Idol Finale Tonight!

THE POOL
IF Crystal Wins
1st: Tracey Reynolds, 2nd Adam Cohen 3rd Jacqueline Ferrante 4th Toniann

If Lee Wins
1st Tracey Reynolds, Jaqueline Ferrante (You share the combined 1st and 2nd place price divided by two), 3rd Adam Cohen, 4th Toniann.

THE FINALE
It’s time for our 9th idol finale. Let’s look at our contenders….

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX: Made absolutely no real impression until Top 10 Week, where she led off the show in spectacular fashion, and has really never looked back. Looking back at my recaps, she basically was the best of what was really a lackluster bunch through the Top 24 and the first few weeks of the Top 12. (I was wondering when they started treating her like the chosen one (which funny enough has stopped the last two weeks) and it was way back in Top 12 (Rolling Stones) week. I think this actually has served to her detriment, she is chasing a level of performance which I’m not sure she has actually even given us). She has been consistently good, but never really spectacular. (Case in point, when I say Fantasia you think SUMMERTIME. When I say Carrie, you think ALONE. When I say Crystal, you think “she plays guitar”.) Crystal has been on cruise control, and not afraid to let us know her mind is somewhere else (her family, her bf). She needs to stop that at least for one week. This week has to be about her winning. I don’t care if she wrote this song for her boyfriend. It has to be good and it has to feel heartfelt to the audience, not him. Crystal’s strength is she seems authentic, and she can wrap her voice around a song and make it emotional. She needs to stay away from country or anything peppy and she will do well.

Big Moment of Season: Crystal gets hospitalized for diabetes complications, Idol flips the shows (men and women) so they don’t need to cut her Top 10, and she comes out and absolutely shines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSEyOa-cmko&feature=PlayList&p=4F1A07B8A06BA0C5&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=13

LEE DEWYZE: Lee is on the almost exact slow burn path Kris Allen took last year. He didn’t really get going till top 10, where after his performance Simon told him that you “may look back at tonight as the most important night of your life”. (He performed right after their awkward first “backstage cam” moment with Siobahn crying and being consoled.) He has capitalized on Crystal going on cruise control, creeping closer and closer and ending the show last week as if he was the favorite. (It almost felt like a coronation, it was bizarre.) Lee’s strength is his great voice and an ability (the last few weeks) to make songs his own. He is really likable and seems like he really cares about winning, much more than Crystal. Lee needs to stay away from anything too cookie cutter (like when he sang Kiss from a Rose, he doesn’t have that kind of voice). He also has to bring the confidence he has found in the last few weeks. It has served him well.

Big Moment of Season: Week 10 – Simon confirms Lee has joined the fray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1vv7lo9YVg

BTW, as for show format, I’m at a loss. Idol has said there is no producer’s choice this year. (Final 3 has judge’s shoice, Final 2 producers choice.) However, I have also heard that the coronation song will NOT be sung tonight, but rather by the winner at the finale. (Which makes about 10,000 times more sense which makes me feel like it’s wrong.) What I have heard is the following

1) Personal Choice (Repeat)
2) Clive Davis’s Choice
3) Original Song (written by artist)

Getting the idol format for any weeks show is like cracking the codes for the nuclear football so your guess is as good as mine.

GOODBYE SIMON!
It’s also goodbye to Simon Cowell. By far the most important idol judge, he will give his final critiques tonight. (Who would have thought, out of all the Idol judges, Randy would be the last one left standing.) They are sure to acknowledge this and give Thanks sometimes on Wednesday’s show. (I’ll talk more about the finale tomorrow.)

BTW, and I have to say this at least once (totally off topic), Didn’t LOST promise us way back in Season 1 they would not end like they did?

See you tomorrow! Should be a great show!