Ken Barnes ends "Idol Chatter"

Veteran Idol blogger Ken Barnes of USAToday.com's world-renowned "Idol Chatter" blog yesterday announced that he will no longer be keeping up with all things Idol. In his final blog post, entitled "A farewell address," Ken wrote the following:

Over the last few years, it has been rewarding beyond words to watch this community of Idol fans and commentators grow from what started as a snarky experiment in real-time Idol performance critiquing. You have allowed me all the liberty I could ask for to write critically or satirically or appreciatively about the phenomenon of American Idol, in all its wondrous and bizarre aspects. And in turn you've educated me in many areas, not least of which is a much greater appreciation of the valuable qualities involved in being a fan. A smarter, more insightful, more civilized Blog Pound could not be imagined

On a personal note I must say that Ken's blog was one of my favorites and he was someone I looked to as a role model for starting IDOL LIVE. It is sad to see him go but he wants to go on to other things, so I wish him the best. And I'm willing to bet the Idol bug will bite him sooner or later, wo maybe we'll see him again in the future.

Ken also said in his final post that his colleague Brian Mansfield will be taking over the live blogging for USA Today when it comes to Idol, so we welcome him to his new role.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: when 'Idol' and 'CSI' collide

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>American Idol itself was spoofed on CSI in all its glory in the venerable crime show's episode last night in which the crew had to solve a murder revolving around the show "Overnight Sensation." Funny stuff, CBS.

>A few Idol alums reacted to the news of their Grammy nominations, most notably Jordin Sparks (who screamed in a video and posted a blog on her MySpace) and Jennifer Hudson (who called the nominations "truly a blessing").

>Kristy Lee Cook is featured in the December 2008 issue of Elle magazine in a story called "A New Reality." Carrie Underwood is on the cover of the issue.

>EW.com has a poll up asking readers to vote for their favorite music of 2008. David Cook is listed as one of the artists with the best album of the year. Results will be published in the magazine in the Dec. 19 issue.

>As reported by Ken Barnes of USAToday.com, the American Christmas compilation failed to sell 100 copies in its first week of release. That's really too bad.

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Coronation song: "Time of My Life"

It was revealed today by USA Today that neither of the songs that were performed last night - "Dream Big" nor "In This Moment," - will be the winner's single. It will in fact be Regie Hamm's "Time of My Life," which apparently won the competition. The song is leaps and bounds better than either of the other ones and has a country feel. It's still no "Something Like Heaven," which should have won hands down, but it will do the job. Below is an excerpt from the article in USA Today...

More than 500,000 voters chose Time of My Life from the 20 audio clips posted online. What gave Hamm's tune the edge?

Its feel, its groove, the message," King says. "The lyrics aren't too sappy, and it's contemporary."

To listen to "Time of My Life," see here.

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