By Sohyung Kang

Like many of you, I spent much of the week eagerly anticipating last night's "American Idol" performance finale. A battle of opposites. A larger-than-life, flamboyant rocker pitted against a pocket-sized, understated boy-next-door. Two talented men, facing off in what appears to be a very close competition, maybe the closest since season two's Ruben Studdard vs. Clay Aiken matchup. It's got to be appointment television, right? Wrong. The show could not have been more boring.

Things more exciting than last night's show: C-SPAN. Watching a mouse trying to free itself from a trap. A romantic evening with John McCain. The most climactic part of the night was when the fembot Carrie Underwood stopped singing and the series premiere of "Glee" began.

In any case, here's how the finale breaks down:

Round 1: Adam's "Mad World" vs. Kris' "Ain't No Sunshine"

I was disheartened to find that the contestants had to perform songs they had already done during the season. If I wanted to sit through repeat performances of "Mad World" and "Ain't No Sunshine," I'd visit YouTube. There were only a few subtle changes to each respective performance. The most noticeable was Adam's wardrobe. I did a double take as he appeared onstage, initially believing him to be wearing a dress. That would have made the show infinitely more amusing. But no, it was just a giant cape. How disappointing. Read more...

By Sabrina Rojas Weiss

No, the "Kidney Now!" benefit on last night's "30 Rock" finale wasn't the first time celebrities have come together to raise awareness or money for a cause. Nor was it the first time "We Are the World" has been parodied. But I'd rank it among my favorite charity-song spoofs, right up there with Jimmy Kimmel's "I'm F---ing Ben Affleck."

In case you missed it, the episode featured Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) pulling in as many favors and blackmail victims as he could to create a benefit show aimed at getting someone to give a kidney to the man who may or may not be his father (Alan Alda). This led to the revelations that Clay Aiken is Kenneth's cousin, Liz Lemon went to school with Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello is really an international art thief, Adam Levine can do a really hilarious Russian accent, and Mary J. Blige should never cross over into acting again. And finally, the big show came together with a combination of stars to rival the randomness of the original USA for Africa group: Mike D, Ad Rock, Michael McDonald, Sara Bareilles, Wyclef Jean, Norah Jones, Talib Kweli, Rhett Miller, Moby, Robert Randolph, Rachael Yamagata, Steve Earle and Cyndi Lauper, plus the aforementioned stars.

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By Eric Ditzian

The inevitable has happened: "Britain's Got Talent" sensation Susan Boyle got a makeover. She's ditched the drab dresses for a shiny black jacket, dyed her tangled gray locks a rich brown, donned a trendy plaid scarf.

Should we be concerned that the woman who rocketed to fame because of the unlikely juxtaposition of average-gal frumpiness and chill-inducing vocal chops has been forced to conform to conventional standards of beauty? Or should we instead applaud Ms. Boyle for her larvae-into-butterfly transformation now that she's on the world stage? No doubt half the Boyle-ites will be wringing their hands, while the other half sings (mostly off-key) her praises. Read more...

Buy plenty of bottled water! Say goodbye to your loved ones! Go on a shopping spree you'll never have to pay off! It's “Top Downloads Night” on "American Idol." Contemporary music on "Idol?" CLEARLY the end of the world is near!! This very well could be our final "American Idol" live blog together!



The contemporary quandary is one that's always plagued the show. How are these contestants expected to compete in a current pop landscape after the show's over when all they've had to do up to that point is sing Barry Manilow and tunes from the Great Depression? It baffles me that TV's biggest show hasn't figured that out yet. Pop music is less about singing ability and more about image. Just ask Lady Gaga. (Oh wait! The contestants can because rumor has it, she's slated to appear in some capacity this week.)



Ironic, then, that America and the judges are finicky about showing love to "Idols" covering songs still on the radio. Sound too much like the original = failure. (Poor Felicia Barton!) But deviate too much and they send you packing anyway! (Ju’not Joyner and Dead Wife Guy's buddy never stood a chance!)



That's why I'm concerned for Allison tonight. She shines when she can connect to a song on an emotional level, and there ain’t that much emotion in Akon's catalogue. All signs point to a Kelly Clarkson cover, and it's nearly impossible to tackle one of those without sounding like you're rocking out at a karaoke happy hour.

Megan's doomed too, unless she can find a way to deconstruct a pop song and make it play to her strengths. I guess her strength is her beauty, so perhaps she'd be better off turning her song into an instrumental and just stand there and look amazing. Hell, I'd still vote for her!

MTV.COM user pickles had some hilarious ideas regarding Megan’s always-changing name. She wrote, “Whenever I hear Megan Joy, I always think of Almond Joy. Actually, if her name changes to Almond Joy next week, I don't even think I'd be surprised. She seems to have a new name every week. And the whole 'Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't...' phrase kinda suits her. Ooooh. Maybe she can get Lil on this whole name changing bandwagon and she could show up as Lil Mounds.” Hilarious! And delicious!

And lastly, sad news in the Gokey household, as Danny’s grandfather passed away this past week. But look at the bright side, Gokester. At least you have another corpse to dig up and exploit! That will help you last another 3-4 weeks easily.

But what's with all this projection?! Enough pointless predictions. Let's get live-blogging already!



7:52 pm - Whew! I'm back from a whirlwind trip to Florida. I got to check out the awesome, brand new "American Idol Experience" attraction. Stay tuned for a blog entry tomorrow.

7:55 pm - Did you miss last week's Motown drama? There's still time to catch up by watching my latest "Idol" in 60 Seconds recap. Clicky.



7:58 pm - Fun fact: tonight's episode is 85 minutes long, the same running-time as "Cloverfield." And just like the monster in Cloverfield, Danny Gokey is frightening New York hipsters.

8:01 pm - Oh my Zoe! We're only 60 seconds in and there are already too many styling disasters to mention.

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This year's "American Idol" has already seen some serious star traffic thanks to return engagements from three of the show's first four winners: Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard and Carrie Underwood. This week, last season's champ, David Cook, is dropping by to sing his new single.

Last week, we asked you who you'd like to see back on the "Idol" stage and by a huge margin, loveable, dreadlocked season-seven strummer Jason Castro beat out the competition. In fact, Castro stole the show with 45 percent of the vote, easily outpacing the tie for second place between season-three seventh-place finisher Jennifer Hudson (who is rumored to be returning to the show) and season-five sixth-place finisher Kellie Pickler, who each got 13 percent of the vote. Read more...

Resident "American Idol" expert Jim Cantiello brings you a minute-by-minute recap of every episode right here! Keep checking for updates throughout the show, and don't miss out on his previous live blogs and other "Idol" news.

Live-blogging "American Idol" time! The final week of "Idol" semi-finals is upon us, and I am happier than Adam Lambert on Fire Island. (In case you haven't visited a blog in the past few days, dude's been sucking face with other dudes in pictures. Have fun swallowing that, homophobes!) We have 6 out of the 12 finalists selected, and by the end of the week, thanks to Thursday's mysterious Wild Card show, we'll flesh out the rest if the singers worthy of our votes. It will also reveal 18 people whose dreams are crushed thanks to "Idol" making the show 8000 times harder thanks to a frustrating and inane semi-finals, where they lumped a crapload of singers together each week. (Poor Mishavonna Henson. That girl was robbed! And don't even get me started on my girl Megan Corkrey...)

So, after this week, the blur of a Top 36 will be behind us, and then we'll get to the weekly shriekfest of Adam Lambert, who, as MTV.COM user Peggy Sue's 15 year old son astutely pointed out, would be better suited playing Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar." I agree. I don't know how to love him. (Great, now that score is stuck in my head again. "Tables, chairs and oaken chests would have suited Jesus best..." GAHHHHH!)

Enough with the show-tune quotations. Let's live-blog "Idol!"

7:55 pm - Miss last week's episodes? Catch up real quick with my "Idol in 60 Seconds" recaps here!

8:00 pm - This...is American Idol! Judging from the Brady Bunch staircase formation, Lil Rounds is going last. Are we not surprised?

8:02 pm - My favorite part of the show: where the contestants awkwardly walk up the stairs and wave! Scott MacIntyre has a seeing eye man. That's nice of "Idol" producers. (Will he have him for choreography in tomorrow night's group number?)

8:03 pm - Von Smith is up first, and in his interview package he promises viewers that he won't scream at us. Not since Michael Phelps hosted "SNL" and said, "We have a great show tonight" have I scoffed so hard at a television.

8:04 pm - Von is wearing Pee Wee's gray suit. Instead of shouting, he's breathily moaning into a microphone. Upgrade?

8:05 pm - Okay, he's not doing so bad...except he looks like he's reallllly focusing on not shouting.

8:06 pm - Kara DioGuardi likes the tamed down Von. "It's not about how high you can go and what you can do, it's about doing it when it has meaning." This coming from a woman who flipped her wig over ADAM LAMBERT. Hypocrite!

8:07 pm - Simon: "You remind me of Clay Aiken." Von doesn't know how to react. Well, buddy, it means you'll have a following of delusional 49 year-old shut-ins. Get ready to pimp your CD on QVC. [Go ahead and rip me apart, Claymates. Leave a comment or 200 below.]

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President Obama threw a wrench in “Idol’s” sink last night, what with his “I’m so important I’m going to talk and talk and talk and ruin Jim Cantiello’s favorite show schedule and make his whole week feel weird” speech thingy, so here we are on a Wednesday night gearing up to watch the next batch of 12 semi-finalists try to melisma their way into the finals. I feel like a dog in a dress, honestly. An “Idol” performance show on a Wednesday? But this is the night we normally watch 58 minutes of filler before 2 minutes of results! The sky is falling!!

Before we get to tonight’s “American Idol” live-blog, I must admit that I’m live-blogging at work this week. I couldn’t make it home in time for the show, so I’m sitting here with headphones on. I’m watching on a crappy monitor with bad reception. (Seriously, MTV. We’re a cable network. Why don’t we get reception in the building?!) I miss my cats. I have that odd “airplane hunger” ping in my tummy – when regardless of how much you shoved down your gullet at the airport, as soon as you step on the plane you’re automatically hungrier than Kate Moss during fashion week.

We’ll work through this together, shall we?

So last week, we saw Michael “Non-deserving” Sarver, Danny “Ghost Whisperer” Gokey, and Alexis Grace make it to the finals, or as MTV.COM user bsriddle called her, “the 12 year old with the helmet hair.” Snap!

Now let's get live-blogging!

7:57 pm - Any latecomers to the season, don't fret. You can quickly catch up with what you missed last week by watching my handy dandy "Idol in 60 Seconds" recap here.

8:00 pm - Ryan Seacrest: "Where else can you find a bartender, a font designer and a comedian...?" I don't know, dude, but I'm pretty sure you can find a porno for any fetish out there. Keep lookin'.

8:00 pm - Wait a hot minute second! Is Megan Corkrey a FONT DESIGNER?! She is even sexier now. Do you think she can speak "Wingding?" Swoon!!

8:01 pm - The three finalists are there. Is it just me or does Alexis Grace remind you of Keri Strug? She is tiny!

8:02 pm - The judges have changed their seating assignments. Why do they have to mess with perfection?

8:03 pm - Oooh: the performing order has been revealed. Jasmine the Pageant Queen is up first, which can only mean that she won't make it through this week. Small victory for me. Matt Giraud is #2, which, after Alexis Grace last week, might be the new pimp spot? Nick "Normund Gentle" is dab smack in the middle (poor guy), and Megan Corkrey has added a "Joy" to her name. Obviously it's a shout-out to me, since she knows she brings me so much. Or, at least she did in the 14 seconds we heard her sing in an audition episode. Boy, do I hope she's good tonight.

8:03 pm - Jasmine Murray is a 17-year old. She looks like a skinny Mo'Nique. That's a compliment.

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Ah, the Grammys ... A magical night, full of stars, songs and swagger -- plus a few awards and performances, too. The biggest names in music have flocked to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and after a few hours spent walking the red carpet, they've taken their seats and are ready for the big show to begin.

And it promises to be a pretty interesting show, for sure. Because, for the first time in years, there's plenty of drama tonight: Can Lil Wayne win Album of the Year (and how will he manage to keep his tuxedo pants up?), or will Grammy-faves like Coldplay or Alison Krauss and Robert Plant swoop in and steal the night's biggest award? Will one stage be big enough to contain all the swagger in the "Swagga Like Us" performance? Can the Jonas Brothers take Best New Artist? What do surprise presenters Blink-182 and Green Day have in store for us? And--most importantly--will Thom Yorke wear Gucci or Prada (or just some free-trade, hemp sweatpants?)

All will be answered as the evening unfolds ... and I'll be here with you, live blogging it all from the comfort of my office at MTV's Times Square HQ (we have free coffee!) So sit back, relax, and let the Grammy Magic begin.

8:00 We're LIVE! From the Staples Center in Los Angeles (where there's always a boat show next door -- sorry, LA joke) for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards! Just to get you up to speed on what's happened so far ... Lil Wayne, Coldplay, Radiohead, Kanye and Jay-Z all won Grammys during the pre-televised award ceremony (the Kings of Leon, the Mars Volta, Adele and Duffy did too), and neither Chris Brown or Rihanna will be attending the show tonight, due to either a car crash or a possible felony assault.

8:07 U2 kick things off with a performance of their new single "Put On Your Boots." Bono removes his shades--is he wearing mascara?!?!--and then announces Whitney Houston! She gets a standing ovation (and shows off some leg, too) then announces the nominees for Best R&B album ... very. very. slowly. seriously. this. is. taking. forever. Jennifer Hudson wins Best R&B album. She fights back the tears and thanks "God who has brought me through, and my family in heaven."

8:11 The Rock cuts a mean promo (just like his WWF DAYS! Can't wait for the People's Elbow!) and then tosses to Justin Timberlake, who makes a terrible pun about a general store (crickets ... crickets) and intros Boyz II Men, Keith Urban and Al Green. Oh, and he performs with them, too (JT can do everything!). This goes on for a while ...

8:16 Our first commercial break! My first coffee break!

8:27 We're Back! That dude from "The Mentalist" intros Coldplay ... AND JAY-Z! He and Chris Martin do their "Lost" duet, and then we've officially gone medley as the rest of the band join them (not Jay, he left already), for "Viva La Vida." It bears mentioning that Coldplay's outfits are now color-coordinated and make them look like foot soldiers in the Fruit Stripe Gum army. Martin has "42" written on his shirt. Perhaps he's a big fan of "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy."

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At long last, today has arrived. The dark clouds hanging over our nation have cleared, and the sun is shining over all of us. We no longer have to hang our heads in shame. We no longer have to live in fear. We can all hope and dream again!

Rejoice! Today is the day that "American Idol"'s audition episodes go down to only one hour per night!

What? You thought I was referring to something else?

Before we dig into tonight's live-blog, I need to award my "Fave Comment of the Night" prize from last Wednesday's epic live-blog. Congrats, srt2gryffndr! You had me giggling with this bon mont: "
The 'People say I sound line Josh Groban' guy really confirmed to me that guys shoudln't wear V-necks. What is it with that?? Why the Sudden urge to expose the man chests?? I don't get it..." I don't get it either, srt2gryffndr, but I do get that your comment made me giggle.

7:52 pm - My wife is cramming in last night's "City" episode before "Idol" starts. Fun fact: it only takes about 7 minutes to watch an episode of "The City" once you cut out commercial breaks, long silences, pointless montages and integrated marketing pushes to Rhapsody.com.

7:53 pm - On that note, it only takes 5 minutes to watch my recap of last night's "City" episode on the latest edition of "MTV Detox." Plug plug!

7:57 pm - Tonight, Simon, Paula, Randy and the New One are taking over San Francisco. $5 says somebody sings Tony Bennett. (Or, at least, producers use "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in a montage.)

8:01 pm - Ooh! Jefferson Airplane! Still a cliche music choice, but better. "Idol's" learnin', kids!

8:02 pm - Wait, those people got engaged AND married on line??

8:02 pm - HAT ALERT! Paula is wearing a giant train conductor hat. Poor thing thinks she's on the Polar Express. "We're in The North Pole, right?"
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If you missed the premiere, check out last night's live blog, and make sure to stick with MTV News throughout the season for Jim Cantiello's instant recaps!

Another day, another "American Idol" live-blog recap. But with Tuesday night's "Idol" premiere pulling out all the stops - what with Bikini Girl, Blind Guy and New Judge - how are they gonna top themselves tonight? Perhaps we'll meet Naked Dude and Deaf Chick? Fingers crossed? Sigh.

In all seriousness, I was kind of underwhelmed by last night's "American Idol." I wasn't blown away by anyone and wasn't giggly from any delusional trainwrecks, either. The whole episode was just kinda...there.

But one thing saved the premiere from being a total wash: Paula's Always-Changing eye accessories. I can't wait to see what's in store for us in episode 2. Maybe she'll wear blindfolds? Or plastic goggles that you'd wear in wood shop class? With Miss Abdul, you never know. Hence, the beauty of "American Idol."

Before we get to tonight's live-blog, I have to award my "Fave Comment" of the night from last night's recap. It's a two-way tie! Woo!

First comment award goes to felfel33, who wrote, "I just can't wait until Scott Macintyre wins and drops the bombshell. Ten bucks says winning will 'cure' him..." How cynical! Gold star.

The second comment goes to "do81" who kvetches, "Am I the only devoted Jim Cantiello fan who hates this new format? I used to watch American Idol JUST to read your re-caps the next day! I still think you're hilarious but this does not showcase it good enough. Go back to the old re-cap format!" Let me address. First of all, do81, thanks for the love! Secondly, we're trying out this live-blog format so that I can cover "Idol" as well as host my brand new daily webshow "MTV DETOX." I just wouldn't have time to do both. But fear not, my "Idol in 60 Seconds" recaps will be returning once the performance shows kick in.

In any case, it's almost 8 p.m. and I've already written 9000 words so let's commence with the live-blogging already!

7:52 pm - Eight more minutes. Anyone else see this report that "Idol""s ratings dipped by 10-percent last night based on 2008's premiere? Does that mean I'll be out of a job soon? Ack!

7:58 pm - So, apparently a finalist stops by to surprise Paula. Hmm... She has a restraining order against Corey Clark, right? I guess it's David Cook. Kansas City is his hometown, according to last night's teaser. If it's not David Cook, maybe Mikalah Gordon wants some costume jewelry?

8:00 pm - Cecile Frot-Coutaz, I've missed seeing your name.

8:02 pm - Ryan Seacrest is pulling a 40 year old into his arms. He really wants us to know he's straight.

8:02 pm - JASON CASTRO! Duh! I knew he was at the Kansas City audition. I think I need to revoke my Castro Fan Club card.

8:03 pm - Taylor Swift is now auditioning for "American Idol."

8:03 pm - Her name is actually Chelsea Marquardt and she's a very cocky 19 year-old. It's Nilsson's "Without You" as covered by Cher, sans auto-tune. Not a pretty thing.

8:04 pm - Simon says, "It sounded like a cat jumping off the Empire State Building, and the noise it would make before it hit the floor." Or, Cher, sans auto-tune. Potato, potahto.

8:05 pm - Uh oh, Kara just used the "pretty girl" critique. Don't become the new Paula, Kara! We already have one of those!

8:06 pm - Chelsea is very pretty. If reality TV stardom, she should go hang out with Tyra and take silly photos on "Top Model." They're always casting new girls. Aren't they up to cycle 19 this year?
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