I can't remember a time when two major, nationally televised events were taking place across the street from one another. But Wednesday night, "American Idol" fans mixed with Lakers fans, as the "Idol" finale went live at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live, across the street from Staples Center -- where the Lakers met the Spurs for Game 1 of the Western Conference championships.
I managed to find $10 parking (not an easy feat, but there it was, not to far from $30 and $25 lots), and parked mostly among Lakers fans. Hiking to the Nokia, guys selling Lakers caps were standing near others passing out free T-shirts touting "Idol" finalist David Cook (still not sure why, or who those people were).
Inside, I got my first taste of the Nokia. Damn, it's huge. And lacking in much character. Two Kodak Theatres could fit in there, and that's not necessarily a good thing. The theatre may have been built to be acoustically perfect, but it's quite plain inside.
I got there late, but still caught the Idols as they performed with Bryan Adams, Graham Nash, One Republic and George Michael. I swear the screaming was loudest for the Jonas Brothers, and clearly I'm now old, because I have no patience for them.
In the end, the right contestant won -- David Cook, the "rocker" who provided much of the season's more interesting performances. Oh, and across the street, the right team won as well. Traffic heading home was a breeze as well, as both the Lakers playoff and Dodgers game were still going on.
(Above, the L.A. Times home page looks a lot like downtown did Wednesday night, with "Idol" and the Lakers side-by-side.)
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