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Seacrest says ‘American Idol‘ vote not even close
Staff and agencies
By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer 9 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The "American Idol" finale got under way Tuesday with a startling revelation: the contest between David Archuleta and David Cook wasn‘t even close.
Seacrest, of course, left in question who got the lion‘s share; that detail wouldn‘t come until the closing moments of the two-hour live broadcast.
Other "Idol" contestant and name-brand pairings: Cook with ZZ Top, Archuleta with OneRepublic, Bryan Adams with the top six male singers and Brooke White with Graham Nash.
The Jonas Brothers got the stage to themselves for a performance.
There was also an extended promotion for a new Mike Myers film, "The Love Guru," with the finalists gamely taking part in a mock counseling session with Myers in character.
When it comes to the main event, the contest, "Idol" usually is cagey about releasing vote counts, to the annoyance of fans — and once to Fox‘s embarrassment.
The difference between the two, out of nearly 24 million votes counted, was about 130,000, Fox later said.
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