American Idol 6: Ranking the Idols – The Finale

She has to be shocked. Melinda Doolittle, I mean. Shocked! She is far too gracious a lady to ever say it publicly, or say anything that would at all subtract from Blake and Jordin’s moment. She has too much class for that. But she must be floored!

Melinda Doolittle was the most consistent contestant of this year. Maybe of any year. She certainly has to be mentioned if we are talking about the best competition singers in American Idol’s history. What was her downfall? The inability to inspire passionate devotion (or too little of it)? Appearing a bit past her commercial prime? Even I have to admit that very often, she seemed older than 29 to me. Are those things that should have mattered? In a perfect world, no.

History shows us that those who have won American Idol are those who could carry the interest in the young. Kelly Clarkson seemed so much like one of them! Ruben’s 205 jerseys and unthreatening yet hip hop presentation of himself definitely skewed younger than he was. Fantasia herself was a teenager, though a worldly one. Carrie Underwood seemed sweet and vulnerable because that’s who she was. She was ideal for younger girls to idolize (and they do!). Taylor’s playful, almost goofy, exterior made him easy for kids to like (though I think if the show lasted two more weeks, Katharine would have caught him). Taylor was like your silly cousin.

Unfortunately, though Melinda was infinitely likeable – she had a razor sharp wit and brought a sense of security to her performance we haven’t seen since Kelly Clarkson – it’s a little difficult to imagine much excitement over the new Melinda Doolittle album at the high school.

Here’s what I see for Melinda Doolittle. I think her record label will continue to groom and promote her and build a body of work before releasing an album for her. Expect her to be on Rockefeller Honors, Image Awards, and things like that first. She’ll be workshopped and presented for the sole purpose of getting her name out there. Then, when her album is released, she can bank on her Idol time and the additional exposure to fuel those record sales.

We haven’t seen the last of her. That’s for certain.

With just two Idols, you would think number one means they are going to win. Not necessarily. Think about it as seeding – or who has the inside track. Will the person at number one win the title? We’ll see!

1. Jordin Sparks (3) – What I love about Jordin is that she is a very confident – bordering on cocky – young woman. I believe if you’re good and you know you’re good, you should be able to say you’re good – if you can back it up! Jordin usually does! In the Top 3 week, she struggled a bit. And being as competitive as she is, you know she’s kicking herself. I also get the feeling that she is prepared for this finale. She probably wanted to save “I (Who Have Nothing)” for the finale, but knew she was facing Mohammed Ali Doolittle and suddenly surging Blake Lewis, and played that card early. Smart. It saved her night! She has other tricks up her sleeve (you can bet she will do “You’ll Never Walk Alone”). She is playing to win. I cannot bet against her.
2. Blake Lewis (2)– I would bet dollars to donuts that Blake’s head is just swimming now. You see, I don’t think he ever thought he would win American Idol. I don’t think he even wants to. I think he wanted the career kick that comes from being on the American Idol tour. He figured that will land him a deal with someone and let the chips fall. But now, with the title so close… does he want to go for it? What if he wins? Did you see the look on his face when Jordin was announced safe? He made the slightest nod of the head, as if to say, “well, that’s it then.” While Jordin is making that horse noise with her lips, Blake is madly running musical hypotheticals in his computer. The difference is, Jordin always had her eye on the prize, Blake (I believe) did not. So, while Jordin already has the music for the finale in her mind, and has for weeks, Blake is just thinking about it. Too late.

Blake Lewis or Jordin Sparks is about to be the American Idol! If you want to know who David Bloomberg and I predict will win, check out Which Idol Will Win!