American Idol Season Finale

American Idol...what a great show!!And to think there were more votes cast for the final two, Katherine and Taylor, 63 million. More than any elected President of the United States has ever received!(don't we know there is a war going on?) yes we do but what the hell can we do about now?. One of the reasons most of us enjoyed Idol so, is because it is an escape from the horror of war, to what America really is like, and how any one can make it in life in this country without being suppressed. With all my heart, I hope America did the right thing for the Iraqi people and not to many more Americans and Iraqi innocents die for the cause.Time will tell. American Idol had sentimentality and there has always been a good feeling when the majority of people you know watched the same thing you did. Kind of like when Elvis, The Beatles, Doors, Rolling Stones and so forth performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show". A person couldn't wait until the next day to talk with friends and give opinions, just like I'm doing now. Remember when just about everyone knew all the hit songs on the radio? You could drive around town with the convertible top down and the radio turned up and listen with almost a stereo affect when the guy next to you had the same song on. Of course there were only a couple of big top forty stations in each town. Idol had everything last night. Fun, entertainment and some fine performances. Carrie Underwood and Clay Aikmen are truly professionals and showed it last night. They have sold a lot of records. I loved the duets that were performed and some brought some sentimental tears to my eyes. Parris Bennett and Al Jarreau were wonderful. Hard to believe Parris has such a fine voice for being a teen.They were all excellent. Chris Daughtry and Live, ( Chris will be a star),Elliot Yamen and Blige (Elliot is so good, but Blige seemed to not know the song she sang.? Taylor and Toni Braxton where very good! The Burt Bacharach segment was heart warming. Give credit to Dionne Warwick doing some of the songs she recorded over 45 years ago.Her songs brought back many memories for me of make up break up times with girls.(maybe you to if you were around then?) The Katherine McPhee duet with Meatloaf was very, very good and maybe the best. You can't help falling in love with Katherine when watching her perform. It is almost as if you wish you could reach the TV screen and touch her. She will not only be a famous singer but an actress, too.! If Elvis were alive today and was Katharine's age, I could see them as a perfect couple. I like how the families are brought into American Idol. Shows where these performers came from. It may sound corny but if you watch all the episodes one almost feels as if you know them all. Liberace was a master at using the screen to almost reach out into your living room and bring you on stage with him. Women were in love with him, (a lot of men too). Showman ship always works and that is why Taylor Hicks won. He never let the putting down by Simon affect him one bit. He went on and yes... I did like his shinny fancy suits.(thank you, Elvis) Speaking of showmanship....hard to beat Prince. He knows how to put it together and has so much talent. When the song "Raspberry Beret" came out in 85, I was working a t KJR at the time. The program director"Tom Watson" a very nice man for some reason refused to play it! Gary Lockwood, myself and others could not believe it and begged him to no avail. I liked the "Broke-note Cowboy" segment. Those three guys weren't too bad.(kind of cute, too) The only low point to the show was showing the poor sport women swearing and Ryan Seacrest making references to her being a hooker. Could have done with out that. A lot of young kids (the majority) are watching that stuff including my grand-girls.(Does any one remember when comedian Jackie Mason was on Ed Sullivan and ED thought Jackie gave him the finger as he walked off stage? He was never invited back again and was black-balled from most of the TV networks. Jackie to this day says he never did it and I believe him. Well lets hope they have another good group of singers next year on Idol. A lot of nay sayers thought it would be a one season wonder!! (see the movie "That Thing You Do" with Tom Hanks. It captures the sixty's perfectly. Rock on Brothers and Sisters, Joe