And the winner is... "American Idol" (7 p.m. KMSP, Ch. 9) closes its eighth season by answering one question -- who wins? -- and leaving an endless list of other questions dangling in the air. Will Paula be back? Will Kara be back? Has the show finally jumped the shark? Here are my guesses: Yes, no and no -- although it's getting close.
Funny people I originally rooted for "Gary Unmarried" (7:30 p.m. WCCO, Ch. 4) because I thought stars Jay Mohr and Paula Marshall finally deserved to be on a hit show. As the first season winds down, I find myself championing the show for an entirely different reason: It's funny. Nothing revolutionary going on here, just good, crackling chemistry between the leads and some decent one-liners. It deserves attention -- and a second season.
NEAL JUSTIN
Meeting cute Those nostalgic for simpler times -- you know, the first season of "American Idol" -- are welcome to skip tonight's finale and try to sit through "From Justin to Kelly" (8 p.m. FUSE), the 2003 flop in which the very first finalists, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, make goo-goo eyes at each other. Those who make it to the end win a free copy of "Guarini's Greatest Hits," coming soon to a bargain bin near you.
