The much-awaited grand finale of the American Idol Season 8 will finally happen today! A lot of changes have transpired this season, having a new judge by the person of Kara DioGuardi, the new elimination process in getting the top 13, it's-now- top13-and-not-top-12-season, and of course, the one-time-save by the judges, being just some of them. The chosen top 13 participants were very good. Some of them I did not expect to make it, but realized at performance nights how deserving they were to be there. Each contestant had something great to show which made it harder for the voting population to decide who to root for. I, myself, had changed bets over time. It's just too good a season, that stopping to watch AI after your bets getting cut was never an option.
My original favorite was Meghan Joy. I fell in love with her singing the first time I heard her in the auditions. She's different, quirky, hip, current & beautiful. I rooted for her until she got cut. My attention shifted to Matt Giraud who I always had the hots for whenever he sings soulful "blue-sy" music. I was disappointed when he got eliminated, and was totally ecstatic when the judges decided to save him and give him another chance. And although he did not make it all the way to the finals, I still believe that the judges did not make a mistake in choosing to let him stay. I knew that was just not his time to leave, with Anoop Desai and Li'l Rounds still around. He survived another 2 weeks before getting cut again. That might have been a good call since there's really no way he can beat Danny Gokey, Kris Allen & Adam Lambert. And it so happened that Allison's performance that week was the bomb.
When Matt got eliminated, I realized how hard it was for me to choose among the contestants left. The remaining guys had different niches and were awesome in their own ways. Although, I knew that Allison has already made her name & proven her worth in the competition, I was never her fan so the voters' decision of letting her go was not too frustrating & surprising for me. It was Gokey, Allen & Lambert after all. I was not sure of who to root for among them until that night of the Top 3.
After Kris Allen's version of Kanye West's "Heartless", I was immediately sold. And I'm betting that that single performance of his, turned tables around. You just have to love that rendition. Randy Jackson even commented that his version was even better than the original one. I wonder how Kanye reacted to that statement. haha Well, Kris Allen's vocals are great. He looks like the boy-next-door-you-wanna-marry-type kind of guy. I love his acoustic rock style. And although some of his renditions are kind of laid back for a big crowd, he never failed to connect himself in the audience whenever he sings. That's why, I was not surprised when Ryan Seacrest called his name as the first person to land on Top 2. I just knew he deserved it.
It was sad that Danny Gokey had to leave. In the beginning of the season, it was predicted that he and Adam will be the two people reaching the finals. Well, this is also a popularity contest anyway, so that just goes to show that Danny had the least fans among the three(Kris, Danny & Adam). I know he'll still go a long way, anyhow.
I've always thought that I would not be surprised if Adam gets the win this season. He's one of the most unique, current and talented contestants in the history of AI. He never fails to surprise the audience with his out of this world renditions and outfits. He's one heck of a performer as well who gives everyone a great show with his every performance. A standing ovation from Simon is just a classic example of how good he is.
Having said all of this, I am still rooting for Kris Allen all the way.
Fearless Prediction: (No biases included, ok?) Kris Allen will win.
Here are my objective reasons. (Uyyy, objective daw oh!) lol.
1. I think Allen's performance of 'Heartless' totally made an impact to the people. As I've said, he has turned tables around as by that song, he has made himself the "it-guy' right now. Case in point: David Cook's version of Always be my Baby. Adam Lambert has been incomparable and seemed to be unbeatable during the entire season until that Top 3 night. Allen's performance of 'Ain't no Sunshine' last night was also tagged to be one of the best performances in the season which even outshadowed Lambert's version of Mad World --the song which gave him a standing ovation.
2. Kris Allen is mainstream. His songs capture a wider set of audience. Adam Lambert, on the other hand, has his own niche, with him having a different set of audience - which I believe is smaller than mainstream.
3. With Danny having been eliminated last week, I think it would be more or less safe to assume that Danny's fans will root for Kris instead of Adam. Why? Well, because Danny and Kris's music genre are more similar than Danny and Adam's.
I don't know. I may be wrong. And I know there's only one way to find out. I can't wait to watch the Grand Finale later. I will be watching it at the very latest schedule it's going to be aired as I can't go home early today. For all I know, there might be a winner already at this very moment. So please, please, NO SPOILERS. =)
Image from: watchingamericanidol.com
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