It really does seem like yesterday, as I remember standing outside the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, more than a world away from Pakistan. It was my first assignment back, covering the new phenomenon ‘American Idol’ and the crowd had gathered around to see Randy, Paula, Simon and the final two…Kelly and Justin. Who knew so many years later it would come to this!

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So what do you think?! Were you happy that Lee is now the 9th American Idol, or are you upset that Crystal…who finished BIG…didn’t get the nod? I have to say, last night she was very impressive and that’s taking nothing away from Lee. Meantime, on the red carpet before and after the show was a great time. Foe example, when I asked Simon who would replace him he said “Randy”. When I asked who would then replace Randy he said, “Randy!” LOL

Of course the announcement of the winner grabbed the final headlines, but the moments throughout the show were vintage American Idol Finale. From Brett Michaels, to Janet Jackson, From Christina to Chicago, it was one moment after another. I was most impressed by Michaels who has overcome so much and when I spoke to him back stage during the show, he was very grateful and yet emotional for the opportunity to get back on stage live in front of this massive audience.

EARLIER IN THE EVENING
Every year I have had some sort of assignment here at Idol and for season nine our coverage has evolved as I will now be standing on the red carpet as we stream live onto foxnews.com. If you want to see the stream, just head to the main page and click on the link. Before you go, make sure you tell me who you think will be this year’s Idol and who out of the top 12 will make it. Is a successful recording artists amongst this group, will someone make it big on Broadway like we’ve seen before? Give me your thoughts and who do you think will win…Crystal or Lee?

I was in the audience last night and will again tonight. As I sat there and watched the thousands pack into the theater here in downtown Los Angeles, I was amazed at how many people came from all over the country…some driving more than 400 miles to make it to the show on time. It seemed to me Lee had the most support in the audience by the numbers of signs and loud cheers. By the end though, that may have changed. While Lee sang well, Crystal blew it out of the theater. Her voice was extremely strong and on point for the most part and I was most impressed with both, but especially her performances.

Afterwards I got to interview the top 12 and even some idols from seasons past. I will update you on how those went and also all about tonight on the red carpet.