Guest blogger Claire Meyerhoff is back and writing about the finale pt. 1:

Blogging LIVE from the Ronald McDonald House of Durham…THIS is American Idol!

After weeks and months of auditions, scary contestants, a new judge, a guy named Anoop and a girl with tattoos, it’s down to the very last song-fest between a couple of cute guys who are very different. We’ve got glam Adam, sporting guyliner and alternating between sweet sounds
and high-pitched shrieks. Then there’s coffee-house Kris, the adorable underdog who we barely noticed “way back when” but really is a very pleasing musician with a lot of charm.

Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds will appear on Live with Regis & Kelly and on The Ellen Degeneres Show tomorrow (Monday, April 27).

Anoop and Lil Rounds are the most recent contestants kicked off of American Idol, and are scheduled to chat and sing on both shows. 

Live with Regis & Kelly airs here on ABC at 9am, and Ellen airs on NBC at 3pm.

Now that he's been eliminated from 'American Idol," Anoop Desai has found his true love, and it isn't folklore studies.

In a conference call yesterday, reports say, when asked whether he was returning to UNC-CH for his post-graduate work, Anoop said this:

"I am definitely going to pursue a music career. Singing is what I am the happiest doing. It's what I do the best.

Guest blogger Chloe Paterson gets to say goodbye:

Anoop’s coming home!
…
Ryan has a live shot from backstage and he still hasn’t let the contestants forget that there is a double elimination tonight. He says the judges don’t have as much to do tonight because the save has already been used - when do they ever do anything important on elimination nights?

Paula choreographed the Idols’ group song for tonight. She seems to be in her element when she’s in the dance studio. Too bad she isn’t a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance”. The contestants give her flowers after the performance. In case anyone was wondering who buys Matt Giraud ringtones, he does…

Guest blogger Chloe Paterson was shaking her groove thing as she reported on AI:

It’s Disco Night! Ryan keeps reminding everyone that the judges saved Matt last week. The second Top 7 definitely needs the added pressure of knowing they can’t be saved and there’s already a double elimination tomorrow night…

Performing in the best spot (last), Anoop sings “Dim All the Lights” by Donna Summer. There are some good parts.

Guest blogger Claire Meyerhoff: Well, we finally got to see what all the fuss was about. Yup, for the first time in American Idol History, the judges waved their magic wand over the contestant with the least amount of votes and “saved” him.

“Him” being that guy I always say sounds something like Justin Timberlake but his real name is Matt Giraud.

Matt gets to sing for us again next week…and it’s Disco Week! Ryan Seacrest tells us that next week, TWO contestants will go home. Wait, I thought the magic wand was really magic…so what gives? According to the guy next to me on the sofa, the magic wand is “yet another gimmick
designed to keep this tired format afloat.”

Guest blogger Claire Meyerhoff enjoys a night at the movies:

I had a very special wish for American Idol’s Movie Night. At 8:00 p.m. EST, I crossed my fingers, closed my eyes and pleaded with the powers that be…

“Please, please, please…someone sing “Sister Christian” from the movie Boogie Nights and dedicate it to the late Marilyn Chambers.”

My American Idol Movie Night dream did NOT come true : (

Ah yes, movie night. With Quentin Tarantino. Interesting concept, having a film director mentor the contestants (…because? …why? )

With consecutive trips to the bottom two for our guy Anoop Desai, we thought he needed some help. So we asked our guest bloggers to weigh in on this week's theme "Songs of the Cinema," and to figure out how
Anoop can improve his lot. A get-out-the-vote, campaign slogan, perhaps?

Lenni Gutafson: Since we want our man, Anoop, in the top 3 this week, I have chosen a song that ranks very high on the "best of" lists for movie songs, "In Your Eyes" from "Say Anything". He can do this - he will be great. I am willing it so.

Guest blogger Claire Meyerhoff sums up last night's results show:

Anoop lives to sing another week and I think it’s because of a certain little lucky charm named Kellie. Our own Carolina Cutie, Kellie Pickler, was the featured former Idol contestant on Tuesday’s kick-off show, and maybe, just maybe she used her Calamari Karma to sing Anoop to safety.

Or maybe Anoop was just lucky Scott was standing next to him in the bottom two.

And that's why we love him! Guest blogger Claire Meyerhoff gives her take on sing your birth year night:

About 80 bazillion people try out for American Idol, so you would think that by the time we’re down to just EIGHT contestants, those eight would be really, really good. Not the case. Every year, without fail, it emerges that only a few of the top eight are really good, the rest are OK and one is really bad.

After “Year They Were Born Night,” it’s pretty clear Adam is really good, Scott is really bad and everyone else is somewhere in between.