It’s been a long trek, American Idol watchers. Months after the initial search began, we’ve finally made it to finals week. If I feel this exhausted, then I can’t imagine how finalists Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips feel, especially after the three performances they each had to rock before the last round of voting. As Jennifer Lopez noted tonight, our final two could not be more different. Jessica is a pint-sized ballad singer with a mean vocal range, but Phillip has an insane ability to take songs and turn them into his own wonderful Phillip Phillips brand.

Jessica started out the night with Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” winning the judges’ endorsement for the first round against Phillip’s classic “Stand by Me.” They were a little more split after the second round, when Jessica covered Celine Dion’s “The Prayer” and Phillip did a little Billy Joel with “Movin’ Out.” Come the last round, Phillip scored the only standing ovation of the night after his rendition of “Home,” and he deserved it. The marching band and soft vocals showed off Phillip’s true artistry, and Jessica’s unremarkable “Change Nothing” didn’t stand a chance.

What about you? Who continually impressed you this season? And who deserves to be crowned tomorrow night?

Photo courtesy of Fox

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Luke Cyphers

Dara Torres once wrote a book called Age Is Just a Number. Nowadays, though, the feel-good story of the 2008 Olympics admits to, well, feeling her age. Torres won two silver medals as a 41-year-old mother and swimmer in Beijing, but she harbors no illusions about repeating the feat four years later. “You have to be realistic,” Torres said. “I am 45 years old. I’m that much closer to being 50, and my body just can’t recover the way it used to.”

Her goal was gold in 2008. In 2012? “I don’t feel like I have anything else to prove going into these Olympic Games,” said the 12-time medalist. “It’s not about medals. I have enough.”

So why does she put herself through grueling training five days a week in the hopes of making her sixth – and she swears last – U.S. Olympic team? Because, at her best, she’s still one of the fastest sprinters in the world. She placed second in the 50-meter freestyle (25.24 seconds) at the winter nationals. Last month, she swam a solid 25.36 seconds in the prelims of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, but faded to 25.47 in the final to finish sixth. She’ll need to place within the top two at the Olympic trials in Omaha in June to make it to London.

Dara Torres says it is harder for her body to recover compared to when she competed in the 2008 Olympics. “If I had to just swim the race once, I don’t think it would even be an issue making the team,” she said. “But I have to swim it three times, and having my body recover for those three races is my issue.”

Torres embraces the actuarial challenge of capping an Olympic career 28 years after it began in 1984, even as her world has changed and her body has creaked. Her longtime coach, Michael Lohberg, died of a rare blood disorder in 2011. One of Lohberg’s assistants, Bruno Darzi, now coaches her. Her daughter Tessa is now 6. And her left knee required surgery and more than a year to rehab. Through it all, “I still have a passion for the sport of swimming,” she said.

But there’s also a sense of obligation to the public following she has built through her success and frequent television appearances. (The former telecommunications major and frequent morning-show guest announced her comeback on “Live with Regis & Kelly.”) “I have so many people come up to me and say I’m inspiring them to do things that they thought they couldn’t do because they were too old, or that they put off because they couldn’t find a balance in their life to do it,” Torres said.

Keep reading for more on Dana Torres’ Olympic past and present.

Rick Santorum endorsed Mitt Romney last night in a late-night email to supporters. Santorum wrote that while there are areas where they disagree, “We certainly agree that abortion is wrong and marriage should be between one man and one woman.” During the Republican primary, Mitt and Rick worked hard to woo conservative Americans, and social issues like contraception and abortion indeed played a key role.

In the past, Romney has characterized himself as pro-choice, and the state health care passed in Massachusetts while he was governor covers contraception. Yet as many know, his positions on women’s health issues have changed. So I’m curious to see how the Romney and Santorum of today stack up. We’ve already examined some of Rick Santorum’s positions on birth control and abortion, but now let’s compare their statements side by side to see how they agree and disagree, and how their positions vary in degrees of extremeness. For example, while both say they are pro-life, Romney favors an exception for rape and incest, while Santorum does not. And while they agree on defunding Planned Parenthood, their statements suggest a difference in opinion on contraception in general. Read their quotes back-to-back now.

Megan and Pete have been center stage for much of this season of Mad Men, and they’re back in the spotlight this week. Pete’s journey to rock bottom continues with more self-destructive behavior, while Megan makes a major life change that affects Don and her co-workers.

We haven’t seen a lot of Don and Peggy standoffs lately, but Megan’s decision throws them back together – and not necessarily in a good way. There’s a lot to chew on, so let’s get into it when you

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• The lying game: Megan receives a call at work that’s suspiciously from someone who’s using her maiden name. That night, she tells Don that she’s working late, but then tells Peggy that she’s going to dinner with Don. It doesn’t take long for their wires to get crossed, with both Peggy and Don realizing that something isn’t quite right.
• Pack your ads and go: As it turns out, Megan’s basically the only character on this show that’s not sneaking around with someone else; rather she was at a late-night callback for an off off Broadway play, and comes clean to Don about the lie almost immediately. That’s only the tip of the iceberg though: she also admits that she’s not happy at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, despite her obvious talent for advertising. Don tries to talk her out of quitting, but eventually succumbs and says he’s willing to help her chase her dreams. Joan draws the obvious connection between Betty’s background as a model and Megan’s acting, but Don’s disappointment really shows the differences between his two marriages. He truly wanted Megan to succeed as a copywriter rather than be relegated to a trophy wife; will his feelings toward Megan change now that he’s realizing she’s not the complete anti-Betty?
• Getting the shaft: Despite his endorsement, Don’s obviously not that excited about Megan’s decision to leave SCDP, and he gets a creepy omen when Megan leaves the office for the last time: an empty elevator shaft. Not only is it an unsettling sign, but the moment is reminiscent of the Mad Men season 5 poster that featured a falling man.
• Gilmore girlfriend: Pete’s obnoxious train buddy Howard brags about his new floozy in the city over a morning chat about life insurance. Right on cue, Pete finds Howard’s wife Beth (it’s Gilmore Girls‘ Alexis Bledel!) stranded at the train station waiting for her husband, and asks if Pete will give her a ride home. It doesn’t take a genius to predict what happens next: she’s vulnerable, he’s desperately unhappy, so they end up doing it. Though Beth tells Pete she doesn’t want to see him again, Pete becomes fixated on her and even worms his way into their household at dinnertime. He proposes that she meet him for a hotel rendezvous, but she stands him up. However, when he sees her later in the car with Howard, she sends him a very mature message: a heart drawn in her steamed-up window. Pete seems to be looking for anything to latch onto these days, but with the casual mentions of suicide and life insurance, I’m a little worried about what will happen to him if he plays into Beth’s mind games.
• Just try it: Don’s not just emotionally affected by Megan’s decision to leave; she also leaves Don hanging with his new campaign for Cool Whip. Peggy is once again caught in the middle, this time tasked with playing Don’s wife for their little skit for the “head of desserts.” Peggy mucks up the bit, leading to an all-out bickerfest between her and Don that feels a lot more like an authentic married couple than their skit. They blame each other for Megan’s departure, and Peggy eventually shuts him down.

Photo courtesy of AMC

• Christian Louboutin is making glass slippers for Cinderella – Styleite
• Current accessory obsession: Lulu Frost – Olivia Palermo
• Why Tyra fired all three Top Model judges – HuffPost Style
• Fact: you can get plastic surgery on your feet to fit into high heels better – Stylelist
• Pregnant celebs (past and present) who rocked their baby bump stylishly – The Daily Beast
• The Met Gala red carpet will be live streamed for the first time ever – Fashionologie
• Say “hello” to The Row’s Fall 2012 bags – Purse Blog
• 11 last-minute prom dress solutions – Lucky
• Is colorblocking played out? – Style.com
• Follow Lauren on her The Fame Game book tour – Lauren Conrad
• Vogue officially endorses the fashion cat trend – Racked

If you’re a procrastinator like myself, you may have put off taxes until the very last minute – in which case, your weekend’s spent toiling over documents and forms. Make all that paperwork just a little more enjoyable by filing it with a stiff drink in hand (not that we’re endorsing drunk tax filing!). Check out a handful of the spiritous drinks we’ll be nursing to ease that tax pain.

• An American in Paris aka Karlie Kloss lets Vogue UK photo-document her week – Styleite
• Michelle Obama endorses “her man” on The Colbert Report – HuffPost Style
• 4 ways to incorporate a ladylike brooch into your wardrobe – Stylelist
• Spring shoes are having a “toe” moment – The Daily Beast
• Update your closet space with an inspired color makeover – Lauren Conrad
• Thanks to Heritage Auctions, you can bid on that Hermès you’ve had your eye on! – Lucky
• The best traditional wedding bags to shop for Spring – Purse Blog
• Confezioni Crosby’s Fall ’12 line is everything we could want – Style.com
• What are these beloved ’90s brands up to now? – Racked

• Nine Valentine’s Day gifts for yourself – Stylelist
• Is this the best Taylor Swift has ever looked? – Styleite
• Get your legs super smooth for V-Day – The Frisky
• Gorgeous hair at any age – Real Simple
• Olivia Palermo gets a fragrance endorsement deal – Refinery 29
• Eep! True beauty horror stories – Beautylish
• See the perfect smoky eye at Derek Lam – The Cut
• Is nail art passe? – Glo

Last week, Nike released its Nike+ FuelBand fitness-tracking device to much fanfare, but this celebrity-endorsed gadget isn’t the first high-tech offering when it comes to gathering your workout stats. Read on to compare fitness monitors Bodybugg, Fitbit Ultra, MotoACTV, Jawbone Up, and the Nike+ FuelBand.

By now, you’ve probably heard of The Approved Card from Suze Orman, a prepaid debit MasterCard endorsed by the personal finance guru. I guess it makes more sense for Orman to promote a financial product versus the Kardashians, but you would expect a no-fee miracle debit card that’s beneficial to consumers. The population that’s being targeted are people with little or really bad credit history, because it’s harder for them to get approved at banks. However, if possible, you should always opt for free checking accounts at banks or credit unions. You’ll be able to find debit cards with none of the same fees you face when using prepaid cards.

Orman’s card users will be charged a $3 monthly fee with the first month waived, $2 per withdrawal from ATM, $1 to check a balance, and $1 penalty if the card is declined. However, these fees can be avoided with a monthly deposit of at least $20. Loading money on the card will cost you about $3.50 to $4.95. Further, if you need customer assistance, you’ll only be granted one free phone call and subsequent calls will cost you $2 each.

What do you think of the Suze Orman prepaid card – is it brilliant or baffling?