American Idol: The Final Finale, Part II

Wow, that was such a fun finale - a total stroll down memory lane!  

Winner: Trent Harmon

I was really disappointed that La'Porsha Renae didn't win. Her story really moved me this season, and I felt she had the most presence and star quality. She's a true diva who channels Tina Turner and Mary J. Blige.  I'm sure she will have a career.  This felt sort of like when Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert. Somehow America's mainstream tastes prevailed and a talented white male singer beat a unique butterfly.  I don't feel it was a grave miscarriage of justice, because Trent is hella talented, no doubt.  But La'Porsha has that American Dream story and, as Kelly Clarkson pointed out, it would have been cool to have a woman be the first and the final winner.  Idol has had only 5 female winners, and 10 male winners. Yet the two biggest icons of the show (Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood) are both female.

Some highlights from tonight's show...

• Idols as Angels: I loved the opening number "One Voice" where Idols past and present filled the stage and all were wearing white. This felt like the Ghosts of Idols Past. 
• Dunkelman is back! It was fun to hear a little repartee between Seacrest and Dunkelman again.
• Sanjaya's wigs: While he didn't get to speak, we glimpsed Sanjaya in the audience twice - once with a huge Mad Max mohawk and once in a powdered wig.  
• Simon, Paula and Randy: This was a fun reunion to witness. It wouldn't have been a satisfying finale without seeing these three and especially Simon, and he really did seem moved by it all. He's still looking good. We wrote these love haikus for Simon back in 2002. 
• The Rocker medley: I loved seeing Bo Bice with short hair (unrecognizable, but he looks good), Constantine Maroulis, Caleb Johnson, James Durbin, and Chris Daughtry perform together. 
• Idol Gives Back tribute: Harry Connick and Marley Fletcher, a kid from The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in the 9th ward of New Orleans, sang "What A Wonderful World" together, in a touching segment honoring the Idol Goes Back charity that has raised $185 million for underserved youth in the US and around the world.
• 3 Divas Reunited: LaToya London, Fantasia Barrino, and Jennifer Hudson sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to remind us how much the show had gone downhill since they were The Class of Season 3.
• J Lo the Showgirl: her segment was basically a commercial for her Vegas show. Well, I'm sold.
• William Hung: Yes, they needed to go there. 

Old idols I was happy to see again...

• Tamyra Gray: She looked fierce, singing "Sober" with Jordin Sparks and Kara DioGuardi and singing "Girl Crush" on her own.  She was one of the most memorable contestants from Season 1. We wrote a bunch of haikus about the contestants of Season 1 back in the day.  
• Justin Guarini: Justin looks pretty handsome with the shorter hair. He can no longer be compared to Sideshow Bob.
• Carrie Underwood: I have to admit I was too hard on her back when I wrote this screed about her after she won Season 4. She has grown a lot of personality since then. She always had the voice but I found her wooden.  Now her songs are sassy and smart.  And she even did a passable Stevie Nicks tonight, singing "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" with Keith Urban.
• Constantine Maroulis: He's my all-time favorite Idol. I wrote these haikus about Constantine back in the day. 
• Kelly Clarkson: Although her performance was taped due to her being unable to attend due to impending childbirth, it was still fun to see a hugely pregnant Kelly sing a medley of her many hits. 
• Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo: Idol put them on stage together tonight but failed to mention they are married - missed opportunity to showcase a true Idol love connection. Diana is only 28 but something about her face and hair makes her look like she's in her 40s - can't really put my finger on it but she's always had that look. 
• Taylor Hicks: He's my second-favorite Idol and I wish we'd seen more of him tonight, but how about that stylin' purple velveteen jacket?

I doubt this is really the end, but it's certainly been a great ride, especially those early years when it was all new and some true superstars were found.