The two standing "American Idol" contestants, Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis, performed their final numbers last night, hoping to be crowned the sixth "American Idol" this evening. My final wrap-up...
ROUND ONE:
Blake ("You Give Love a Bad Name"): In going through the songs he's done previously on the show, I don't know if this is the one I would have chosen. I loved what he did with it and of the three performances last night it was probably his only chance to showcase his beat-boxing one more time, but personally I would have chosen his rendition of Keane's "Somehwere Only We Know." (See it here and you'll know what I mean.)
Jordin ("Fighter"): When you have the limited vocal range she does you don't tackle a Christina Aguilera song. She caterwauled and wailed her way through this tune and the result was horrid.
ROUND TWO:
Blake ("She Will Be Loved"): Great song choice for him; it was perfect for his vocal range. Very nicely done.
Jordin ("On Broken Wing"): She improved a bit on this song from when she sang it on the country show. But again for me, it only highlighted the limits on her vocal range - she can't hit those lower register notes very well. Either way, I think she won the contest with this performance.
ROUND THREE:
The song they were assigned here - some horrid ballad chosen in some sort of songwriters contest - was soooo bad that I can't blame Blake for being so tight lipped about it in his post-performance interview with Ryan Seacrest. You could tell by Blake's demeanor that he hated the song.
Unfortunately it showed in his performance, and that gave the illusion that Jordin slammed it out of the park in her rendition (the little crocodile tears at the end only added more votes to her total, I'm sure).
So, who will win this year's "Idol" title? Easy...Jordin, by at least a 12 percent margin. She wouldn't be my choice. Not by a mile. Melinda Doolittle should have been up there last night, wiping the floor with Blake.
BUT...that said, it doesn't matter who wins tonight. The final four contestants - Kiki, Melinda, Blake, and Jordin - will all have pretty decent careers if they play their cards right. Clay Aiken outsells Rueben Studdard, and both Chris Daughtry and Elliott Yamin have outsold Taylor Hicks. That's not to say that Jordin will disappoint. She's the ultimate in mediocrity, and that's exactly what America loves in its entertainment.
While Jordin will more than likely win the prize tonight, Blake is going to do just fine. In fact, it is my prediction that he will bring a breath of fresh air to the industry, both as a performer and a producer. And Melinda...well...I eagerly await her first album. It's bound to be a stunning display!
