friday news and notes (and awards!)...

Any of y'all suffering an American Idol hangover? For me it was like Christmas, all the planning and anticipation, only for the day to arrive, followed by the inevitable letdown and exhaustion.

But I'm over that, thanks to about 12 hours of sleep and the magic of instant replay.

Taylor was a hoot on Jay Leno, and it's just the beginning for the Idol winner. He, along with Katharine McPhee, is scheduled to appear with Ryan Seacrest on Larry King tonight on CNN. His scheduled appearances next week include a stop by Regis and Kelly next Tuesday. Then he (again with Katharine) will perform live on the plaza on Thursday's Today Show. (Katharine will be chatting with Regis and Kelly next Wednesday and Elliott Yamin will be there next Thursday, so set your recordings!)

_______

I've noticed that people are still buzzing about the finale extravanga from Wednesday. Nice to hear. I was going to give out my own "Junkie Awards" in a separate entry, but I think this entry will do.

Junkie Award
Best Duet
Ace Young and Melissa McGhee (The Look of Love). It's really too bad Melissa didn't get more of an opportunity to show us her stuff during the competition, leaving first in the finals after a disasterous Stevie Wonder performance and being completely overshadowed by many of the other girls in the semis, but I think people sat up and took notice Wednesday, especially when she paired with the just-as-lovely-to-look-at Ace on this Bacharach classic.

Honorable Mention
Paris Bennett and Al Jarreau. What a true gentleman Al Jarreau is, not only reminding us why we love his music but making the gesture to allow his 17-year-old companion to shine alongside him. Their pairing comes close to the Vonzell Solomon/Billy Preston duet from last season, and I'm going to make the same suggestion now that I did then: get them both into the studio for a do-over. It would sell.

_______

Chris Daughtry's track on the compilation CD is still downloading well in iTunes, but he's getting a run for his money by Taylor Hicks. Chris' track, Wanted Dead or Alive, is at #11 on the overall top 100, followed by Taylor's Takin' It to the Streets at #17. The only other two tracks still on the top 100 are Elliott's Moody's Mood for Love at #38 and Katharine's Think at #59.

But on the Pop Top 100 list, Chris and Taylor have both cracked the top ten. Chris is at #5 and Taylor is at #7. (And how nice it is that iTunes has finally stopped calling each of them "Various Artists.") In fact, 11 of the 12 tracks have found their way to the top 100 pop list. Only Kevin Covais' track When I Fall in Love is missing from the rankings.

_______

Junkie Award
Best Big Brother
Ace, Bucky, Chris, Elliott. It was never so obvious how really out of place Kevin was in the field of six guys before Wednesday, primarily because we had been so robbed of group numbers while he was a contestant, and in the only group sings we got to enjoy before his ejection, there were so dang many people on the stage it was easy for him to get lost. But rather than pretend that the little dude wasn't there, the four guys made a concerted effort to make him a part of the guys' medley and later the Bacharach number, when it would have been so easy simply not to. No wonder I have come to love this group of men.

Junkie Award
Best Sport
Clay Aiken and Michael Sandecki. This was one of the most priceless reactions I've ever seen on any television at any time anywhere. And I can't stop watching it. Some have speculated that the entire segment was staged, but Sandecki was on the Today show this morning, still in shock and awe, and assuring viewers that he, indeed, did believe that the gigantic cheers that arose from the audience were in fact for him, that he had rehearsed the song on stage alone and that, although running into all of the Idol finalists, each of whom knew Clay was in the building, he was totally clueless about the surprise that was awaiting him. And, by the way, since he had rehearsed the song, he was determined to perform it alongside his idol. (Honorable mention to the sound guy who turned down his microphone!) And Clay needed, new hairstyle notwithstanding, to re-emerge from the shadows, and what a better place and time than on the Idol stage, where he will always be safe. The buzz surrounding the classic moment has made fans out of non-fans and, hopefully, gone a long way in healing the rift between the show and one of its most popular alumni. You rock, Clay.

Honorable mention
Taylor Hicks. I don't think Toni Braxton was probably high on Taylor's list of ideal stage companions (and if she was, I doubt she is anymore) but managing to not only compensate for Braxton's a.) non-functioning mic; b.) impaired state; c.) lack of lyric knowledge or d.) all of the above, but also his swift and tactful managing to fend off her attempts to lap dance her way into an FCC fine, truly proved what a mature and masterful performer the man is.

Honorable mention II
Me. For avoiding completely the cheap use of any Braxton-Hicks remarks.

_______

Elliott Yamin has been in the news. His partnership with Mary J. Blige has been considered one of the highlights of Wednesday's show. But not all of the press has been complimentary. Initially I was not thrilled with the duet, considering it came off at first as more of a star/backup singer performance. But after watching it more than once, (actually a lot more than once) I don't think the criticism of Mary J. Blige is warranted. After all, she's Mary J. Blige. And, aside from Prince, who didn't pair with anybody but a couple of unnamed dancers, she really was the most prominent of the guests from today's music scene. And she's Mary J. Blige. Anyone who's ever seen her perform, solo or not, knows she's an over-the-top performer. Elliott certainly knew this, and the joy on his face of being on stage with her was evident. And in comparison to the scary and out-of-tune Meatloaf duet that Katharine had to save and the In The Ghetto sexed-up remix that Taylor had to endure, Elliott won the lottery.

Seems the initial Stevie Wonder/Elliott duet rumor was correct, though. That was the plan from the beginning, but, according to Elliott, Stevie found himself unavailable after agreeing to perform. Plan B was an Elliott duet with Lenny Kravitz, but "that didn't work out." So Mary J. Blige agreed to step in at the last minute.

And while we're on the E-train of thought (sorry, couldn't help it) seems the kid has done more than just karaoke nights at the local bar. Apparently, Elliott spent some studio time on a CD entitled Sound Doctrine, a gospel/hip hop by somebody named Big Planz, who is proudly now advertising the disc as one featuring "up and newcomer and 2006 AI Finalist" Elliott Yamin. Smart move! Yesterday the CD was #560,505 in sales at amazon.com. Today? It's #7,037 #4,860 #3412 #1584 and climbing hourly. (And Clive Davis is gonna take a pass on this boy?) I can't tell exactly which tracks Elliott participated on, but my money is definitely on at least tracks seven and nine.

_______

Junkie Award
Most Improved Player
Bucky Covington. I've not read a single review, blogger or message board diatribe that didn't praise Bucky's vocal performances. And he looked hot too.

Honorable Mention
Kellie Pickler. It's amazing how many people love her now that she spent most of her time not singing. Including me. Gurl, get an agent and get into speaking roles. If those Puck and Pickler moments were spontaneous, she's a gem. If they were scripted, then she's even better.

_______

The official site already has a finale recap video up, as well as a comprehensive recap of the entire season. And Nigel is speaking out here.

And if I learn of television appearances, scandals or other fun stuff, I'll let you know!