Let's Get Ready to Rumble - American Idol Finals

Here we go, interpeeps. The finals of American Idol have come down to Battle of the Davids.

Umm...OK...the intro? And my title, for that matter? Pure Cheese. Break out the tortilla chips, and let's have some queso.

Quit the jabbering already, and lets do some singing!

-----Round One-----

"DC Comics" David Cook - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Clive Davis' choice) Wow...what a difference a good theatre makes! The acoustics strike me as being much nicer...much rounder. I think that will help with the pitch issues we heard last week. This was an awesome choice for Cook. And a prize-worthy performance. LOVED it.

Paula, dear? Please stop with those song segue compliments...they're cheesier than the boxing references!

"The Shaggy DA" David Archuleta - Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Clive Davis' choice) DA is clearly the better vocalist in these finals. But I believe that DC is the better performer, and the more entertaining of the two. I could listen to DA sing all day, but I'd rather watch DC.

-----Round Two-----

DC - Dream Big (Songwriter's Choice) Hmmm...I didn't like this as much. He's singing his heart out, with passion, but it sounded like he was screaming. And that's not good, on the heels of DA's velvet vocals.

DA - In This Moment (Songwriter's Choice) The first few words were a little thin and unsupported. But he took off at the chorus. I don't get the anchor jacket. Vocals still great, but he can do even better.

-----Round Three-----

DC - The World I Know (David's Choice) DC has given us a nice variety tonight. I loved this gentle rocker version. I love the way he "gets" the music. He doesn't just look earnest, he looks like the song is real for him. That said, I think Simon may be right when he said that DC should have chosen one of his former "hits" for this show. It's clear that this song is meaningful to DC, so it was a nice choice for him, if not the best choice for the finals.

DA - Imagine (David's Choice) WOW. WWOWWWW! I remember that this was uh-may-zing the first time he did it. But this? This was the best vocal performance of the season, in my opinion.

And the Winner is...David!

Um, yeah. This was a weird finals night. I went into it rooting for David Cook. I think he has been consistently strong, choosing fresh songs (or choosing moldy oldies and making them fresh), and adding a sensitive rocker twist to them. I think he has a poet's soul, and that he analyzes the text of the song, then highlights it musically and vocally. He has a rocker's voice, so it's coarse and rough, but he's careful with how he applies it to the music, and I appreciate that. I really like his performances, because I believe he communicates the songs he chooses.

David Archuleta, on the other hand, has amazing depth to his voice. His vocals are pure and refined, and he sings earnestly, but I don't always believe he's communicating the meaning of the song. It appears to me that he focuses on the general feeling of the song, then tries to look happy or sad or inspirational. I think this is something that he will improve with time, and that there will be certain songs that he "gets" and pours himself into, like he did with Imagine. But his youthfulness makes his songs seem a little shallow to me sometimes.

All that said, I would be delighted for either of these young men to win this season. I'm glad it came down to these two...this is the ending I hoped for, even though it's not all I hoped it would be. As far as I'm concerned, DAVID is the next American Idol!

OK, Interpeeps, that's all I've got. I won't be weighing in tomorrow night. This is my season finale. Don't forget to stop by BooMama's to read what all the cool people are saying about the American Idol finals!