Life does go on, but there is still some essential Idolness to report. Yes, we still can't face the music(nice pun!) and admit that this season is over. That's why we've somewhat resisted on doing a complete recap of the two-part finale. You see doing that would be tantamount to letting go....no!!!!!!

Anyway, if anyone out there would like to do a guest recap you are hereby anointed....

Now to some recent Idolness:

Remember this notorious Hollywood auditioner?

The improbable story of American Idol washout Josiah Leming — the would-be contestant who was living out of his battered Mercury Topaz and intrigued judges by auditioning with an original tune — is etched with both giddy excitement and unbearable sadness

Last week, Leming, 19, stepped into the studio to begin work on his debut album for Warner Bros. He hopes to release it by the end of the year because his mother, Sharon, has terminal cancer.

"It's a difficult balance between moving forward with my career here in Los Angeles, which makes my mom really happy, and trying to be with her as much as I can" back in Morristown, Tenn., Leming says. "I want her to be here when the album comes out."

Already a soulful songwriter, Leming says his mother's condition has further sharpened his senses. "Her being close to death brings me closer to death," he says. "It makes every single moment, every word and melody, count as if it were the first and last ever."

The record deal, which has been the topic of blog scuttlebutt for months, already has helped Leming seize the day. With a modest advance, he bought a truck for his father, a construction worker who quit his job to care for his wife.

"It's got room for Mom's wheelchair," says Leming, who rented a house in North Carolina's Outer Banks for a week for the family (he's one of nine kids). "Mom loves the ocean. She hasn't been in a while."

That sentimental side is backed up with a sense of self, says Dan Spilo, who became Leming's manager after tracking down Sharon after her son's Idol run. "He knows where he wants to be artistically."

Leming's rapid journey from Idol dustbin — he fell short of the cut for the top 24 in February — to major-label player was fueled by the 2 million hits on his music-filled MySpace page. It didn't hurt that Ellen DeGeneres welcomed him to her talk-show couch.

"He's a classic piano-playing songwriter in the Elton John and Billy Joel vein," says Warner Bros. senior vice president Perry Watts-Russell, who isn't an Idol watcher. A fellow staffer familiar with Leming's Internet fan base raised a flag.

Leming's deal comes as some of Idol's top finishers have struggled with sales: Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard and Katharine McPhee were all dropped by their major labels.

"Great songs connect people, and with his experiences, Josiah has the potential to help young people through difficult times," says Watts-Russell, noting that Leming also has a publishing deal with the label. "I could well see his stuff being covered one day."

and this:

Cook (left) and CaldwellPhoto by: Carlos Diaz / INF; Howard Wise / jpiThis season's American Idol champ, David Cook, is dating second season alum Kimberly Caldwell.

"She's great," Cook tells Extra. "So far, I've had a really good time with her."

Cook hasn't been shy about his interest in Caldwell. He even asked her out on the TV Guide Network.

"I'm just excited because I finally get to talk to you," he told her during an interview Wednesday night on the Idol Tonight show. "I've been hearing you say all these nice things about me all season, So I'm actually going to ask you to dinner right now."

Caldwell accepted, with a hug, telling the camera after Cook left, "I just got asked out on a date."

And while he's interested in her romantically, Cook admits he's not entirely familiar with Caldwell's music. "I knew who she was, but I can't remember a song that she sang," he told Extra. "I'm probably in the dog house now."