Celebrity appearances abound on ‘American Idol’ season finale

By Matthew B. Zeidman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 5/22/08 – In a huge upset Wednesday night, rocker David Cook took home the “American Idol” crown, winning with a comfortable 6-percent lead in viewer votes over challenger David Archuleta, whom the judges adamantly supported the night before. Before the results were announced, judge Simon Cowell even apologized to Cook, claiming he had watched back the prior night’s footage and realized he was wrong to favor Archuleta.

The long-awaited results were the least of the night’s entertainment, however, with a score of surprise celebrity appearances and group medleys outshining the dueling drama and making up for a season that was, at times, uneven and uninspired.

One of the most memorable moments of the night, however contrived, was “Austin Powers” star Mike Myers promoting his latest film, “The Love Guru,” by appearing as the bearded wise man and dispensing tongue-in-cheek advice to the two remaining competitors in a prerecorded segment before coming out live on stage. His use of “Law and Order: SVU” fixture Mariska Hargitay’s name as a greeting was the icing on the cake.

Another jewel of the night was “Tropic Thunder” buddies Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller inserting themselves into an old Gladys Knight television performance, pretending to be auditioning for the role of her backup singers, The Pips, complete with polyester suits.

Talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel did a short bit roasting the judges and presenter Ryan Seacrest, much to their chagrin and with mixed success. (He also poked fun at Sanjaya Malakar, a contestant from last season sitting nearby, who seemed to take it in stride.)

The two Davids even got in on the action during commercial breaks, appearing in separate Guitar Hero advertisements spoofing the scene in 1983’s “Risky Business,” where Tom Cruise danced in his underwear to Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll.”

The night wasn’t completely dominated by comedy, however, and fun and energetic group performances, as well as solo numbers, with all of the top 12 contestants returning to sing, added flavor. Dropping in to lend their voices to the show were Seal, Donna Summer, George Michael, OneRepublic, The Jonas Brothers, Graham Nash (of Crosby, Stills & Nash), Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood and ZZ Top.

At one point, during Summer’s turn to sing, Seacrest couldn’t contain himself, launching into an impromptu dance number alongside the professional backup dancers, taking Summer by surprise and adding a refreshing bit of spontaneity to the program.

Throughout the night, the camera also panned to the requisite celebrity audience members who seemed quite pleased to be there, including Janice Dickinson, Ashley Tisdale, Jeri Ryan, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino, among others.

When it was finally announced that Cook was the winner, he triumphantly sang what will be his first single, “Time of My Life,” as fireworks rained down from above and the rest of the “American Idol” ex-hopefuls, including Archuleta, gathered around him in a show of family, camaraderie and positivity. By the time the credits rolled, it seemed as if everyone on stage was a winner.

Though it would be unrealistic to expect the team behind “American Idol” to make every episode so frenetic, lively and satisfying, perhaps they could take a cue from the highly successful finale by getting rid of the usual “mentoring” format and have the guest (or guests) of the week duet with the respective contestants, rather than giving advice and then plugging his (or their) latest album.

Spontaneity and consistency are what are needed in the future to keep “American Idol” from going stale. As for this season’s capper, they couldn’t have done any better.