12:37 a.m. - There are pictures galore and lots to file so please be patient. Right now I'm hammering away on the computer preparing our reports. We've got interviews, pics, video and all the inside scoop if you couldn't make it to Toronto.

10:47 p.m. - Just wrapped up an interview with executive producer John Brunton; Mitch is on deck. Theo is being whisked away to the red carpet for a "live hit" with CTV for the 11:30 news.

10:03 p.m. - As the audience leaves the theatre, we can hear people comparing notes about the show. "That was the best finale ever," "I can't wait to hear the song on the radio tomorrow." It looks like Theo's single will be getting lots of play time. Will you be downloading it?

9:59 p.m. - There's a flurry of activity in the media room as the show wraps up and we prepare for the arrival of the two contestants. The closing titles are scrolling on the screen and Theo's fellow idols are congratulating him. It appears Theo's family is also onstage congratulating him. And once again, the tears are flowing! Standby for pictures of the winning moment.

9:53 p.m. - Theo is in tears right now as he is the next Canadian Idol! A round of applause in the media room. The confetti is falling in the theatre and the fans are cheering. "I just want to say thanks to Mitch," was the first thing the humble Theo had to say. How's he going to be able to perform his single Sing?

9:49 p.m. - We're just minutes away from hearing who the next Canadian Idol is. By our very unscientific poll it seems like all you writing in think it's going to be Theo. But there are still the skeptics out there that say Mitch is going to win because the person who deserves to win usually comes in second. There are also people who believe that no matter what happens, the runner-up will have a better career.

9:45 p.m. - OK, the duet between Mitch and Theo was a little strange. They're both good singers but I guess because they have two totally different sounds it's a little strange to hear them together. Again, same kind of thing I mentioned with the group number Home.

9:40 p.m. - We have just confirmed the interviews with the winner and runner-up immediately following the show. Send in your questions so I can ask Theo and Mitch. What do you want to know about them? Here's your chance to "talk" to the idols!

9:32 p.m. - It was certainly an interesting group number with Home. I'm not sure a song like that works with so many different sounding voices. Some of the harmonies were great but others seemed like a total miss. Let's see how the top 2 do together! Take a look at more pics added on the second page!

9:17 p.m. - Great performances tonight by the special guests! What an all-star line up with Mariah, John, Hedley, Brian and the top 10. Awesome songs to get you moving.

9:08 p.m. - It's Canadian Idol Gives Back! Was anybody else waiting for this? If it's not the Ronald McDonald house it's the overseas trip to do good. Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking charity and good deed doing. I think it's awesome for the show to get involved in something like this. It just seems like it's expected and that's why it's being done. But regardless of the reason, good on your Idol for getting involved.

9:00 p.m. - One hour done and one to go (at least for the broadcast!) We're still here all night. Photos are now coming off the wire. Thanks to CTV we can bring you the images from the show. What are your thoughts? Who's going to win Idol this year? I have lots of e-mails from people saying it's going to be Theo. Do you agree? Disagree? Tell me!

Two songs by Mariah. She is quite the diva, isn't she? I've always loved that glittery microphone. I want one of those! I'm guessing Ben will ask for one. Maybe I'll have to start making my Christmas list early!

8:35 p.m - A Top 3 tour has just been announced. We're getting confirmation from CTV because last year's tour was such a success, the top 3 finalists are once again hitting the road and putting on a cross-country tour. Are you ready for more Idol?!?!

8:31 p.m. - Jully Black is on stage right now performing her latest single Queen. I also forgot to mention in our media pack we were given an autographed picture of Theo and Mitch. And yes, you can see the Sharpee marks! Real autographs!!! Who wants it? Send an e-mail and tell me why you're the ultimate Idol fans!

8:25 p.m. - We're at a commercial break right now. We are just waiting for Jully Black. The room to the left of us fell silent in the last few minutes so we're thinking we're beside Jully's dressing room. A CTV insider has told us the vote probably wasn't close because if it was a small margin, the media would have been provided with that information, which has had several of us drawing the conclusion that it could have been a landslide vote. Again, we're not making this claim but it's suspect considering we haven't been given any details.

8:19 p.m. - Hedley is on stage right now with a flashback to season 2 when Jacob was a contestant on the show. Sounding good, guys!

8:12 p.m. - Jake with the tie undone already! Wow, somebody was hitting the bar a little early! But the shiny suit is working for him. All of the judges look great once again and it's awesome to see how positive they feel about this season.

8:08 p.m. - The group medley has the show off to a... well, interesting start. I'm not sure about Mitch's clothes. There were some giggles here from the MTV folks. But once again, Theo (nice sunglasses!) and Mitch are impressing with their singing abilities. And Earl on a skateboard, how could we expect anything less?

7:47 p.m. - It seems that almost everybody's ready to go. We are nearly 10 minutes from the big finale to begin. The energy is electric. I just ran upstairs to see how the crowds were and it's almost like a ghost town. But I can feel the excitement from a different floor of the building!

7:35 p.m. - We are hearing Hedley music blasting here in the basement. Does this mean we are close to the Hedley dressing room? The group is performing on the show tonight.

7:24 p.m. - There are lots of special guests in the audience tonight. In fact, I was just standing beside hockey's Tie Domi. The media room is filling up with the celebs. Also slated to be in the audience tonight is singer Matt Dusk, Adamo Ruggiero, Seamus O'Regan, Tim Deegan (who was just getting cuddly with a blond in the media room), and a whole bunch of the So You Think You Can Dance Canada is here.

7:13 p.m. - This year we have a general outline of what's happening tonight. We haven't been provided info about what is coming up during the show. Every year I get e-mails asking if we know who the winner is prior to it being announced. The answer every year is: we have no idea! We're just as surprised as you are! Ran into some media types from last year. Yes, they still remember how I broke my camera three years ago and the embarrassment I felt in the front row of the press conference.

7:00 p.m. - All checked in to the media room. Got the computer set up and a plate of food and getting ready for your e-mails and discussion throughout the show. During the breaks I'll be posting comments and thoughts throughout the broadcast so be sure to check in and refresh this page often!

PHOTOS / CTV