Here we are! Pins and needles all day, wondering how entertained I was going to be by these two boys. I wanted Allison, Kris and Adam in the final 3 and am glad that I got two of my three in here.
First we'll have Adam Lambert of San Diego. Next we'll have Kris Allen of Arkansas.
First, Thanks for the excellent season in review Jim. Those were pretty close to my thoughts it looks like.
Here we go! Live from my hotel room in Chicago (and not back in Los Angeles)
7:00 OK, so we didn't have that totally cheesy boxing comparison like last year. At least they acknowledged the many people who competed leading up to this night this year.
7:02 According to Ryan, it's Acoustic Rocker versus Glam Rocker, Conway versus California, the Guy-Next-Door versus the Guyliner
7:03 Simon's wearing his end-of-season suit.
7:04 Lots of famous folks in the audience. Each guy sings three times. They sing a Kara song, a song picked by Simon Fuller and then a song of their choice. Now, a long commercial
7:09 Adam as a kid - he was hyper and loud? Really?
7:10 Mad World in the blue light AND fog AND the staircase. And in a majorly 1980s sort of trenchcoat. Man this is an awesome and intense song. I love this - so glad he's reprising it. The extra production stuff added isn't to my taste but his vocals are so lush and beautiful! Not an easy number to top at all.
7:12 Randy is in a heck of a suit combo. Kara said blahblah. Surprise, Paula is proud of Adam.
7:14 Simon thought he was over-theatrical? Hmmmmm, why did he start with a diss of Adam? Last year, he gave all the props to Archie and America picked David Cook.
7:15 Kris is re-singing Ain't No Sunshine! Surprised me on this one, as I thought he'd do Falling Slowly - but it was his first real dark horse number. Such a huge contrast between this and Adam. Huuuuuge retard on the beginning. Tied to the piano and not roaming, no fog machine like Adam. Ooh, he's mixing up the tempo and going major emo the interpretation! And he's showing his falsetto, too.
7:18 Randy loved that performance as one of Kris's best. Ditto Kara. Paula said he's a great artist. Simon believes that Kris truly belongs on this stage after that last performance. Wow, where's the ovation?
7:21 Ryan forces the issue. Simon calls Round 1 to Kris. Commercial
7:25 Adam sings Change is Going to Come, as picked by Simon Fuller. Wow, totally done with a huge R&B sound. Lots of amazing falsettos and scales. Incredible rich sound and amazing vocal play.
7:28 Randy kissed his butt. Kara kissed his butt. Paula kissed his butt. His iconic butt. Simon thinks Adam is 100% back in the game. Man that trenchcoat really bugged Simon.
7:30 Commercial
7:35 Kris Allen now is singing Simon Fuller's choice (What's Going On, Marvin Gaye), with a guitar and and his trio of bongos and guitar. Love the relaxed and groovy sound. This is really showing how we will have a recognizable sound coming from him professionally soon.
7:38 Randy thought it was just ok. Kara thought it was just ok. Paula loved it. Simon thought it was inadequate for this round in the finals.
7:39 Simon gives this round resoundingly to Adam
7:42 The semifinalists are brought back together
7:43 Now, we're going to hear Kara's song, No Boundaries. Something's wrong with Adam's mike I think - Sound's weird. Gasp, is it Adam? Nice rock sound. No screaming at all tonight. Really comes off like a rock anthem. Something Queen could have done. Only problem is the song's an emotional, melodic, rhythmic dud. It stinks. It's a shame Adam has to carry it out to us.
7:47 Randy loves Adam but thought he was pitchy. Kara is thankful that he sang her song. Paula is awed by Adam. Simon said he thought Adam sang like he's this year's winner.
7:49 Commercial
7:53 Kris is now starting up No Boundaries. He's totally stripped the song of all the built up rock drama that Adam had. Oh he's building up. Hmmm, the only problem is that it's showing a little weakness in his voice on the scale up. I like the interpretation because I think I can remember it more (not saying much given the material). Actually, this interpretation works better for Kara's song.
7:55 Randy thinks Kris's key might have been too high but thought the song suited him better than Adam. Kara said he should be judged on the season. Paula sort of blew a kiss at his twink look. Simon believes he deserves to be on the stage. So in other words, nobody wanted to bad mouth him. Ryan doesn't ask who won this round. To me it was a draw.
7:58 Adam is at 866-idol-01 866-idol-03 and 866-idol-05 while kris is 866-idol-02 866-idol-04 and 866-idol-06
7:59 Recap time.
OK, so this was a tough one. I agree with Simon on the first two rounds. They never said who won the final round, but it sure sounded like a draw to me, based on their statements. It was also a draw to me, based on my assessments.
OK I gotta admit, these two look really good together! Trying to keep my mind focused...
8:00 Carrie Underwood now sings the closing. She's not in a humongous dress, but in a jeans and boots combo. She's singing Sweet Home. Now they're recapping the season visually behind her. Yikes, Tatiana! Oh no, I bet she returns tomorrow... This song really shows why we all loved Carrie a few years ago.
And earliest headlines? Adam Lambert tops Kris Allen on 'American Idol' -- but not by much...
Phew, what a final! Now.... Who to vote for? It really was a draw... Maybe I'll watch this new show Glee first....
9:10 WOW, I really enjoyed the pilot of Glee. Just a (church) choir singer at heart here I guess.
9:11 Anyway, here's how I see Idol. As I've mentioned all week, I think that Kris will get the bulk of Danny's votes. If the separation between Kris and Adam was only 1 million votes, then I think Kris will win. But, given the body of work throughout the season, I have a slightest preference for Adam. He I think has shown the most consistency and guts all year long. In the end, I will likely be downloading more Kris albums, but for this contest, I guess I have to favor Adam.
My Full Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment