Reality Check takes a break

Now that American Idol and Dancing With the Stars and Survivor and Celebrity Apprentice have wrapped up, I'm taking off for a three-week vacation. I feel awfully bad that I didn't get to recap So You Think You Can Dance and The Voice this week, but between packing and cleaning the house (nobody wants to come home to a post-vacation mess) and all the things I had to do at my day job before I left, I just didn't have time. I'll be back in the city on June 15 and doing marathon viewings of The Voice, SYTYCD and The Bachelorette then, so I hope to get some mega-recaps done before that week is through. In the meantime, I wish you all lots of sunshine and great reality TV viewing. See you in a few weeks!

Live: Blogging the American Idol finale

Debra Yeo live blogs the final show of American Idol, starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

American Idol finale

Hello readers, I'm having some technical trouble getting a link posted to my live blog of tonight's American Idol, but assistance is at hand and I hope to have it up before noon today.

Also to you fans of The Voice, having to blog Idol and Dancing With the Stars Tuesday night meant no time to watch The Voice (well, not if I wanted to sleep anyway). My hope is to catch up and blog something before I leave for my vacation on Friday night. 

Dancing With the Stars: The winner is ... (spoiler alert)

All is well in the ballroom.

A deserving competitor won the mirrorball trophy on Dancing With the Stars during a very entertaining two-hour finale on Tuesday night.

Hines Ward is now officially an MVP on the gridiron and in the ballroom. 

The victory by the 35-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP shouldn't have come as a surprise. He combined technical excellence, humility and a hard work ethic with crowd-pleasing performance ability topped off by a brilliant smile. "He really is like a ray of sunshine," Bruno Tonioli said in a package of video clips describing the finalists.

The night's one unexpected outcome was the third place finish by Disney star Chelsea Kane, described by the judges as the most consistent dancer technically.

Chelsea, 22, was no match for the charisma of actress Kirstie Alley, who's 60 and has arguably overcome the most to make it to the finale.

Kirstie started strong in the first week of competition but suffered setbacks that included a fall during one performance (due to partner Maks Chmerkovskiy getting a Charley horse) and a lost shoe in another, a hip injury that almost ended her time on the show and, early on, a pronounced lack of stamina.

The actress, who has struggled with her weight for years, lost 38 inches from her body due to the 10 weeks of daily rehearsal.

"It's like the most extraordinary adventure I've ever been on in my life," Kirstie told Brooke Burke, adding, "I love Maks."

Maks thanked Kirstie for an amazing season but also all of his previous nine partners, which is sure to fuel the rumours that Maks is leaving DWTS (say it ain't so, Maks, say it ain't so).

As for Hines, he has been a consistent, solid performer throughout the season with what the judges described as a natural facility for dance. "We’ve had some great footballers on Dancing With the Stars; I don’t think any compare with Hines Ward," Len Goodman said during the video package.

On Tuesday, Hines performed a joyful samba with partner Kym Johnson that had the studio audience cheering like mad.

"Listen to that: that is insane and they're so right," said Carrie Ann Inaba. "Hines, you know in all honesty, I just think that you are the MVP of Dancing With the Stars Season 12. You've brought nothing but consistency, focus ... you led your partner out of an injury. I'm so impressed with you." (You'll recall that Kym Johnson suffered a potentially serious neck injury in rehearsal just a couple of weeks ago and that Hines was so emotional during their first post-injury performance that he cried onstage.)

Bruno described Hines as "Mr. Irresistible."

"Starting this competition I never thought I'd be in the finals, but I owe it all to Kym," Hines said after his win. He also thanked the judges for their constructive criticism and the fans for their votes.

Tuesday's results were reached by combining viewer votes with judges' scores. Hines and Chelsea both finished the competition with 89 out of a possible 90 points this week; Kirstie with 84 out of 90.

Each couple got perfect scores for their last competitive dances on Tuesday, which were their favourites from the season.

Besides Hines and Kym's samba, Kirstie and Maks performed their Week 1 cha cha cha and Chelsea and Mark did what they called their "wizard waltz."

Otherwise, the show was packed with the combination of humour, sentimentality and unabashed cheesiness you'd expect from a DWTS finale, including performances by the Black Eyed Peas (if ever there were a perfect venue for the Peas' brand of not quite cool, self-important but damnably catchy exuberance it would be the DWTS ballroom) and country singer Sara Evans (so cute how Hines and Kym swayed together through the whole song).

The surprise guest was Josh Groban, who delighted an unsuspecting Petra Nemcova by singing "You Raise Me Up" as she and Dmitry Chaplin reprised their waltz from earlier in the season.

Other delights included fan favourite Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff repeating their 1920s-themed quickstep; a waltz with some challenging lifts by Romeo and Chelsie Hightower; Sugar Ray Leonard and Chris Jericho facing off in a paso doble introduced by Michael "Let's get ready to rumble" Buffer; Mike Catherwood good-naturedly sending up his awful dancing in a unitard, headband and hot pink leg warmers; Kendra Wilkinson cha cha chaing for a bevy of comely young male dancers ("Lucky she had those extra guys, as it turns out. Yikes," said Tom, when Louis Van Amstel almost dropped Kendra at the end of the routine); and a sort of homemade rap video composed of odd comments from the judges, Kirstie's yelp and Wendy Williams' laugh.

Speaking of Wendy, the only part of the show I really didn't like was when she "interviewed" herself and Tony Dovolani.

My favourite bits were Chris Jericho's imitation of Bruno and the Macy's Stars of Dance routine featuring Maks, Chelsie, Lacey Schwimmer and Cheryl Burke. The latter was choreographed to a live performance of "We've Got the Beat" by the Go-Gos and featured the ladies as naughty schoolgirl types and Maks in a police uniform. The girls got him down to his undershirt but, sadly, not his bare chest. 

As for Chris, he didn't have Bruno's accent spot on, but the gestures and the reference to Bruno "rubbing his chest for no apparent reason" were good fun. "I don't understand half of what you're saying, but I love it because you are the best," Chris said before reclining on the judges' table and giving Bruno a hug while Carrie Ann held up her "10" paddle.

"You told me I'd like it; you were right," laughed Tom. 

That's it for what Brooke said was the show's most watched season ever. I have to admit I wasn't optimistic when I first heard the names in the cast many weeks ago, but I should have more faith in the power of the glitter.

What did you think? Were you happy Hines won? Surprised by Chelsea's finish? Comments are always welcome.

(The photo of Hines and Kym is by Adam Taylor for ABC.)

American Idol: One for the moms

By Wednesday night, we might all be talking about how prescient Steven Tyler is.

The American Idol judge called Lauren Alaina "the one" when she first auditioned in Nashville, a claim he repeated on Tuesday night.

But going into the final performance show, it seemed Lauren would be fodder for the Scotty McCreery juggernaut, especially with news that she had blown one of her vocal chords during rehearsal.

That was until she sang the single that Jimmy Iovine chose for her if she wins: "Like My Mother Does." The performance brought a passion that had been missing up until that point in a largely perfunctory show and was miles ahead of Scotty's country-by-the-numbers single, "I Love You This Big."

It still might not be enough to counteract the hyper-texting teens who are bound to vote for Scotty, but Lauren displayed a grit and a willingness to fight that were sometimes missing from her early performances. Good on her for turning this into a battle instead of just a coronation.

The finalists did three songs each: a favourite past performance, a song chosen by an idol with a small "i" and Jimmy's pick.

Scotty started things off with a reprise of Montgomery Gentry's "Gone," which was his best performance of the night. He put in an extra riff or two vocally, but this wasn't the playful version of a few weeks ago. Scotty threw in a few eyebrow waggles, but otherwise this was a more business-like Scotty commanding the stage.

Lauren started off with "Flat on the Floor." The vocal chord problem was obvious in the way she strained on the higher notes (there was speculation before the show started she wouldn't be able to sing at all), but it was engaging and energetic nonetheless.

For performance No. 2, Scotty did "Check Yes or No,” chosen by his idol George Strait. It was a typically competent performance, showing off his twang and his baritone with some forays into his higher range but nothing vastly different from what we've heard every other week.

Lauren was more successful with "Maybe It Was Memphis," selected by her idol (and Idol) Carrie Underwood. Lauren seemed to run out of breath in a couple of places and had trouble again with a couple of the notes, but the performance had a striving quality that was appealing.

By the time we got to Scotty's "single," I was getting bored.

"You got a big song and you got a big voice, so take all those things and make it big," Jimmy told Scotty. To the camera, he added, "If he brings that Scotty cool tonight there’s no reason that confetti doesn’t fall on him."

But I didn't hear big in "I Love You This Big." I heard a rote country and western love song sung in a competent but not particularly exciting manner. Scotty played to the girls with soft gazes into the camera and stretching his arms out wide on the choruses.

In Lauren's case, Jimmy said the lyrics in "Like My Mother Does" "really capture Lauren’s journey," with her mother being at her side throughout the competition.

"It's really right for me to sing a song just for her because she deserves it," Lauren agreed.

"This song is going to showcase her tonight in the best light," said Jimmy. "Moms are the bedrock of American society. They're gonna be moved by this song like crazy."

And so I imagine they would, watching Lauren venturing into the crowd to hug her mom, helped down the stairs in her long white dress by host Ryan Seacrest, but not missing a lyric despite the emotion of the moment. Finally Lauren was singing about something that meant something to her and it showed.

Judge Randy Jackson got to his feet to applaud Lauren and had to delay his comments for the cheers of the crowd. "I love how at the end, finally, it’s the Lauren we grew to love in Nashville," he said.

"This is, everybody will agree it is a very tight race tonight, but Lauren, with that song you may have just won," said Jennifer Lopez.

"The first time I saw you, I thought you were my American Idol. I think America’s gonna find that to be true as well," said Steven.

JLo later backtracked from declaring a victor when Ryan asked the judges to assess Round 3, noting how much she still loves Scotty. "I'm just gonna say that it's a tight race."

And on Tuesday night, it got tighter.

We find out Wednesday whether the moms of America have pushed Lauren to victory or whether Scotty has fulfilled early predictions of victory.

You can watch the two-hour finale on CTV at 8 p.m. and join me as I blog it live. I'll post a link here soon.

(The photo of Scotty and Lauren is by Michael Becker for Fox.)

The Bachelorette: Don't drink and woo (spoiler alert)

(Ashley Hebert meets masked suitor Jeff in an ABC photo by Rick Rowell.)

The Bachelorette is back and so is Ashley Hebert. Our perky dental student, sporting a new brunette 'do, opened the season premiere with the soul-searching and humility we've come to expect from our chosen ones. After all, how can you be worthy of those 25 strangers you're about to meet if you don't lay all your personality flaws bare for the viewing audience?

Thus, we got to relive Ashley's final moments with previous Bachelor Brad Womack and her self-flagellation over how she blew it by not telling Brad how she really felt about him. Of course, given that he was already in love with Emily Maynard, it probably wouldn't have mattered a fig if she had, but never mind.

Better to gaze out over a river, and dance all alone in a big auditorium, and run up the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and pretend you're Rocky, all the while vowing that you're ready to give love a chance this time.

And, well, you know the drill, the men arrive by limousine and share funny or awkward or just plain weird moments with Ashley before heading into the mansion to await some one on one time and a chance at the first impression rose.

Here are the men who stood out for me, either for good or ill:

Ryan P., 31, Corona del Mar, Calif.: This guy is cute as a button, he seems positive and kind, and he wants to make the world a better place by installing solar panels on homes and other buildings. His first line was a winner ("All I got to say is Brad's loss is my gain") and he quickly spirited Ashley away for the first one-on-one chat. It seemed like a no-brainer for Ashley to give him the first impression rose.

William, 30, Galloway, Ohio: William is another cutie. He sells cellphones for a living. Things to watch out for are that he doesn't think he's ever been in love before and has had his heart broken by seven or eight women who used him as a stepping stone to marriage with other men. Still, he seems sincere. 

J.P., 34, New York: I hope Ashley keeps J.P. around a while just so we can see that killer smile. Wow. "I have no props, I have nothing, just myself and my smile," he said. J.P. is in construction management and real estate development. The downside could be that 12 years of dating in New York might have left him a little jaded.

Ben C., 28, New Orleans: Is Ben C. this season's Kasey Kahl? The lawyer described himself as a "215" on a scale of 1 to 10 when it comes to being romantic. "When this thing is over I hope to have a lasting love and the greatest love," he said. Hmm, expectations seem pretty high, but at least he can tell her she's beautiful in French.

Ben F., 28, Sonoma, Calif.: Any guy who walks up to you with a bottle of wine he made himself and two glasses has got to be worth a second look. I also found it endearing that the winemaker said he was so nervous about meeting Ashley "I brushed my teeth like eight times today." 

West, 30, Chapin, S.C.: The lawyer's gift of a broken compass permanently stuck pointing west was hokey, but no worse than tying pink dental floss around Ashley's finger, I guess (which is what restaurant owner Constantine did). This fellow comes with major baggage, though, given that his true love, wife Sarah, drowned after having a seizure in their bathtub.

Chris M., 27, Edmonton: Our token Canadian, a construction company CEO, came and went really fast. His first chat with Ashley seemed stilted and I don't recall him making a particular impression at the cocktail party.

Jeff, 35, St. Louis, Mo.: I can't really see the attraction to Jeff, who is hiding his face behind a black mask, supposedly so Ashley can get to know the real him and not judge him by his appearance. Yeah, whatever, dude. Pretentious much? Besides giving the other guys the creeps, Jeff's refusal to unmask is sure to frustrate viewers, but I guess everybody needs their shtick, like Madison and her vampire fangs on The Bachelor.

Bentley, 28, Salt Lake City: This is the season's villain. Sure, he's a divorced father who appears to be devoted to his daughter, but he's also just not that into Ashley (he was hoping Emily would be the Bachelorette) but is pretending to be. Ashley had already been warned by a friend of his ex-wife's that he was coming on the show to promote his business, but she decided to overlook that because he was good-looking and seemed sincere in conversation. I find it hard to believe she'd get sucked in like that, so I'm guessing this has more to do with the show wanting to keep him around to amp up the drama.

Tim, 35, Long Beach: How fitting that a liquor distributor would get so drunk he couldn't carry on a conversation with Ashley and then passed out snoring on a chair in the garden. It was no loss when Ashley had him carried to an SUV and sent home. He was rude and belligerent to Jeff, swearing and even threatening to fight him at one point. Gee, wonder why he's still single.

The following guys got roses, besides Ryan P.:

Jeff

Constantine, 30, Atlanta, Ga., restaurant owner

Ben F.

Lucas, 30, Odessa, Tex., oilfield equipment distributor

Stephen, 27, Portland, Conn., hairstylist

Matt, 28, Bridgewater, Me., office supply salesman

Nick, 26, Odessa, Fla., personal trainer

Chris D, 25, Moline, Ill., sports marketing coordinator

Ryan M., 27, Novi, Mich., construction estimator

Blake, 27, Steamboat Springs, Colo., a fellow dentist

Mickey, 31, Rochester, N.Y., chef

Ben C.

West

William

J.P.

Ames, 31, New York, portfolio manager

Bentley

The next show airs next Monday at 8 p.m. on Citytv. That's the good news. The bad news is I will be on vacation for three weeks and won't be doing my regular recaps. However, I promise to get up to speed as quickly as I can when I return.

 

Dancing With the Stars: Strike up the band

(Hines Ward trips the light fantastic with Kym Johnson in an ABC photo by Adam Taylor.)

It looks like it's down to the Disney kid or the football star for the mirrorball trophy.

Chelsea Kane and Hines Ward were tied at the top of the leaderboard after Monday's performances, with both grabbing perfect scores for the all-important freestyle.

Actress Kirstie Alley gave it her all but couldn't get above 9's, despite some real leaps of faith in her freestyle. She ended the night six points behind her competitors.

Of course, her fans could still vote her into the final two, plus she'll have one more chance to improve her judges' score on Tuesday night. So, you know, maybe Hines will trip or Chelsea will zig when she should have zagged or something.

On Monday, the stars and their partners performed two routines, a judges' choice and the freestyle. Here's how it all looked from the couch:

Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas, samba: Each pair got coaching from a judge on their first dance. Carrie Ann Inaba was Chelsea's overseer and she advised Chelsea, a 22-year-old known for her roles in Disney shows, to put sensuality into the dance. Chelsea took the advice to heart. I did not detect one speck of perkiness in the resulting performance. Chelsea was fluid, focused, intense and undulating for all she was worth. Bruno Tonioli called her a sexy bombshell and Carrie Ann said she was "hot, hot, hot ...That is so what I was wanting from you. You got down, you got dirty, you got sensual and it worked."

Not just that, Mark got humble. If there was ever an indication that he wants that mirrorball trophy real bad it was his reply to Brooke Burke when she asked how he was going to top himself in the freestyle. "I think Chelsea and I just want to go out there and do the best we can," he said. "We're so grateful for people voting for us ... We're just looking forward to having a good night." Sure Mark.

Scores: Carrie Ann, 10; Len Goodman, 9 (he docked a point for what he called the "flailing arms": whatever, Len); Bruno, 10

Kirstie Alley and Maks Chmerkovskiy, samba: It's kind of fun to watch Bruno when he's not gyrating or mock-stripping behind the judges' table, almost interacting like a normal human being, except not quite. His advice to Kirstie was to watch her "dainty little hands," by which he meant she had to sometimes reach all the way through her fingers, but not to fling herself into her poses. She had to take her moments like "the real queen of the carnival."

Kirstie was gunning for 10s, but she fell short. It was definitely a disadvantage to follow Chelsea with the exact same style of dance. Still, I concur with Carrie Ann that Kirstie brought a lovely quality of movement to the routine, very smooth. And nice job on the samba rolls. "It could have been a little bit crisper, but lovely job and deserving of being in this final," Len told her. 

That was good not only for a butt grab for host Tom Bergeron from a happy Maks, but a nuzzle of the ear as well. "I'm gonna have to put a restraining order on you," Tom said.

Meanwhile, Kirstie had to contend with yet another of Brooke's silly questions, about what it was like to be compared to somebody born in 1988, i.e. Chelsea. "We can't really compare us," said Kirstie, looking a bit puzzled, "because she does her thing and I do my thing. We're very different. She couldn't be me and I couldn't be her, so we just do whatever we do, I guess." Brooke laughed, "Good for you, I'm with ya." Alrighty then.

Scores: Carrie Ann, 9; Len, 9; Bruno, 9.

Hines Ward and Kym Johnson: I'd like to know who Hines pissed off to get the dreaded quickstep as his judges' choice. Guess that Len's just a traditional guy. His advice to Hines was to keep his toes pointed at all times and maintain his frame. "Let me feel you, c'mon," said Len, slipping into hold with Hines. "Look at his deltoids. Good job Bruno's not here." Hee.

Hines' footwork was noticeably improved throughout the routine and he was awfully light on those flat feet. The opening, with Hines dancing across the stage in his top hat then kicking open a red carpet, was cute and the whole dance was frothy good fun.

I can see what Len meant when he said it wasn't quite "there" yet, to boos from the audience, but it was close enough for a non-professional like Hines. 

"It was like watching a mega-production on Broadway full of excitement, glitz and entertainment value," said Bruno. "You just connect with the audience like no one. You forget about watching a competitor; you're just an entertainer."

Scores: Carrie Ann, 10; Len, 9; Bruno, 10.

Chelsea and Mark, freestyle: Mark jazzed up the choreography with some tricky lifts and flips, and lights in his and Chelsea's gloves and shoes; except, Chelsea's shoe lights stopped working before the routine was finished. Was it energetic and challenging and dynamic? Yes. Did I love it? Oddly, no. They weren't in synch at the very beginning, the lifts weren't smooth and Chelsea's movements weren't as sharp as Mark's, but I'm probably just nitpicking. The judges loved it.

Scores: Carrie Ann, 10; Len, 10; Bruno, 10.

Kirstie and Maks, freestyle: I think at least one of the judges should have given Kirstie a 10 just for doing lifts and flips that must have been tough given her age and weight. The woman is 60, for crying out loud. Maks noted that lifts are expected in the freestyle so we got lifts, and Kirstie being flipped over Maks's back and doing a cartwheel and some kicks and other fast footwork, in a black catsuit no less. No, the routine was not as dynamic as Chelsea and Mark's, and it got off to a very slow start with Kirstie wearing what looked like a sack cloth with a bow. But as Bruno pointed out, "10 weeks ago, I would never have thought of you even attempting to do lifts and things that you've done tonight ... and you have to really appreciate what you have achieved." Carrie Ann said Kirstie is "the new poster child for life as it should be lived at 60 years old."

Scores: Carrie Ann, 9; Len, 9; Bruno, 9.

Hines and Kym, freestyle: I had to watch this one a couple of times before I could decide if I liked it. Hines and Kym envisioned making their freestyle like a halftime show at a football game, so Hines was dressed like a drum major and Kym like a go go dancer-cum-cheerleader. At first I found it weird, what with Hines marching around and kicking his feet, but it grew on me. It had the toughest lifts of the night, especially considering Kym is still nursing a bad neck and wearing a brace in practice. "Those lifts were insane," said Carrie Ann. "This competition is about give and take: the more you give the more points you take," said Len. "You've just given your all."

Scores: Carrie Ann, 10; Len, 10; Bruno, 10. 

Here are the night's totals out of 60;

Chelsea and Mark: 59

Hines and Kym: 59

Kirstie and Maks: 54

Tuesday is the two-hour season finale. Besides the couples' last dances for points and appearances by all of the Season 12 cast members, there will be performances by the Go Gos, Black Eyed Peas, Sara Evans and a surprise guest. The fun starts at 9 p.m. on CTV and, of course, I'll have your recap here.

Celebrity Apprentice: The winner is ... (spoiler alert)

(Donald Trump with finalists John Rich and Marlee Matlin in an NBC photo.)

Here's a first: nobody got fired on the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice.

Yes, Donald Trump picked a winner, but he spared actress Marlee Matlin from hearing that iconic phrase, "You're fired." Instead, The Donald declared, "I'm gonna do something a little different tonight. The winner of The Celebrity Apprentice 2011 is ... John Rich." 

That country singer John won wasn't a shock. He has been a heck of a player. As Trump put it, "from the beginning you've been a leader: you've been strong; you've been smart; you've been sharp."

But Marlee's been a class act herself. Though not always as focused as John during tasks, she was just as determined to raise money for her charity, the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which helps deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

She also raised more money in one night than anybody in the history of The Apprentice: $1 million during the art auction challenge. 

And in the final task, which involved promoting a new brand of 7UP, Marlee seemed to have a sliver of an edge over John.

To refresh your memory, the product being pushed was 7UP Retro, a new old version of the soft drink with real sugar. Marlee and John had chosen teams made up of fired celebs who had been invited back: Lil Jon, Star Jones and Mark McGrath for John; Meat Loaf, Richard Hatch and La Toya Jackson for Marlee.

Each team had to create a campaign around either the 1970s or the 1980s, which included producing a commercial, designing a can, posters and other items, and promoting the brand at a special event featuring the Harlem Globetrotters for the '70s and Def Leppard for the '80s.

Both teams pulled off coups: John snagged Dee Snider, lead singer of popular '80s band Twisted Singer, for his commercial: Marlee nabbed actor Geoffrey Holder, the face and voice of 7UP in iconic 1970s TV commercials.

Team John's commercial was better as was their tiger-striped glam can, but a major glitch at their event seemed to put John on the wrong side of The Donald: in a scene that would have been at home in the movie Spinal Tap, John introduced Def Leppard 20 minutes before they were due onstage. "Ladies and gentlemen, Def Leppard!" bellowed John as the crowd cheered and made rock 'n' roll signs with their hands, the cheers petering out as the stage remained empty. "Unbelievable," sniffed Donald.

But John made lemons out of lemonade, in his words, borrowing a guitar and performing for the crowd himself, including a song called "Don't Fire Me, Mr. Trump" that got people hooting and laughing.

The Donald was mollified and, in a stroke of genius, John later used the incident in the boardroom as a way to bring up the extra $275,000 he had raised for his charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"Almost $300,000 of donations came in right at that moment ... that rattled me," exclaimed John while Marlee looked annoyed.

Donald said he wouldn't give John a bonus for bringing in that money, since the task wasn't a fundraising challenge, but it must have impressed the billionaire, nonetheless.

John also pointed out that he had been a project manager more than anyone else this season.

Plus, he got Trump to wear a cowboy hat on national TV. It was a blink and you missed it moment as The Donald, egged on by the crowd, briefly perched the black hat John had given him upon what passes for his hair.

In all seriousness, though, it was hard to say no to John's level-headed work ethic and the fact that his charity saves kids' lives. (He premiered a song called "For the Kids" on the finale, with Marlee and a bunch of kids from the New York School for the Deaf signing along. The performance concluded with silent applause, basically everybody doing jazz hands.)

Of course, not everybody playing this season was as sensible as John and Marlee. If they had been, just imagine how boring it would have been. 

Sunday's finale was also a reunion show and we got to catch up with the following celebrities:

David Cassidy is glad Richard Hatch is in jail: The elfin former teen heartthrob was the first one fired this season after he was unable to defend himself against Survivor winner Hatch. But Hatch wasn't at the live show, having been sent back to jail for violating conditions of his release on tax evasion charges. "I think he actually is in the right place at the right time," said David when invited to comment by Trump. "I honestly think when you take the low road where else would you end up than on a cold slab somewhere." First off, David, Hatch is in jail not the morgue. Second of all, I'm not sure that ratting you out for all the smoke breaks you took during the pizzeria task is evidence of a character gone to the dark side, but whatever. You ruined The Partridge Family for me by being such a wuss. Moving on...

Gary Busey is still strange: Trump should have known better than to ask the loopy actor a direct question. Asked whether he was crazy or "crazy like a fox," Gary replied, "I'm very mysterious when I work and I don't let others know what I'm thinking or how I'm moving." Uh huh. Then he claimed to be trained in neuro-linguistic programming and to be able to tell whether people were lying or not by watching their eyes. Sure, Gary. And then he tried to launch a defence of the famous Omaha Steaks kite story. You remember: the long-winded tale he made up for an Omaha Steaks cooking demonstration, about the two kids who make their father a meal and then take him kite-flying. It went over about as well as a lead balloon during that challenge. And Donald kept cutting Gary off on the live show when he tried to bring it up. But his point, and he did have one, was that Omaha Steaks now includes a kite in one of its meal packages. I did not believe this for a minute, so I went to the Omaha Steaks website and checked. Sure enough, if you buy the Father's Day Dinner package you get a compact glider kite. 

Meat Loaf is still a big softie when he's not threatening to beat people up: Referencing Meat's spectacular blowup in which he threatened to put Gary in the hospital, Donald asked, "Meat Loaf, do you like Gary?" Meat responded by throwing his arms around Busey and then rambling on about how he worked with Gary in the past and they hung out "with some of the Stones, Belushi and some people back in the '70s." Between that and Meat's revelation that he himself has had 18 concussions and a fractured skull, so he can relate to Gary and his brain injury, some things are suddenly making more sense.

NeNe Leakes and Star Jones still hate each other's guts: NeNe claimed not to be holding a grudge against Star for their run-ins on the series, but when Star called her out for attacking "every single black woman on the show," NeNe started to shout words like "conniving," "manipulative" and "backstabbing." Star retorted, "As a professional woman, I was so embarrassed as were so many professional women around the country." But one of the black women that NeNe attacked came to her defence. Once she got done giggling, La Toya Jackson, a.k.a. Casper the Ghost in NeNe's words, said that Star had used NeNe as her "mouthpiece" and that, deep down, NeNe has a "really good heart." "Someday, you're gonna get along great," commented Donald. "NeNe, you and Star will go out to lunch and be great friends." "When pigs fly," said Star, smiling.

Those were the best bits, that and The Donald walking along a Manhattan sidewalk as two lackies rolled a red carpet out in front of him. "You're fired," he told them when they ran out of carpet.

Going from the ridiculous to the sublime, this season more than $3 million was raised for the various charities.

American Idol: Will finale get some U2 power?

 
(The Edge and Bono perform with U2 in Mexico City earlier this month in a Reuters photo.)

Word on the web on Friday was that U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge could turn up on next week's American Idol finale.

But don't get too excited: the pair wouldn't be there to do U2 songs but to plug the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which they wrote the music for.

A source told the New York Post that the two were in talks with Idol producers: "Ideally, Bono and The Edge would perform and be joined onstage by the Spider-Man cast." Nothing had been finalized as of late Friday afternoon.

But Ryan Seacrest did promise tons of surprises on the finale and maybe this is one of them.

Don't forget, everything is moved ahead a day next week, so the final performance show is Tuesday at 8 p.m. and the finale is Wednesday at 8. Both air on CTV. I'll be recapping Tuesday's show and live-blogging Wednesday's.

Calling all Oprah fans

Hi folks, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with reality TV, but one of our writers is looking for Oprah Winfrey fans who are planning viewing parties for next Wednesday's finale of her talk show. If you are one of these people or you know somebody who is, please drop me a line at dyeo@thestar.ca.