American Idol 8 – Season Finale

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert discuss their final performances (and a bit more) courtesy of CNN.com

So, the Season 8 winner will be announced tonight. The finale episode begins tonight at 8pm ET on FOX. Here’s my recap from last night’s final performances:

Okay, well, it’s finale night. It’s been a rather long (but interesting) season. Oh, cool opening. I think they just re-did that, though. I don’t think that was really from the first auditions. Was that Fred? In the audience? That looked like Fred! Hey Randy, nice suit, dawg! I see Paula chose the brightest of the three possible dresses… And Simon’s got his shirt open down to his…

You know, Kris choosing to go second – that’s always a smart move. I like that Ryan’s actually admitting “Hey, we don’t stand a chance of ending on time tomorrow night. I’m just tellin’ ya… So, set your DVR’s accordingly…” And he also says the lines will be open for at least 4 hours tonight. He might as well come out and say it: “We’re leaving the lines open until we get 100 million votes. Period.”

Adam’s up first… What will he choose as his favorite of the season? He’s had quite a few memorable performances. How can he settle on one?

Adam – Oh, “Mad World.” Good choice, since Simon gave him the standing “O” and half of America didn’t get to see it the first time anyway… Man, he’s channeling his inner Edward tonight… Very good performance. That’s right up his alley. The only thing it really lacked was the “surprise” factor that Adam usually brings, but that should be expected (duh) ‘cause he’s done that song before. Yes, Randy, “Twilight.” That’s it. I liked the fog effect. I like the added drama.

Kris – I like the “1 Music Coupon” touch. Kris, going off the board a bit with his song choice tonight. I didn’t expect this one. I was fully expecting “Heartless.” I like this performance though. I like that he was very emotional singing that song. Simon’s clap just looks so patronizing, doesn’t it? “I have to clap for him.” The only thing that slightly bugs me about him is his transition into his falsetto. A little too rocky for me. “Allenizing?” Nice word Paula. What about “Lambertizing?”

Sometimes I think maybe Simon is antagonizing the Adam fans tonight in order to get their butts voting. Simon is one of the most manipulating TV personalities on… (ahem) TV. He knows exactly what he’s doing…

Adam – Song two. I remember Taylor Hicks singing this during his audition. Pause. What the… hold on… Wow, man. First off, that has got to be the absolute weirdest song choice. Ever. But, it didn’t really matter. He still “sang his face off.” But what’s funny about that performance is this: I don’t think he’ll gain any new fans because of it. The anti-Adam contingency will still say “he’s screaming too much” but his die-hard fans will love it.

Kris – Kris, round 2… See, I like how he scales it back. He just is the opposite of what Adam is, man. And I mean that in the best way possible. That is where Kris shines, when he “acoustics it up a little bit.” Oh, Simon, I think he did. I think he definitely made the song his own. But I will still agree that Round 2 goes to Adam.

Now comes the performance that will basically kick-start their careers. This is the song they will be singing repeatedly, night, after night, after night during this summer tour. It’s time for the “Winner’s single.” No boundaries.

Adam – That was good. I like the song, and it’s nicely enough written (kudos Kara) that both Adam and Kris can make that song their own. I don’t totally agree with Randy, but I did see a few cracks appear in his voice for the first time this season. I like those kind of “positive uplifting mountain and hurricane” songs Simon. I think it’s the obligatory “Coronation Song” that is befitting a newly crowned Idol. Did Adam seal it up with his version? Well, it’s too soon to tell.

Kris – Okay, the last performance of the season. I like Kris’ arrangement. Talk about pitchy though. At first I was thinking this song was too low, now I’m thinking it’s too high. Same cracks in Kris’ voice. What I really like about the same song being sung by both finalists: I like hearing the different arrangements. Kara is right. Don’t hold that song against Kris. It was a little weird for him. Seemed too low, seemed too high.

To be honest, in analyzing the last song, I think Kris’ recording would be better than Adam’s… But I think Adam sang it better. To me, Kris’ second song was his best of the night.

It’s been an amazing season of Idol. With all the drama and all the controversy of this season, it’s come down to this, tonight. Kris has certainly proven himself worthy of being in the final two, but I’ve still got to go with Adam to win the whole thing. That’s my personal preference. But, to be honest, I think the American public will vote Kris the winner of American Idol 8. And I don’t really have a problem with that. I can completely understand why someone would choose Kris over Adam. Like I said, to me, Adam is the better entertainer, has been more consistent all season, and has the best chance for all-around commercial success after the show ends tomorrow night.

But I just have a feeling that America will vote Kris the winner.

So, to wrap it up… My personal pick:

Adam

Kris

But I don’t necessarily think it will end up that way… I am totally looking forward to tomorrow night’s finale… I’ve been reading the tweets of @dannygokey, @michaelsarver1, @MGiraudOfficial, @IdolScott, @agcruc, and Anoop’s which (for some reason) this site won’t let me type (but it’s @Anoop (Dog with two g’s) Desai) – and it’s been really interesting to read their thoughts over the past few days. This has been a very talented group of singers, and I can’t wait to hear the music that this group generates on the charts.