AMERICAN IDOL Finale Live-Blog

After an entire season of competing, countless songs later, it all comes down to this: will our 10th AMERICAN IDOL be Scotty or Lauren?

I’m at the press area for AI and I’ll be live-blogging what goes down in the finale (hint, there are gonna be a lot of surprise guests) until the winner is revealed.

Keep reading for more…

8:02 – Ryan announces the show has set a world record with more than 122 million votes cast last night.

8:04 – The top 13 contestants perform “Born This Way.” Sure, their white suits are snazzy, but I kind of wish they were wearing shirts expressing the things about them they can’t change, a la GLEE.

8:10 – James Durbin is the first of the eliminated IDOLs to sing with a musical inspiration. He and Judas Priest share the stage as fire comes from the stage and sirens go off. The judges love it and give them a standing ovation.

8:15 – Apparently we’re honoring our judges tonight. First off? Randy. There is a montage of Randy questions, such as “What kind of song is this?,” “What is this show?,” etc. Oh, and an “In it to win it montage.” If you’re playing a drinking game to the “In it to win it” phrase, you’re likely passed out drunk and not reading this.

8:17 – Jacob Lusk and Kirk Franklin perform “I Smile.” Ooh, Gladys Knight came out, too. Jacob might not have been my favorite performer, but in his element, he shines.

8:25 – Casey Abrams started singing Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” only to kick a couch out of the way to reveal Jack Black. Their matching suits are adorable and they’re both clearly having fun. Is it the best singing ever? Nah, but their staredown at the end was worth it.

8:28 – The girls aren’t ready to go on stage, so Ryan is ad-libbing. He says this year the winner will be revealed before the DVR cutoff. Don’t make promises you aren’t prepared to keep, Ryan.

8:29 – The girls from the top 13 sing a mashup of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”/”Irreplaceable”/”Get Me Bodied”/”If I Were a Boy”/”Deja Vu”…if Beyonce doesn’t come out soon, this might be a little silly. Let’s see if they do more. HA! And Beyonce is here singing “Crazy in Love.” The girls give her a big group hug as it goes to commercial.

8:39 – Time to salute Steven Tyler. The video dubs him “The Loose Cannon.” Bleep montage!

8:41 – Tony Bennet and Haley Reinhart. A little odd combination, but she’s doing well. Aww, they’re dancing together. How can that man be 85?!

8:44 – Time to praise Jennifer Lopez. Apparently Randy likes to hog the compliments she gets. And we’re getting Marc Anthony reaction shots to these scenes.

8:46 – Wait, did he say Lil Jon and TLC? Awe. Some. Sure, some of the IDOL contestants are there, too, but TLC!!

8:49 – Scotty McCreery and Tim McGraw! “Live Like You Were Dying” should suit Scotty’s voice well.

8:58 – Oh goodness. We’ve reached the portion of the finale where we’re highlighting the terrible singers.

9:00 – Marc Anthony’s time to perform. How many adoring shots will we get of J.Lo?

9:03 – Ah, that’s why there are no adoring shots…J.Lo is up on stage dancing with him.

9:05 – “America must really hate me because I got eliminated twice,” Casey. Poor Casey. James vs. Casey on whose elimination was more shocking. Okay, this is pretty hilarious. Mock each other! But apparently Pia is the winner — she has a sash and everything.

9:07 – The boys are singing Prince. Does this mean Prince will be here, too? “Kiss”/”She’s a Lady”/”What’s New Pussycat”…random mashup so far.

9:12 – No Prince, but we do get Tom Jones singing “It’s Not Unusual.”

9:21 – The kids have brought their favorite teachers to the performance finale. Surprise! The teachers get cars. And so do the finalists.

9:24- Lady Gaga! Um…what is she wearing?

9:31 – Carrie Underwood and Lauren are performing “Before He Cheats.” They’re good. Lauren is feisty in the song, something she’ll need to work on when she leaves the show.

9:34 – The other contestants are ragging on the finalists for being so young. “Thanks a lot America for making us feel stupid,” Casey says.

9:35 – Another Beyonce song? Apparently she wants us to make love to her.

9:45- We’re getting Bono and The Edge? That’s pretty freakin’ cool. And a hanging Spiderman, whom I’m just really hoping won’t get hurt.

9:49 – He didn’t get hurt. Thankfully. But he did get rejected by J.Lo when he swung down right by her and she didn’t kiss him.

9:54 – We’re promised a treat and the winner soon. Our treat is Steven Tyler. “Dream On”! An appropriate song for now.

10:01 – Seacrest, you lied. We’re late and the winner hasn’t been announced.

10:02 – Scotty just doubled over when they announced his name. He’s our winner!

10:06 – Scotty is on the floor, opening his mouth seemingly trying to eat confetti. Okaaaaay.