Hi guys - sorry I'm late. I was busy talking to Paula Abdul on the red carpet. SERIOUSLY. More on that later…
But for now, it's time to live-blog the "American Idol" finale! Yay!
8:01 pm - Seacrest is introducing the judges with fun little montage that reminds us why they're the worst judges on television. Also, Randy Jackson borrowed a bow-tie from (Mrs.) J. Alexander on "America's Next Top Model."
8:06 pm - What's the worst part about being an "Idol" finalist? Having to sing songs about mountains and hurricanes or being forced to wear all white on the finale? At least Adam's wearing space boots.
8:06 pm - Mikalah Gordon is in Conway, Arkansas. This is the first time they've seen a real live drag queen. It's a night of firsts!!
8:07 pm - Carly Smithson is in San Diego. Oh no! Has Carly already become Mikalah Gordon-famous?
8:08 pm - The top 13 (remember that?!) are singing Pink's "So What." Although they edited out all the lyrics about ex-husbands and liquor. Also, if you mute your telelvision you can hear all of America saying "Oh yeah, remember Jorge and Jasmine?"
8:10 pm - Dear Michael Sarver, stop being a camera-whore. You're not the one we're tuning in for.
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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...
You know how your parents like to sit you down and tell you stories about their misbegotten youth, hoping to share with you the excitement of their teen years? That's what I'm about to do as I remember "TRL." To sit here now, a decade after the show premiered and on the (almost) eve of its finale, and explain how that show changed my after-school life makes me feel old.
I remember being at a computer in the school library, supposedly working on a school project, and sneaking over to the "TRL" Web site to vote for the Backstreet Boys or Christina Aguilera. Heaven forbid I missed an episode! I had a friend who would tape important ones for me, in case I had to go to cheerleading practice or go to a creative-writing club meeting, so I wouldn't miss seeing my favorite stars get interviewed.
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MTV News "American Idol" expert Jim Cantiello reports:
If you, like me, have watched every frame of this season's "American Idol," your eyeballs have endured 50-plus hours of highs, lows and hell-to-the-no's. After Tuesday night's boxing-metaphor-filled showdown (check out our live blog from last night) the big night is finally here, "Idol" fans! That's right. Break out the champagne, load up the confetti cannons and — if you're Randy Jackson — dust off your military jacket, because it's "Idol" finale time, baby!
Last night, even David Cook admitted that David Archuleta was the better singer. "You know, everybody's got an opinion, and tonight was Archuleta's night," Cook reportedly told Us Weekly. "I have to concede it: The kid came out all three songs and nailed it. But I walk away from this with my head held high." He seems prepared — even ready — to take second place. But according to various online polls today, he was still holding strong.
Tonight, all the weeks of speculation will come to an end, and the decision will be made. Will Archadorable's ballads win the hearts of America, or will it be Cook's rock-out-ability? Will Seacrest make the proceedings seem more important than November's election? And who will the mysterious "special guest" be? We don't know. But we do know that tonight's two-hour results show is sure to be a star-studded WTF-filled epic ender.
Normally you read our "Idol" ramblings the morning after, but this week you're getting it up-to-the-minute! Something this potentially explosive deserves a live blog, dangit, and a live blog is what you shall get!
(Plus, see what David Cook and David Archuleta had to say backstage after the show!) Read more...
MTV News "American Idol" expert Jim Cantiello reports:
If you, like me, have watched every frame of this season's "American Idol," your eyeballs have endured 50 hours of highs, lows and hell-to-the-no’s. But we still have three more hours to go, "Idol" fans, and they’re arguably the most important of all! That’s right. Bust out the sappy ballads, load up the confetti cannons and if you’re Randy Jackson, dust off your military jacket because it’s "Idol" finale time, baby!
Tonight’s one-hour performance show is the David/David showdown producers have been gearing up for all season. I can’t wait to see Archuleta and Cook fight it out, man-to-man. Err, child-to-young-man. Will Archadorable nail the sure-to-be-cheesy coronation song? Will Cook be able to rock out while singing about dreams? Will Seacrest make the proceedings seem more important than November’s election? We don’t know. But we do know that tonight's duel is going to be neck-and-neck. This ain’t no Jordin-versus-the-hobbit-beat-boxer clean sweep. Every note counts! And tomorrow night’s two-hour results show is sure to be a star-studded WTF-filled epic ender.
While normally you read my “Idol” ramblings the morning after the performance show, this year’s David2 finale is way too hot to sleep on. Something this potentially explosive deserves a live blog, dangit, and a live blog is what you shall get! (Once the show starts, keep hitting refresh in your browser to get the latest updates.)
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