American Idol: Final Episode

*I'm publishing this now, before the West Coast has had a chance to watch, in case anyone wants crib notes on tonight's performances while they're watching. Enjoy!*

This is it, y'all. Who are you rooting for? "Rock God" Adam Lambert? Or "Dark Horse" Kris Allen?

Let's see how they do.

Both guys will have three songs: 1) their favorite song from the season 2) a song chosen by the producer 3) a new, original piece, co-written by Kara DioGuardi. (Did I spell that right?)

Kris Allen won the coin toss last week and has chosen to go second tonight.

Round One (Contestant Favorite)
1. Adam Lambert (Mad World) - This is a reprise of his favorite performance of the year. (Hello, nod to vampires?! Check out the black trench!) You know - this guy never hits a bad note. He's pretty set in what he wants to be...and you like it or you don't. This is SO Adam - fog, lights, dramatic entrance, haunting vocals...it's weird, but beautiful. I still don't know what to say about this guy. He's not a contestant...he's a performer, giving us a preview of his concert.
(Hehehe...Randy, I'm with you - this is a total nod to Twilight Mania. Smart kid, that Adam!)

2. Kris Allen (Aint No Sunshine) - (on the piano) Interesting choice...like Adam took the monopoly on theatrics, Matt Giraud took the monopoly on piano for me this season. I'd rather see Kris on guitar than piano. Still, this is a great performance for m' boy. I'll be honest with you- I'm rooting for this kid. Adam will sell records, regardless of the outcome of tonight, but I think Kris could still use the boost... It was a great performance, and we're seeing what his concerts will be like. White tee, jeans, sneaks...and a personal performance. Good job.

Instant Simon Results: Round one goes to Kris.

Round 2 (Producer's Pick)
1. Adam Lambert (Change is Gonna Come) - This was a sneaky thing to do. The one thing Adam Lambert is NOT is country. Or is he? He's pulling out his Inner Elvis, dustin' off his Southern Charm from the dress up box, and...he's doing his thing. When he has to do something like this, he pulls out his Vintage Performer hat, and he does it old school. (Ask him to do something like Rascal Flatts, and...it might be a mess.)

(Wait, WHAT?! That was an R&B classic? Could have fooled me?)

2. Kris Allen (Father, Father) - Here we are: Kris on guitar. That's what I wanna see! It's groovy, it's "unplugged", it's casual, it's (again) personal. This proves he can make you feel like the concert is in a room for 10...even if it's a stadium of 10,000.

Instant Simon Results: Round two goes to Adam.

Round 3: (New, Original Piece: No Boundaries)
1. Adam Lambert : I've got goosebumps. This is the first time Adam's shown me he can sing POP...and I can totally hear this on the radio, playing right between Daughtry and Taylor Swift. Lo Gung brings up a good point, though - the ARRANGEMENT is all pop...but Adam's voice is giving him away. It's coming out slightly...whiny? Let's call it rock pop, and stick him between Daughtry and Nickelback instead. (Lo Gung didn't like it at all. Then again, he doesn't really like rock, so I'm not surprised.)

2. Kris Allen : This round might be...well, rigged is too strong a word, but with a pop song, Kris has a definite advantage, right? This is right up his alley, and definitely his "power song" for the night. Why is he reminding me of David Archuletta right now? The song, really, is too high for Kris, but he gave a much more convincing performance than Adam did. Hmm...I wonder. I think this round is going to go to Kris. Let's see!

Instant Simon Results: Third round goes to (I'm going to guess here) Kris.

Discuss, y'all! What did you think of tonight? Who do you want to win??!