• The Top 13 perform “So What” – VIDEO
• David Cook performs “Permanent” – VIDEO
• Lil Rounds performs with Queen Latifah – VIDEO
• Normund Gentle/Nick Mitchell struts his stuff – VIDEO
• Anoop Desai, Alexis Grace and the Top 13 perform “I’m Yours” with Jason Mraz – VIDEO
• Kris Allen and Keith Urban sing “Kiss the Girl” – VIDEO
• The Top 13 Girls and the Black Eyed Peas perform – VIDEO
• Bikini Girl and Kara DioGuardi have a bikini face off – VIDEO
• Allison Iraheta and Cyndi Lauper sing “Time after Time” – VIDEO
• Danny Gokey performs with Lionel Richie – VIDEO
• Adam Lambert performs with KISS – VIDEO
• Carlos Santana and the Top 13 perform – VIDEO
• Ford Commercial – “I Will Remember You” plus David Cook Awards Ford Fusions – VIDEO
• Megan Joy and Michael Sarver sing “Pretty Flowers” with Steve Martin on banjo – VIDEO
• The Top 13 boys and Rod Stewart – VIDEO
• Tatiana Del Torro annoys at the Nokia – VIDEO
• Adam Lambert and Kris Allen perform “We Are the Champions” with Queen – VIDEO
• Kris Allen wins American Idol – VIDEO

Kris Allen is the NEW American Idol

It’s the finale!

Just under 100 million votes came in…624 million votes this season.   Ryan introduces the judges with funny clips of their verbal quirks.

Live blog after the JUMP…

Ryan introduces Kris Allen and Adam Lambert! Both are dressed in white. Fix those mics!   Argh.   Mikalah Gordon is hosting the viewing party for Kris in Arkansas.   Carly Smithson is hosting in San Diego.

The Top 13 take the stage to sing Pink’s “So What”. Everyone is dressed in white.   Not exactly pointy pose material. Love all of them singing “You’re a tool” in unison. LOLz.

Next, it’s David Cook performing “Permanent”.   Spotlight on David.   The song is for his late brother Adam who recently succumbed to brain cancer…   Powerful stuff.   Fantastic vocal from David. Ryan mentions how it must have been a tough song to sing.   David says the song will be available on iTunes after the show, with proceeds going to ABC squared to find a cure for cancer.   David says both Kris and Adam are great guys and “I don’t know that America can get this wrong.”

Ugh. The golden Idol awards are back.   Time to highlight the freaks. Yuck.   They throw Normund Gentle/Nick Mitchell in with a bunch of audition rejects. You know, the folks that didn’t even make it to Hollywood? Uhm. He made it all the way to the Top 36?   Nick Mitchell wins of course.   This is ridiculous.   Not, Nick.   He’s still pretty hilarious.   Now for a little “And I am Telling You.”

First duet!

Lil Rounds and Queen Latifah – “Cue the Rain”   -   Hot mess!   Queen’s not really singing, and Lil’s vocals are all over the place. Eep.

Jason Mraz joins Anoop Desai and Alexis Grace and the rest of the Top 13 to perform “I’m Yours”.   That was a tiny bit awkward!

Next, a vid of “The Journey of Kris Allen”.   Kris told Simon in his audition that there were probably singer better than him. No wonder Simon dogged him!

Kris Allen and Keith Urban duet on “Kiss a Girl” – Kris is on acoustic guitar, and Keith on electric.   Kris does country and its genius–great pairing.

The Top 13 GIRLS take the stage to sing “Glamorous” Megan Joy and Jasmine Murray–Ouchie!   Allison introduces Fergie who takes the stage singing “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”   Allison introduces the Black Eyed Peas. Woah. Singing “Boom Boom Pow” and there was some MAJOR censoring.   They cut the sound and cut to the AI logo for several long seconds.   Allison, the judges and the 13 were rockin’ out.   Crazy dancers in head to toe striped body tights.

ZZz.   More Golden Idols.   Best attitude is the next award.   Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell, Alexis Cohen, Tiffany Shedd are nominees.   And of course…Bikini Girls arrives in a ball gown. PSYCH. Of course, she’s wearing a bikini.   Oh yay. We get to hear her sh*tty singing again.   Kara takes the stage for a duet.   And she kinda sucks too!   Katrina shoots her eye daggers. Awkward!   OMG Kara’s got a bikini on under her dress.

Allison Iraheta and Cyndi Lauper duet on “Time after Time”.   I LOVE this song.   Cyndi’s playing the dulcimer.   They sound like they could have used more time to rehearse, but nice job.

Ryan interviews Kris Allen’s cute parents, then heads over to the other side of the auditorium to interview Adam’s parents.

Danny Gokey is next and he’s singing “Hello”   BWAHAAA.   David Cook fans are gasping in unison. As if he needed more reasons for American Idol fans to hate his ass.   Lionel Richie takes the stage, and they sing…some of his hits.

It’s time for Adam Lambert’s journey…

And now Adam’s duet. He’s got a nutty outfit on leather, and what looks almost like angel wings on his shoulders and HUGE platform shoes.   He’s singing “Beth”, so I guess he’s dueting with KISS.   He introduces KISS, with a big pyro light show.   KISS is pretty lame, but Adam is not.   So much for the Bowie duet.   Adam finishes “Rock and Roll all Night” with a huge Rock Wail!

Carlos Santana is next. He’s playing “Black Magic Woman”.   Matt Giruad sings a verse, and then the rest of the Top 13 join him on stage to sing “Smooth”.

Ford music Video “I will Remember You” – montage of all the seasons Ford videos.   Nice harmony from Adam and Kris. Ha Ha David Cook shoes up on video to present Adam and Kris with their new Ford Fusions!

Steve Martin on banjo with Megan Joy and Michael Sarver singing “Pretty Flowers” a bluegrass tune written by Steve. This is kinda unusual, but nice.

The Top 13 boys take the stage singing “Do You Think I’m Sexy” More LOLz!   Adam introduces Rod Stewart singing “Maggie May”   Now we’re talking.   Yikes. his voice is SHOT.

One more Golden Idol, for Best Female: Nominees are Chelsie Melquart, Irene Angolova, Dana Morena and Tatiana Del Toro.   Again. The producers put her in the Top 36? Why is she being lumped in with audition rejects?   There’s no need to insult her just because she’s annoying.   She wins of course, and she and Ryan do a bit where Ryan tries to go to break, but Tatiana won’t get off stage. *eyes roll*

Adam Lambert and Kris Allen duet on “We Are the Champions”   Oh look!   The first surprise of the night.   It’s Queen.   There’s Brian May on guitar and the rest of the Top 13 and a choir are on stage too.

EEP. It’s time for the results…Simon says they were both brilliant and incredibly nice people…both proud, the future is all yours.   The telescope dude takes the stage. Telescope has certified the results! Almost 100 million cast. Dim the lights here we go..after the nationwide vote…the winner of American Idol 2009 is KRIS ALLEN! Kris gets another one of those shocky-shock looks on his face. Adam hugs him. They point at each other, and Adam joins the others at the side of the stage.

“Are you freaking serious! Are you serious!” yells Kris “The dark horse comes back and wins the nation over,” says Ryan, “How do you feel?” “It feels good,” says Kris, “but Adam deserves this…I”m sorry! I don’t know what to feel right now, this is crazy!” Kris is laughing.

Ryan awards Kris the lovely American Idol winners trophy. His Dad is crying. “Two superstars…Kris Allen and Adam Lambert!” says Ryan. Allison pushes Adam to center stage. He hugs Kris. Ryan hands him the mic to sing the winner’s song “No Boundaries”–better than last night…the cast joins him on stage. Hugs all around. When Kris’s wife joins him on stage he finally gets emotional as the camera fades.

And next year, we get to do it all again…