Secrets from the sidelines at Kodak

The “American Idol” cameras don’t catch everything. Here are a few things viewers at home didn’t get to see:

Stop the Hoff: When Blake Lewis arrived on the red carpet in the late afternoon, he tried to throw some shout-outs to the crowd -- but actor-singer and YouTube star David Hasselhoff kept jockeying for position near him in front of the camera.

Smoke and Sparks: As the lights went down after the Top 6 “boys” finished singing “Tears of a Clown” with Smokey Robinson, Jordin’s father, Phillippi Sparks, ran up on stage to shake the Motown legend’s hand -- a longtime hero, perhaps?

False Idol: During commercial breaks, the warm-up guy tossed Hershey’s Miniatures into the crowd to get people hyped (could they be more hyped?), at one point telling girls to yell out to Sanjaya. They happily obliged. Later, as the mischievous Mr. Malakar took the stage to sing a Kinks song, the little girls shrieked and the adults laughed as his locks were blowing in the manufactured wind. Sanjaya is definitely still the man.

Who was that man? After Green Day’s remote performance, a mysterious gentleman came on stage saying he had a surprise for someone. A camera crew followed him to the judges’ table and the man said, “Simon Cowell, this is your life.” Simon got up and said he was very embarrassed and then it was over.

Hedging: Minutes before the big announcement, the warm-up man asked the audience who it thought was going to win. One woman seemed locked in indecision: Her poster touted Jordin on one side and Blake on the other.

Idoling on stage: While the theater emptied, new Idol Jordin and her Top 12 buddies stayed on stage hugging and celebrating. Then it was back to work as Fox affiliates and other TV crews went to get their first chats with the winner. For those who lingered, the director said, “Take your confetti and go home.”