Another End of May Sweeps, Another Idol Finale

So if you've been reading this blog for the last few weeks you know who I am pulling for.  I got out all my "why Kris should win" reasons last week thinking he would be going home.  That said, I really do think they both are wonderfully talented artists (each in their own right) and either deserves to win.  I still maintain that Kris is more commercial but I won't try to deny that Adam is entertaining.  That boy can work a flight of stairs unlike anything I've even seen before.  I didn't think anything could top the "Feeling Good" entrance until he rose out of the floor for "Mad World" last night.  Kris played to his strengths by keeping things mellow and showing us his artistry and being adorable.


They are both winners.  So rather than regurgitate all the reasons I still would rather see  Kris take the crown, I will spend my time talking about this week's losers: the Idol judges and producers.


This has been a weird season.  I am not sure if it was the departure of Nigel Lythgoe, a desperate attempt at ratings boosting, or a desperate attempt to try and keep Simon Cowell from bolting the second his contract is up, but the changes that were made to this season have taken something away from it, I think.  Not all of the changes have been bad.  Going back to the Top 36 semi-final round system and bringing back the wild-card round have been changes for the better, in my opinion.  The save was a good idea in concept but was used in such a way as to make it kind of useless.  I loved Matt Giraud, don't get me wrong, and was happy to see him around a couple of extra weeks, but to use it on someone you know has no chance of winning the competition is wasteful.  I am sure Danny fans would rather see a 3 man finale than two more weeks of Matt.


But the changes alone are not what took away from this season's magic.  (No, I'm not talking about Kara.  I am done talking about Kara.)  The judge/producer agenda has never been more clear as it has been this season.  The obvious, obnixious pimping of Adam and Danny turned even the most devoted fans into passionate VFTWorst-ers. In the producers, it was irritating.  In the judges, however, it was obscene. Last night, the only judge I agreed with all night was Randy.  I think he was honest in a way the other three refused to be.  Even if a contestant is your favorite, it is okay to give them negative feedback if their performance sucks.  Adam and  Kris' final performances sucked, but only Kris was told that by anyone other than Randy.


Speaking of that last song. (Must keep reminding myself: I am done talking about Kara.  I am done talking about Kara.)  The finale 'original song' is almost always bad.  This one was no exception, though in my opinion it was the worst one yet. (Still done talking about Kara...)  The producers should have reversed the order of the show, doing that crappy original song first and closing the show with a rememberance of what got these two here in the first place: performances like "Mad World" and "Ain't No Sunshine".  I agree with Randy that the original song is actually suited more to  Kris. But the key was too high, however, because it sounded like she was writing it for Danny.  Too bad that didn't work out for her, at least she still has Adam.  (Crap!  I promised myself I wouldn't talk about Kara!)


So did the scheming work?  It's hard to say.  Most of the people I know voted for  Kris, but this has always been Adam's competition to lose.  I will say this, though, in seven years of watching Idol, the person in the final pairing that I wanted to win has only won once... so odds are not great for my homeboy but you never know what America will do.