Simon Cowell

A loveable Teddy Bear, remember, bears bite!

1979 with members of the Zimmelstern family in Antigua.
This is the answer to the January 11 post.

Fifth Degree: Simon Cowell
The judge of American Idol.  He's not at all averse to Greeks or Greek culture as evidenced in this clip of "Stavros Flatley" in Britain's Got Talent, the year Susan Boyle was discovered.  (Bonus video of Stavros Flatley meeting Michael Flatley at the end of this post.)

Simon judged and advanced David Cook in the 2008 season.


Fourth Degree: David Cook
His first post-American Idol single was co-written by Chris Cornell.

Third Degree: Chris Cornell 
Chris Cornell had his baby baptized at St. Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles in April of 2009.

Chris Cornell and his son's godmother.  He had his
son baptized Greek Orthodox at St. Sophia Cathedral
in April of 2009.

Second Degree: Archbishop Demitrios 

Archbishop Demitrios celebrated a liturgy in honor of the 100th anniversary of St. Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles in June of 2009.  

First Degree: Pope Benedict XVI 

Archbishop Demitrios had breakfast with the pope when he visited New York in 2008.

Benedict and Demitrios in 2008

Fun fact about icons.

Have you ever kissed the picture of a loved one and smiled?  That is what Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics do when they venerate a holy icon.  Icons, statuary, relics, crosses, and the hands of priests are not worshiped in any branch of the Catholic Church.  Rather, they are shown love and devotion as representations of Our Beloved, God.