Today’s Idol Appearances:

• Kelly Clarkson performs a concert at the High Line Ballroom, New York City, for Tupperware Brands Chain of Confidence.
• DWTS winners appear on Live with Regis and Kelly
• Matthew Morrison appears on Chelsea Lately, E!
• Kara DioGuardi appears on Lopez Tonight, TBS 12/11c
• Stefano Langone, Paul McDonald and Pia Toscano appear on the Rachel Ray Show
• Allison Iraheta and David Archuleta performs at the KIIS LA Idol Viewing Party. More info HERE.

Nigel Lythgoe tweets, “Well over 100 million votes last night and they were still coming in? This will be a world record after the final count!”

See videos from yesterday’s AT&T pre-idol bash at the Nokia theater at WaterCoolerConvo (featuring Michael Johns and Jason Castro)

Randy Jackson and Steven Make Their Picks

Randy thinks Scotty McCreery will win; Steven thinks it will be Lauren Alaina

‘American Idol’ behind the scenes: Scotty and Lauren’s music coach on their finale performances — EXCLUSIVE

How quickly did Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina choose their first songs for the American Idol performance finale? Were they familiar with the songs their own Idols picked for them? How have they changed this season? What are the biggest differences between season 10 and the seasons before it? In the final entry of our ongoing behind the scenes series, American Idol associate music director and arranger Michael Orland answered these questions and more while discussing last night’s Top 2 performance finale with EW.

My second thing is — I’ve loved all the judges who have come in and out of this show, but this season’s judges have done nothing but praise and it really help build these kids’ confidence. But I know if Randy says, “In it to win it” one more time, we’re all going to have a drink. I’ve seen performers in the past who come out defeated before they sing, and this year, we never saw that once. We used to go to the green room and say to the kids, “Don’t listen to the judges when they critique the person before you!” We didn’t have that this year, and I think the kids thrive as performers.

Read more at EW

‘American Idol’ Bounces Back with Smart Shake-Ups, Young Talent

Two teen-age country charmers — one overtly emotional, one ridiculously calm — head into tonight’s “American Idol” finale, closing out a year in which everything went right for everyone associated with the show.

After slipping last year from its pedestal as America’s favorite show, “Idol” quickly removed questions about its survival, addressing issues with statements that ended in exclamation points. Best ratings! Most votes! No. 1 show! Career revival! Interesting contestants! Season 10 had it all.

Most importantly, the show was discussed and debated for its merits, not the diminished quality of the judges or singers. It wound up with a top five of potential hitmakers, singers who showed up for the competition and specialists aiming to work a specific genre into the winners’ circle.

Read more at Billboard.com

Scotty McCreery & Lauren Alaina Discuss ‘American Idol’ Finale Performances [AUDIO]

When asked which song of the three was the most challenging for them. Scotty moans, “The original! They gave it to us late so we kinda had to learn it pretty quickly. So I was struggling. I had to go to the piano before I went on stage to work it out. It was about two minutes before we went on air. Its insane.” Due to Lauren’s most recent vocal concerns she simply scribbled the answer, “‘Like My Mother Does’ [due to the fact] ‘it was so emotional.’

RyanSeacrest.com

Was Steven Tyler Worried For Lauren Alaina On ‘Idol’?

“American Idol” judge Steven Tyler tells Access correspondent Jayde Donovan how he found out about “Idol” finalist Lauren Alaina losing her voice? So, what advice and words of comfort did he give her?

See the Video at Access Hollywood

Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery Battle It Out On ‘American Idol’

After a drama filled night on “American Idol,” Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery talk about performing at the finals. So, was Lauren worried she wouldn’t be able to perform after losing her voice during rehearsals? Plus, what did they think of each other’s performances?

See the Video at Access Hollywood

Steven Tyler Talks ‘American Idol’ Final Two

American Idol judge Steven Tyler charmed the press following Tuesday’s performance show as only he can. The Aerosmith frontman sang a few licks, stayed mum about his own participation as a performer on Wednesday’s finale, cracked many jokes and offered his share of insights on the final two. Read on for Tyler’s two cents…

Read more at Hollywood Reporter

‘American Idol’s’ Lauren Alaina: ‘I knew God would get me through my vocal problems’

Hours before the “American Idol” finale on Tuesday, May 24, near panic ensued when news broke that Lauren Alaina might not be able to perform due to vocal problems during rehearsals.

Luckily, Lauren was cleared to perform by her doctor (who obviously had to come on stage to explain the condition), despite the fact that she blew out a vocal chord. Ouch. At the top of the show, Lauren told host Ryan Seacrest, “I’m here. I’m ready to sing and I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” And worry we did not.

Read more at Zap2it

Getting old – When did ‘Idol’ become ‘Antiques Roadshow’?

Just a few months ago, the producers of “American Idol” declared that this would be the season they dragged the aging goliath into the future.

With ratings sagging over the past few years and its winners finding it increasingly difficult to sell records, “Idol” was in need of a dramatic reboot.

“Maybe it’s like a diva, maybe it’s more like Lady Gaga,” Randy Jackson mused about the type of star he hoped would emerge. “Maybe it’s Muse, Bono or Brandon Flowers of the Killers.”

Now, at the season’s end, with “Idol’s” first all-country finale on tap, the “c” word — for contemporary — is not much heard.

Read more at the New York Post

Kris Allen Predicts Scotty McCreery American Idol Win; Ready to Watch His Song on Glee Finale

The final performance show for American Idol season 10 gets underway Tuesday night, May 24th. American Idol season eight champ Kris Allen hasn’t been watching the show regularly this season because he’s busy performing live and working on a new album, but he still has an opinion as to who he thinks will win. Kris says he’s actually more of a fan of Lauren Alaina’s voice, but he thinks Scotty McCreery will likely take the title. He tells ABC News Radio, “Scotty’s got a great voice, but it’s just not my cup of tea, you know? But I do think he’s great and he’s got a huge future in the industry so kudos to him and he’s probably gonna win it, too.”

Read more at WPJL

Michael Johns predicts a Lauren Alaina victory

Former Buckhead denizen Michael Johns from season seven boldly predicted Lauren Alaina as the victor tonight in an interview before the performance show. Scotty McCreery is the presumed favorite.

“Lauren will get all of Haley’s kids,” he told me Tuesday in a 30-minute phone conversation. “She has that LeAnn Rimes thing. She’s a pretty seasoned performer. She’s fantastic. I think she’s really going to explode.” He performed Tuesday on a stage outside Nokia Theatre with other “Idols” including Blake Lewis and Elliott Yamin.

Read more at AJC

Singer Bowersox to rev up fans before Chicagoland race

The sound of something other than speeding vehicles could be music to the ears of fans attending the June??4 races at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet.

Last season’s ‘‘American Idol’’ runner-up, Crystal Bowersox, will sing the national anthem. She also will perform tunes from her ‘‘Farmer’s Daughter’’ album at the Champion’s Park Concert stage in the afternoon.

Read more at Chicago Sun Times

Crystal Bowersox in harmony with life after ‘American Idol’

Almost exactly one year after Crystal Bowersox learned on the 2010 finale of “American Idol” that she came in second place, losing the top prize to Lee DeWyze of Mount Prospect, she walked into an office building on Michigan Avenue. This was Tuesday morning. She carried her guitar. Her bass player, Frankie May, a friend from Toledo, Ohio, followed alongside, amplifier in hand. They were trailed by Bowersox’s agent, and her agent’s assistant. They walked past the front desk, headed for VerveLife, a digital music marketing firm.

Read more at Chicago Tribune

The Roys Prove ‘Somebody Cares’ for Tornado Victims

The Roys are the latest in a long line of country stars who have signed up to help aid in the recovery efforts following the deadly tornadoes that ravaged Alabama last month. Siblings Lee and Elaine Roy joined Danny Gokey, Michael English, Ray Stevens, Gary Chapman, and Southern Gospel group Karen Peck & New River, for a pre-taped televised concert, Somebody Cares for the Southeast, which is set to air on TV and online several times, with accompanying information on how to donate money to assist in the recovery efforts.

Read more at The Boot

Real Prize for ‘Idol’: Rebound in Ratings

Flouting conventional wisdom, the size of the show’s audience did not plunge; with an average of 24.9 million viewers for each episode, the contest had its total audience actually rise 4 percent over last year’s.

Among viewers 18 to 49, the rate of decline has slowed to 5 percent. Last year the show lost 10 percent of viewers in that demographic category.

Read more at the New York Times

‘Glee’ Finale: Show’s Stars on Their Characters’ Summer Plans

Now that the dust has settled on New Directions’ time at Nationals, the wait is on until Season 3 of the Fox musical drama returns in the fall. To help tide you over, The Hollywood Reporter asked several cast members how they thought their characters would spend the summer vacation.

Read more at The Hollywood Reporter

Darren Criss croons at GQ photoshoot – video

Darren Criss is in featured in the latest GQ magazine, modeling the summer’s hottest looks in wedding fashion for men. In the brief interview, he talks about his quick rise to fame and his humble start playing Harry Potter in a viral video Potter musical.

Now GQ has released a video of Criss singing while on set for his photoshoot. If you want to see more of the video, you have to have GQ’s iPad app. But we’ve got a sneak peek above. We love that Criss is showing off how every pop song has the same four chords. *snicker*

See the video at Zap2it

Jim Cantiello’s Musical Glee Cap