The Idol Finale: The War Of The Worlds May Be Too Close To Call . . . But I'll Give it a Shot

I’m just getting here so I’ll just get to it.

Each of the guys has three songs . . . there favorite performance of the season, the producer’s choice, and the Idol song – co-written for Kara DioGuardi. The competition starts here live right after the break.

Here we go . . .

1. Adam Lambert – His parents are talking about how much he likes to yell . . . not much different than he is now . . . His song choice is “Mad World”. Here we go . . . HE sounds GREAT . . . I feel like the music is too loud, but that has NOTHING to do with this wonderful vocal. These kinds of performances are where I think Adam shines because they are understated and show just what a wonderful vocalist he is. That was GREAT . . . simply great. Randy says this is it, and it was an A+. Kara is happy he chose that performance, and that it proves he is an artist. Paula is unbelievably proud of him, and thinks it was a great performance for him. Simon thought the prior version was his best performance, but he thought it was over theatrical.

2. Kris Allen – When he was a kid he was shy about singing, and his parents paid him to sing at family functions. His song choice is “Ain’t No Sunshine” and he’s on the piano . . . here we go . . . Wow, man, smooth vocals that I expect from Mr. Allen . . . as I said before, that was GREAT . . . simply great. Randy loves that he can tell exactly what kind of artist he’s gonna be and that was one of his best performances on the Idol stage. Kara thinks he moves people, and that he creates an intimate bond with the audience. Paula thinks he awakens the spirit in all of us, and that he is a great artist. Simon wants us to remember that this is a competition, and he wasn’t sure last week if America had made the right choice. He takes it back after that performance.

3. Adam Lambert – Producer’s choice . . . “Change is Gonna Come” – The opening part is amazing . . . and he is wonderfully restrained . . . scream at the right time . . . but pull it in boy . . . that was WONDERFUL . . . simply wonderful. Wow, what a competition we have going here. Randy thinks that the real reason he’s here is because he can sing anything. Kara thinks it was his best performance on the Idol stage. Paula thinks it was the best she has ever heard him sing EVER. Simon thinks he is 100% back in the game.

4. Kris Allen – Producer’s choice . . . “What’s Going On” . . . he’s on the guitar . . . sounds good . . . sounds smooth . . . WONDERFUL . . . simply wonderful . . . just love it. Randy thinks it’s a great competition, but the song is a little light for him. Kara loves that he has not wavered throughout the competition. Paula thinks he tore that song up and made Marvin Gaye proud. Simon thinks it was like three friends in their bedroom strumming along to Marvin Gaye.

5. Adam Lambert – “No Boundaries” – This is the Idol theme song . . . I’m having trouble hearing him . . . Whoa, not anymore . . . this is very Idol single sounding . . . better than most, but still with the ultimate cheese factor . . . in some ways it fits his voice, and in others not so much . . . not his fault, his vocals are good as per usual. It’ll be interesting to hear what the judges say about Kara’s song . . . Randy thinks he can sing anything, but that wasn’t one of his favorite Adam performances. Kara thinks she speaks on behalf of her co-writers. She’s moved and she’s proud. Paula thinks that adjectives can’t express what he has brought to the Idol stage. Simon’s not going to judge the song. Over the entire season, he has been one of the best and most original contestants . . . he believes they have found a worldwide performance.

6. Kris Allen – here he comes with “No Boundaries” . . . I’m curious to see if he re-arranged it. Again, I will say, I don’t love this song. I think that it fits Kris’ voice a little bit better, and he did re-arrange the song a bit better than Adam . . . Randy thinks he should be very proud of himself in this competition, and he thinks it fits his voice better than Adam’s. Kara wants him to be judged on the fact that he is an incredible artist. Paula thinks he should take it in, and thinks that this has been one of the most compelling finales. Simon thinks the highlight was the best song, but he thinks that watching him has been incredible, and that he has thoroughly deserved to be standing on this stage tonight.

After all is said and done, this is how I break it down.

Round 1: Kris by a hair – I think that both performances were damn near flawless, but I think Kris gave a more heartfelt performance . . . just by a bit.

Round 2 – Adam by a hair – Again, I think that both performances were damn near flawless, but this time I think Adam’s arrangement was a wee bit better . . . just a bit.

Round 3 – Kris by a dreadful hair – This was one of, if not THE WORST Idol finale song EVER . . . that obvious statement being made, I think that both guys did with it what they could. The key was too high. . . strangely enough, for both of them. Kris just seemed to make a wee bit more of an effort to have that “Idol Moment” than Adam . . . again, just a bit . . . this one was hard to judge because of the basic hideousness of what they were forced to sing.

Overall Rankings: Kris 1, Adam 2, Kris 2, Adam 2, Kris 3, Adam 3

So, what does it all mean? We know that these two guys were within a million votes of each other last week – after 88 million votes were cast. We know that The Gokey’s votes are hanging out there waiting to be assigned – if they re-vote at all. We know that the Idol Machine REALLY REALLY wants Adam Lambert to win. We know that we have two VERY DESERVING guys vying for the title. What we really know folks is that we will have a VERY CLOSE vote. So, again, what does all of this mean? Well, in my very humble opinion, I believe all of this will result in Kris Allen eeeeeeeeeeeeking out a second consecutive upset and taking the Idol crown.

Last statement: Regardless of who wins, it was my favorite Idol finale to date. I believe we witnessed the birth of two very talented artists.