Idol: This is the time

I got to spend some good time in the yard tonight. Talked some baseball with my friend Tom. We gave Phoebs a bath and put her to bed …

And now Kates and I are enjoying some homemade cheeseburgers with asparagus -- mm mm good! -- and sitting down for the “American Idol” finale … on our own time, on our DVR. So here we go …

8:40 … I’m eating my hamburger. It’s good … Ryan’s just announced the vote totals -- 97.5 million. Holy crap ... 56 percent for the winner and 44 percent for the runner-up. Not surprised, we knew it was going to be close …

8:47 ... What’s with all the crazy camera angles during the opening group number, dang it! (They did this last night during Ruben’s closing number too, and I hated it. I wanted to see the make-me-tear-up montage of the season highlights, but the cameras kept zooming in and out on big, boring Ruben, while we could only see snippets of the montage on the screen behind him. What gives!?) … Tonight, I wanted to see the Idols singing the opening song, but the cameras kept panning over the greasy flash dancers, and the cameras were moving so fast we could barely make out any of the Idols…

8:48: … Fast forward on the commercial and we land on D.C. and D.A. teaming up on Nickelback’s “Hero” …. Wow. Nice! ... Lil’ David is blossoming into a rocker before our eyes!

8:51 … The Love Guru … Um, thanks? Leave it up to Idol to promote another forgettable summer flick … I so would’ve fast-forwarded through this if I had been sure Kates wouldn’t slap my hand for it … Worse yet, now they’re giving him stage time, too.

8:58 … Syesha’s performance with Seal … Rocked!

8:59 … Fast forward through another commercial … and, man, now we’ve gotta see Jason Castro again!? … At least he’s singing “Hallelujah.” I’ll accept that. Right up there with D.A.’s “Imagine,” it was indeed one of the more memorable performances of the season … Hey, if we were watching this in real-time, we’d know who the winner is right now …

9:08 … We’re back after a little break for desert … The blooper reel for the Ford commercials was cute. … And now Ryan’s awarded the Davids with the Hybrids. That’s awesome!

9:11 … Good to see all the girls together again and “Workin’ hard for their money.” … It’s kind of funny how each of their personalities are showing through on this performance. And, of course, poor Amanda Overmyer looks like she would rather be anywhere but in that red get-up on that stage …

9:20 … Sorry, Kates and I just spent several minutes on pause and reminiscing on last year’s finale -- we’re thinking last year’s was better … Now Carly Smithson and Michael Johns are doing “The Letter” … Great song! Great arrangement -- it’s the Joe Cocker version! … Good stuff! … Speaking of great arrangements, they need to bring out Chikezie to do is “She's A Woman.”

9:24 … Good bit by Jimmy Kimmel … His best line was about Paula -- that she "sees the positive in performances no one else sees. In fact, if you watched a few weeks ago, sometimes she sees actual performances that no one else sees.” Dig! … The montage of Simon’s criticisms throughout the season was comical too …

9:26 … Now the guys are singing … OK, I liked it until they introduced the Davids and they took down the mood with “Heaven.” Good harmony though … Bring back Michael Johns on “Summer of ‘69.” … Oooh, Bryan Adams is actually there! But, wait, what the heck is he singing? And the crowd goes silent -- because no one knows what he’s singing …

9:37 … Bathroom break, and we’re back … David Cook with ZZ Top. Who cares. … Seriously, the cameras are still zipping back and forth. I’m so dizzy I can’t stand to watch … I’m going to the fridge …

9:42 … Oh. My. Gosh. Now this has got to be the performance of the night … Graham Nash with Brooke White on “Teach Your Children.” … My jaw is wide open … What a highlight for her.

9:46 … Jonas Brothers. … Hey, it’s good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll …

9:49: … Ah, the worst auditions of the year. Love it. “Let my peo-ple goooooooo.” … Oh, and Renaldo Lapuz! That was great! … Ha! And here comes the USC Marching Band to play with him on stage! I could’ve spotted them coming a mile away -- Where’s Fleetwood Mac when you want ‘em (See here!) … Ok, this performance with Renaldo is pretty good, especially with Paula, Randy and Ryan getting into it …

9:54 … “Apologize” with One Republic and the strings. Very nice … And David Archuleta! … Whoah, he’s coming of age as a pop singer tonight! First Nickelback, now this! So much for thinking of him as the ballady cruise ship singer …

9:58 … Someone tell the cheeky girls behind D.A.'s grandparents to quit screaming and let the Utah correspondent do the interview …

9:59 … Ah, Jordin. Singing “One Step At A Time.” Good song -- it’s my second favorite on the album, behind “No Air.” … Yes, I have the album (It's decent). … Hey, and look -- Blake Lewis is singing along too in the audience …

10:05 … The Gladys Knight clip with The Pips (aka Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr.) was good for a chuckle … I think it would have been better near the top of the show, though.

10:07 … Carrie Underwood looks and sounds good. Aaaaaas usual. … But I’m starting to get bored. Let’s move this along, folks.

10:11 … OK, here we go, a George Michael medley!… Loved the girls performance of “Faith.” And now the guys are doing “Father Figure” … I soooooo wanna turn it up, but we can’t risk waking Phoebe. …. And now they’re singing “Freedom”!! Now I’m just getting giddy. This is the type of fun performance I’ve been waiting for all night … That was awesome …

10:16 … OK, not really liking George Michael by himself now …

10:21 … And finally the moment we’ve all been waiting for … Simon’s apology to David Cook for his criticism last night and his comments about not caring who wins were very cool …

WOW!!!!!! IT’S DAVID COOK!!!!!!! …. The guy who didn’t even want to try out in the first place! What a story. A Kansas City story at that!

Both Kates and my arms shot straight up in the air when the announcement was made, and we clasped hands in shock.

What a season. What a ride.

Idol finale!

Ok. Let's cut to the chase ...and past tonight's hokey boxing opening and themed portions ...

Actually the cracks started when Ryan asked David Archuleta how he was feeling. Lil' David flashed his silly little grin again and I was ready for him to do his best Michael Jackson and reply, “I’m a lover, not a fighter!”

Then, Lil' David and David Cook -- from here on known as D.A. and D.C. -- were forced to compliment each other. It would have been laugh-out-loud funny if, after D.A. gushed about how great of a guy D.C. is, D.C. just looked at D.A. and snarled “I hate you.” … But that was only in my warped mind. Instead, D.C. kept it real and was right on when he declared the competition over. It is -- both of these guys are getting huge record deals …

When the first song selections were announced, I thought D.C. was gifted with an edge -- U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” … After all, I didn’t think D.A. could knock his “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down” out of the park the way D.C. could’ve knocked out his. But D.A. went and hit the grand slam …

Afterward, Paula had me cracking up more tonight than ever … To D.C.: “We’ve found what we’ve looking for!” And to D.A.: “The sun won’t go down on you!” … Ack!

And while I’m on the judges … I will not miss watching Randy slobbering and practically jumping on the table after Lil’ David’s performances each week. Seriously, Randy. The kid’s good, but he’s not that good.

For Round Two, D.C. did “Dream Big.” … It started off a little slow, but the chorus screamed RADIO HIT! Still, the performance lacked energy, and Simon was right -- it was lightweight. Thus, D.A. won the second round with his “In This Moment.” Typical song choice, typical performance for D.A.

And finally, we were at Round Three … Collective Soul’s “The World I Know” was right up D.C.’s alley. I liked his acoustic touch on it, and I credit him big time for not doing something he’s already done -- even if it won’t put him over the top … Meanwhile, D.A. decided to reprise his “Imagine,” which was arguably one of the most memorable performances of the season. He sealed the win with it tonight.

So there you go. As much as I’d love to see my Kansas City homeboy David Cook win the whole thing, I’m not sure it’s going to happen …

I think David Archuleta is a wonderfully talented singer, and I think he’ll easily be crowned the winner tomorrow night -- and he deserves it. But he won’t sell as many records as David Cook.