American Idol: Top 2 (season finale part 1)

(S06E40)

Will Blake beatbox his way to glory? Or will Jordin sparkle her way to the top?

Tonight, we're at the Kodak Theater for the showdown between the final two contestants -- BLAKE vs. JORDIN. Ryan calls it another "Battle of the Sexes" between "two very different people with two very different styles."

This week Blake goes first having won last week's coin toss. Each finalist will sing three songs -- 1) their favorite song 2) a song they haven't sung, and 3) the winning song -- "This Is My Now."

ROUND #1

BLAKE ("You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi) -- Jon Bon Jovi didn't care for this arrangement (and neither did I really, being the Bon Jovi purist that I am), but Blake did get an overwhelmingly positive response for it the first time and it's smart to drag it out once again. There's problems with the sound (but that's not really Blake's fault), and I think the vocals lack energy. The crowd, however, LURVES it. Randy gives Blake a 10 out of 10 on the beatboxing, but thinks the singing is "just all right." Paula thinks Blake outdid himself, and she wished she could give him 10 plus 10 plus 10 (babble on, Paula). Simon acknowledges once again that what Blake lacks in singing he makes up for in performance. He thinks this performance "was great, the energy amazing." But, like me, he thinks the singing was "a bit flat." He also thinks that doesn't matter.

JORDIN ("Fighter" by Christina Aguilera) -- Jordin wisely picks a more contemporary song this week, and again is dressing better than she did earlier in the competition. Randy can barely speak over Jordin's cheering fans. He calls her voice "stellar, brilliant, amazing." And I can't hear what else he says because someone keeps cutting the sound too early tonight. Did they not rehearse and do a sound check earlier? Paula echoes the "stellar" comment and throws in an "awesome" for good luck. Simon thinks it was great that Jordin chose a younger song, but found the vocals to be "shrieky in the middle." The crowd appropriately boos.

Simon gives Round 1 to Blake. Paula refuses to pick again, and I wish someone would yell at her "This isn't Sophie's Choice -- just pick a favorite!!" Randy splits his pick: the performance goes to Blake, and the vocals go to Jordin. Were the judges always this wishy-washy in the finals?

ROUND #2

BLAKE ("She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5) -- Blake comes out wearing his best Argyle sweater and grandpa pants (his description, not mine). Blake did fairly well with last week's "This Love" by Maroon 5, so this seems like another smart choice for him. The song fits his vocal range. Randy calls it a "great song ... a very nice vocal." Paula tells Simon to stop something, then tells Blake "you really got into the ease of the song, and you sounded great." Simon says, "it was good, it was safe, it wasn't as good as the first performance and I actually wouldn't have chosen that song in the final because I don't think it makes that much of an impact."

JORDIN ("A Broken Wing" by Martina McBride") -- Jordin sounds just as amazing as she did the first time she sang this tune, but for some reason it doesn't make as much of an impact on me the second time. But that's only because I don't think any of the songs are as powerful the second time around. Randy says that he's loved Jordin since day one, and she's the most talented 17-year-old he knows. He calls this performance "flawless ... unbelievable ... and better than the original." Paula of course tells Jordin that she looks adorable and then says, "you are in great, great vocal voice tonight." What the heck?? Paula broke her nose and not her brain, correct? Simon says, "Now that was good."

Ryan doesn't ask them who wins Round 2, so I'll just say that it goes to Jordin.

ROUND #3

BLAKE ("This is My Now") -- Blake has changed into a sparkly Argyl sweater vest that screams "Superstar" to me. He starts off sitting, singing quietly and my first thoughts are -- "please somebody tell me Blake isn't going to sing this sappy song straight. Please tell me he's going to funk it out with some beatboxing." He does bounce around at one point, trying to bring some life to it, but he doesn't quite hit all the notes. Wow, that was awkward. Randy says, "You did a pretty good job with it," but he doesn't think it was great. Paula, however, thinks Blake did do a great job with the song. She broke her nose and not her ears, correct? Simon thinks it was "a little odd" (especially the bouncing around in the middle). Simon says that Blake look frustrated with the song because it's not the type of song he would usually sing. But Blake's all cool and doesn't complain about the lameness of the tune at all. And that's what I like about Blake. He never gives excuses, talks back, or gets defensive. Blake's attitude is all "it is what it is, dude." He really is just having fun.

JORDIN ("This is My Now") -- Okay, at first glance it doesn't seem fair because this song seems like it was made for a girl especially with a voice like Jordin. However, go back and listen to the song as originally submitted (it's sung by a guy) and it sounds like a Taylor-type song. With Jordin singing it, the song could be on the next Disney soundtrack. Which is either a good or bad thing depending on your opinion about those kinds of things. The song isn't the greatest, but Jordin is moved to tears, practically moving me to tears. They keep saying Blake is the better performer, but has he EVER really connected with the emotions of the songs he sings? Randy says, "this is the best singing competition ever in the history of television ... and Jordin -- you were the best singer tonight, you deserve it all, baby." Paula says, "You freaking make me proud ... you have a lot to be proud of ... you're an angel." Simon honestly admits that last week he didn't think Jordin was good enough to make the finals, "and I want to say to you publicly now, 'I was wrong' ... it is a singing competition and you just wiped the floor with Blake on that song."

The crowd begins chanting "JORDIN." And Ryan reminds us that we can download the song at AmericanIdol.com. There are four hours to vote, and three phone numbers each.

Final Assessments:

RANDY thinks Jordin wins the night.

PAULA tells them "they all end up as winners as you will see." (It's Sophie's freaking choice once again). Then Paula explains her decision to Ryan saying, "You know why? The next thing that you're gonna see tells you the story why." (I only get what she's saying after the fact, and she could actually make sense if she wasn't well, Paula).

SIMON says the best individual performance of the night was Blake's first song. But based on overall singing, Jordin wins.

ME, I agree with Simon. Based on tonight's performances, Jordin deserves to win this year's American Idol. Of course, last week I agreed with Simon that Melinda was headed to the finals and we all know how that turned out.

And YOU? Who do you think will win?

To close the night out, Chris Daughtry sings "Home" (because we haven't heard that little ditty enough) live on the Kodak stage which actually explains why Paula was screaming "CHRIS, I love you" minutes earlier. This also explains her "they all end up as winners" comment a couple of minutes ago (it all makes sense now). And here, I assumed she was saying the name "Chris" because she was having hallucinations brought on by her recent dog-tripping accident.

Best Line of the night: "So, the bitch is okay?" (Ryan's response when Paula told him that her pup, Tulip, was not hurt in the "dog-tripping incident.")

Worst Oufit: Randy Jackson's Sgt. Pepper's civil war jacket.

Worst Make-up: Chris Daughtry's eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara.

Best American Idol City: SEATTLE -- it's where both Blake and Jordin auditioned. And the winning songwriter's Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne are ALSO from Seattle.

Best Backpedal: Simon proclaims, "I always said there was talent in Seattle and I was right." (You may remember that Simon originally referred to the Seattle turnout as "the worst bunch of miserable contestants ever."

Most Obvious Use of Dress Rehearsal Footage: When Jordin finished up her final song she was crying, her lips quivering so that she could barely utter the final lines. When they showed the quick performance recaps at the end of the show, Jordin finished the song with a HUGE GRIN on her face. I understand this is live, and she just finished her final song minutes ago, so it makes sense that they pieced together the recaps with earlier footage. But this is the first time it was blatantly obvious that they did so.

Tomorrow: A two-hour live results show and part two of the season finale. The Season Sixth winner will be crowned. Will Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee perform? Tune in tomorrow to find out.