The Final Idol Blog: Jordin or Blake?

I spent most of Tuesday on FOX 13 in Tampa, barking incessantly about Idol. Yes, I felt a little silly. But I'm also a total slut for television, which won't surprise anyone. So Sell-Out Sean, ready (and sweaty) for his close-up, had a blast. ("Ah yes, the Sanjaya Factor...")

That said, I'm soooo ready to be done with this season.

So let's keep this brief: Jordin or Blake? If you care in the slightest, who's it gonna be?

I picked Jordin from the start, a fact that's been well-documented in your St. Pete Times, and I'm not ditching her now. The show was a little too pro Blake last night, maybe to even things out, but Jordin did a better job with that crappy final song, which will probably be the difference. (And let's be honest: That beat-box bit of Bon Jovi lost a whole lotta luster the second time around, didn't it?)

Comments

[Jim Dietrich]

Sorry, Sean, but I too perdicted the final outcome a few weeks ago, and I went with Blake for exactly the reasons I wrote in my blog: she's brilliant and a force to be reckoned with, but she showed just a hint of immaturity and *gasp* fear last night. For Jordin, when she makes the tinyest flub, it's magnified tenfold. For her, it was picking "Fighter" (terrible song to begin with from Dirrrty Xtina) and that even more awful last song; I'm gonna be Randy for a minute and use his favorite word: pitchy. She couldn't control it on that last one until the last 30 seconds of the song. She broke, and even though her "breakdown" was still a spectacular night, it's probably what may do her in.

Blake, even if the beatbox wasn't as special as the 1st time and that last song made him look like he was having a root canal, showed grace under pressure in front of +/-3000 people in the audience and handled his own. He still owned the stage w/"You Give Love..." and while you could see him struggle, he still did a fine job with the last song. Taking into account that he's not a balladier, he still did a fine job with what he was given. And personally, I think he sounds pretty darn close to Adam Levine (Maroon 5's lead) that he also did a fantastic job on "She Will Be Loved".

C'mon, Sean, do you really wanna hear a CD of Carrie, Fantasia, and Reuben's greatest hits, or do you wanna hear something different and refreshing? You know Fuller'll make her do all that ballady crap for all 16 tracks, while they'll allow him to be more experimental. I mean, seriously, I can only hear "I, Who Have Nothing" once in a while, not on constant repeat. She's great, but he's what the show needs in order to survive a few more seasons.

[Sean Daly]

First of all, I can't imagine spending $60 to see either of them in concert -- or for that matter, $15 to buy their CDs.

But I was asked to prognosticate and pick a winner, and I'm not changing my tune now. Jordin Sparks looks like a star (again, it's the GIANT HEAD factor -- she fills up the screen). She's a capable enough singer. And her bubbly, slightly goofy teenage personality works in this Disney Channel-driven marketplace. That's should spell success.

Blake, on the other hand, reminds me of that bug-eyed dude from the "Police Academy" movies who could imitate a siren or a washing machine.

Idol wants Jordin to win, too. They totally loaded the deck in her favor with that crappy final song. You knew she'd nail it (as well as the crappy song could be nailed, that is). Blake tried gamely, but he looked kinda miserable.

[Jim Dietrich]

Point taken, as I'm sure I have better things to buy with my money as well. However, Jordin's the same as most of the other winners and I know I'm tired of hearing the same things over and over. You're probably right in thinking Jordin'll win, though I think Blake should win. Nonetheless, all the Top 4 will go on to have outstanding careers in the musical arena and this is all a moot discussion. It's more along the lines of, "Who's going to have their first single be 'This Is My Now'?" (which, BTW, will bomb either way).