YO, AMERICAN IDOL! WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU!

Now that was entertainment!!!

Counting the red carpet show hosted by Steve Edwards and his fun female co-hosts, those of us who sat through the "American Idol" season finale, sat for 2 hours and 37 minutes or so, but I think I speak for the majority when I say, this sit was more than worth our time.

Where do I begin?

How about at the very beginning of the main event when finalists Blake and Jordin did a duet of an old Beatles song, "I Saw Her/Him Standing There". Unless those two kids are the best actors on the planet, there was no doubt that these two like each other and when they finished this song, I had a one word reaction. ADORABLE!!!

I'm not going to recap the whole show, but here are what were highlights for me.

Appearances by Gwen Stefani and the first Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson.

Smokey Robinson with the top 6 Idol guys from this season.

Gladys Knight with the top 6 Idol women from this season. The 7 of them doing "Midnight Train To Georgia" brought a big smile to this music lover's face.

Tony Bennett. 80-year old Tony Bennett, who brought the house down with his rendition of a song that seemed to express his feelings about (what we're told) is an upcoming marriage to a woman he's known for 18 years, a woman that is 40 years younger than Tony.

Carrie Underwood. She's already had a career that would make most folks envious.

The Golden Idols awards. Some worked, some didn't.

The African Children's Choir. Another version of adorable.

Sanjaya with legendary guitar player Joe Perry. Like a lot of people, I want to like Sanjaya, but dude, you still can't sing.

Before the winner was announced, we were treated to a few Beatles' songs that were (to me) highlighted by Carrie Underwood and the 6 top Idol women from this season singing, "With A Little Help From My Friends".

Bravo, bravo, bravo!

And then the big announcement was made. Jordin was declared the winner and then had to sing. My first thought was, how do you sing after that?!? Well, at the end of the song, she lost it with a torrent of tears, but that only proved she's human.

Wow, wow, wow! I can hardly wait for the next season of Idol to begin!

SHOWS THAT WILL BE ON TONIGHT:

The season premiere of "So You Think You Can Dance" will be on Fox tonight. And after a very long hiatus, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" will begin showing what will be their final episodes on NBC.

ROSIE and ELISABETH:

As most of us know, Rosie O'Donnell will soon leave "The View", but after what happened yesterday, her departure might be sooner than we (or she) thought. After a cat fight between liberal Rosie and conservative Elisabeth that made you wonder if we might see the real "Ultimate Fighting Championship", we're told that Rosie will be taking a couple of days off, but a lot of folks wonder if she'll be back.

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST TIME?!?

Because I've delayed doing this for a couple of days, one might think this is a bigger deal than it is. Here's a clue. It isn't, buuuut...

I got this idea after remembering a saying by a former sportscaster in Cincinnati who used to end his broadcasts with the words, "Rounding third and heading for home!"

Those are words that can apply to people who have lived a pretty good life (as I have) and are getting close to the home stretch.

I'm not there yet. A few more years before I reach that age, but when I thought of the "saying" I mentioned, I started thinking about things I haven't done yet and that caused me to remember memorable things I did the first time.

Please, please, please play along with me here.

Do you remember your first kiss? Mine was with Diane Jones, a spin the bottle game, when I was in the 4th or 5th grade. Your first crush? Linda Schantzer, same time frame. I thought she was "the bomb". Your first sexual experience? An Asian girl while wearing a U.S. Army uniform. Guys, do you remember the first time a woman you were involved with told you she was pregnant? I do. Ladies, do you remember the first time you told a guy you were involved with that you were pregnant and the look you saw on his face? Priceless, wasn't it? And I'll bet he has no clue as to what you saw! Good or bad.

Memories.

I could go on and on, but while thinking about this, I thought of a few (silly?) things I haven't done yet like having a lap dance. That must be fun, because a lot of money is spent on that activity. Here's another one. Visiting a Tarot Card reader. A couple of days ago, I did that. I met with a young woman who calls herself, "Angel Psychic Sara" on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Valley Village, California. For 25 bucks, I watched this very pleasant woman flip over cards and listened to her tell me what the cards represented while asking me a lot of personal questions.

It was quite revealing. She said a lot of things that are true, (things she would have no way of knowing), but she also said some things that either aren't true or haven't happened yet. All in all, it was like a visit to a shrink but not nearly as costly. I'm glad I did it.

Hmmm...Now about that lap dance....

EDITOR's NOTE: A new blog is posted every morning (Monday through Friday) at 7-7:15, Pacific time. If you read this before pictures have been added, come back! Pictures will be up soon. Because of some computer problems today, pictures might be delayed longer than usual. If you have any comments or suggestions, please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net

TOMORROW:

Why haven't we captured or killed Osama bin Laden?!? The person running for President who convinces me he or she will get Osama bin Laden, dead or alive, will get my vote! On a lighter note, I'll have another LINDSAY LOHAN story. Also some final thoughts on American Idol.