After they checked in with the hometowns of finalists, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, the Top 13 performed Pink’s hit song “So What?”  I am not sure why they picked this since I don’t think it works well as a group number.  It sounds kind of cheesy to be honest.  Kudos to Scott MacIntyre (Idol’s first visually impaired contestant) for navigating his way through the performance!

American Idol season 7 winner, David Cook, performed a song called “Permanent” and I really liked it.  He really is an impressive artist and I’m so happy with how great his career has progressed since the show ended.

More “Golden Idol Awards” (these are a little mean, aren’t they?).  They showed clips of the worst auditions of this season.  I am ashamed to admit that I could not stop laughing!  It great to see a whole highlight reel of Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle material.  He won, of course

Queen Latifah took the stage along with former contestant, Lil Rounds.  They performed “Cue the Rain” and it was a pretty good performance.  Did you like it?

Jason Mraz, along with former finalists, Anoop Desai and Alexis Grace, sang his huge hit “I’m Yours” (the rest of the Top 13) and I really thought it was a bit choppy and off.  I really love Jason Mraz and he was great but it felt a little strained and weird. 

We next got to see “The Journey of Kris Allen” and those montages always give me the chills.  I love to see how far they’ve come since we first saw the finalists in the audition round.

Kris thrilled his fans by coming out on stage with Keith Urban where they sang “Kiss a Girl” and I thought it was fabulous!

The great pairing just made the girls’ group performance stand out as mediocre.  Okay, really it was mostly Jasmine Murray who was seriously struggling (as she did in the Top 13 group number earlier) as she and Megan Joy started by singing “Glamorous.”  Allison Iraheta introduced Fergie who sang “Big Girls Don’t Cry” but the action didn’t stop there. 

The rest of the Black Eyed Peas came out and they performed their new single “Boom Boom Pow.”  It was an awesome performance and, is it just me, or is Fergie looking better these days?

Yuck, we get to see Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell again as a nominee(and winner) for the “Golden Idol Awards” in the “Best Attitude” category.  Why does she get to sing?  Ugh.  She butchered “Vision of Love” and I’m wondering if Nick Cannon is going to come out and defend his wife, Mariah Carey’s honor this time.  Uh oh.  Kara DioGuardi, Bikini Girl’s nemesis, came out on the stage and stole the spotlight by not only outsinging her but by also flashing her own bikini on stage.  That was awesome!

Allison Iraheta and Cyndi Lauper performed “Time After Time” and I thought it was a pretty great pairing.  It was a nice, mellow performance.  There were a couple weird moments but they are both, um, unique artists so what can you expect?

After Ryan talked to Kris Allen’s parents, Danny Gokey sang “Hello” (yikes, not sure I would have been brave enough to since that song after David Cook slayed it last season) and was joined by Lionel Richie and they sang some of Richie’s other music.

We got to see “The Journey of Adam Lambert” and then he took the stage with KISS.  Does it get much better than that?  I loved his outfit too!  I absolutely LOVE KISS and the fireworks and makeup are the only thing this year that has been more over-the-top than Adam Lambert on Idol.  What a show!

Carlos Santana had the bad luck to follow KISS and Adam Lambert but he was amazing, of course.  I love Santana.  He was joined by Matt Giraud and then the rest of the Top 13 when he started playing “Smooth.”  So good. 

After a Ford commercial with Adam, Kris and David Cook, Steve Martin took the stage with Michael Sarver and Megan Joy.  It was a cute banjo/bluegrassy kind of number. 

The Top 13 guys sang a group number where they performed “If You Want My Body” and introduced Rod Stewart.  I love him too!  He sounded a little rough but who cares!?

The last “Golden Idol Award” was awarded to Tatiana Del Toro for Outstanding Female.  She ran up on stage (even though Ryan pretended he needed to go to a break), accepted her award and started signing “Saving All My Love For You.”  Gotta love Tatiana.

For one last time, the Top 2 are singing together.  Kris and Adam sang “We Are The Champions” and it was really good.  I’m freaking out.  I don’t even know who I want to win tonight. 

Over 100 million votes were cast (recording breaking!).

FIND OUT WHO WON AMERICAN IDOL AFTER THE JUMP!

The winner of the eighth season of American Idol is… KRIS ALLEN!!!!!  I can’t believe this!  WOW!!!!!!!!!

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX

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Randy said that Adam can sing anything but that was not one of his favorite Adam performance and that it was a little pitchy in spots.  Kara said that it was amazing to have him sing a song that she helped write.  Paula said that adjectives can’t express what he’s brought to season 8 of the show and that she will be a fan forever.  Simon said over the entire season, Adam’s been on of the best, most original contestants they’ve ever had and he genuinely believes that Adam can be a worldwide star.

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Frank Micelotta / FOX

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Randy said that they’ve got themselves a real competition right now but felt that the song was a little light for him.  Kara said that Kris has been true to himself since day one and she likes that Fuller picked a socially conscious song for someone like him.  Paula said that Kris tore the song up and made Marvin Gaye proud.  Simon said that the performance was too laid back for a night like this.

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Frank Micelotta / FOX

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Randy said that the song is an amazing R&B classic by Sam Cooke but Adam showed that he can sing his face off.  Kara said that it might have been his best interpretation of a song so far in this competition.  Paula said that it was the best she’s ever heard him sing.  Simon said that Adam is 100% back in the game.

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Frank Micelotta / FOX

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I had a good laugh when Tatiana Del Toro, one of the most emotional contestants I’ve ever seen on the show (okay, she’s THE most emotional and high-strung person I’ve seen make it this far on the show) was taken from one room and moved to another – when she got to the new room, those people got A LOT more nervous since her behavior makes it hard to tell if the judges like her or not.

Of the groups, only those in Room 3 were eliminated and they included Michael Castro, India Morrison, Kaylan Lloyd, Leneshe Young, Lacey Brown and Ryan Johnson.  I have to admit that I was surprised to see Leneshe eliminated.  I thought her rendition of Sara Bareille’s “Love Song” was actually quite good.  Too bad.

I was glad to see a few of my favorites stick around most notably Anoop Desai (who sang “My Prerogative” which seems like an odd song choice), Lil Rounds (“If I Ain’t Got You”) and Michael Sarver (although, his performance of “All or Nothing” was a bit weak).  I hope they make it to the finals!

Who were your favorites of the night?

images © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: FOX

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Inside the auditorium, 107 contestants wait nervously for what comes next.  They must take the stage as a group which means that they not only have to pick the right people, they need to be able to be flexible enough to work as a team.  Some groups definitely look more promising than others.

There was some major drama with Katrina Darrell (a.k.a. Bikini Girl).  She appeared to quit the group and even refused to get out of bed on the morning of the audition but she showed up last-minute and her teammates promptly rose from the table and left her sitting alone.  Wow.  She should have never been put through in the first place.

The judges showed up and announced that “if you forget the words, you’re out.”  Kind of harsh.  What if almost everyone were to forget the lyrics?

Group 1: India, Justin, Chris and Matt.  They sang “I Want You Back” and it was pretty good.  They did a little beatboxing and gave it a fresh, hip spin.  They were all put through to the next round. 

Group 2: Maryn, Austin, J.B., Shelby, Julissa and Nick sang “Get Ready” and they all forgot the words but only the guys got put through.  *not sure about this grouping on this one…

Group 3: Alex, Ryan, Anne Marie and Emily sang “Don’t Stop” and it was almost good.  Emily totally forgot the words.  Alex and Anne Marie made it through to the next round.  Ryan said that he saw an evil in Paula’s eyes that he didn’t know was there – ha ha!

Group 4: Danny, Jamar, Taylor and (?) sang “Somebody to Love” a cappella and it was really, really great.  It was fantastic and the judges loved it.

The stylings of Jeremy, Adam, Matt, Jessica (different groups) were displayed and they all got great news.  I love Jeremy Michael Sarver. 

Group 5: Rose, Katrina, Lauren and Jasmine performed and I was so sad that Rose let the drama in her group get to her.  The only person to make it through to the next round was Jasmine (she was incredible!).

They sent David Osmond home!   Wow!

Group 6: Tatiana, Muna, Kailynn and (?) sang “I Want You Back” and they were all put through to the next round.

Group 7: Nathaniel, Nancy and Kristin sang “Mercy” and Nathaniel and Kristin made it through to the next round.  Nancy was sent home and she was positively crushed.

image © FOX BROADCASTING CR: Michael Becker

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Let the live blogging begin!!!

Over 11,000 people showed up in Kansas City to audition for American Idol this year. That’s incredible (Kansas City, Missouri – in case anyone was wondering which KC they were in)!

Jason Castro greeted Paula Abdul at the door since his brother will be auditioning.

Chelsea Marquardt premised her audition by saying how amazed people are when they hear this big, powerful voice come out of her little body and I thought there might be hope. And then she started singing “I Can’t Live (If Livin’ is Without You)” and I was positively stunned. The 19-year-old waitress from Parsons, Kansas was definitely one of the worse I’ve ever heard. I say that mostly because she genuinely thought she was good. So sad.   Kara DioGuardi and Paula had to tell the boys to be less mean since Simon Cowell said that she sounded like a cat jumping from the Empire State Building and Randy Jackson it also sounded like a siren was coming to deal with the cat. Awful.

More after the jump!

Ashley Anderson chose to sing “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis. A song that was actually co-written by Kara. She kept almost saying footsteps instead of footprints. She actually sounded a bit like Leona and I thought she did a good job. She got four yesses from the judges!  Kara revealed that Simon actually wrote the song. Wow!

Casey Carlson, a 20-year-old bubble tea maker from Minneapolis, Minnesota sang “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton and, while she wasn’t perfect, she really was charming. I liked the personality behind the vocals and I think she’s just adorable. It could be really interesting to see what happens with her.

Brian Hettler, a 20-year-old art student from Kansas City, Missouri sang Aretha Franklin’s “Think” and it was absolutely terrible. Randy laughed through the entire performance. Simon said it was just awful. He then broke into Josh Groban’s signature tune “You Raise Me Up” which, of course, was horrendous.

James Michael Avance (20 y.o. from Edmonds, OK) sang “You Say it Best When You Say Nothing at All” and, I didn’t think he was off-key but his voice was really annoying.

Billy Vinson (20 y.o., nurse from Lebanon, MO) sang “Reflections” and, well, it was terrible.

Chris Jones (21 y.o., Mission, KS) – I don’t even know what he sang but it was bad.

Deandre Hopkins (22 y.o. college student from Kansas City, KS) sang “Amazing Grace” and it was really, really bad.

Von Smith (22 y.o. singer from Greenwood, MO) sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and I think the nerves really got to him but he does have a good voice. Ugh, gotta wait for the commercial break to be over before we find out if he makes it through.  Randy thought the vocals were pretty good and was impressed. Simon said that he’s got a good voice. Paula said “absolutely yes” and Kara told him that he’s got a really good instrument. He got a yes from all four judges! Woohoo!

Jason Castro’s brother, Michael Castro (20 y,o. from Rockwell, Texas), proves that poor interview skills run in the family. Michael said that Jason is more girly (uh, Michael is the one with pink hair…lol). Jason took offence and Ryan Seacrest took cover. Hilarious. In front of the judges sang “In Love With a Girl” and it was pretty good. He’s interesting. Kara said he gives off an “I’ve got a secret” vibe and they ended up all voting him through to the next round.

Vaughn English sang “Do You Want a Banana” wearing a loud yellow outfit. It was absolutely ridiculous, lol!!!

Matt Breitzke (a 27 y.o. welder from Bixby, OK) said that he put off his music after becoming a father but wants to give it a shot. He chose to sing Bill Withers‘ “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” which is one of my favorite songs. Matt did a decent job but it wasn’t enough for Randy. Kara and Paula both liked him and Simon agreed so Matt is through to the next round.

Jasmine Joseph (17 y.o. from Norfolk, NE) sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and wow… it was awful!  She said that Idol is her entire life right now. Good thing she’s still in high school.

Jessica Page Furney (19 y.o. from Wamego, KS) lives with her 93-year-old grandmother which I really respect because I also love my grandma a lot and spend as much time with her as possible. She chose to sing “Cry Baby” by Janis Joplin. Simon said he likes her because she stands out. The other judges agreed and wished her a happy 20th birthday! Hooray!

Sisters India and Asia sang an original song called “Cookies” which was awful. WOW. This can’t be for real. Asia McClain and then India Morrison took turns singing and Asia was terrible but India was better. They sent India through but not Asia.

Jamar Rogers (26 y.o. bartender from Milwaukee, Wisconsin) sang “California Dreamin‘” and I thought it was good. It was a little over-the-top but there is some potential there.

Jamar’s friend Danny Gokey (28 year old music teacher from Milwaukee, WI) was up next and it was so sad. His wife passed away just four weeks before the audition and he was just so emotional. He sang “Heard it Through the Grapevine” and I thought he did a good job. Paula said that she didn’t expect to like him so much. Kara said that she is a fan of his and Simon said that he really likes Danny. Randy said that Danny is one of the best they’ve seen this year. He got four yesses and is on to Hollywood.

Anoop Desai (21 y.o. Chapel Hill, NC) sang “Thank You” by Boyz II Men and it was actually quite good. The judges appreciated it even though Simon said that he looks a bit too geeky. They put him through to the next round and told him to work on the stage presence and clothing. WOW!

Andrew Lang (19 y.o. ice cream server from Columbia, MO) had cheerleaders announce his entrance and I thought it was actually quite hilarious. How creative. He sang “My Girl” and he would have been fine if he hadn’t tried to be so over the top. Simon said it wasn’t fantastic and that the cheerleaders didn’t help.  Randy was going to say yes until Andrew sang “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” but his ultimate rejection brought the cheerleaders to tears. So sad.

Asa Barnes (28 y.o. a middle school band director from Kansas City, MO) sang “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson and it actually wasn’t too bad. The judges seemed to like him and he was put through to the next round.

Michael Nicewonder (20 y.o. sandwich maker from Grand Island, NE) is related to Hank Williams Jr. and sang an original song. It was such a disaster. WOW.

Dennis Brigham (19 y.o. floor maintenance technologist from Glen Carbon, Illinois) had a dream about Simon the night before but he didn’t say what it was about. He sang “With You” by Chris Brown and it wasn’t bad. He got three yesses and was put through to the next round.

Mia Conley (27 y.o. janitor from Kansas, MO) sang “Loving You” by my mother’s former classmate, Minnie Ripperton. It was not good. Wow. She really had a hard time staying on key. She was sent away and she freaked out about not being given a golden ticket.

Lil Rounds (23 y.o. customer service rep from Memphis, TN) sang “All I Do” by Stevie Wonder and it was great. She sounds like so many of the greats (I even heard a little Dionne Warwick in there) and Paula told her that she was one of the best they’ve ever seen. Simon said she was very retro and fantastic. Randy said she was like Fantasia and Mary J. Blige. Kara echoed what Paula said and said that she thought it was so great that Lil didn’t even know how good she is. Amazing. They, of course, put her through to the next round.

The judges said that Kansas City was great so that was really good

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