Finale!

It's finale time! After a brief padding session wherein the judges' catchphrases are shown ("For me...", "Sweetie..." a large vocabulary, and "What? I can't hear you") Kris and Adam walk down the stairs, dressed all in white. It is not a good look for either one. Their microphones are not really turned on. It is not a good sound for either one.

The top 13 are singing "So What" by Pink... and Allison better have the lead, because she can sing Pink like no one else in this competition. It's a weak performance overall, livened up by Adam's dancing, Kris's white fedora, and the second half of the song, where Allison karate-kicks. As most big group performances are, mediocre. Let me just say, though, that this is not an easy song to sing well; it lends itself to bad karaeoke. Try it, you'll see.

David Cook is singing "Permanent" live. This is a song he wrote for his brother Adam, who recently passed away. I forgot how magnetizing David is a live performer, even though his voice is shaky (he is about to cry.) Proceeds from the iTunes purchase of this performance will be donated to brain cancer research. Not even I am enough of a tool to not buy this song, and it will not be wasted money; this is a raw, stripped down, emotional performance. David is on the verge of tears most of the way through. This is what we call grace under pressure. Well done, David.

The "Golden Idol" awards are now being presented. What the hell is this? Oh, I see. It's a way to mock contestants who can't sing. Classy, Idol. Real classy. I'm sorry, this is ridiculous. You've already mocked them once, Idol, just let it be. The "Outstanding Male" award is presented to Nick Mitchell, aka Norman Gentle, aka the whacko who got a spot in the top 36 over deserving contestants like Emily Wynne-Hughes ("Barracuda Girl") and yes, Michael Castro. He gets up to sing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." I would rather hear another group number. I would rather hear Scott and Lil Rounds sing a duet.

Speaking of Lil Rounds! She is dueting with Queen Latifah singing "Cue The Rain." This performance is everything that Lil does well, belting out notes rather than striving to hit high. I don't know what the lyrics to this song are because Lil can't enunciate to save her life, but she's well matched with Queen Latifah, who is able to cover for everything Lil can't do (demonstrate any sort of subtlety.) For the record, I love Queen Latifah and I think she is gorgeous and multi-talented and that she possesses a great voice. Both of these women know how to dress. The last few words of the song, with no musical accompaniment, are excellent.

Oh my gosh, Anoop and Alexis Grace are performing "I'm Yours" with Jason Mraz, and all three of them sound top notch. Remind me why Alexis was eliminated again? OK, so Noop Dawg and Alexis are mostly backup for Jason, but the harmony is great and I really hope this song is available for download.

Kris Allen is performing his duet first, which some people say means he is the winner. We'll see how that works out. In any case, he's singing "Kiss A Girl" with Keith Urban. Kris's high notes have never been his best, but he is nailing them tonight, a little weak but completely respectable. He and Keith just have this little jam session going on, and they both look like they're enjoying themselves. Kris looks like he thinks this whole experience is just peachy. He and Keith hug at the end. Aww.

Now the girls are onstage, singing "Glamorous" by Fergie (because this is such a singer's song.) Allison Iraheta announces Fergie, who really sounds much better on the radio. Then the Black Eyed Peas come on, and Megan Joy is dancing in the aisle. I seem to remember the BEP producing a song that I really liked at the very beginning of their career on MTV--"Where Is The Love." Since then, they have deteriorated. Three Grammies? Good grief.

Back to the Golden Idols. This one is for people who demonstrate composure. Bikini Girl wins it. Hands up if you didn't see that one coming. She walks on stage in a bikini, because she has just as much class as the Idol producers. She kisses Ryan again ("And he kissed back this time!") I'm sorry. This trainwreck needs to be over. I refuse to speak of it any longer. I actually walked out... then Kara walks onstage and sings with Katrina. Katrina looks thrilled... not. Kara sounds fantastic. Oh my god. Kara is wearing a bikini as well. They have no shame.

Back to some measure of sanity. Allison Iraheta is singing a duet with Cyndi Lauper--"Time After Time." To no one's surprise she sounds great from note one. Cyndi still sounds pretty good. Does anyone else feel like they're at Lilith Fair? That was an understated but powerful performance. I hope that one's on iTunes, too.

Danny Gokey is singing "Hello" by Lionel Ritchie. I'm sorry, but I'm going to compare this to David Cook... and actually, it's not bad. In the last three weeks, Danny's learned some subtlety and phrasing. If we'd known this would happen we should have voted him off earlier. Then Lionel Ritchie comes in and the two duet. I don't know what they're singing, but it's pretty forgettable until they segue into "All Night Long." Paula gets on her feet, "raises the roof and has some fun." Danny sounds really, really good, but he still can't dance. All right, I can't either. The two climb on the back of the judges' booth (did David Cook invent this move or do I just associate it with him?) Danny should not stand on the back of the judges' booth because he produces bad notes there.

Adam Lambert is up on stage. (Are we getting a cue from the song to which they're playing his video--"Viva La Vida"? "I used to rule the world?") Now, the identity of the "sweet rock band" with which he's singing has been unknown, but people were betting on KISS... and they're collecting. Wearing a black leather jacket with shoulder cages that defy description, it's Adam Lambert singing "Beth" by KISS. (The irony is lost on no one.) KISS descends from a gold-painted stage. Fireworks go off. This is what Adam was meant to do--sing with a rock band. He sounds right at home amongst these icons. THIS is the Adam I wanted to see last night, singing "Rock and Roll All Night" with KISS like he was part of the band from the beginning. We get a scream and a guitar smash. Yep, he definitely belongs with these guys...

Ryan comments that it felt like New Year's Eve with the ball dropping with Adam and KISS. Santana takes the stage, playing "Black Magic Woman." This is one of my favorite guitar pieces ever. I've always wanted to hear it live. Holy mackerel, that's Matt Giraud singing while Santana plays guitar, I have no words... except that he sounds good. They segue into "Smooth" and the entire Top 13 come onstage. Adam, Jorge, Danny, and Kris all have solos. OK, I voted for him, but I see why Jorge was voted off now. This is a much stronger performance than "So What," probably because the voices singing it are better suited to the song. And also, it's really hard to sound bad when you are singing along to Santana.

David Cook presents Ford cars to Kris and Adam. Adam says "It's beautiful!" Kris says, "Dude, I needed a new car so bad."

Steve Martin, what the hell, is playing the banjo. WHAT THE HELL? Megan Joy and Michael Sarver are singing with him. Excuse me while I go check and make sure I'm not on LSD. Michael sounds good. He's the only part about this that sounds good. This song is awful, and also, it's out of Megan's range.

Another group song, this one boys only, singing "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy." I'd like to send out a message to half the guys up here: "I do not want your body, I do not think you're sexy." A weak performance. Rod himself comes onstage to save us (or blind us with a wretched jacket, I'm not sure) with "Maggie Mae." This guy still has pipes, even after all those years; a little weaker, but still true and distinct. He tries to get the audience to clap along, but it sounds like he's not getting them engaged. A woman in the audience in a sparkly dress plays air guitar.

The final Golden Idol is for "Outstanding Female," and we all know it's going to be Tatiana Del Toro. I wonder if she'll be less annoying the second time around. We get replays of all of the annoying, attention seeking things she has done all season. Yep, she is just as annoying as she makes a break for the stage, steals the mic from Ryan, and proceeds to sing while he says he needs to cut for commercial. Staged--but still annoying.

Kris and Adam are dueting to "We Are The Champions" by Queen. We've been waiting for Adam to sing Queen, might as well be now! Queen THEMSELVES have come out to play here. Oh my gosh. I have no words. Adam's voice is totally dwarfing Kris's, but that's OK because they've given Kris the verses and he sounds fantastic. (And he's wearing a leather jacket, and looks awesome too.) Adam and Kris, whom we know are friends, do a little shoulder-chest bump thing. Aww.

Simon says, "And I don't normally mean this," both Adam and Kris are nice people, should be very proud of themselves, and the future is all theirs. Aww.

AND THE WINNER IS…

KRIS ALLEN!

I'd call it an upset--but it's not one! Kris protests, says Adam deserves it, looks completely shocked, is utterly speechless. Adam looks psyched for his buddy. Kris, somewhat over his shell shock, looks pleased for himself. He stands on stage and smiles his way through that wretched song. (Allison hangs off of Adam's shoulder watching him sing.) Kris looks like he's getting used to the confetti falling down on him, moves up to the stand behind the judges' booth, falls off of it, hops back on, not a break in the song.

You know what, I'm going to skip over the votes that made this happen. I'm not going to mention where all this came from. I want to give Kris Allen a round of applause. Nobody thought he could do this before last night. Nobody thought Adam Lambert would be dethroned. Good for Kris! I wish him a fantastic career! And a round of applause for Adam, who is going on to great things as well.

Finale!

Finale time! Tonight each contestant will be singing three songs. The first will be a repeat of the song the contestant believes is his best performance of the night; the second, a producer's pick; and the third the "victory song."  

We learned last week that Kris had won the coin toss and had chosen to perform second after Adam. This could be good or bad. The good is, his final performance will be fresher in the audience's mind than Adam's. The bad is, depending on how they arrange the performances tonight, he might sing directly after Adam, and if Adam goes to rock out and Kris comes back with something a little more subdued, he could end up sounding uninspiring in comparison. So here we go--starting off, of course, with video footage (because of course we can't have a show without hearing heartwarming stories about the contestants in their childhoods.) Adam was a bit of a pain in the butt as a kid--"kind of like I am now," he says. Thanks for sharing. Please sing now.  

Adam Lambert is singing "Mad World," "with a twist" as he promised earlier. He's pitched it a little higher, coming out of the floor in a trenchcoat in that blue light he loves so much. He goes from half of verse 1 straight into the chorus, still restraining his voice. He is note-perfect, although the change in pitch is a little odd. This time he's singing the second verse and... no, he nearly kicked into overdrive, but pulled it back. I love his vocal restraint the overall restraint of this performance is almost un-Adam-like, and very haunting. I don't remember his first performance of "Mad World" well enough to compare it, but in comparison to the iTunes performance, this was a little bit weaker, a little more subdued. It was a lovely performance and a lovely vocal. An A- performance.  

Kris Allen is singing "Ain't No Sunshine," which is not what I would have picked for him, but was still a fabulous performance. He's coming out with piano rock this week instead of acoustic. He starts off restrained, gets more animated and almost a little angry in the "I know" segment, and then pulls it back for a great high note at the end. He was a little shaky at the beginning of the last note, but pitch-perfect. More runs in this performance than his original version of this song, but nothing over the top. Kara said he "created an intimate bond with everyone in the audience" and I think she's right on with that; he sings very emotionally. Simon says that he completely takes back all of his doubt about Kris being in the finale. Way to catch up with the rest of us, Simon! A solid A for Kris.  

I'm going to call the first round for Kris!  

Adam is singing "A Change Is Gonna Come" in a normal-looking suit and tie, no less. He starts off almost explosive, and I thought this was going to be an over-the-top Adam performance, but he immediately pulls back. Restraint may be Adam's watchword tonight... or maybe not, as he absolutely kills a few notes around 45 seconds in. He throws in some jazz hands, some unintelligible vocal showboating, and then the last note is another of the ones where you need to count the seconds he holds it to realize how extraordinary it is. The thing is... he rearranged the song, went over-the-top... and I think it detracted from the song. It's really a problem for me when I can't even tell what someone is saying (or screaming) in this case. To me, this was mediocre. The judges all gush about it. I agree the vocals were good, but to me, he turned it away from the song, into just showing off what he can do. Yes, this is a singing competition, but to me, much of a successful artist's power is in his ability to deliver a song emotionally. I got nothing of that from Adam in this performance. A solid B performance.  

Kris gets a great song choice from Simon Fuller in "What's Goin' On." This is classic Kris on the guitar in a chair in the middle of the stage with the drums in the background. He’s really getting into it around the middle, just him and his guitar, and I’m getting a bit of a Dave Matthews vibe from him. This is the type of performance that could work equally well at a bar in the middle of Baltimore as it would in the middle of a concert when you’re letting the bass player take a break. It is a very laid-

back performance and I thought he could have taken more risks with it, really thrown himself into it and delivered; it was a bit safe, but very correct. Another solid B.  

Simon calls this round for Adam (“a million times Adam”) but I’m inclined to say this is a dead heat. Let’s see how bad this year’s victory song is—it’s co-written by Kara, so it can’t be too bad, and called “No Boundaries.”  

Adam sings it like it’s the love child of an RnB song and a waltz until the chorus, where he’s electrifying the song like his life depends on it. His voice sounds hoarse (no surprise after “A Change Is Gonna Come”) and a hair weak, but he is singing this with absolute conviction. This is classic Adam, guys, screaming, high, emotional, and finishing on—very literally—a high note. Nicely done. Adam’s fans will love this. The people who have never voted for him will not start voting now. An A performance.  

Kris, as predicted, is more low-key. I am concerned that he will suffer a bit, being prohibited from having his guitar on stage, but as he builds up the bridge, my concerns are scattered to the winds. Kris has never gotten enough credit for how damned big his voice is. His phrasing and enunciation are borderline perfect. Kris is into this song, he is feeling it, this is signed sealed and delivered. All my criticisms from the last performance are gone. He might be a hair flat on the last two notes, but that might be my sound system. This man can emotionally deliver a song like none other. Randy and Kara point out that the song was a little high-ranged for him, and yeah, maybe they’re right, but he did a damned fine job. A+.  

I am going to stand out on a limb and call tonight for Kris. I think he rose to the challenge tonight, while Adam did not. Now, how to vote? Do we vote based on the season, or do we vote based on tonight? That’s up to you. I know who I’m voting for... and it may surprise you to learn that it's not Adam. Oh, I think Adam will win it, and I'll be happy with him winning it, but I think that Kris is every bit the singer and I'm giving my votes to the person whose album I'm more likely to buy. Kris consistently puts out songs that I would want to buy and have on my iPod; Adam is hit or miss. Both contestants put out quality performances tonight. I think Kris was better. Let's discuss.

Your final two, ladies and gentlemen!

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert are the finalists!  

Top 3

We're down to the meat of the show now.  The contestants are singing twice this week, one song picked by the judges and the other song by the contestants.  This gives all of them a chance to show off what they see themselves doing as singers.

Danny Gokey is first singing “Dance, Little Sister,” selected for him by Paula because she believes he has a “magical quality” to his voice that will help him pull it off.  He certainly starts off strong, looking more comfortable on stage than I’ve seen him before, working the stage.  This is a big song for him, and he gets a bit shouty in the verses and dials it down in the chorus, which is an interesting choice.  It’s a solid performance, a good way to start the show off, an enjoyable performance if not spectacular. 

Kris Allen will be singing "Apologize" by OneRepublic, chosen by Kara and Randy.  This is a very interesting song choice for him, and I find it unusual that it was selected considering who sang it last year (Archuleta, if you were wondering.)  Kris starts off on the piano, singing piano as well and a little slower.  Everything about this song is low key except his voice.  Although he can't hold volume and high pitch at the same time and has to go softer, he is pitch-perfect.  He sounds like he has emotionally connected to this song, and every segment gets stronger.  The second chorus, he completely foregoes the high notes, and powers through.  That was very, very good.

Side-note: Kara thought that Kris ought to have changed up the song. Simon, appropriately, calls her on that shit, saying that if Kara [and Randy] have chosen a song for someone they have no right to complain when the contestant doesn't interpret it and spin it away from the original, because they said "Here's a song to sing that would suit you," not "here's a song that would suit you if you mixed it up." I completely agree. I think that the subtle alterations that Kris made to the song were enough, and that he would not have gained by any real changes since the song was arranged nicely for his voice to start with.

Adam Lambert is singing "One" by U2, chosen by Simon.  I've been gunning for Adam to sing U2 since the beginning.  Adam starts off slow, in blue light, soft and tender, and does his Adam thing.  It's a beautiful thing.  Then he does something we haven't really seen him do yet, and mix it up and amp it up in the same song.  In the chorus, Adam steps it up, grabs the band, and kicks it.  His voice powers up, he screams out one note, and then he's back down.  I did not like his use of the background singers--the man can sing on his own--and did think that the blue light was a little bit indulgent, to use Simon's word.  Overall, though, this song takes balls to take on, and Adam has them.  Paula's calling him the winner right now.  Simon calls it a "brilliant song choice" and a brilliant performance.  Only one question: how is Adam going to top this?  And poor Kris and Danny having to follow that.

For himself, Danny chooses to sing "You Are So Beautiful", and yours truly would like to point out that the arrangement of contestants tonight is not counterbalanced and unfairly biased against Danny.  Still, this absolutely abysmal, cloying, sickly sweet song choice certainly isn't what I would have wanted to finish tonight.  Danny is singing at the top of his range, which is not his best; he does better belting, as he did earlier tonight, and as he does in the latter 45 seconds or so of the song.  The first half was not so good, the second half was all right.  I really like what he did in terms of arrangement, and his vocals were very good in the second half.  A B+ performance: passing, certainly an achievement, but nothing to jump up and down and scream from the rooftops about.  

Kris Allen is singing "Heartless" by Kanye West, which could either be a great choice or a trainwreck. He starts off alone, a capella, and then brings a guitar in for what promises to be a vintage Kris performance, a Jason Mraz-y, Howie Day vibe. He's having a lot of fun with this song, to judge from the grin on his face, singing it rather than rapping it. This is not a great song choice but it is a lot of fun and I'd buy his CD based off of that single. I think actually that Kris is making a good choice by choosing not to compete with the sheer vocal ability of Danny and Adam, and instead doing--I'm stealing a Paula word--something relevant and current. Two thumbs up.

Adam chose “Cryin’” by Aerosmith for tonight.  He’s back to his rock roots (if you can call them his roots) and just breaking it down, working up a little high where he’s comfortable.  One of the background singers is trying to sing harmony with him and is three counties away from the pitch, and that is making him sound off in turn.  Adam is having fun with this, getting a little over the top (especially when he out and out screams the last note.)  Not as good as his first performance tonight, but Randy is right that Adam is a rock star.  (Adam needs to be the front man of a band, but unfortunately, those bands tend to form entire, and they don’t send out “Lead Singer Wanted” ads.)  Simon, bless him, points out that people need to continue to vote for him no matter how well he did.

You know what?  Tonight, this could be anyone’s game.  I think that Adam is going to be winning the overall contest, but it could legitimately be either Danny or Kris with him.  I hope it is Kris, because Kris has shown more overall versatility and originality, and he is also more my “type” of artist—acoustic, a little bit indie, with a singer-songwriter kind of vibe.  Danny could be the safest choice, though, because he can sing vanilla pop ballads better than Kris, and therefore be more radio friendly.

Top 4: Results

The Idols take the stage to sing "School's Out," which is a great thing to hear when I'm taking a break from studying for exams!  No, seriously: Slash is playing guitar for this song.  This is making my night.

Kris is given the lines that he can really nail, which is great.  Kris is Something Corporate, not the Stones; there's no reason for him to sing rock when his voice isn't at all suited for it.  Adam is nailing it, Danny is standing in front of the TV singing into the Rock Band mic, and Allison gets a cameo at the end where, while singing, she shoves all three of the guys.  The funny thing, though, is that she hauls on Danny, but only playfully pushes Adam.  Later she apologizes: "I got a little carried away."  Sure, Allison.  Thanks for decking Danny, he needed it.  The quasi-sibling dynamic that Allison and Adam have is adorable.

Ryan and Adam discuss Adam's performance, and Adam said he really liked what he'd done, but he also really liked what he was wearing.  Of course he did.

In the middle of Paula's performance, a dancer holds up a newspaper that shows Paula and Simon, with the caption "FINAL SHOWDOWN."  I barked out a laugh like a seal.

Paula's performance is not worth mentioning, sadly.  She can still dance, but her singing left much to be desired.

Gwen Stefani is a great performer live, but I don't love her voice, and I don't know what she's wearing tonight.

Our finalists, finally!  Ryan notes they will be announced in random order tonight.  Interesting.

Kris Allen... is SAFE!  I am so glad that voters recognized that he was forced out of his element and did his very best last night.

Please I hope this means Allison is safe.  I really think that we could get rid of Danny tonight... and I hope we do!  If we lose Allison this week, it will be a travesty.

Of course everything has to be as dragged out as possible, so we're hearing a Daughtry song that is mostly mediocre.  Daughtry has got a great rock voice, so he needs to stop trying to sound like Creed.

Adam Lambert... is obviously safe.

Danny Gokey... WHAT THE BLOODY H HE IS SAFE!

Allison Iraheta is going home tonight, and that is absolutely ridiculous.

America, you suck.

Top 4: Rock Week

We’re gonna rock and roll all night on American Idol!

Slash says, “I never thought of myself as a mentor on American Idol,” and I don’t know that I thought so either.  Slash is a guitarist, not a singer.  On the other hand, his contribution to rock music is undeniable, and he knows how to rock.

Adam Lambert is singing “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin.  Tonight Turn up the Volume! comes to you from a couch with several girls, and their comments on Adam do not bear repeating, but let’s say there was lamentation for his sexual preferences as he came up onstage!  Adam looks like a rocker tonight, and I don’t know what that note is that came out of his mouth, but it is amazing.  I am continually in awe at the range he can produce, and the gymnastics he can do with his voice.  It’s a little over the top, but he’s allowed to be over the top, this is freaking rock week.  Adam is consistently on pitch, and he is on stage to rock the house tonight!  Randy is right: Adam is a rock star waiting to happen!

Simon said, “The problem is, nobody can touch that now.”  Um, guys—don’t put Adam in the front if you want everyone else to look bad.

Allison Iraheta is singing Janis Joplin’s “Crybaby.”  Slash is right that Allison is predisposed to sing Janis.  Allison has a great voice that’s capable of some gravel and she has one hell of a range.  Next to Adam, this doesn’t look like a rock concert, but here’s the thing.  Allison has the subtlety to really put her inflection on this song.  She doesn’t have the professionalism that Adam has, but she is a diamond in the rough.  This song didn’t let her show off all that she can do, but it is a really solid performance that will help her out.  Simon, however, is right that "Somebody To Love" by Jefferson Airplane would have been a better choice.  But PS--her hair is amazing.

Kris and Danny are singing the Stix, which is actually surprisingly good.  I was worried that Danny's sheer capability for volume would overwhelm Kris, and it does a little bit, but Kris is really holding up for himself.  He's an unlikely rock star, but look at him lift that mic and headbang!  Danny is powering through, while Kris is clearly at the top of his range, but there is not a bad note in there and they're both having a lot of fun.  Not a great performance, but Kara and Randy are right that the sum of the parts were greater than either separate and that they complemented each other.  I'd go see their show!

Kris Allen is singing the Beatles tonight, which is a perfect choice (even if I was hoping for "The Man Who Sold The World" by David Bowie.)  Unfortunately, he is singing "Come Together," which could either be good or a trainwreck.  The guitar is a good choice, it gives him more rock star cred.  I like his decision to really go for these notes, even though you can tell he doesn't have the power.  Unfortunately, although this is a good execution, he is paling in comparison to everything that we just heard, and I suspect he will pale against Danny as well.  Now, I say that, and he cranks the volume and the power up for the last 30 seconds and amps it up.  Ultimately, Kris is not a rocker, but he damn well bloody tried, and I thought that he did the best he could for tonight.

Danny Gokey is singing "Dream On" by Aerosmith.  Now, this could be good or bad for him.  Michael Johns nailed this song last year, and if Danny gets compared to him, that's really bad for Danny.  If people forget about Michael, or compare Danny to the song instead of to past performance, it could be either good or bad, depending on how well he does.  Ultimately I don't think that Danny has the falsetto to kill this song (although he might kill it dead in the water,) and that he'll just power through, but we'll see what he does.  He certainly doesn't start off inspiringly, he sounds karaeoke here, and the "everybody's gone" line is just a joke.  The chorus is better, but still, Danny sounds like he's playing Rock Band and he doesn't know the words so he's just going through the motions.  That scream killed my ears.  This was not a good performance.

Adam and Allison are singing "Slow Ride" by Foghat, which is a great choice for both of them because they can KILL it. I love that they're splitting the lines. This sounds like a fuckin' rock concert, guys, the two of them playing off each other and having a blast doing it. They sound great all the way through, whether backed by the guitar or just the drums. I wouldn't have picked ending it like that, but these two have some serious on-stage chemistry and that little leap-hug at the end was adorable. ROCK ON GUYS!

Adam Cook, brother of David Cook, died this morning.  May he rest in peace.