• Well folks, that concludes the season 8 live blog from the red carpet. Thanks for reading along and enjoy the show!  Come back tomorrow for photos from inside the Theatre and videos from inside and outside the Theatre! (May 20, 2009 5:40 PM)
  • Season 7 alum, Kristy Lee Cook, is on the carpet and looking casual, but pretty. She admits to voting for one of the Idols last night. (May 20, 2009 4:40 PM)
  • Former Idol contestant Antonella Barba is on the red carpet and showing off her signature legs. (May 20, 2009 4:37 PM)
  • The fourth and final judge has made it to the red carpet- Simon Cowell! For the second night in a row, he's wearing a suit, and he wears it well. He keeps his cool on the red carpet from behind a pair of aviator shades, and Randy just joined him and they're joking around. (May 20, 2009 4:34 PM)
  • Lionel Richie just stepped out of his limo and is waving to everyone. He looks very glad to be here tonight. (May 20, 2009 4:32 PM)
  • The dawg himself, Randy Jackson, is here and is wearing a pair of bright red eyeglasses. Danny Gokey would be interested in those! (May 20, 2009 4:28 PM)
  • The Black Eyed Peas, including Fergie, are on the red carpet and waving to their many excited fans. (May 20, 2009 4:27 PM)
  • Ever the nice guy, Steve Martin is shaking hands with the many security guards that are working hard in the hot LA sun today. (May 20, 2009 4:24 PM)
  • Funny guy Steve Martin is here! Wow, the celebs just keep coming! He looks sharp in a hat and glasses. (May 20, 2009 4:23 PM)
  • "Bikini Girl" Katrina Darrell is on the red carpet. Have no fear, she is wearing clothes. (May 20, 2009 4:22 PM)
  • The moment many have been waiting for...Adam Lambert and Kris Allen are here! One of them will be crowned American Idol in just a couple hours. They both look very excited. (May 20, 2009 4:17 PM)

  • Jason Mraz has arrived at the Nokia red carpet. The first group of 13 from the Top 36 Idols sang his song, "I'm Yours" during the first week of the live show.

    (May 20, 2009 4:16 PM)

  • Jillian Reynolds, American Idol Extra host, has arrived at the red carpet with a great hair style and dress. (May 20, 2009 4:15 PM)
  • Fresh off her performance of "Home Sweet Home" last night, Carrie Underwood is here. Carrie Underwood always looks fabulous on the red carpet, and tonight is no different in a hot pink dress. (May 20, 2009 4:14 PM)
  • "David! David!" is what the crowd is chanting, and this time it's for last year's American Idol winner, David Cook. He looks cool in this heat and has new blonde streaks in his hair. He is performing "Permanent" tonight and the proceeds of his iTunes live recording of the song go to the charity ABC2. (May 20, 2009 4:13 PM)
  • Kara DioGuardi is here and looks absolutely stunning. She looks very happy to be here. (May 20, 2009 4:11 PM)
  • Til Death star Joely Fisher is here and walking the red carpet and doing interviews while holding her daughter. (May 20, 2009 4:10 PM)
  • Musician/singer Gavin DeGraw is here. Matt Giraud would be excited because he said that Gavin is one of his musical inspirations. (May 20, 2009 4:07 PM)
  • Some great musicians just arrived- Carlos Santana and Keith Urban! They are both busy with interviews and autographs. (May 20, 2009 4:05 PM)
  • American Idol judge Paula Abdul is here and she looks stunning. She looks ready for the grand finale! (May 20, 2009 4:04 PM)
  • Season 6 finalist Chris Richardson has arrived. We recently caught up with Chris via limo-cam and he's releasing his debut album soon. (May 20, 2009 3:49 PM)
  • American Idol Extra host and Season 5 finalist Ace Young has made his way to the red carpet. He is wearing a hot pink tie and a very big smile. (May 20, 2009 3:46 PM)
  • The crowd just reached new levels of loud, which means that David Archuleta is here! David was vying for the title of American Idol at last Season's finale. He decided to say hello to the crowd before taking the carpet. (May 20, 2009 3:45 PM)
  • Daughtry is a few feet away from me and Chris is talking about the new album. He said it's very "Daughtry," and that the band is ready to get back on the roller coaster journey of promoting an album and touring. (May 20, 2009 3:42 PM)
  • So You Think You Can Dance creator, executive producer, and judge Nigel Lythgoe is here. Season 5 of Dance starts tomorrow. (May 20, 2009 3:41 PM)
  • Forget about what I said about Bo's hat...he just flung it into the crowds! Guess he's not worried about hat hair. (May 20, 2009 3:39 PM)
  • A former Idol Top 2 finalist is here- Bo Bice! He looks great in a sleek black suit, but made it his own with the addition of a black hat. (May 20, 2009 3:38 PM)
  • It's hot out here, but there are many fans that are braving the weather for a glimpse of their favorite Idols and stars. There are about an equal number of Adam and Kris signs. It's going to be an exciting night. (May 20, 2009 3:36 PM)
  • It just got incredibly loud in the stands, which means...Chris Daughtry has arrived! He's here with his band members and instead of going straight to the carpet, they're greeting the fans. The fans want to know all about the new Daughtry album. (May 20, 2009 3:26 PM)
  • A former American Idol winner just arrived- Ruben Studdard! Can you believe it was 6 seasons ago that he won? (May 20, 2009 3:25 PM)
  • Melinda Doolittle, Brooke White, and Jon Peter Lewis have arrived and are making their way down the carpet in the hot LA sun. (May 20, 2009 3:24 PM)
  • "America's First Supermodel" Janice Dickinson is doing what she does best- posing! (May 20, 2009 3:23 PM)
  • A couple Season 7 Idols have arrived- David Hernandez and Syesha Mercado. They shared a hug and are making their way down the red carpet. (May 20, 2009 3:21 PM)
  • Kimberley Locke has arrived and close behind her is Mandisa. Kim is talking to many reporters, and Mandisa is posing for pictures in a great emerald colored dress. (May 20, 2009 3:20 PM)
  • Season 4's Vonzell Solomon and Season 5's Paris Bennett are making their way around the red carpet together. Just behind them are Season 6's Melinda Doolittle and Season 1's Nikki McKibben. I love how Idols from all seasons are chatting with each other! (May 20, 2009 3:18 PM)
  • Justin Guarini and Kimberly Caldwell are hosting Idol Tonight for the TV Guide Channel. They both look great. (May 20, 2009 3:17 PM)
  • Jason Castro is making his way down the red carpet and the crowd is going wild shouting his name. He is wearing his signature smile. (May 20, 2009 3:14 PM)
  • As soon as we got to the red carpet, some of AI Season 8's Top 36 contestants were ready to start the night. Jackie Tohn has been hanging out with us. Casey Carlson, Kristen MacNamara, and Emily Hughes are here and hanging out together. (May 20, 2009 3:13 PM)
  • Welcome, everyone! I made it to the Nokia Theater at LA Live and I'm here to share the red carpet arrivals with you. Already, it's hopping! It's going to be a great night. (May 20, 2009 3:11 PM)
  • I'm heading over to the red carpet at LA Live's Nokia Theater now. Check back at 6PM ET/3PM PT for the start of the red carpet arrivals! (May 20, 2009 12:46 PM)
  • All 6 amazing performances from last night are live. View them here. (May 20, 2009 12:32 PM)
  • Are you throwing a finale party tonight? Do you have everything you need? Check out the Finale Party Downloads on the right side of this page for games and recipes. (May 20, 2009 12:22 PM)

  • Need somewhere to channel your finale anticipation? Play the Lyrics Challenge Game.

    (May 20, 2009 12:09 PM)
  • David Cook will be performing his song, "Permanent," live during tonight's show. The live recording will be sold on iTunes immediately after the show for a month. All proceeds will be donated to Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure. Learn more. (May 20, 2009 11:38 AM)
  • The big day is here! In just a few hours, the Idols and other celebrities will make their way down the red carpet outside the Nokia Theater. We will be in the middle of all the excitement to live blog the red carpet arrivals starting at 6PM ET/3PM PT. Check back at this location then. (May 20, 2009 10:38 AM)