George Michael will perform at ‘Idol’ finale

LOS ANGELES - Tonight’s “American Idol” finale just got a little bit more star-studded with news that George Michael is planning to perform.

A source told E! Online  the pop star and more recently, “Eli Stone” star, will take to the “Idol” stage tonight.

Michael will join the list of performers that already includes the “Idol” cast and Carrie Underwood, who confirmed to Access Hollywood on Sunday that she would be at the show’s finale.

Underwood, fresh off a win at the Academy of Country Music Awards, will perform her new song, “Last Name.”

But the biggest news of the night will be who gets crowned winner of “American Idol” – David Archuleta or David Cook.

Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell seemed to think Archuleta would take the prize, during the judging round on Monday night’s show. And while Paula Abdul seemed to hold her opinion closer to her heart during the broadcast, backstage after the show, she shared with Access her thoughts on who will win.

“It’s never clear when the ‘American Idol’ audience votes, it never is,” Paula said. “I think tonight’s finale was the best finale we’ve ever experienced.”

So which David did she pick?

“I would say if it was clear cut, probably Archuleta. But it’s never clear cut,” Paula said. “[That’s] based solely on the performance and song selection. [Based on] performance they both hit it out of the ballpark. I think the song choice was the whole culmination of it.”

Though she says her bet is on Archuleta, David Cook took the greatest artisitc leap, according to the lone female judge.

“What I love that David Cook did, that no other finalist has done, he did not go back and sing something from the archive,” Paula said.

“He sang something new. Everything was new, which is even more challenging and risky. I think that risk, whatever the outcome is, solidifies him with a career maybe as bad as Chris Daughtry’s,” she laughed.

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