Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The judges didn’t come out and say so Tuesday night, but you could tell they believed Adam Lambert should be this year’s American Idol.

Perhaps Simon felt a little gun shy about making a prediction. Remember, last year. He said the finale was a knockout for David Archuleta.

Instead, it turned into a knockout for David Cook.

We have a star-studded finale coming our way. I’m most interested in seeing what former season eight performers show up tonight in guest appearances.

What do you think, folks? Tatiana Del Toro? How about Nick Mitchell? Maybe Bikini Girl, Katrina Darrell?

I mean, why not? We’ve already heard from Mikalah Gordon, one of the all time most annoying Idol contestants. She kicks off the show from Conway, Ark., trying to interview a kid who won’t talk. How precious is that?

First guest performer on stage is last year’s winner, David Cook, singing “Permanent,” one of the truly great songs off his self-titled debut CD. Great job, David. Classy, too, dedicating his performance to his recently deceased brother. And if you didn’t catch it, that performance will be available on iTunes to raise money for cancer research.

And now, some Golden Idol awards.

First, outstanding male. Yep, there he is, Nick Mitchell. OK, so Idol will waste more time on this Normund Gentle silliness this season. Just a reminder of how much of a mess parts of season eight have been.

OK, Queen Latifah and Lil Rounds are making me yearn for some more singing by Nick Mitchell. Wow, that’s bad, ladies.

Nice touch having Jason Mraz sing his hit “I’m Yours” with the Idol finalists. That makes up for that last number in which Queen Latifah and Lil Rounds seemed so out of sync.

Next up, Kris Allen and country star Keith Urban sing “I Want to Kiss a Girl.” Give Idol credit for this; like most of the results shows this season, they’re keeping this one moving along by including lots of guest performances.

After performances by the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie, we’re back to Golden Idol awards.

There she is, Katrina Darrell, bikini girl, up for the award for Best Attitude. And … yes, Bikini Girl wins!

And here comes Katrina, in another bikini, looking a bit more curvy than she did during the auditions, or in the American Idol trading card series, if I recall correctly. She thanks Ryan with a kiss, and now she’ll sing us a song.

Hold it a moment, folks. It’s turning into a duet. With Kara, no less.

Once again, Kara butts in when I’d rather she butted out. Even if she is going to flash a bikini of her own. Now that has to be an Idol first. And, hopefully, an Iold moment that won’t be repeated in the near future. Kara, darling, trying to upstage bikini girl in a bikini was as silly as … well, the lyrics to “No Boundaries.”

Next duet, Allison Iraheta and Cyndi Lauper, singing “Time After Time.” Very nice, ladies.

Danny Gokey returns to the stage to sing Lionel Ritchie’s “Hello,” followed by a pair of duets. Can’t say Idol isn’t pulling off an entertaining finale. Too bad the music wasn’t this varied during the season.

OK, this might be the highlight of the evening. Adam Lambert, with some wierd wires attached to his shoulders, singing with Kiss, in full costume. Nice to see the guys from Kiss again, even if they have aged a bit, and even if Paul Stanley needs four tries these days to smash a guitar. Also nice to see Adam back in rock mode, something seriously missing from last night’s show.

Carlos Santana up next, with Matt Giraud trying to sing along. Sorry, I thought Matt was one of the most overrated season eight contestants.

Steve Martin will sing next, joined by Michael Sarver and Megan Joy. Michael sounds great; Megan doesn’t.

By the way, folks, time is flying. Less than a half-hour before we find out who wins season eight of American Idol.

The stars just keep showing up on the Idol stage. Now we have Rod Stewart singing his classic hit “Maggie Mae.” Nice job, Rod.

Now, another Golden Idol award, this one for Best Female. The nominees aren’t even in and here’s a guess: Tatiana Del Toro. Yep, there she is. And, yep, she wins the award.

How’s that folks? Tatiana, Bikini Girl and Nick Mitchell all in one show. Reminders of what made season eight so … um, entertaining?

We’re at 9:52; we should know soon who wins season eight of Idol. First, they’ll sing one last time, singing “We Are the Champions.” The duet is another classic example of why Adam Lambert should be the 2009 American Idol. The song soars when he sings.

Well, my dining room clock just struck 10 p.m., looks like the show will be running late, naturally.

And, now, the results, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. With nearly 100 million votes cast.

The Idol winner for 2009 is …

Kris Allen!

I think you just saw the Gokey factor in play. Last week, about a million votes separated these two guys. This week, I’d be willing to bet most of the Danny Gokey supporters broke Kris’ way, giving him the needed margin of victory.

No mention from Ryan, you’ll note, of how close this week’s vote was.

Kris’ first words: “Adam deserves this.”

Well, I don’t think there’s any question Adam was the most talented of the finalists.

But Kris brought a likeability and sense of modesty to the show that was incredibly appealing. And earlier this season we heard how he was always willing to help other finalists with their preparation for each week’s show.

Hey, Adam, look at the bright side. At least you don’t have to release “No Boundaries” as a single. Sounds like a career killer of a song to me. I’m not liking it any better tonight than last night.

Meanwhile, congratulations, Kris.

Coming tomorrow: An interview with the new American Idol, Kris Allen.

Coming tomorow: An interview with Adam Lambert.

Coming later this evening: A look back at Wednesday’s finale in photos.