He wasn't the best looking guy and I think that he wasnt the best actor either. But he was the king because he had the personality and self-confidence. His voice, his diagloue delivery, his walk and his presence, everything exuded style. People copied that style, they became fans of the style. Shahrukh grew up admiring that style too and when his time came he brought his own for others to follow.

Starting his career from theater, he always considered himself and entertainer rather than a great acting talent. He came from humble beginnings and lost his father at early age. He was brought up by his mother. She always believed in her son that he would be number one, he was the best. His father himself went to Mumbai in an effort to become an actor. But he was not acknowledged and he was too proud to stand in the line for extras. He wasn't here to become a "struggler".

Shahrukh's style of acting was full of energy and enthusiasm. He liked Amitabh and he liked style. In college he was part of a gang they called the C-Gang. They even has their own gang dress code. This gang was hardly involved in usual gang activities and was primarily a means for, style. In Shahrukh's early successes like Baazigar and Darr, his obsessive and intense style was loved. In later successes like Dil Wale Dulhanya Le Jain Ge, Dil Tu Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, his lover boy style was loved. With movies like Don and Devdas, he tried to bring a new image to screen and succeeded both times. His life wasn't all success, as it never is, but he made most of his ability with little expectation and a lot of self-confidence.

Shahrukh came to Mumbai looking for his girlfriend Gauri and standing at the beach he said that he will own this city one day, he did that. He met Gauri when he was eighteen and she was four years younger. He being a Muslim boy and she a Hindu girl was not a good match but they liked each other and with the help of friends the relationship bloomed. She came to Mumbai to get away from him because he proved to be possessive to the point of being suffocating. He came after her, not planning to let go that easily. In this city where he hardly knew anyone and did not know where she was staying, he found her at the beach because he knew she loved to swim and instinctively he tried to find her there after trying everything else. That probably tells about his life in general, he has been a person of instinct rather than cold logic.

He came to the movie scene at the right time when India was going through liberalization and the markets were opening up. There was demand for style and he provided it with the help of some friends he found in the industry like Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar. His climb was slow and he was not the over night success that you expect. He was also not consistently successful. Still he represents Bollywood and Bollywood's name is synonymous with him. From Raju he really became a gentleman.

The book by Anupama Chopra a film journalist brings a definitive biography of Shahrukh Khan with details that introduce you to the person  behind the image. I particularly liked her style of writing and found it both engaging and entertaining. Though I suppose it has been written with a woman's sensibility so you are introduced to the fact, a number of times actually, that SRK, as he is known, can cry. Starting from his father's story and his ambitions to how his mother held her ground after him, to how he found work in bollywood to how he became a god-like figure. From being haunted by the mafia, to Devdas to being and becoming the King Khan who represents the ambitions and aspirations of a newly liberated India.

A four part series on BBC 4 that charts the history of the protestant faith and its effects, till the modern day.

The Protestant Revolution - Part 1: The Politics of Belief

The Protestant Revolution - Part 2: The Godly Family

The Protestant Revolution Part 3: A Reformation of the Mind

The Protestant Revolution - Part 4: No Rest for the Wicked

Though it tells the history of Protestantism but I see much resemblance between the revolution in their faith and departure from Catholicism and the impact of Islam in Europe. Islam preached the religion with no icons and protestants became the iconoclasts when they destroyed all icon and idol from catholic churches. Islam started in the 7th century while Protestantism is a phenomena of the 16th and 17th century. Islam had spread to Europe in its first 200 years and started to have impact on their societies though indirectly because Europe was being protected by the papacy and the holy wars a.k.a the crusades were taking place. Still I cannot ignore the fact that in the next ten centuries Islam did not have the influence to spark off this revolution?

Christianity was marred by papacy with the pope being a God appointed guide and responsible for the religion. The church could only interpret what the word of God was, ordinary people were even forbidden to read the book. Ordinary people were not worthy of interacting directly with God, rather the priest was their way to Him. The church offered salvation rather than God. This was everything that Islam broke down and created an egalitarian religion where everyone had the right to read the book. Everyone could interact directly with God and achieve salvation through good actions rather than blessing of some priest. There was no God appointed pope in Islam.

This is a great documentary as far as it traces the origin and impact of Protestantism but someone should make a documentary that links the arrival of Muslims in Europe and their impact, which I believe infused these familiar ideas in them.