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Thursday, May 24, 2007
  • American Idol's final 2: Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis
    American Idol's final 2: Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis (americanidol.com)

    America's new idol: Stronger voice wins out

    After thousands of auditions and hundreds of songs, American Idol crowned a winner last night. Today, we hear why the teen queen Jordin Sparks the beat-boxing entertainer Blake Lewis. Also: a live performance by the Rosebuds, a synth-pop duo featuring husband-and-wife team Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp. Finally: EMI, home to major artists like the Beatles and Coldplay, has accepted a takeover bid by private equity firm. We find out what it means for the future direction of the recording industry.

The Final Sing-Off

Ann Powers, pop music critic of the Los Angeles Times, and Jody Rosen, music critic of Slate.com, weigh in last night's final episode of Fox's "American Idol," which crowned 17-year-old Jordin Sparks as the new champion.

Jody Rosen on "Idol" at Slate.com
Ann Powers on "Idol" at LATimes.com

The Rosebuds

The Rosebuds, a duo featuring husband-and-wife team Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp perform live in the studio. The band conjures up a dark version of New Order for their third album, "Night of the Furies."

The Rosebuds Web site

EMI R.I.P.?

If EMI, the label of artists from Enrico Caruso and the Beatles to Coldplay goes through with a takeover bid by a private equity firm, it would be a tragedy for the music world, according to Time Riley. The blogger, NPR commentator and author of "Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary," joins us to explain why.

Tim Riley's Open Letter to Paul McCartney

The Swell Season in The Greene Space

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Joshua Bell in The Greene Space

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