I was pretty disappointed in last year’s”American Idol” finals, in which two talented kids who were (to me) less inspiring or vocally mature than the one that finished third sang it out in a contest that seemed to have been telegraphed by the producers since the beginning. It was sweet, but boring.

As far as I’m concerned, history repeated itself slightly this year, in that the most talented of the top three didn’t make the finals (and that would be Joshua. I’m not the only one that feels that way). The difference was that last night’s finals could have gone either way, to Phil Phillips, the rocker iconoclast from Georgia, and Jessica, the power belting pop princess. I truly had no idea whose name was going to be called at the end.

But I’m glad that it was Phil.

Phillips started slow, and there were moments where, as my sister told me, where he was singing that same song he always sang, no matter what it was he was singing. It was all Shades of Dave Matthews, with some tonal and speed differences. And then, a few weeks ago, something artistic and truly magical started showing through. And when Josh got voted off, and Phil could truly shine without having to compete with the loud  Joshisms (I love him, but it’s true), he emerged as the true “Idol.”

What I liked is that, unlike last year’s choice between a teen girl country singer and a teen boy country singer, Phil and Jessica were excitingly different. She was a traditional belter, with a jaunty growl to her voice, and he was the scruffy garage kid with legitimate musical sensibility. There was a sophistication in his arrangements that belied his insistence on looking like he slept in his shirt in a van at a Dave Matthews Band show.

And as for the intimation that Phil won because either the show or its voters demanded a white guy – I don’t buy it. While I’ve been long critical of the producers’ insistence on letting few African-American men through to the Top 24 – and this year there were NO African-American women – the arguable favorite among the finalists was Josh – a black guy. And Jessica got plenty of pimping from the show. I think it came down to who people liked better, who moved people. Jessica, as great as she is, doesn’t move me. She doesn’t have the vocal maturity, or maybe even the emotional maturity, to connect to what she’s singing (and when they have the 16-year-old singing songs about mature sexual and romantic relationships, there’s no surprise there.)

Racism and bias still exist in this country. And if some people used those in their voting, then they’re idiots. But I don’t think so.

I loved Phil’s single and think I could actually imagine it on the radio! Go figure! A song that’s supposed to be a hit, that’s actually hit-like! Go Phil!

In other news – Jennifer Holliday is still amazing, and Jessica’s being able to hang with her is impressive. John Fogerty is awesome. Chaka Khan is fierce but needs to fire her stylist and burn those Spanx. Ditto Fantasia and the catsuit. No. No. Wrong. Good thing she and Joshua were so on fire. Love it.

And Neil Diamond, even with a cold and singing/speaking, is still more exciting than the youngsters he was onstage with. He is, he cried!

See you next season!

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bluesy guitar man Phillip Phillips is the new “American Idol,” defeating teenage songbird Jessica Sanchez.

Phillips, a 21-year-old pawn shop worker from Leesburg, Ga., received more viewer votes than 16-year-old Sanchez of Chula Vista, Calif.

Phillips’ victory Wednesday extended the “American Idol” winning streak for males to five consecutive seasons. The last female to win was 17-year-old Jordin Sparks in 2007.

During the three-song showdown Tuesday between Phillips and Sanchez, the show’s judges praised his performance across the board. Sanchez was faulted for a lackluster rendition of her final song, “Change Nothing.”

Phillips, who was a top vote-getter throughout the season, gets a recording contract along with bragging rights.

A teenage songbird or a bluesy guitar man will claim the 11th “American Idol” crown Wednesday.

Jessica Sanchez, 16, of Chula Vista, Calif., and Phillip Phillips, 21, of Leesburg, Ga., made their final stand Tuesday, each performing three songs for the TV viewers choosing between them. Host Ryan Seacrest was to announce the winner Wednesday.

Rihanna was set to perform on the finale, with Fox promising other “surprise guests” and a reunion of the season’s top 12 finalists.

On Tuesday, Phillips earned consistently high marks from the show’s judges, while Sanchez faltered on “Change Nothing,” the song that could serve as her first release.

The teenager agreed with panelists Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, saying she should have gone more “urban” with her song choice.

Phillips had better luck with his potential future single selection, a slow tempo acoustic tune titled “Home,” which the judges said recalled artists like Fleet Foxes, Paul Simon and Mumford and Sons. At one point during Phillips’ final performance, the pawn shop worker was accompanied by a marching band.

It was a hit with the panel. Jackson beamed, “I love the song. I love you. I love the production. I love the marching band. Everything about that was perfect.”

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Lifetime network has set a premiere date for its new reality series about Bristol Palin’s home life in Alaska.

The network says “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp” will debut June 19 with two new half-hours airing weekly.

The 14-episode series stars the daughter of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and will explore her pressures raising toddler son Tripp as she maintains her close relationship with the larger Palin clan.

The former first daughter of Alaska, Palin became one of the nation’s most prominent single mothers after the 2008 birth of Tripp. In 2010, she competed on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” Last June she published a best-selling memoir.

Chef Michelle Bernstein’s popular Check, Please! series, which just launched its eighth season Monday, features three Palm Beach County restaurants in next week’s episode. The guest-reviewer show visits Hog Snappers in Tequesta, Jade Kitchen in West Palm, and Talia’s Tuscan Table in Boca.

Check, Please: The Palm Beach County episode airs Monday at 7:30 p.m. on WPBT2. The episode repeats on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Prominent British television presenter Jeremy Paxman has told an official inquiry that CNN interviewer Piers Morgan once gave him pointers on how to hack a mobile phone.

Paxman’s disclosure Wednesday appears at odds with Morgan’s suggestions that he had no direct knowledge of the shady practice which many British journalists used to score scoops.

A scandal over phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World tabloid reignited last year, rocking Britain’s establishment and leading to the arrest of dozens of journalists, officials, and executives.

Morgan, who edited the News of the World and the Daily Mirror newspapers before he joined CNN, has denied ever hacking a phone.

In testimony to the inquiry late last year, he said his familiarity with the practice came from the newspaper rumor mill.

ORLANDO — Canadian actress Holly Deveaux will play Casey Anthony in the upcoming Lifetime movie that will also star Rob Lowe as former prosecutor Jeff Ashton.

The Lifetime Network is doing a film based on the book “Imperfect Justice,” written by Asthon.

The film will highlight the legal strategies prosecutors used and why Asthon still believes Anthony is guilty.

Anthony was acquitted of all charges in the death of her daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony. Caylee’s body was found in a wooded area behind the Anthony home near Suburban Drive.

Oscar Nunez, who plays the role of Oscar on “The Office,” will play defense attorney Jose Baez and Elizabeth Mitchell, who starred as Dr. Juliet Burke on “Lost,” will portray co-prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick.

Green Bay Packer star Donald Driver can add one more title to Super Bowl Champion: Dancing With The Stars mirrorball trophy owner. And the way he did that half-centipede “Stop Drop and Roll” move when his victory was announced, he might consider this one just as important.

Driver became a fan favorite early in the season, with his athleticism, great smile, musicality and shiny bald head (I swear this was a plus.) His competitors in the finals – international songstress Katherine Jenkins and hottie hot whatever-he-does-for-a-living William Levy – were also determined and on-point. But Driver and 9-foot-tall partner Peta Murgatroyd pretty much sealed it with their triumphant freestyle to Cowboy Troy’s “I Play Chicken With The Train.”

Yes. A winning moment featuring Cowboy Troy. I am as stunned as you were. But they embraced the cheese – literally – with cheese head hats throughout the auditorium – slapped on the boots and the cowboy hats, and got their funny-sexy on. It was brilliant, because not since Drew and Cheryl’s “Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy” routine has a Big and Rich song translated into something so great on the dance floor. (I always thought that routine was kinda porny. But maybe that’s why people liked it.)
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NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 25: Media personality Howard Stern attends a screening of 'Green Zone' hosted by the Cinema Society, Universal Pictures and Working Title Films at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 on February 25, 2010 in New York City. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Howard Stern isn’t the King of Prime-Time TV. At least not yet.

Stern’s debut last week as a panelist on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” drew 10.5 million viewers on Monday and 10.6 million viewers on Tuesday, the Nielsen company said.

That’s down sharply from the 15.3 million viewers who watched the season debut of the talent competition last year. Radio star Stern replaced Piers Morgan as one of the judges this year.

Stern’s debut was the least-watched season premiere of “America’s Got Talent” dating back to 2006.

In fairness to Stern, NBC premiered his show during the final week of the television season against stiff competition, including “Dancing With the Stars” on ABC and the season finales of CBS’ Monday night comedies. Last year, “America’s Got Talent” started its season on May 31, with rerun season already well under way.

“America’s Got Talent” had 9.5 million viewers on Monday, again facing in-season competition.

Meanwhile, CNN had its lowest prime-time viewership average last week than any week since at least 1991, Nielsen said. The network’s shows average 395,000 viewers. It was a slow news week, and many of the older viewers who watch news were likely preoccupied by the winding down of seasons on “Dancing With the Stars” and “American Idol,” both of which saw a boost last week.

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Only one point separates Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins from her fellow finalists on “Dancing With the Stars.”

Football star Donald Driver and actor William Levy come into Tuesday’s season finale tied with 59 points. Jenkins has a perfect score of 60.

Each must perform one last dance before a new champion is crowned. Music for their final routines wasn’t provided until after Monday’s episode, so they had less than 24 hours to prepare their show-closing numbers.

Viewer votes combined with judges’ scores will determine who takes home the ABC show’s mirror ball trophy.

The other Season 14 contestants — Martina Navratilova, Gavin DeGraw, Jack Wagner, Jaleel White, Sherri Shepherd, Melissa Gilbert, Roshon Fegan, Maria Menounos and Gladys Knight — were eliminated during previous episodes.