Music Blogs

Well, tonight I was in professional mode, leaving the moms at home to go work the preshow red carpet and then camp out in the backstage press room during the actual main event. And judging by the huge whoops and hollers that resonated throughout the press room when David Cook's name was announced, it seems like many members of the media were pretty pro-Cook too. In fact, when David The C starting crying after his victory, some of the usually-hardened press people got verklempt as well. (I was one of them, natch.)

But before the big winner announcement and all the odd musical numbers that preceded it (Bryan Adams??? really???), I was stationed in front of the Nokia Theater with my fellow Yahoo! staffers, snagging interviews and photos. Since the show is over (and you all can watch it on TV anyway), I'll just wrap up with some bulletpoints of my personal behind-the-scenes highlights this evening:

-- The superfly So You Think You Can Dance kids showing up (season 4 of SYTYCD starts tomorrow, you know!!) and totally busting a move on the red carpet:

-- The delightful Melinda Doolittle revealing that she's finally releasing an album this summer:

-- Jon Peter Lewis confessing that he wants Kristy Lee Cook's phone number (JPL + KLC? that has a nice ring to it!) and answering "Michael Johns" when asked who he was rooting for:

-- Hilarious Chris Sligh answering "Jason Castro!" when asked who he was rooting for; griping "It drives a splinter right into my aorta!" when asked how he felt about contestants getting to play instruments this year (unlike last season, when Chris competed); comparing David Archuleta to Rick Astley (both "12-year-olds that sound like 50-year-olds"); and getting totally spooked when the scarily waxen-faced Janice Dickinson materialized beside him:

-- Chris Sligh then strutting his stuff with his old season 6 buddy Sanjaya Malakar:

-- Former rockin' runners-up Constantine Maroulis and Ace Young sharing a tender moment:

-- Another rockin' runner-up, Bo Bice, having a good hair day:

-- Lakisha Jones looking utterly stunning:

-- Adorable Paris Bennett announcing that her second album, out in November, will be called Simply Jazz and will consist solely of jazz standards (which will surely beautifully suit her old-school voice):

-- Jasmine Trias confessing that she was dying to meet fellow Filipina AmIdol contestant Ramiele Malubay:

-- Kevin Covais, aka Chicken Little, revealing that he has taken up acting and is starring in a soon-to-be-released "filthy" teen comedy called College:

-- Brandon Rogers alluding to plans for an Idol revue in Branson (I'm booking my vacation package now!):

-- Me getting to interview the thickly bearded members of ZZ Top, who predicted David Cook's win and announced "history will be made":

-- Me interviewing reality-TV pioneer and former Dancing With The Stars contender Jerry Springer:

-- Me chatting with season 2 champ Ruben Studdard right before he was ushered inside:

-- Carrie Underwood getting mobbed by reporters (so I didn't get to talk to her, sadly):

-- Jordin Sparks popping up in the press room mere moments after Cook was crowned, doling out advice for her worthy successor ("Get some sleep now, because you're not going to sleep for the next year!"):

By the way, to watch Yahoo! TV's red-carpet interviews, click HERE.

And so, hard as it may be to believe, American Idol season 7 has come to a close. Wow, it seems like just yesterday Josiah Leming was blowing it with a misguided attempt at "Stand By Me," Simon Cowell was throwing a hissyfit over Kyle Ensley’s omission from the top 24, Danny "Some People Weren’t Lik-ing It" Noriega was snapping his head defiantly, Amanda Overmyer was gargling glass through "Carry On Wayward Son," the artist formerly known as Carly Hennessy, etc.

And now it's all over.

But hey, like I mentioned earlier, at least the equally fabulous Nigel Lythgoe-brainchild show So You Think You Can Dance is starting up tomorrow. So please keep visiting this space to get updates on that...and on the other music/reality shows that we're all obsessed with!

Seacrest out.