More ramblings about the final two...

So, as you'd expect, my mind keeps over analyzing the finale tonight. There are so many ways this could go! (well... actually only two. I'm an idiot.) Honestly, I think Ryan will tell us tonight that this is one of the closest finals in Idol history (if not THE closest). I can't wait to hear how many votes separated Adam and Kris.

The day after I always like to check out dialidol.com and "the buzzmeter" at latimes.com to see what other people are thinking. Both of these websites show virtual dead heats with the two contestants. Dialidol is showing a miniscule lead by Kris... and the experts at the LA Times have voted 10-8 in favor of Adam. It's just too close to call.

Here are a few concepts that have been rolling around in my brain:

1. Kris is what this competition is really all about. Let's face it. American Idol works in the first place because its a competition to discover America's undiscovered musical talent. The entire success of the show is based on Kelly Clarkson winning season one and going from a girl that used to scoop ice cream to being a superstar. You can tell from the audition clips of Kris that he was just a small town guy that had a good voice and was probably encouraged by friends and family to try out. He didn't have the confidence to be a superstar, and he needed an experience like this to build his confidence. In terms of the most heart-warming story, Kris wins hands down. He's a humble guy who found success through this show... and THAT is the original intention of American Idol in the first place.

2. Kris NEEDS to win more than Adam. I think no matter what the result is, Adam will move on to do something in entertainment. To him this was probably a great platform to move his career in the direction he wanted. Adam could move on to do more theatre, acting, hosting, etc... He's more "iconic" and recognizeable. If Adam is runner-up tonight, I think tomorrow he will look at all of his options and make the most of what he can for his career. Now if Kris is the runner-up tonight, I think once gets off his ride on the Idol Machine that he will go "holy crap... what do I do now?". This guy was just chillin with his new wife in Conway, AR a few months ago... not assuming he'd be anywhere near this type of celebrity status and it will be difficult for him. For these reasons, I think Kris needs to win, because he will need the help and assistance from 19 Entertainment to lead him in the proper direction and start a viable career.

3. Adam is a producer's nightmare and dream come true all in one. If I were a producer of Idol, I would be scared to have Adam as a winner representing the show... because you know that once this show is over and he is protected 24/7 by Idol "handlers" that he is going to get EATEN ALIVE by the paparazzi! They are going to attack him relentlessly until we know every ounce of his personal life. Being the first gay idol would be cause for them to pull out all the stops on him. It's dumb to me... but having picture of Adam kissing another guy seem to be news to many. It's not like they are publicizing picture of Kris kissing his wife. Oh well. For a young person who was basically an unknown to the world 6 months ago, I hope that Adam will be strong enough to deal with the instant celebrity that comes along with American Idol. The TMZ's and Perez Hilton's will pull up every ounce of dirt they can on him. He'll have to watch his every step. On the flipside of that... there is the saying that "even bad PR is still PR", so having an icon like Adam just brings more notice to the American Idol brand.

4. Will the contestants' hometowns force the "Katharine McPhee Effect" on Adam? I think Kris has an advantage over Adam in terms of where they are coming from. Kris is from a smaller town in central Arkansas and Adam is from Hollywood/San Diego. No offense to Arkansas, but Kris Allen has GOT to be the hottest most note-worthy thing to happen there in quite sometime. I'm sure everyone knows about Kris and everyone there is rooting for him. Adam, on the contrary, being from Southern California will not have the hometown pride effect going on. It reminds me of season 5 when we saw Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks in the final. Taylor was from Alabama and he had billboards, banners, special TV segments, EVERYTHING possible that Alabama could do for him. He came home to Birmingham to a champion's welcome. Katharine McPhee, on the other hand, went home to.... Sherman Oaks, CA (*imagine the losing horns from The Price Is Right here). To those of you unaware, its a suburb of LA, just to the north. She had a welcome party at her old high school and it paled in comparison to Taylor's welcome back. I'm wondering if Adam will suffer from this same type of situation. His trip back to San Diego seemed cool on the clips... but when you think of rousing the entire city to support you, I doubt that ALL of San Diego is behind Adam. It's just too hard to do. But I guarantee you that ALL of Conway, AR and the surrounding cities are behind Kris. After all... its the midwest, and they love rising-to-success stories in the midwest. I guess we'll see tonight with the results.

That's all... enough ramblings for the moment. :-) Maybe more later!