Idol Chatter - The Tiara is Passed...but to Whom?

Big night on Idol--not only are we going to crown the ninth American Idol, but we get to see the ten Idols wannabes who were unceremoniously booted from the show over the past few months sing their hearts out and try to remind us why they were in the Final 12. And to top it all off, we are going to say good-bye to our good friend, Simon, who is leaving Idol after putting the show on the map 9 years ago.


But enough of the preamble, let's check out the Idol Finale!


After watching the final three performances for Lee and Crystal last night, one would have to think Crystal is the sure winner--she was more comfortable on stage, delivered her three songs with more confidence, and the judges simply loved her (like they have all season with the exception of a few weeks toward the end when it appeared she was coasting to the finish).


But never count out an Idol finalist. Lee certainly has his fans and, as everyone knows, it isn't so much the singing that wins Idol as it is the votes. And votes are cast by fans, so it is going to come down to who has the most fans.


Before we learn who will be named Season 9 American Idol, we are going to be "entertained" with a number of performance. And here they come....

• Up first, the entire Idol Top 12 dressed in Catholic School Girl and Boy outfits and singing Alice Cooper's "School's Out for the Summer". And as one might guess, Alice made an appearance with the Top 12--in full Alice Cooper make-up and leather pants/jacket. The only Idol who looked like she could get away with the outfit and the song was Siobhan--the rest looked like they thought they were going to the "High School Musical 500" auditions!
• After they cleared the stage of this season's 12, Ryan invited back the reigning American Idol, Kris Allen. As Kris started to sing "The Truth", Ryan could be heard talking over him--oops! Technical glitch. But never mind that little snafu, Kris delivered a great performance and really looked like an Idol as he made his way to the front of the stage to shake all of the little Idol Worshipers hands.

To break up the monotony of the singing, we were treated to a retrospective of Simon's best moments on Idol. There were many funny moments and Ryan promised even more throughout the show.

• Back to the singing and a duet of Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly putting their special spin on the Bee Gees' "How Deep is Your Love"...and then it was time for the two remaining Brothers Gibb to take the stage. It was quite entertaining watching arguably the Disco-era's greatest hit makers sing with a couple of kids who weren't even a tickle in their daddy's pockets when this awesome song was first released! Just another example of Idol bringing the relevance.
• Sticking with the brothers theme, Big Mike took on The Doobie Brothers' "Taking It to the Street". As he finished the first chorus, Big Mike introduced another Mike--Michael McDonald. For my money, Michael McDonald has one of the best and most recognizable voices in the music industry, but tonight he was really struggling to get the vocals out--must have had a late night last night partying with the Idol finalist.
• Mixing a little comedy with some music, Dane Cook put some of Simon's best insults to music and was joined by a number of the the "rejects" who were the targets of said insults including that one irritating guy who auditioned about 100 times in NYC and other locations. As the nut job was telling Simon how he was going to take over Simon's chair, the Idol producers did a quick jump to a commercial--ah, the joys of live TV!
• The Final 6 Idol girls (Lacey, Didi, Katie, Paige, Siobhan, and Chrystal) got together for a medley of hits starting with Christina's "Beautiful" followed by "Fighter" and then the girls were joined by the X herself! After "Fighter", the Idol girls left the stage to Christina who took the opportunity to solo on "You Lost Me"....not into it--kind of brought the show down a bit.

More comedy when Ricky Gervais was shown in a video clip "praising" Simon--his "not so good" friend. It was classic Ricky--but I was disappointed that HE didn't do a bit of singing. Maybe on Simon's next show.

• Lee lead off the Boy's medley singing Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go for That". The rest of the Top 6 Boys joined in and it wasn't long before they switched to "Maneater"--which was quite hilarious when young Aaron took the lead on his part! But the rest of the Boys--Casey, Big Mike, Teflon Tim, and Andrew sounded good. And then they introduced the "real" Daryl and John who did an updated version of "You Make My Dreams Come True". For those keeping track at home, John Oates no longer has the porn 'stache, but Daryl Hall has added a blonde beard that looks a bit creepy--I'm just thankful they sound good and I don't have to look at them!
• After a very awkward (and quick) Q&A with Chrystal's dad, Chrystal took the stage and sang Alanis Morrisette's "Ironic"--a song that should DEFINITELY be on her debut album. But just as she was starting to get things going, Crystal welcomed Alanis to the stage and they did a little duet on "You Oughta Know"--another great performance from a VERY talented singer (Crystal...and Alanis isn't bad either!).
• Singing "Undo It" was Season 4 American Idol and reigning Country Music Entertainer of the Year, Carrie Underwood. Carrie looked great and sounded even better--as Simon said way back when Carrie was but an Idol Wannabe, she is likely to become the biggest selling Idol of all time! She is certainly one of the most decorated.
• After the usual elimination night Ford music video, Ryan and the two Idol finalist introduced Casey James who sang the Poison hit, "Every Rose Has a Thorn"...and then Bret Michaels walk on stage. It has certainly been an interesting past few months for the former Poison front man--he cheated death at least twice, was "hired" by Donald Trump as his new Celebrity Apprentice this past Sunday, and now he is singing on America's biggest TV show. A big week indeed...and what a great moment.
• Trying to make a similar moment, Lee teamed up with his hometown band, Chicago, to sing a medley of their hits starting off with "Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is" followed by "If you Leave me Now" and finished with "25 or 6 to 4". Lee and the brass section sounded great, but the Chicago vocalists struggled with their voices. Could have been an engineering issue as the band sounded a bit muffled. Either way, it must have been quite a thrill for Lee to play with these guys.

Another video montage poking fun at Simon and then the return of General Larry Platt to sing his now famous song, "Pants on the Ground". General Larry showed up with dancers and dance moves and was joined at the end by Season 1's William Hung who dropped his pants with the rest of the guys. Magic? I'm not sure, but I'll bet you're looking at tomorrow's YouTube instant classic.

More fun video moments hosted by Paula Abdul followed by an appearance by the former Idol judge who thanked Simon for his time on Idol. Then with Paula sitting on his lap, Simon was serenaded by Idol winners of the past--Kelly, Reuben, Fantasia, Carrie, Jordin, Taylor, and Kris (the only one missing was Season 7 winner, David Cook). As the former Idols sang as one (or more accurately "Together As One"), they were joined onstage by a number of former Idol finalist dressed in white (for some unknown reason). After they finished their song, Ryan invited Simon to the stage where he thanked everyone, told them the show will go on, and admitted to be experiencing some unexpected emotions--he's human!

• While everyone wiped tears from their eyes, the Season 9 Idol Finalists (sans Lee and Crystal) jump started Janet Jackson's new song, "Nothing" from her new movie. Janet looked great and sounded better--it was a bit eerie listening to her because I swear I could hear Michael. And she ended this beautiful song, the familiar intro to "Nasty Boys" started up and Janet disappeared behind a shade only to re-emerge dressed in a black body suit with brown stripes up the side--and looking AWESOME! Oh, you can call her Miss Jackson if you are Nasty!
• After watching a video travelogue of Lee and Crystal's journey on Idol, the two finalists dueted on Joe Cocker's "With a Little Help From My Friends"...and then the living legend appeared and sang with our future Idol and runner up. Joe wasn't able to hit the notes like he did when he was younger, but he still had that special blue-eyed soul thing going and it was obvious that Lee and Crystal were enjoying every moment of their time with Joe.

So with all of the performances over, there was but one piece of business left: to find out who is going to wear the crown as the Season 9 American Idol. Ryan gathered the two finalist, built up a bit of drama (it looked Lee was going to come out of his skin while Crystal was the picture of cool), and then Ryan announced that....Lee was the new American Idol!

No one was more surprised than Lee, but he pulled it together long enough to thank everyone, profess his love for everyone, and sing what will become his debut single ("Beautiful Day").

And so goes another season on Idol. Tune in next year when there will be a new contestants, new journeys, and a new judge.

Until then, I will continue watching TV so you don't have to.

Charlie