TVSquad

At long last, the season 8 finale of American Idol has arrived! It's been fun watching all of the Idols grow in their musical prowess (that's a Paula word), especially Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, the final two performers who couldn't be more different, but are both awesome in their own way.

Ryan started things off by introducing the judges, along with a funny video clip for each of them -- Randy Jackson saying "For Me" throughout the season; Kara DioGuardi saying "sweetie" and "honey" to people who didn't make it past the audition process; Paula's round-up of colorful adjectives (vocal prowess, masterful and effortless, palette, etc.); and Simon's issues with hearing what people say (as in, he could probably use a hearing aid!).

Recently, I got the chance to speak with Sam Champion, the affable Good Morning America weatherman. We chatted a bit about GMA's upcoming Summer Concert Series, which is kicking off on May 22. The free concerts have moved from Bryant Park to Central Park this year, which allows for much larger audiences. So you know what that means, right? More space for screaming throngs of Jonas Brothers fans to gather in a central location this summer.

Read the interview to figure out when you need to book your trip to New York, or get the hell out of the city -- depending on your perspective.

(S19E01) Blackboard Gag: I will not wait 20 years to make another movie

Adam, this one's for you.

To begin this review I would like to speak to all of the continuity wonks out there in the audience. You know who you are! You're the folks who keep writing about how nothing changes in Springfield, even after something major happens the episode before. Well, The Simpsons has plenty of continuity. If not, then Ned's wife would still be alive the week after she died and Selma's last name would not be Selma Bouvier Terwilliger Hutz McClure Stu Simpson, Continuity is there . . . it's just subtle.

(S03E17) I got the feeling that some of the staff may have had vacation time to use up this week. They didn't even put in the effort to stretch the show. Instead we were given a clip show of past performances for the first half hour of the show. That was a little underhanded, but they did pick some of the really great performances to show. A couple of my favorites: Edyta and Kym dancing while Rod Stewart did "Hot Legs", Edyta, Karina, Maksim, and Tony with Lionel Richie performing, and the great SWOP demonstration.

(S03E11) Really, the dragging out of the decision for what to do about Sara leaving is just stupid. The show is getting great ratings already. It doesn't need to jerk viewers around to get them to keep watching. It's a cheap gimmick. Teasing it before going to every commercial break, and pushing it to the last three minutes smacked of local news, and that's not a compliment.

The judges chose Mario & Karina for the encore. That was a good choice. They were clearly the best this week. And they do another great performance, with the exception of a mistake at the end when they get their hands all mixed up during their spins. Lionel Richie came out and performed All Night Long while Maksim, Tony, Edyta, and Karina did the Samba. Really cool performance. Lionel still sounds great, and that was an excellent song choice.