TVSquad

Following the strong ratings figures for Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which received that order for 10,000 episodes right off the bat, give or take 9,000, and the solid premiere of The Bill Engvall Show, TBS struck comedy gold again with Frank Caliendo's Frank TV. The late-night sketch/impression show scored an impressive 2.9 million viewers, according to Variety, with a not-surprising-at-all 64% of those in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

Caliendo, whose impressions include George W. Bush, the entire main cast of Seinfeld, Robin Williams and his signature John Madden, plays virtually every character on the show. His Bush is so dead-on, if the strike continues, he can just stand their and make Bush's classic expressions for thirty minutes. His half-smiles, smirks and squinchy eyebrows are enough to bring audiences to tears.

(S06E41) I am exhausted, truly exhausted. TV should be relaxing. But American Idol's two hour event shows are emotionally-draining. They wear me out. And tonight's show was especially BIG. I'm surprised Ryan didn't call it the "biggest show ever." It actually ran over 2 hours by about eight minutes.

But everything between 8:00 and 10:05 was just filler or commercials. We came here tonight to crown the next American Idol. The judges give their final thoughts. Randy says, "It's Jordin, baby." Paula is just proud of everyone. She congratulates them both. Simon congratulates Jordin (his pick based on the last song Tuesday night).

74 million votes were cast Tuesday night (for a combined total of 609 million votes cast over the season) and this year's American Idol is ...

(S06E40) In honor of the American Idol two-part season finale, there's going to be a live chat during the show so you can post your thoughts and comments immediately.

Will Blake beatbox his way to glory? Or will Jordin sparkle her way to the top?

Click here to join the chat.

A full recap will be IS NOW posted after the jump later tonight.

I know that we kid around a bit here at TV Squad when it comes to talking about TV personalities, especially when it comes to our favorite judges over at American Idol. However, I swear that we are not pulling your chain with this next story.

According to TMZ American Idol judge Paula Abdul broke her nose over the weekend when she tripped over her, er, her dog, which would be a, um, a chihuahua named Tulip. It seems that Paula was trying to step over the little runt to avoid smashing it (rather than, perhaps, pushing it aside with her pinky toe) and smashed her nose instead. According to a spokesperson for Abdul she was not hospitalized for the injury. It is unknown at the time whether this will prevent her from appearing on the live season finale of American Idol.

Folks, you just can't make this stuff up on your own!

(S06E38) Ryan tells us that the theme of tonight's American Idol is "Three." There are three finalists singing three songs each. The three contestants have three phone numbers assigned to them. And of course, there are three Idol judges.

Can you believe that tomorrow one of these three finalists will be leaving American Idol? If nothing else, each of them gave stellar performances tonight proving they deserved to be in the final three. Unfortunately, someone has to go home tomorrow. And I'm not sure who that person will be.

But based on tonight's performances, I have to think that Melinda Doolittle deserves to be safe.

(S06E36) Ryan tells us that we're down to three girls and one guy, and I suddenly realize that we're really getting close to the end of this year's American Idol competition.

I have to admit that right around Week 20, I thought this day would never come. Yet, after weeks of dragging this thing out, suddenly everything is happening quickly. I mean, heck, I missed one week of recapping and both Chris Richardson and Phil Stacey went home.

"The pressure is on," says Ryan. This is where it gets really exciting (if one of your favorites remains) or really boring (if your favorite has gone home). Either way, the waiting is almost over. In two weeks, we'll have a new American Idol.

But tonight starts pretty rough, with some uninspiring renditions across the board of Barry Gibb's greatest hits.

With 70 million votes pouring in after last week's American Idol, it's pretty safe to say that hardcore fans of the show do exist.

Luckily, the American Idols Live tour dates were released yesterday and should help to alleviate the fan depression that comes along with the shows looming finale.

The tour is slated to occur between July 6th and September 22nd and lands at 50 different locations across the country and includes a stint in Canada.

(S06E34) Was anyone really surprised that no one got sent home during "Idol Gives Back"? It was a charity event. Someone having their dream destroyed just wouldn't have fit in with the show.

The fact that no one left had a profound effect on this episode as Ryan was quick to point out since two people would be going home this week.

If you somehow found yourself feeling unsatisfied after last week's inspirational "Idol Gives Back" smorgasbord, you can always head over to iTunes for a second helping.

For a limited time, iTunes is offering video and audio versions of the performances as well as some exclusive content that wasn't televised during the original air date.

While you can expect to pay a nominal fee for everything you download, all proceeds will be distributed to relief organizations within the U.S. and Africa via the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund.

Although "Idol Gives Back" has already brought in $60 million in donations, it's nice to see some ancillary methods like this iTunes arrangement continuing to bring even more money to the charitable cause.

Check out the American Idol official Fox Site for more details.

American Idol is a show that takes virtual unknowns and creates stars. Even a couple of judges (Randy and Simon), and a host named Ryan Seacrest became household names thanks to Idol's success.

But there's one guy of vital importance to the show who isn't so well known. Most of the time he stays in the background. But there wouldn't be any Idol music without him. He's Idol's inhouse musical director -- Rickey Minor.

(S06E33) Tonight was the big night they've been talking about all season - Idol Gives Back. Over the course of the night, Idol tried its best to keep us entertained, inspired, and educated.

Some of it worked, some of it didn't. Telethons are like that. Not every bit can be a gem. But it's all for a good cause, right? So, obviously we can't complain too loudly.

My overall impression was that it seemed way longer than two hours. And I'm not just saying that to be snarky. They seriously threw in way more than I can even begin to recap. I'd be here all night if I tried to get it all in this post. So, I'm just going to stick to the highlights, and you can tell me the things that stood out for you.

We're halfway through American Idol's self-proclaimed "historic" charity event. Last night, News Corp donated 10 cents for every call received (up to 50 million calls).

Tonight, a bunch of celebrities (including Ellen DeGeneres, Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, and a mystery duet) will take to the stage to entertain America and raise even more money and awareness.

And before one of the Idol finalists gets booted, the kids will perform a special anthem -- "American Prayer" -- written by Bono and Dave Stewart about the AIDS emergency in Africa.

(S06E32) Ryan starts off the night by declaring that tonight's calls, "will not only save your favorite contestants -- they will also save lives."

THIS. IS. IDOL. GIVES. BACK.

Before the show begins, we're told it's LIVE, even though it isn't. It was taped Monday night. Just so you know.

Then Ryan explains how the fundraising will work. News Corp will donate 10 cents for each call received tonight (up to 50 million calls) for a total of $5 million dollars. Wait, is this the same $5 million dollars they pledged earlier or an additional $5 million?

Also, Ford, Coca-Cola, and AT&T get their first thanks of the night. They will be thanked a couple more times before the hour is over.

BECAUSE. THIS. IS. IDOL. GIVES. BACK.

(S06E30) The show begins in a subdued mood tonight, with Ryan giving "our thoughts and prayers'' to all the people affected by the Virginia Tech tragedy.

However, the hush doesn't last long. The crowd is fired up. They really, really love their Top 7 Finalists. Not only do they boo Simon a lot throughout the night, but the angry horde also turns on Miss Paula. They boo loudly during her critique of LaKisha's shouting.

Meanwhile, Simon has obviously had ENOUGH of Sanjaya. He's done being nice. He's done holding back. He's done trying to ignore Sanjaya with the hopes he'll go away. All I can say is -- it's about time, Simon. It's no fun watching Idol, unless an outspoken Simon is "telling it like it is."

AND. THIS. IS. AMERICAN. IDOL.

(S06E28) So who exactly thought a Latin-themed night was a good idea for American Idol? I fully expected tonight's performances to be painful. However, I really didn't expect Sanjaya to sing in Spanish and give one of the better performances of the night. Unbelievable. Just when you think Idol has no more surprises left, you witness something truly shocking.

Jennifer Lopez, looking rather svelte, took time out from her busy schedule to mentor the finalists and help them find the passion in the Latin-themed music. Unfortunately, not many of them truly found their inner Latin beat. J.Lo excitedly gushed that she watches American Idol at home, and she does have her favorites. Yeah, so we've heard.