http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/09/american-idol-n.html

VIDEO: Can 'American Idol' finally zoom ahead of 'Amazing Race'?

As I note in my overview article about the Emmy program races, TV's
top program, "American Idol," has never won best reality-competition
show and, even more amazing, "Amazing Race" has never lost.

At the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony last Sunday I caught up with Kynt
and Vyxsin — "a couple of Goth kids from Louisville," says Kynt —
whose elimination episode of "Amazing Race" will decide that show's
fate this year. That's the one that was judged by Emmy voters — and
it's a doozie full of thrilling action as five teams compete in
Mumbai, India, to thread 108 flowers into a wedding garland, deliver
propane gas tanks to residents and ride a rickshaw to a tailor shop.

However, "American Idol" submitted an excellent episode too: the
two-hour season finale that not only includes the gripping suspense
over which of the two Davids (Cook or Archuletta) will win, but their
joint performance of Nickelback's "Hero" and other socko musical turns
by Donna Summer, ZZ Top, the Jonas Brothers and past "Idol" champ
Carrie Underwood.

The episode selection is so good that "Idol" actually has a shot at
winning this year — except for one, big, annoying thing. Nine minutes
into the episode there's a stupid plug for Mike Myers' movie bomb "The
Love Guru" that refuses to end. Will Emmy voters be so turned off that
they'll, literally, turn the DVD screener of the episode off too
early?

It's painful to watch. "Idol" producers force the two Davids to sit
through a screening of "The Love Guru" and pretend to laugh, then
they're subjected to a personal encounter with Guru Pitka himself, who
barks unfunny advice at them. Even though the guru dons a beard, he
yells at Cook for having facial hair: "It's not the '90s! The last
time I saw stubble like that I was at a 'Melrose Place' party." And
the prediction he snickers at Archuletta is totally creepy: "Soon
you'll have hair in weird and wonderful places!" As if all of that
isn't insufferable enough, the "Love Guru" plug continues further into
the episode with — no, please, noooooo! — an actual visit by Myers to
the set of "Idol," forcing poor Ryan Seacrest to make fumbling small
talk and pretend to laugh at Myers' awful "jokes."

Please forgive these crazy Goth kids in this video. Kynt makes an Emmy
goof right up front. "Amazing Race" has won the Emmy as best
reality-competition show five times straight, not six. At least so
far. Maybe, just maybe, this will come true on Sunday night