American Idol Finale

What an immense disappointment that was. I don't know how Fox managed to screw this up, but they did it.

I mean, you've got these two fantastic talents who have been on a collision course for the final since Constantine's elimination (and maybe before that). Their singing styles and personalities -- the quiet country girl, the brash southern rocker -- are nothing like anything we've seen on American Idol in this season or in any other. The fact that these two are so different from the parade of R&B divas, boy band rejects, and Usher wannabes from the previous three seasons is a key reason behind the show's rejuvenation.

Now it's finale time. Inexplicably, somebody thought that it would a good idea to have Bo and Carrie sing treacle-drenched cheesy original ballads instead of the types of music that actually brought them to the dance. And apparently one ballad wasn't enough -- they had to sing two each. The same two, so that we heard four different songs tonight instead of six.

The other two songs were well done, but they sung them earlier in the competition. Naturally, those were the only moments when Bo and Carrie looked totally relaxed and were enjoying themselves. In complete contrast, neither one seemed comfortable with the ballads, particularly during the strained opening notes. Carrie seemed downright scared and in general, she looked about seven years older than usual. Bo looked nervous and ill-at-ease for the first time this season.

It's not like Fox doesn't know how to run a finale with two contrasting kinds of performers. The Ruben-Clay finale ran perfectly in that regard, with Clay showcasing his theatrical histrionics ("Bridge Over Troubled Water") and Ruben playing his soul/gospel part to perfection ("Flying Without Wings"). So why are they suddenly pretending that the final two are Tamyra Grey and LaToya London?

Who should win? Who was better? It's hard to say, because they've never sung those kinds of songs before. Not to mention that neither were at their best because they've never sung those kinds of songs before. I think Carrie sang better, since those numbers are better suited to her range, but Bo looked more comfortable out there. In that sense, this episode was no different than many other episodes from this season. It was close, but Carrie has never been in jeopardy at any point this season, therefore I think she would have had to seriously mess up in order to lose the title. She didn't mess up, and Bo couldn't put the hammer down on her this week (unlike last week), so Carrie will be YOUR American Idol.