All these years, Randy Jackson has been warning the "American Idol" contestants: Don't even try to do the big three -- Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey or Celine Dion. You'll pale in comparison.

And tonight, we learned he was wrong -- or two-thirds wrong, anyway. The six "Idol" women were ordered to each do a Whitney song; four of them nailed it.

Some quick comments on many things and then a story about the new "American Idol" season:

1) I really did not like Sunday's second football game. REALLY. However, let's remember that the Packers finished with the year's best record, 15-2.

2) Ricky Gervais had some great moments in the opening monolog of the Golden Globes ceremony, then sort of faded away. He'll be back next month, with a hilarious HBO show.

What did I think of the "X Factor" debut? I sort of  liked it; of course, I also liked it when it was called "American Idol."

If there were anti-cloning laws in Hollywood, this show would face capital punishment. It's mostly "Idol" with a few "America's Got Talent" touches added for, well, originality.

What did I think of the "X Factor" debut? I sort of  liked it; of course, I also liked it when it was called "American Idol."

If there were anti-cloning laws in Hollywood, this show would face capital punishment. It's mostly "Idol" with a few "America's Got Talent" touches added for, well, originality.

This is the ideal ending for "American Idol": The right person wins, a nice-and-cheerful person finishes second,  both have big things ahead. My previous blog is the interview with Scotty McCreery, the winner; here's the story I sent to papers on Lauren Alaina, the runner-up:

By MIKE HUGHES

In her five months on “American
Idol,” Lauren Alaina has grown musically and shrunk physically.

Scotty McCreery fits cozily into his new "American Idol" fame. He's a classic country guy ... albeit with a slight Puerto Rican twist. Here's the story I sent to papers:

 By MIKE HUGHES

Scotty McCreery isn't your typical,
cookie-cutter “American Idol” winner.

He sings deep, he seems casual, he
talks country. And he's one-quarter Puerto Rican.

So there are happy endings, after all. Tonight -- four hours after Oprah Winfrey disappointed us with a so-so farewell -- "American Idol" got it right. Scotty McCreery, who already has the sound and the feel of a country star, was named the winner.

Yes, I worried about it (see previous blog) after Lauren Alaina got all the breaks in Tuesday's performance finale. For two straight years, my favorite -- Adam Lambert and Crystal Bowersox -- had lost.

Going into tonight, I was somewhere between 95 and 107 percent sure that Scotty McCreery would win "American Idol." Now that's shrunk to 43 percent, tops.

What happened? A best-case scenario for Lauren Alaina, with:

1) An emotional tug for her at the beginning, with a small fuss about her voice being blown out during rehearsals.

2) A big tug for her at the end. She got to sing about her mom ... while hugging her actual, weeping mom.

OK, we now have the first piece of the late-May reality rush: John Rich is the winner of this year's "Celebrity Apprentice."

Rich had already proven himself a canny country guy, propelling his own career and several others. By choosing him, Donald Trump made amends for picking Piers Morgan over country's Trace Adkins, a few years past.

Marlee Matlin also proved to be a fierce competitor. A few blogs back, you'll find a joint interview of the two finalists.

This has been a fascinating "American Idol" season, both for what it delivered (great and diverse voices) and what it lost (most of that diversity, as the voters took over.

I'm fairly happy with this, because I think Scotty McCreery will make a worthy champion. Nashville -- which has had plenty of teen females -- is about to get a 17-ytear-old star, with an old guy's voice.

Still, it's interesting to look at what happened. Here's the story I sent to papers:

 By MIKE HUGHES