Digital Brainwaves

Here we go, one last run. Who pulled off the victory?

• “…but only one can win the title,” says Ryan. Yeah, but both are going to be stars, either way.
• Just under 100 million votes for last night’s show.
• Video intros picking on the judges… too funny! Let’s hear it for Randy “for you for me” Jackson, Kara “Sweetie” Dioguardi, Paula “SAT Vocabulary” Abdul and Simon “Clueless” Cowell.
• Neither of the guys’ microphones work…  little bit of gain, please?
• Former contestants are hanging out in the finalists hometowns. Mikaylah Gordon is in Kris’s hometown of Conway, AR while Carly Smithson is in San Diego for Adam.
• Live performance: the top 13 sing “So What.”
• Randy’s upgraded last night’s tie to a bowtie.
• Live performance: Last year’s winner, David Cook, sings “Permanent.”
• David announces that the recording of this live performance will be on iTunes on Thursday, with proceeds going to ABC Squared to fund cancer research.
• Not hard to agree with David on this one… whomever wins tonight, it’s hard make the wrong choice. Either would make a great winner.
• It’s the Golden Idol awards! Hilarious shot during the intro of Adam and Kris turning the pedestal for the statue. First award for “Outstanding Male” goes to Nick “Norman Gentle” Mitchell.
• Oh God, he’s singing…
• Oh dear, Ryan’s got the headband and glasses. “God, these are greasy…”
• Live performance: “Cue the Rain” with Lil Rounds and Queen Latifah.
• Live performance: Anoop Desai and Alexis Grace join Jason Mraz on stage in singing “I’m Yours” while other finalists sing along from the wings.
• Video: the journey of Kris Allen to the Idol finals.
• Live performance: “Kiss a Girl” brings together Kris Allen and Keith Urban.
• Live performance: This season’s ladies sing “Glamorous,” join with Fergie for “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and stand aside for Black Eyed Peas and “Boom Boom Pow.”
• Golden Idol #2 tonight for “Best Attitude” goes to Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell, who comes out, still in a bikini, looking, shall we say, a little fuller… Ryan says, “I was going to ask ‘What’s new?’ but I think I already know.”
• Ryan has Katrina start to sing her audition song, Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love,” Kara’s version of which Katrina didn’t like so well, either.
• Katrina’s mike drops out, as a different voice starts to sing… and Kara comes out from back stage to join Katrina in performing! Katrina tries to upstage Kara, but she’s having nothing of it.
• Kara gets the last laugh, though, ripping her dress open to flaunt her own bikini! Ryan says after the song that they’d bet her she wouldn’t do it, so they’re donating money to her favorite charity for her “showing.”
• Live performance: Allison Iraheta and Cyndi Lauper sing “Time After Time.”
• Ryan chats briefly with Kris Allen’s and Adam Lambert’s parents.
• Live performance: Danny Gokey sings “Hello,” then is joined by Lionel Richie for “Just Go” and “All Night Long.” Ruben Studdard and David Hasselhoff can be seen in the crowd during the song.
• Video: Adam’s journey to the finale.
• Live performance: Adam is dressed in some black getup with bird cages on his shoulders, and sings “Beth What Can I Do,” before being joined by KISS for “Detroit Rock City” and “Rock and Roll All Night.” When the band joins Adam, his outfit actually looks tame.
• Destroyed guitars count so far: 1
• Live performance: Carlos Santana performs “Black Magic Woman,” with Matt Giraud on vocals. The rest of the top 13 Idols join him for “Smooth.”
• Ford Music Video: Kris and Adam sing “I Will Remember You.”
• Video: David Cook: “We’ve got a big surprise for Kris and Adam, they have no idea what’s about to happen to’em, let’s check it out.” He meets up with the guys, and presents them with the keys to their new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrids!
• Live performance: Megan Joy and Michael Sarver sing “Pretty Flowers” while Steve Martin joins in on the banjo.
• Live performance: Eight of the idols sing “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?,”  followed by Rod Stewart with “Maggie May.”
• Last Golden Idol of the evening is “Outstanding Female” for Tatiana del Toro, who steals the microphone from Ryan to sing “Saving All My Love For You” for the fourth time this season, making several escapes from stage security while Ryan tries to go to break. I’m pretty sure it was staged… but I can’t be sure.
• Live performance: Kris and Adam duet on “We Are The Champions,” as Queen joins them on accompaniment.
• The results are imminent… Edward Boddington from Telescope, the American Idol adjudicator, brings Ryan the envelope. “Dim the lights… here we go!”
• After nearly 100 million votes… the winner is… Kris Allen!!!
• Kris is stunned… he’s positive Adam was supposed to get it.
• Live performance: Kris Allen sings this year’s winner’s single, “No Boundaries.”

It all starts again in January… I’ll be there, blogging!