American Idol is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I have friends that would lather me in looks of disdain were I to ever make that known, but it is what it is. It's a very relaxing, relatively clean two hours of entertainment per week. And at this point in life (after what? Seven or eight seasons? I've lost count), Paula, Simon, Randy, the jingles, the lighting, etc., even begin to take on an aura of familiarity and borderline nostalgia. Anyhow.
The last song was very chincy. It just seemed like something you'd see in a satirical self improvement seminar. It was only whispers away from the Biggest Loser theme song, and truth be told I like that better.
I thought they did Kris a huge disservice by making them both sing that last song. Granted Randy said that he thought it fit Kris's voice better, but I would have to disagree. I'm a musical fool, and know nothing about terminology, so work with me: It just seemed like the song only had one verse, and then escalated and climbed higher and higher with repetitive bridges or choruses or refrains or whatever. It's the perfect "vehicle" for Adam to let out his inner banshee and just soar. Kris struggles in the higher ranges, which Kara and others noted.
So to make both contestants sing a song that really favors Adam is a bit sketchy to me. ::assume tin foil hat::
When the season first started I was really impressed with Adam. He really caught my attention in Hollywood week when they sang the group song, "Some Kind of Wonderful" (or something like that) that has the line, "My baby, sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-e's out of sight." When he banshee'd that line it was really memorable. It was a couple more weeks before I found out about "the pictures", and by that time I was impressed enough with his voice that my disapproval of his personal life didn't really nullify my enjoyment of his performances.
That being said, I was also impressed with Kris. They gave that kid barely any press at all in auditions and Hollywood week shows. So when he did "Man in the Mirror" he was virtually unknown. And he nailed it. A tiny, skinny everyman singing a Michael Jackson tune, and he somehow made it into the next round, without being pimped by the producers. And he's done the same thing week after week: Be a gamer, and win.
That being said, I'm rooting for Kris. I don't know precisely why, but Adam has just really worn thin on me. At first it bothered me when Kara would critique his "drama", but now it's all I see when I look at him. Sexuality aside (and that's certainly part of it), he's just... corny. His performances all strike me as posturing. Slow walks, goofy looks. I almost feel like his persona can be summed up by that Right Said Fred song "I'm Too Sexy". Also, in his voice, lip snarls, and eyes, at times he tries to come across as wild and bad and strong. I guess I'm just "over" weak, skinny males in life thinking their bad, when most average men, much less strong men, could beat them to a whimpering pulp. It bothers me that there's a sporadic, implicit theme that comes out about him "changing things" and being "bold". To me the implicit suggestion is that it takes courage to do what he does, what with his "lifestyle" and all.
That's laughable. America celebrates all kinds of weird perversions. He's not breaking any "ceiling" that hasn't already been broken before, much to the detriment of this country. When he sings about the "change" that's going to come, it makes me sad, if anything. This country needs men who build things, work hard, and love their families, not face-painted waifs who paint their nails black, kiss guys, and scream for millions of dollars.
Just in terms of his music: I think my musical impression of Adam started to wane a month or so ago. It was something Paula said. She compared him to Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger. The more they lauded him as "ready to make a record" and to be a "superstar", the more I thought of him, not in the context of American Idol, but in the context of famous rock musicians. And though I enjoy his banshee wail, I don't think that he can hold a candle to the upper registers of either Steven Tyler or Axl Rose. Not even
close.
Kris doesn't have near the upper register that Adam has (obviously), but I do think he's a better singer. Like I said, I don't know musical terms, but his voice seems to have more "body" to it. I don't mean that it has deeper tones or anything, just that there's more of it there. Adam, whether he's singing Mad World or Led Zeppelin, seems to have a razor sharp, one note, clear voice. Kris sounds like a human singing. I think they could probably both be successful, what with the platform that Idol provides.
If Kris took his career in a Jason Mraz type direction, though, I could see him making a lot of money.
Just hope and pray that he keeps his heart and eyes focused on his wife through all of this, and through what's to come.
Also, as a side note, I found the two "producer picked" songs to be annoying. Both of them just smacked of 60's-social-change-blah-blah-blah. Really gets under my skin.
After I heard it I looked at my husband and said, "Oh no, I bet Kiss is coming on". I about died. 
