American Idol - And the Winner is...

Tonight's American Idol finale was probably the best ever. Here are my personal highlights:

BEST DUETS - Allison & Cyndi Lauper - It was great to see a still-quirky but appropriate Cyndi sing a soulful version of Time After Time with young Allison.

Kris & Keith Urban - Two strong male voices, two guitars... what's not to like?

FAVORITE SURPRISE MUSICIAN - Steve Martin - Michael and Megan sang a sweet little duet, written by the banjo playing Martin, and accompanied by his band. Loved the song and loved Steve. I may even buy his album: The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo.

BEST GAG - Kara versus Bikini Girl - When what's her name came out, she was sporting a new bikini and a new pair of breasts. Apparently, she got augmented since the last time we saw her. I really didn't want to hear her try to sing again. But then they raised the wall behind her, and I thought, Oh good, Mariah's going to put her to shame. But NOOOOO, it was even better than that. It was Kara! Not only did she show off a great set of pipes, but at the end she briefly flashed her own totally tone bikini clad bod. Good for you, Kara!

AND NOW, THE WINNER... Kris Allen! Yeah, I know, I've been an Adam Lambert fan all this time. And I still am. But over the last few weeks, I've become a Kris fan, too. Going into this show, I really didn't care which one won. And when Kris's name was called, I actually shrieked with glee. I'm thrilled for him and his family. And I know I'll still get to hear more from Mr. Lambert in the near future.

So that's it. Another season, another winner. Thanks, American Idol, for a great show. See ya next time!

American Idol - Could Kris Be In The Final Two?

Tonight, we get down to the final two. From the beginning, I've been saying that Danny and Adam will be in the finale. But last night, Kris kinda blew my mind. He's been the quiet, come from behind guy. I didn't even notice him the first few weeks. But he's been growing on me, and last night, I think he sailed past the other two. Adam and Danny both had one song that was great, but another that didn't quite hit the mark. But both of Kris's performances were solid, entertaining, and engaging.

So I find myself with a bit of a dilemma.

I find myself having a hard time picturing a finale without Kris.

And even though I still love Gokey, I find myself really wanting to see a Kris/Adam finale.

At this point, I'm thinking it could go any way: Danny/Adam, Kris/Adam, Kris/Danny... It's sure going to be fun finding out.

Added Wednesday night: Wow, it really happened. It's a Kris/Adam finale! Congrats to them, and to the talented Danny Gokey. I'm sure all three will have successful recording careers. That's all I can say now, cuz my mind is still blown from the season finale of LOST. Whoa!

American Idol - Musical Guests Are Everywhere!

Yesterday's American Idol results show had so many musical guests in you'd have thought it was the Grammy's.

First, Slash did his guitar thing while the final four sang School's Out. Once more, poor Danny looked totally uncomfortable and out of place. As for Slash, with his saucy top hat and his black hair obscuring most of his face, he looked like a rockin' version of Cousin It.

Next to hit the stage, Paula Abdul premiering her new song I'm Just Here for the Music. Apparently, she was also here for the lip syncing. There's no possible way Abdul could have done all that dancing and not be completely out of breath. Also, I don't think that synthesized voice thing goes over all that well in a live performance. But it was nice to see her bust a move.

Even though they don't have a new album, quirky group No Doubt hit the stage. Gwen may be a mother of two, but she's still full of spunk and vinegar. And she was sporting a very cool lime green bra (I know this because the straps were sticking out from under her white tank top). Now she was quite obviously singing live, as evidenced by her lack of breath in certain spots (which just supports my above theory about Paula).

Finally, Daughtry rounded out the parade of guests, debuting a song off a new album. The group's got a nice sound, but I don't remember a whole lot about the performance. Hmmm... wonder what Simon would say about that?

Finally, we got down to the real reason we were all tuned in... the Big Goodbye. Sadly, this was Allison's last night. Ironic that she'd go after a show where she really excelled, but that's the way this contest goes. Unless there's a BIG upset - and there's always room for that - I'm still predicting Danny & Adam in the top two. As long as Danny stays away from those monster-movie-scary high notes!

Reality Bites - What's Up on AI and DWTS

I love Tuesdays because I get to watch a new episode of American Idol, and then watch the results show for Dancing With The Stars. It's always fun, but tonight contained more than one surprise, as well as one downright shocker.


AMERICAN IDOL

Being that it was rock 'n' roll night, I wasn't particularly concerned for any of the contestants. There are all kinds of levels of rock, and I figured each singer would pick a song that worked for them. Not so much.

ADAM - Whole Lotta Love - This was an absolutely perfect song for him. As usual, I'll be downloading it from iTunes tomorrow. The only problem for Adam is that when he's decked out in all his rock glory, he just might scare some people. I think part of the reason he goes so far with the hair and the eyeliner is because he really has a cute, almost baby face look about him. Check him out without makeup. Don't you just want to pinch those cheeks?

ALLISON - Cry Baby - A strong performance from Allison, who again looked great. A visit to Adam's hair gal gave her some nice low lights. And her personality is really starting to come out. I guess hitting the ripe old age of 17 has upped her confidence level.

FIRST DUET - KRIS & DANNY - Renegade - Neither one of these guys is what you'd call a hard rocker, so I thought this was a good choice for them. Together, their harmonies sounded great. But separately, they seemed to struggle. Danny looked uncomfortable and later implied that it was hard to hear himself sing, and Kris sounded rushed and out of breath. Still, an okay performance.

KRIS - Come Together - Again, I thought this was a good choice for Kris. His voice had a nice tone and he got to work the guitar. Not the most exciting performance, but good.

DANNY - Dream On - Ouch! I've been a Danny fan from the beginning, and have always said I expect to see him in the finale. But tonight was not good. At all. When he tried to hit that big monster note at the end, I cringed. A big, pull-my-ears-to-my-shoulders type cringe. I don't like it when Simon constantly compares everybody to Adam. I don't think it's fair to any of them. BUT, you do need to know your competition. And when you're competing against someone like Adam who can hit those crazy high notes, you have to think twice before tackling it. Danny took a risk, but I don't think it paid off.

SECOND DUET - ADAM & ALLISON - Slow Ride - I don't know how they decided who got to sing with who. Hat draw? Rock, paper, scissors? A hand from the programming higher-ups? But Adam and Allison were the perfect pairing for this song, and for the night in general. Not only did they sound great, but they were a lot of fun to watch. After tonight, it's pretty obvious Allison is determined to make it to the final show. Good for her.

WHO WILL GO? At this point, I like all four of them, and I think they can all have music careers, no matter what order they go in. Tonight, I really think Danny was the weakest, but I don't think he'll go. I believe we're going to say goodbye to Kris.


DANCING WITH THE STARS

I love Ty Murray, the professional bull rider who is also married to singer, Jewel. He got into this competition because he would be competing against her, but then Jewel had to pull out after an injury. But did Ty follow her off the competition? No way! Arguably one of the stiffest dancers ever to hit the floor, Ty has worked like crazy to improve, and it shows. He shines in power dances like the tango and paso doble. But he still has a problem with anything where he has to move his hips. Which is why it was such a shock tonight that Lil Kim, not Ty, was voted off. While Kim is the better dancer, I think Ty's personality (and the talent of his partner, Chelsea) is what's keeping him around. I'm happy to see him stay, but at the same time I'm sad that the better dancer had to go. It'll be interesting to see what he does next week.