In the final faceoff of the season on “American Idol” last night, Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks did very good, but there is one thing I noticed about them both….they were extremely relieved upon finishing their final song. Blake was like a kid on a sugar rush, and Jordin started crying during her last few notes. Then, it was in the hands of voters, and there was no more preparation or nerves….there is no decision, but they both knew that they could now relax and enjoy the grand finale.
Before we get to the performances by Blake and Jordin, we have to mention that Paula Abdul allegedly broke her nose after tripping over her dog at home. I wonder if the dog was waiting with a breathalyzer.
So this week the final two got to choose their favorite song from a past episode, another random song of their choice, and the song written by the winners of the songwriting competition on the show.
Blake started with Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name,” one of his shining moments from a few weeks back. It wasn’t quite as good as the first time, but still pretty damn good. Randy gave Blake a 10 out of 10 on the beatboxing, but said the vocals were just “aight.” Paula said he outdid himself, and Simon said Blake is a great performer but that the vocal was flat in the middle. His second choice was Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved,” and it was kind of mediocre. Randy said it was a nice vocal this time, Paula said it sounded great (she is a wuss with or without a broken nose), and Simon said it was good but safe, and not as good as the first song. Then Blake performed the winning song, “This Is My Now,” which was a horribly sappy, formulaic piece of crap…..it doesn’t matter if they leave this to professionals or everyday peeps, the result is always going to be something along the lines of Diane Warren Lite. Anyway, the song was clearly better suited for Jordin, because Blake sounded pretty bad singing it. Randy said the song didn’t suit him, but that it was still pretty good; Paula said he did a great job (of course she did), and Simon said it was a little odd, and “not you.” Taking nothing away from those songwriters, that song may have cost Blake the title.
Jordin started with Christina Aguilera’s “Fire,” a very ambitious song but one that she kind of grabbed by the balls to force out a decent performance. Randy said it wasn’t the greatest performance but that the vocal was stellar, Paula said it was stellar, and Simon was happy she chose a “younger” song, but that it was “shrieky.” He then said that Round One went to Blake. Jordin’s second choice was Martina McBride’s “Broken Wing,” and she hit it further out of the park than the first time she sang the song. It was the kind of performance that wins titles. Randy said Jordin is the most talented singer at her age the show has ever seen and that the performance was flawless, Paula said it was a great vocal, and Simon said “THAT was good.” Tie game? Maybe a slight edge to Jordin at this point. But then she took on the sappy “This Is My Now” and as you would expect, did a better job than Blake. Randy said Jordin was the best singer of the night, Paula said she was proud, and Simon said he didn’t think Jordin did well enough last week to win, but that he was wrong…..and that she had just “wiped the floor with Blake.” Yep, pretty much.
So while Blake hung in there for a long time and is one of the most unique contestants the show has ever seen, barring a miracle Jordin will be crowned the sixth American Idol tonight. I’m still bitter about Melinda, but in the end, despite what they want you to believe, this is NOT a singing competition…..rather, it’s a competition based on a combination of singing, performance and good looks….and Melinda didn’t have as much of the latter as the other two.
The show closed last night with Chris Daughtry playing “I”m Going Home,” the song that has been played at the end of each results show this whole season. That dude also was robbed last season, but he got the last laugh because he’s running rings around Taylor Hicks and Kat McPhee with his record sales. There is hope, Melinda.
See you all tomorrow as we wrap this sucker up.
