The red carpet was rolled out! Ryan was in his best suit! So was Simon! What? Yup...there he was, in a suit! (Apparently Randy and Paula didn't feel like the night was any more special than usual and we thank them for their lack of respect.) The beautiful Kodak Theater had been turned over to the American Idol stage hands and was properly suited and booted for the show! The only question that most of us had was..."can either of them pull off an upset?" I managed to find out a little inside "scoop" that had me wondering whether either of these two would be able to pull off anything...Bo had food poisoning on Wednesday and actually lost his voice and Carrie was suffering from a horrible case of hayfever! "Oh crap," I thought, "now we are going to deal with two nasally performances...just what the finale of American Idol should be all about." However, neither food poisoning nor hayfever was going to delay the performances, so I quickly gathered my cookies and milk and settled into the sofa for the "night we've all been waiting for!"
Ryan told us that Carrie and Bo would both sing two original songs and one favorite song from the season! And then, there he was to do the coin toss. As has been typical for this season, Ryan managed to fumble the coin just a bit and loose it down a grate on the stage. Ok, the first question I had was what the hell a grate was doing on the stage? The second was, has Ryan started raiding the cabinet that holds Paula's three V's? Since there was no one to answer these pressing questions, I filed them away and just in time as they were able to retrieve the "one of a kind" coin and do it all over again. Carrie, as you know, won the toss and made an interesting choice and one I wasn't really sure about. She decided to allow Bo to sing first.
Round OneBo came out and started singing The Long, Long Road. Ummmm...I'm sorry, I don't get it. Bo is NEVER at his best when singing ballads. Why chose something that isn't going to showcase your voice...which is amazing. Thankfully, Bo wrapped the song up with no vocal problems but I wondered if this wasn't a sign. Surely not?!
Yep, it was a sign all right! Inside Your Heaven was the original that Carrie started off with. Who the hell comes up with these songs? Do they keep in mind the persons performing them? Apparently not!! Like Bo, Carrie had no vocal problems. That's not to say she did an amazing job...nope...it was a mediocre song that didn't give a lot of wiggle room for a great performance.
Simon gave round one, by a hair, to Bo. Most people I've talked to though think round one was a draw! I agree!!
Round TwoI've said it before and I'll say it again...Bo can be my Vehicle any damn time he wants!! Bo manages to rock this song and last night was absolutely no exception. Bo's considerable experience shows through in all of his performances and then, when you get a song that showcases that talent...you've got a winner!! Bo chose the absolute best song from the season for him!!
I think I know why Carrie did not choose the BEST song from the season that would most showcase her vocal prowess (and limited stage presence). I'm sure you are wondering what the hell I'm talking about. You see, Carrie had a couple of songs where she blew everyone away (Alone by Heart being one of them). However, Independence Day by Martina McBride just wasn't one of the best performances. Then again, maybe Carrie was using her head. I thought of all those red-blooded Americans in the heartland. Those patriotic, red state Americans!! Yup!! Carrie was smart!!! She chose the song that would speak to her fan base!! Pop/Country is now the number one genre of music in America! Hmmmmm...Carrie sings a song (quite well) that is not only patriotic, it is also one of the favorites of the folks who love pop/country (remember...number one genre in the country)...well shoot, that's a no-brainer!!
Simon gave round two to Bo! Based on song selection and targeting your core audience, I disagree and give round two to Carrie!
Round ThreeOh God...It's that song again! Having heard Inside Your Heaven once before, I now suffered through it again. What a crappy song to be the first song for the next American Idol to put out! Last year we had that amazing song that showcased Fantasia's incredible voice. This year we get crap! And dang, why give us crap when we are having the tightest competition ever? Having said that, Bo gave a better rendition and performance of this song than Carrie! But, can we skip this one...please??!!
The last number! The one that could decide our next American Idol! My cute little girl from small town Oklahoma (and suffering from hayfever)! Ok, I'll be honest, I had some nerves right about now. Bo's older! Bo's more experienced! Whew...can she do it? As she started Angels Brought Me Here, I wasn't certain. But as the song built, the goosebumps started to rise!! Yes! YES!! YESSS!!! My little Okie did it!! With emotion showing that had been lacking the entire season, Carrie sang her heart out!! I know why she chose to sing second now!! She was just following the example she's known her whole life...Oklahoma football!!! She knew that all it took was ONE great moment to win the whole thing!! At that moment, past mistakes were forgotten!! Randy was right to give her his first standing O!
Simon said Carrie did good enough on round three to win the whole thing. I agree and give round three to Carrie!
So, who wins the whole thing? Reality TV writer Craig Berman said about Carrie that "her likability and potential will draw more votes than Bice's pure talent." We had three rounds and I gave two of them to Carrie! For that reason alone, I would have to give it to Carrie. BUT, I also think it is important to remember that Carrie has NEVER been in the bottom three! Bo has! Did that figure into the voting last night?! We shall see!! In the meantime, I join the likes of Craig Berman and Simon Cowell in proclaiming that our next American Idol will be...
Carrie Underwood
