Tonight was a bittersweet occasion for So You Think You Can Dance fanatics.

Sweet, because the final four had come so far. And sweet, because all the finalists got to dance in all sorts of new configurations tonight--not just solo or in boy/girl duos, but also with same-sex partners (I mean that in a G-rated way, gutter-minded people!) and in a final four-person group number.

But tonight was still bitter, because it was the last competition round. The season comes to an end this week, you see.

Sigh. It went by fast, huh? Too fast.

You know what else I was kind of bitter about tonight? The judges' treatment of Courtney. Yes, Mary Murphy did tell her she was a role model for all the little girls out there watching--a really kind and genuine comment that brought tears to Courtney's big brown eyes. But during most of the remainder of the show, the judges slipped in these nasty little digs here and there, making it obvious that they probably would have preferred Chelsie in the top four

When I first arrived in Nashville yesterday for the Nashville Star finale taping, I had a hunch that Gabe Garcia was going to win. I figured this car parked in front of my hotel, the Opryland, was some sort of sign:

But oh well, so much for omens. Because last night at the Acuff Theater, Gabe Garcia came in second, losing out to equally worthy contender Melissa Lawson. However, the Texican from the little town of Lytle may still be the man to bridge the country and Latino markets in a way that John Rich's hapless handpicked Gone Country protégé, Julio Iglesias Jr., could not.

In this backstage interview, caught on camera just an hour or so before the finale taping, Nashville Star judge and Gabe mentor Jewel explained why the timing just may be ideal for Gabe to launch his country career:

And just moments after the finale taping, Gabe--a true gentleman till the very end--met with me and some other enquiring-minded press types to discuss his reaction to the results and his plans for

So I saw this Help Wanted ad the other day...

"Wanted: Fame whore eager to humiliate him/herself on national TV. Must be willing to sacrifice one's personal relationships. Must be willing to take one's Blackberry into the bathroom. Must have access to backup Blackberry batteries in case of a charging emergency. Must be able to function on 1.5 hours of sleep a night. Must be able to keep track of spontaneous name changes. Must have no soul, spine, or shame. Vacation time is 10 days every five years (NOT consecutively). No sick days. Benefits include all the Ciroc vodka one can drink, the honor of basking in the glowing greatness of a hip-hop legend, and 15 minutes of reality TV fame."

Man, and I thought Kimora Lee Simmons from Life In The Fab Lane was the nastiest employer in hip-hop! But after watching the trailer for P.Diddy/Diddy/Sean Combs/Puffy/Puff Daddy's new Apprentice-style reality show, I stand corrected. Something tells me Puff probably sips his Ciroc from one of those

As of this writing, Tommy Lee is currently on what is probably Motley Crue's 37th reunion tour. But I'm much more excited about Tommy's return to reality television than his return to the Crue.

Tommy is pure TV gold packed into one tight tattooed package, so I've been waiting a good long while now for the rocker with the big, um, ego to return to the small screen. But I was afraid it would never happen, since the recently regrouped Crue once sued his manager for casting him in shows that allegedly made him look (get this) dumb.

Yes, a couple years ago, Tommy's on/off/on bandmates filed suit against manager Carl Scrubner for $20 million, claiming that Tommy Lee Goes To College and Rock Star: Supernova had "inane overtones" (um, don't ALL reality shows??) and made Tommy look "incoherent, lazy, and incompetent."

Oh yeah, like that's sooooo hard to do.

Well, personally, I've missed seeing this lovable old boob on the boob tube. Ever since the hatchet fell on the Hatchet Man's ill-fated