‘Idol’ finale now a Hollywood spectacular

LOS ANGELES - Helicopters were circling over Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon, keeping tabs on the chaos down below. The famed street was closed and onlookers, in a frenzy of flashbulbs and cell phones, waited for the stars to arrive.

This scene has been played many times in front of the Kodak Theater, as movie premieres are common in this part of town. But it wasn’t Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts who had the throngs pushing for a glimpse of celebrity this time — rather, it was the troika of “American Idol” judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell who caused the ruckus.

A palpable shriek was heard when Simon appeared at 4:40, first to partake in a local TV interview before heading off into the venue. “Simon, you’re so hot!” a young woman screamed as pictures were snapped. Randy and Paula soon followed him in.

For those lucky enough to have tickets, this seems a good time to head into the Kodak and grab a seat. Dozens of Fox employees are posted throughout the Hollywood and Highland entertainment complex trying to guide folks in as quickly as possible, certainly before showtime. The network would be aghast if the camera panned the theater at 5 p.m. and empty seats were shown.

It’s easy to stargaze near the main entrance. Ray Romano and his family are keeping away from the crowds in an Origins boutique while Heather Locklear’s spotted coming in but she seems lost and asks for help.

The theater only holds a few thousand seats but, like much of Hollywood’s power structure, is separated into the haves and have-nots.

Tickets in the lower section are reserved for family and friends of the contestants. These seats offer the best view but, in actuality, those sitting there have the most invested in the results and have a hard time relaxing. Their applause is tepid at best.

Rather, it’s the folks in the three mezzanine sections that are loudest and most animated about being there. On this level, two pre-teen girls are seen coming out of the bathroom with gray-haired wigs, an homage to finalist Taylor Hicks. And it’s Hicks who, without a doubt, is the fan favorite among the crowd. A rough guess has it that the audience is split about 70 percent-30 percent in favor of the Alabama crooner.

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The warm-up guy, whose is there to get the audience revved up, seems particularly lame tonight. As he’s done for 10 weeks at “Idol’s” other Hollywood-based set just a few miles away, he talks to people in the crowd and asks where they’re from and who their favorites Idols are.

With only four minutes before showtime, Randy and Paula dash to their table but Simon, even after being introduced, is nowhere to be found. Literally only a few seconds before the cameras turn on, Simon enters from a side door and takes his seat on the judges table.

There’s none of the friendly banter and hand slapping between the judges and audience that would occur on a typical Tuesday or Wednesday. Tonight’s serious business and everyone’s well aware.

An uncomfortable ‘Chicken Little’
During the first song, with all the Idols dressed in white, Kevin “Chicken Little” Covais seems the most uncomfortable. Maybe it’s the cavernous and prestigious theater that has done him in, but he really seems out of place here. The Idols are swaying to the beat of the song but he looks hopelessly out of synch. His lack of syncopation is a bit jarring.

The acoustics at the top of the Kodak are average at best. The music comes across loud and strong but the lyrics are a bit muddled and warbled.

Kevork Djansezian / AP Contestant Chris Daughtry of McLeansville, N.C., left, performs with Ed Kowalczyk the lead singer of the band "Live," during the finale show of American Idol on Wednesday, May 24, 2006, in Los Angeles. Daughtry was voted off on May 10, 2006.

During the first commercial break, Chris Daughtry arrives on stage to sing with Live. He’s unquestionably still a fan favorite and there’s a thunderous applause as he appears. He waves to the crowd, paces a bit and waves some more. He may have been kicked off a few weeks back but if the reaction of his appearance is any indication, he might’ve provided stronger competition against Taylor than Katharine.

During several commercial breaks over the course of the night, stagehands move quickly but efficiently setting up equipment, chairs or whatever is needed for the next act. They don’t have much time but there’s at least a dozen of them and they all know exactly what needs to be done in a fairly short amount of time.

Unlike the previous weeks where the Idols are sitting on benches onstage during the breaks and can communicate with their fans in a relaxed and casual manner, tonight they’re nowhere to be found, whisked off to the wings, often in various stages of costume changes. The only time the audience will see them is when they are on TV, so there’s few secrets or personality traits to be revealed.

When the boys all sing together about halfway through the show, Randy points to each of them and they all give him a smile. As the song finishes, each of guys embrace one another and this has the makings of an Idol reunion. Some of them haven’t seen each other in months and everyone seems to be having a genuinely good time reconnecting.

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