Smoke and Mirror(ball)s

Just watched the Finale, in a kind of a novel way: Dr L is away in the Central Time Zone at a conference, and was still in the air when Idol was on live in her area.
So I played the DVR of the show while we talked on Face Time, and I held up the phone so she could see/hear it. It actually worked really well. Didn't the show zip by, at only an hour?

All in all we thought Candice did better on the night. Her first song came off as a little more current, though Kree's was beautiful. Candice's 2nd, the single, was a little more upbeat in the chorus, while Kree's was kind of a downer all the way through LOL. Both were just kind of 'whatev' performances, as many Idol Single performances are. It's not the singers' fault.
Kree did a great job on her final song, but I think Candice picked a better one, and the a capella part at the beginning was a nice confident move.

Whether any of this adds up to votes is a mystery to me. I think Idol perhaps wants Candice to win, given the pimp treatment she got with the fireworks and light behind her songs; Kree's productions were a little more subdued, if you don't count the mystical 'angel wings' floating behind her on the first song. You would think Kree would be easier to market, but we don't know the totals that have been coming in for either of them.

The crowd seemed to cheer louder for Kree when Ryan asked them who they wanted to win, but it could have been my ears or TV.

I'm going to say Candice wins it. I've been wrong all season, though, and I really thought Angie would be here tonight, so what do I know? I can't wait to see who wins this one, though. I was so proud that, for once, we didn't have to hear all about the medical conditions that seem to plague Idols as they limp into the Finale year after year. Flu, blown out vocal cords, appendicitis or whatever Phil Philips was dying of last year -- this year, it was just two really great singers, who don't have to make any excuses at end of the day. They put their cards down and played the best hand they had.