North Dakota man lets dog die in hot car at “Idol” auditions in Denver
Kris Allen might sing the song “Heartless” if he heard this story.
Quincy Vanderbilt, 24, was served Tuesday with a misdemeanor for animal cruelty after he let a small terrier die in a hot car while the owner’s girlfriend waited to audition for “Idol” in Denver.
Temps hit a high of 91 in Denver that day. He left the windows up and by the time he checked in at 2 p.m, the dog was dead.
Denver Animal Care and Control officials said that it takes only minutes for a pet left in a vehicle on a warm day to succumb to heatstroke and suffocation. On a 78-degree day, for example, temperatures in a car parked in the shade can exceed 90 degrees — and hit a scorching 160 degrees if parked in the sun.
- Jordin Sparks has the top download of the week with “Battlefield,” which moves up from 17 to 15 on the top 40 charts, according to Mediabase 24/7.
Kelly Clarkson’s “I Do Not Hook Up,” peaked at No. 8 and is down to 16. It’s slipped to 15 on the Hot AC chart from 13.
Daughtry’s ‘No Surprise” is still gaining airplay but slips to 23 from 22. It’s up to No. 5 on the Hot AC chart, just ahead of David Cook’s “Come Back To Me” at No. 7.
On the country chart, Kellie Pickler in her 30th week on the chart actually makes the top 10 for the first time ever with “Best Days of Your Life.” Bucky Covington is stuck back at No. 36 with “I Want My Life Back.”
On the Urban AC chart, Jennifer Hudson’s former No. 1 hit “If It Isn’t Love” drops to 9 while her latest “Giving Myself” is up to 24. Ruben Studdard’s “Together” is at 17.
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© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
27 comments Add your comment
Rickster
July 17th, 2009
1:17 pm
If the dude should happen to make it in front of the judges… all four of them ought to rip him over this, embarrass him on national television and throw his worthless #$$ out of the audition.
That’s totally reprehensible.
— TV Tattle
July 17th, 2009
1:20 pm
[...] the show “will ultimately be contingent upon her progress and doctor’s orders.” “Idol” auditioner lets his dog die in the car Quincy Vanderbilt, 24, was charged with a misdemeanor for animal cruelty after leaving his dog in [...]
JTesla
July 17th, 2009
1:26 pm
But did she make it to the next round?
Rickster
July 17th, 2009
1:42 pm
If she does.. (sorry, I mis-read the story & thought he tried out) I hope Randy really rips her one. After all… we all know how much he loves his “dogs.”
Rickster
July 17th, 2009
1:43 pm
Sorry… I couldn’t resist.
Deirdre
July 17th, 2009
2:30 pm
I certainly hope the girlfriend dumps the jackazz! And that she DIDN’T make it to the next round!
Mercedes S.
July 17th, 2009
2:38 pm
EW gives Jordin Sparks an A- for “Battlefield”. Sample quote from review: “Battlefield certainly delivers on the artistic end: It’s packed with more hooks than a fisherman’s tackle box, none better than on the gorgeous title track, which sports a soaring chorus. When Sparks hits that ‘Better go and get your armor’ bridge, you can practically feel the wind whipping through your hair.
And the ending: “Sparks even co-penned four tracks, including ‘Faith,’ the best AI anthem the show has never had. Kara DioGuardi, you’ve been warned.
Deirdre
July 17th, 2009
2:43 pm
For those interested, here’s a review of the Idols in Los Angeles:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1616438/20090717/allen__kris.jhtml
Heather MacDonald
July 17th, 2009
3:09 pm
Makes me hope that fate sees fit to lock HIM in a hot car until he dies.
Quick Draw
July 17th, 2009
4:51 pm
To be honest, both of these morons deserve contempt. She for trusting someone else to take care of her pet–and since it was so hot, why not leave the poor animal home? And the idiotic boyfriend for not leaving the windows open or taking the dog with him. I guess trying to get into a talent contest is worth way more then being a good pet owner. I pray no other poor animal is ever adopted or bought by these cretins. Get a cell phone and pretend it’s a pet.
MildApplause
July 17th, 2009
5:01 pm
They should leave it in the show. It’s sad, but it will bring attention to the fact that people need to **not** leave their pets in the car. I don’t understand why we have to remind people of that, but apparently we do, and American Idol would be a great way to teach a lot of people about this.
What are they teaching in schools these days, anyway?
linny@home
July 17th, 2009
6:59 pm
Mild — NOT enough, seems apparent to me. Guess they’re taught to “think” only what they’re told to think, but never ever ever for themselves. And we all know that “common” sense isn’t. common, i mean.
Laura
July 17th, 2009
10:16 pm
There’s nothing wrong with trusting someone else to take care of your pet, unless it’s a person you don’t know well and/or have good reason to believe can’t be trusted. I think most people would let their SO care for their dog. I don’t blame the woman for what happened, because she probably believed he would behave responsibly and was horrified that he didn’t, but she sure better have dumped her boyfriend over this incident!
Harm
July 17th, 2009
10:24 pm
When will people learn? You never leave pets or CHILDREN in cars alone!
Did any of you hear about Carrollton’s( my neck of the woods ) own crazy lady? The one who almost killed a baby by giving him enough wine to intoxicate an adult.
Even though we have all these crazy people running around everywhere, I still hope you all can have a happy and safe weekend!
Deirdre
July 18th, 2009
9:16 am
Morning!
A fond farewell to Walter Cronkite. I grew up watching him deliver the nightly news. Here’s why he was one of the best. Never, not ever, not once did he hint at his own thoughts on the variety of subjects he reported. He informed us of the news. He didn’t interpret the news, he didn’t try to give us a “sense” of the news(gawd, I HATE that), he never drew his own conclusions of the news. I can’t, personally, name ONE on-air reporter since Walter Cronkite, who told us just the facts.
I can’t tell you how flabbergasted I was when, awhile back, long after his retirement, he expressed a political opinion.
linny@home
July 18th, 2009
11:56 am
so true Deirdre, so true — may he rest in peace.
Mercedes S.
July 18th, 2009
6:04 pm
Deirdre, Walter Cronkite did indeed more than just inform us of the news. He took sides, he showed emotion. He was visibly upset on several occasions: when JFK died, of course, and when CBS showed images of protesters getting beat up in the streets in 1968, near the Democratic convention. Earlier that same year, in February of 1968, he made a commentary about his visit to Vietnam, casting strong doubt on our mission there and its chances for success.
Much later, Mr. Cronkite opposed the US invasion of Iraq.
Mercedes S.
July 18th, 2009
6:06 pm
Forgot to add the famous LBJ quote: “If I’ve lost Cronkite on Vietnam, I’ve lost Middle America”.
Deirdre
July 18th, 2009
7:02 pm
His Vietnam stance came only after he prefaced his opinion with the statement that he was giving an opinion. He did not offer his opinion as news. He did not offer his opinion as fact. He offered it as his belief. That’s a BIG difference from the way “beliefs” are issued by anchor men and women today. He avoided allowing his opinion to color the news he was reporting. Today, many news anchors find it almost impossible to report the news without infusing it with their own personal prejudices.
His reactions to JFK’s assassination, the punching of Dan Rather during the Democrat convention in ‘68, the landing on the moon in ‘69 were all visceral, mirroring the viewer’s reactions to these events. His reactions were not calculated to change our minds, to motivate our thinking or to “educate” us as to how we Should be thinking. They were simply a human response to the horror, the shock or the wonder of these events.
And LBJ was right. If even Walter Cronkite could no longer keep his opinion of Vietnam to himself, then he was in deep doodoo!
His opposition to the invasion of Iraq came long after his retirement.
Dorothy Davis
July 19th, 2009
11:34 am
About her dog….did she tell him not to leave the dog in the car? If not, they both should be charged with neglect and “murder” of an innocent animal and do some hard time. Do not own a pet if you are so into yourself you have no love to give!
Highlander
July 19th, 2009
8:06 pm
This story was very poorly written and leaves me confused regarding the facts.
“Quincy Vanderbilt, 24, was served Tuesday with a misdemeanor for animal cruelty after he let a small terrier die in a hot car while the OWNER’S (my caps) girlfriend waited to audition for “Idol” in Denver.”
That doesn’t identify HIM as the owner (although he WAS the idiot who caused the dog’s death) nor does it identify the girlfriend as the dog’s owner. The statement implies the owner was a third person. Otherwise it should have read “his small terrier” and “his girlfriend”. It’s not really clear whose dog it was or whose girlfriend she was. Is the word ‘owner’ supposed to be relating to the dog or the car??
Heather MacDonald
July 20th, 2009
6:25 am
Like most news stories today, I agree with Highlander that it was poorly written. Burying the lede (not misspelled) is becoming more and more common and more and more frustrating to those of us who do know how to write. Most reporters today are not trained with the high level of excellence that used to be demanded. I often see glaring errors on the front page. Perhaps I could understand errors here and there in other (less important) sections, but the front page used to be reserved for the BEST reporters. They seem to be a dying breed.
Thanks for the kind words of welcome from all of you, by the way. They are much appreciated.
Rodney Ho
July 20th, 2009
6:44 am
new blog entry up!
Nana
July 20th, 2009
7:01 am
Good Morning Everybody!!!!!!!!!
Today’s Quote: “Everything’s in the mind. That’s where it all starts. Knowing what you want is the first step toward getting it.”
I trust that everyone had a great week-end and are now ready to face another week.
So sad about Walter Cronkite. As it has already been said on here, he was the greatest newscaster ever. I will never forget the day that JFK was killed and the tears that rolled down WC face as he reported it. Also when he reported the death of MLK and Bobby Kennedy. His emotions were just as true and sincere as anyone’s.
What a shame that the young man had no common sense in keeping that poor dog in a hot car. All it takes, is for everyone to excerise common sense to prevent tragedies from occurring. For anyone to be negligent is unacceptable. Maybe he just suffered from neurasthenia.
Peter
July 21st, 2009
7:03 am
I really loved the book. My book True Love Is Not Common; http://www.eloquentbooks.com/TrueLoveIsNotCommon.html, has similar main characters. I grew up reading this author since high school. Hope my book one day will reach many people as this author. While writing this book, I did research a lot on this subject, and events on love with people around us.
plow
July 23rd, 2009
12:59 pm
Should he be tried and convicted like Mike Vick?
News Briefs: Susan Boyle, Ben Stiller, and CSI: NY | Review Favorite TV Shows
July 28th, 2009
7:57 am
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