Congratulations to Jordin AND Blake

OK, I have some things to say today about this week's American Idol finale....

First of all, I'm glad Jordin won... not because I liked her better, but because Blake needs to have more artistic freedom than an American Idol contract would have given him.

First, an American Idol rant: The one thing that really gets me about this show is the fact that the show chooses the first single for the winner... and that they give the SAME SONG to both finalists to sing in the finale. Blake and Jordin are completely different artists with completely different styles. To give them the same song to perform in the finale was just stupid. The song was a power balad. Of course Jordin was going to blow Blake out of the water on that one. He didn't even stand a chance. They go on and on to contestants throughout the entire season about choosing the right song for their voices, and then they don't give them a chance to pick their own finale piece/first single. It is so backwards. This year they had a song-writing contest for the winner's first single, which is fine... but they should have picked a handful of songs of different styles for the two finalists to choose from. Ugh, I could go on and on about this forever. But let's talk about the finalists now.

Jordin: Jordin has a beautiful voice and is definitely talented. I just couldn't get over her "17-year-old-ness" to fall in love with her. I always got this impression of immaturity from her that I couldn't get past. But she has an unbelievably amazing voice. Good for her.

Blake: In the beginning I thought Blake was a lot of fun but didn't give him much credit to go very far in the competition. But in the last several weeks he has really impressed me as an artist. He may not have the most amazing voice I've ever heard, but he has talent in all areas of music. The fact he could arrange a piece of music to fit his own style shows his abilities as a true artist. He's not just a voice, he's an artistic package, and I have a lot of respect for that. I want to see him go far. And just all-around I think he's a cool person.

So to sum it up, before the performances Tuesday night I was rooting for Blake to win the whole thing. After the show I was hoping Blake didn't win, because he didn't need to start his career with that crappy single the show picked for him. He needs freedom to do what he needs to do as an artist. Winning, I think, would have inevitably hurt him. So it turned out exactly as it should have.

CW.... OUT!