LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, David Cook exclusive. The "American Idol" winner in his first TV interview on losing his best friend, his brother, who died of brain cancer. His emotions of moving on without the person who inspired him the most.
And then, Heidi and Spencer out of the jungle and they're here. Were they tortured a reality show or are they torturing us?
And Jeff Foxworthy's advice for us all about goofing off at work and getting ahead.
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JEFF FOXWORTHY, COMEDIAN: You might want to listen up.
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KING: What does he think of the Letterman feud? Foxworthy is fired up and so are we, next on LARRY KING LIVE.
Before we begin, a couple of notes. Thursday night, the Jonas Brothers for the full hour. And Friday night, I'm going to be in Las Vegas and -- that's where I'm going to be doing my comedy. I do have a funny act and it will be in the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. My wife Shawn will open the proceedings. It starts at 8:00 and if you'd like to get tickets to see us there, proceeds will go to my cardiac foundation. Just go on the Web site, encorelasvegas.com. We hope to see you there, it should be a lot of fun. It's a different side of me.
Here's a great guy, welcoming him back to LARRY KING LIVE, David Cook, winner of the seventh season of the "American Idol." His debut album is the self-titled "David Cook." Great name. Our condolences, David, your older brother Adam passed away. Can we say it was not expected or is any death not expected?
DAVID COOK, MUSICIAN: Well, I mean, I would say the actual event was unexpected, but we kind of knew for a while that Adam was heading in that direction, I guess. So, you know, now that it's done and it's over with, I think, you know, it gives us a chance as a family to kind of regroup and move on and, hopefully, make sure that, you know, his memory just kind of lives on.
KING: How old was he?
COOK: He was 37 and an amazing, definitely one of my best friends, one of my biggest advisers. And he was just one of those people, I think he was important to everybody that knew him, which is very cool.
KING: What did he do for a living?
COOK: He was a lawyer.
KING: In Missouri?
COOK: In Indiana, actually, Terre Haute. And so lawyer jokes were the norm around the family. But he's left behind a great wife and a couple of kids. And you know, we're still family. We still talk all the time.
KING: When did he discover he had it?
COOK: God, he must have been 26.
KING: So he held on that long, 11 years?
COOK: Yeah. Adam was defiant almost to a fault and I say that in the most endearing sense. The doctors when they first diagnosed him, they gave him about two years. And every time they would give him a diagnosis of a definite amount of time, he would always seem to exceed it. And I remember I took a couple of days off from this tour that we've been on back in March because we got bad news that it was going to be a few days at best and then of course, he lasted seven more weeks, so.
KING: David learned of his brother's passing several hours after it happened. He arrived in Washington, D.C. for the Race for Hope, a fund-raiser for brain cancer research, still took part in that event. Watch.
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COOK: On a serious note, I, like everybody here, am affected by this disease. I actually lost my brother yesterday to a brain tumor. And I couldn't imagine -- I can't imagine being anywhere else right now.
CROWD: We love you.
CROWD: We love you, David! We're right with you!
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KING: Yeah. How do you deal with -- how do you cope? You got music.
COOK: Yes. I have amazing people just kind of surrounding me from all levels and I mean that, obviously, I'm extremely close to my family.
KING: Parents living? COOK: Both parents, yeah. And the fact that, you know, I've been able to surround myself professionally with a ton of great people and that's from my management, my label, all the way down to my fans. I -- the condolences and well wishes sent my way in the last month and a half has been unreal and I know that those wishes, you know, partly to my family have been an absolute blessing.
KING: How are your parents taking it?
COOK: You know, I think just like everybody else. I definitely take lessons from them on how to cope and how to deal with this. And that race was, you know, part of that deal. I think my parents, they stayed the course and they mourn in private.
KING: They say that people die as they live. How did he die? Did he die bravely?
COOK: Yeah. Adam -- Adam died without -- without relative cognitive ability. The tumor that he had called a gigliablastoma -- (ph) it affected him outwardly, but not inwardly. And I say that in moments of clarity, he maintained his sense of humor all the way to the end. And the biggest lesson I took from Adam was that it never defined him. It was never a character trait or a personality trait. It was just an illness. And so yeah, I think, I definitely think that Adam passed with all of his dignity intact.
KING: David performed the song "Permanent" inspired by his older brother for the finale of this season's "American Idol." Take a look.
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COOK: (SINGING)
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KING: How did it feel to come back?
COOK: You know what? "Idol's" always, ever since I first got on the show, it's just felt like home. The people behind the scenes, the judges, Ryan, everybody, it is a camaraderie there. And so it meant a lot to be able to come back and do that. And we've been really fortunate that all parties involved with the recording of that song kind of forwent their payment of royalties and now the song is actually up for a few more days. I think another week, on iTunes and all of the proceeds from the sale go to ABC squared.
KING: Was it nice to work without the pressure of wondering if people are voting for you?
COOK: Being a part of the finale for season eight was definitely a lot less stressful than season seven. I definitely had a level of empathy for Adam and Kris. But it is such a cool thing just to be part of, I mean the show at all, let alone to get to the finale, and so, but it was very cool to back.
KING: We will talk about what his career has been doing since. Who is your all-time favorite "Idol" winner? That is tonight's quick vote. Give us your answers, CNN.com/LarryKing. David is in the lead right now.
Is sudden fame all it's cracked up to be? He might have the surprising answer. Since I don't know what it is, I'm as interested as you. That's next.
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COOK: (SINGING)
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KING: His debut album, "David Cook" went platinum, is still selling very well. He's our special guest, the winner of our seventh season of "American Idol." OK, is fame what you expected? Is it all it's cracked up to be?
COOK: It's different. I think that's the best way to explain it. I've constantly amazed at what -- what people seem to gravitate towards.
KING: Like?
COOK: I've always thought like, I guess call it, you know, being naive, but before all of this, I always assumed like, you know, if I ever get to this point where I have a major record deal and I'm making music and people are going to want to talk about the music. And a lot of times, they'd rather talk about who I'm dating or what kind of food I eat or whatever. And so the theater of the absurd kind of stuff.
KING: Do you wonder why they are interested in that?
COOK: No, because I'm afraid it would just kind of consume my being.
KING: Back to some current things. What did you think -- by the way, are you doing another album?
COOK: Actually, we're getting ready to start another leg of the tour. We just finished the first leg of the Declaration Tour, did three months of college dates and now we're going to start doing theaters through the summer. I think right now we're looking to go into mid October.
KING: And record again?
COOK: Hopefully, record again.
KING: What did you think of the Kris Allen win over Adam Lambert? Surprised?
COOK: I was, but I wasn't. I was surprised in the sense of just like everybody else, you hear all the media talking and everybody seemed to think Adam was going to win. And so when they said, Kris, I was like, oh, OK. But I think being there and kind of following the season and watching them perform, I wouldn't have been surprised either way. They are both great performers and great guys.
KING: Any thought about the fuss over Adam's sexuality? Or why should that matter?
COOK: You know what? I just think that now that it's out, let's move on. Adam is such an amazing singer and amazing performer and I don't really see how sexual preference plays a role.
KING: Will it affect his career?
COOK: It shouldn't.
KING: Do you think it might?
COOK: I think whether or not it will, I think time will tell. I'm hoping that, you know, we get to a point where it's just like anything else, like hair color.
KING: In the latest "Rolling Stone," Adam credits you for paving the way for him to perform innovative arrangements on "Idol." Do you see yourself as a kind of trailblazer?
COOK: You know, it's always interesting to me because I've heard him say that a couple times and it's extremely flattering. So thanks, Adam. But I think past that, you know, I took, you know, ideas from prior idols, too. I looked at people like Bo Bice and Chris and tried to spin it my own way and make it me. And if somebody wants to take something from that, that's amazing. I feel like that just adds brevity to what I did on the show.
KING: Now you and your former rival, David Archuleta, your runner up, performed in the Philippines, last night. I'm told 50,000 fans. What was that like, 50,000 fans?
COOK: Well, the funny thing about that show is the number fluctuates. I've heard 50, I've heard 40, I've heard 115.
KING: 632,000 fans. How did it feel?
COOK: Cool, cool. One of those moments where I just -- you kind of have to take a step back and realize I'm halfway around the world and these people know who I am. And they are such -- they have such a thirst for like the "Idol" brand there. And I think they are the only other country that simulcasts it live, so it goes on at like 8 in the morning.
But like, Archie and I couldn't leave the hotel without chaperones. We went to -- I went to go shopping at the mall across the street and had 50 armed guards holding people back because I walked in the stores. It puts it in perspective because then I come back home, and mom is like, "When you come home, maybe you can go and take the trash out."
KING: Go get a bottle of milk.
COOK: Right, right.
KING: Are you protective of Archie?
COOK: No, I don't think so. I definitely -- I definitely feel like Archie and I have a cool kind of brotherly relationship. But if anybody should be protective of anybody, he should probably be protective of me. He is very mature for his age. It's such -- you know, I remember watching when we performed in the Philippines and just to see how much he has grown from the time we were on the "Idol" tour to now, it was really cool to see.
KING: A special guy. David Cook, winner of the seventh season of "American Idol," the debut album is self-titled "David Cook." Want exclusive access to the Jonas Brothers world tour? You've got it. Go to CNN.com/LarryKing for reports you'll only get only on our Web site. Check out their stop right now and remember our big interview is Thursday night. Back with David in 60 seconds.
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KING: Don't forget, you can download David's version of "Permanent" on -- on the iTunes, right?
COOK: Right.
KING: The proceeds will go to?
COOK: ABC squared. It's short for Accelerated Brain Cancer Cure, an organization that raises money and funds for a cure for brain cancer.
KING: David has had an incredible success after "American Idol." Here is a look back. A look at "Come Back to Me." The video is number one this week on VH1 and Fuse's top 10 countdown. Take a look.
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COOK: (SINGING)
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KING: A couple of other quick things. Now you went to the "Idol" audition to promote your younger brother?
COOK: Yeah.
KING: And you got it and he didn't. What is he doing?
COOK: Andrew is actually -- he is hosting a radio show on the Internet, KCRadio.com.
KING: Where is that?
COOK: Just go to KCRadio.com. KING: But where he is physically?
COOK: Oh, physically, he's in Kansas City. So he really seems to enjoy it, he's learning a lot and he's also finishing up an education degree.
KING: Can he go back on "Idol?"
COOK: Yeah, if he wants to. I think now that everything has kind of fallen where it's fallen, he kind of wants to pave his own way a little bit, but you never know.
KING: On this tour, you have played so far mostly smaller circles.
COOK: Primarily college venues.
KING: Are you looking forward to bigger?
COOK: Absolutely. I think I want to be part of something massive. I want to be one of the biggest acts in the world. But we're working our way up the ladder.
KING: What is the next thing you want to do? You want to sing? I mean, you want to do a movie?
COOK: Do it all, why not? I'll become like Seacrest, I'll just do a little bit of everything.
KING: Like a generalist.
COOK: Right.
KING: Is there something you'd like to do that maybe people wouldn't think you would do? Would you like to act?
COOK: I would love to act, actually. I kind of threw my hat in that whole hat a long time ago. And we've had some offers but nothing has stuck.
KING: Let's see the guitar with your brother's initials are on it, right?
COOK: This is actually the guitar that I played on "Idol." And I've retired it for the time being. It's hanging on a wall back at home.
KING: Where is his initials?
COOK: Right here. I'll probably bring it back out at some point. But my brother was always real adamant about not being the center of attention. So here we go.
KING: David, you're a special guy.
COOK: Thank you very much.
KING: Thank you for coming.
COOK: Thank you.
KING: David Cook and thanks for doing this, it wasn't easy.
COOK: My pleasure.
Yeah!
