"Sanjaya - Dumb Like a Fox!"

"Unbelievable," you say, "that he made it to the final seven?" I don't think so. Not at all. Why? Because American Idol is a form of life parody. Much of what happens comes at us and leaves us flabbergasted (that's a cool word - "flabbergasted" - try saying it slowly with your mouth totally relaxed...). Often, it's only after the dust clears that we start to sound smart. Like we knew it was coming and were prepared. Remember Christmas time, 2005, when we looked around Flagler County and realized that the bus was slowing down - and it was slowing down fast (for you math majors, that's a "rapid acceleration in the rate of decline")? Where am I going with this? Oh, yeah - Sanjaya! Dumb like a fox. The kid is going to reap some serious compensation, in return for the abuse meted out each week by Simon Cowl. You watch, he's going to blow by William Hung and the - "She Bangs" sideshow. Last night, soon after Sanjaya's vote count wasn't enough to maintain his improbable run, washingtonpost.online said: "... He really knew how to cultivate a fan base." and "His ability to stand out kept him in the competition." I understand exactly what they mean. However, and this is a big however, at some point, talent has to trump popularity to win big. We can get by nicely with either, but hang on to your hat when both are present in spades.

To finish this thought, LaKisha Jones, Blake Lewis, Chris Richardson, and Phil Stacey all have decent personalities and glimpses of real talent. Although two others, Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks are far out in front of them. Here's my prediction: Melinda's ability to deliver a song with power and conviction is unparalleled in the Idol series - truly over the top star quality. But her personality has thus far been superficial - almost child-like. Once she stops singing (oh, what a voice), she's no fun. But Jordin - Wow! Her voice has emerged as second, only to Melinda's. But she is the total package - talent and charisma. Ladies and gentlemen, your new American Idol: Jordin Sparks!

So what can we mere mortals, here in Palm Coast, glean from all this? Well, for the past five years, as an emerging city, we've been Sanjaya. A little bit to offer, with an ability to cultivate a fan base, while all the stars were alligned. We took care of business, when the business needed taking care of. And now it's time for Palm Coast to take singing lessons (the timing is perfect) to prepare for the next round of auditions. It took this nice little retirement town from 1969 to 1999 to morph into an incorporated city. And then it took only from 1999 to 2005 to blow the doors off. Everything changed. We had traffic jams, for goodness sake! But, hey, now we have a "real" Starbucks! I hope you think it's worth the trade-off.

Instead of moaning about how slow things are, we should be thankful for the breather. Let's improve services, finish the road projects underway, let the city fathers recoup, clear out excess housing inventory, address the troubling tax issues, and revel in a true cross-town rivalry (Go, Bulldogs! Go, Pirates!). Things will rebound soon enough and we'll be busy and prosperous again... I promise! In the meantime, let's all wish Sanjaya God speed!