THE FINALS! Top 2 Performances

This season has FLOWN BY! I can't believe that in 26 hours from now we will have a winner and have to wait 7+ months before Idol is back on TV! I'm already starting to get a little bit sad about it.

I do have to say that in 8 seasons of Idol, there have been very few finals where I would be happy if either contestant won. Tonight is one of those finals. I of course have LOVED Adam the entire season and think that he has mad skills. At the same time I think Kris is the perfect underdog story... not being featured in any audition shows, and then working his way, very creatively, all the way to the finals. Both are great candidates, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us for their final performances.

(And can I just add how ECSTATIC I am that Danny is NOT in the final two! YAY!)

All week, people have been asking me who I think is going to win this thing. Especially since I've been touting my perfect prediction record. All I've said is that I need to watch the performances before I make any prediction. As much as everyone has been saying that Adam is a shoe-in, I think this thing is a lot closer than anyone expects... It all comes down to the final performances and who has those "moments". I can't wait to watch and find out! Let's get this review started!


The all important coin-flip and Kris wins... chooses to go second. SMART choice!

And Ryan.... thanks for the heads up that the show will go long.... we know you won't announce the winner until a minute and a half before the show is over, so thanks for making sure we don't miss it. :-)

Adam Lambert- "Mad World"
Good choice for the repeat song... although deep down I really was hoping for "Tracks of My Tears" I really think THAT song was the turning point where the majority of America started to realize what an amazing singer he is. For me, I almost think that the first time he sang it was better... and not because there was much difference in the vocal performances, but rather the production of it. The first time with the beaming blue light with Adam seated in that chair was just so haunting and memorable. I agree with Simon that the coat and dry ice was just a little too much... a little theatrical. Still good though... but we knew it'd be good.

Kris Allen- "Ain't No Sunshine"
This is a GREAT song choice for Kris. The week he performed this was a standout performance for him for sure. Choosing to be on stage alone with the piano instead of with the other accompaniment like last time was a SMART choice. It put the focus on him, and really showed what an artist he is. I'm not sure what was different about it tonight, but when the camera first panned to him sitting at the piano I thought "he's an ARTIST". He really has come far. On the finale show when you sing a song you've already done, its hard to stand out... but I think he really did. It was better than before.

Round one goes to KRIS. (BTW... I typed this statement before Simon said it... LOL)


Now its on to Simon Fuller's choice...

Adam Lambert- "A Change Is Gonna Come"
Very interesting song for Adam. It's bluesy and when I think of the blues, I don't think of Adam. He's too happy to sing the blues. This song was weird for me. Maybe its because I'm not used to hearing this song performed in this slow bluesy-rock kind of way... and I'm only used to hearing it performed by R&B soul singers. Plus, I don't know if many people will recognize it performed in this fashion. I completely disagree with Kara's and Paula's comments that it was his best performance ever. I've heard much better weeks by him. I think they were just saying it to say it. Better than "Tracks of My Tears"? Better than "Whole Lotta Love"? I don't think so. The judges comment that I do agree with is Randy when he says that Adam can "sing his face off". That he can. And he proved he could with this song.

Kris Allen- "What's Goin' On"
What better song for an acoustic rock/pop artist to sing? Kris rocked out this performance if you ask me. It's CRAZY... because again, this performance really made me think that Kris is a credible artist with a career ahead of him. It finally has clicked for me tonight. With these two performances, I think people will connect more with this performance versus Adam, kind of like they connected with "Heartless" last week. It was fun and catchy... Clearly the judges didn't agree...

Round two is a draw for me.


Now it's time for the this year's single. "No Boundaries", co-written by Kara (surprise! not....) I've said in several reviews this season that if Adam would have sang a song by another contestant that he would have blown the other person out of the water. Well know, with Adam singing the same song as another contestant we will put that theory to the test. Going into this I am already a little nervous for Kris because we know that Adam can sing things flawlessly. It all depends on the song.

Adam Lambert- "No Boundaries"
I can't really comment on the performance until after I hear Kris sing it... I will say about the judges comments that Randy was right (there were some pitchy moments), Kara wouldn't say anything bad about it (because its her song), Paula says there aren't adjectives and then uses forty of them to describe Adam, and Simon puts it into perspective bringing up the entire season and that Adam has brought a lot to the show.

Kris Allen- "No Boundaries"
I will say this about Kris... you could tell in his eyes that he was giving everything in his being to sing the crap out of that song. Unfortunately I think it was this forcefulness that caused some super sour notes in the performance. I agree with Randy saying that the song fits Kris more than it fits Adam. With Kris it felt more natural. Adam's performance was too theatrical (surprise!) and after-school-specialish. Judging the two performances side-by-side, you have to give this round to Adam though. Kris's performance was just too strained which caused too many sour notes.

Round three goes to Adam.

SO.... recapping.... one round goes to Kris, one round to Adam and one is a tie. GREAT! This makes my prediction really easy.

Realistically... I think if Kris was going to win, he needed to come out and win all three rounds tonight. He needed to sway any voters who were on the fence that he is THE choice. I don't think he came out strong enough to do that. Plus with all of Danny's votes up for grabs this week, he needed to draw people in enough to make them pick up the phone for him instead of Danny. I think there is no question that Danny getting eliminated was the best thing that could happen for Kris. As my previous post with the voting maps showed, Kris is going to pull in all the conservative votes that may have been split between him and Danny in the past.

In regards to Adam, he didn't wipe the floor with Kris like he could have. He definitely left himself a little vulnerable tonight. But... I think with the way the judges comments went that Adam has the edge. Plus, I think Adam has people paying attention to American Idol like no other contestant in season's past. Sure there is watercooler talk about "who's going to win Idol?" every year... but this year its been "what do you think about that Adam Lambert?". Sure he's a love him or hate him contestant... but I think there are many, many people that love him.

Plus... let's be real... if we can elect a black man President, we can vote in a gay American Idol Winner. It's about time.

So there you have it folks... My official prediction is that Adam Lambert will win Season 8 of American Idol. I would love to hear your input. Feel free to leave comments! And THANKS FOR READING!