Bo Bice
Long, Long Road
Vehicle (contestant's fave pick)
Inside Your Heaven (Idol song)
Carrie Underwood
Inside Your Heaven (Idol song)
Independence Day (contestant's fave pick)
Angels Brought Me Here
It is interesting to note at this point, just how much both Bo and Carrie have changed eversince the AI4 auditions last year. And how much they've NOT. Bo has, decidedly, become more hirsute, thus provoking my mother to comment rather recklessly, that he looks like a dayak (which is the malay word for a red indian or native american). Of course, I don't think my dear mommy meant that as a derogatory term but I am aware that she much prefers the clean-cut and blonde Anthony over Bo's rough and grunge image. I mean, who doesn't love pretty people right?? ;)
Anyway, tonight's performances weren't exactly as spectacular as I expected them to be. So probably, the online rumours that Carrie and Bo are a little under the weather this week could have some truth in them; both of our finalists actually sounded abit strained in some parts of their songs. I found the Idol single this year to be quite dull and uninspired; seriously, the songs just get worse and worse as the years go by. I was hoping that Bo would pick "Whipping Post" or even "Spinning Wheel" as his favorite pick instead of the meaningless crowd-pleaser that is "Vehicle". Carrie too, should have performed either "Crying" or "Alone"... Nevertheless, Bo's version of the Idol song was waaaaay better than Carrie's but she (in retaliation perhaps?) closed the show with a very heartfelt delivery of Guy Sebastian's "Angels Brought Me Here" (although I much prefer Guy's version).
It seems highly likely that Bo Bice could be the next in line to win the coveted Idol crown. We've already had two females (Kelly Clarkson & Fantasia Barrino); another male would balance things just fine. Furthermore, Bo is edgier and has more credibility as a serious artiste. If you compare the final two contestants through out the years, it was always the edgier finalist who won in the end. For instance, Kelly and Justin (rough-neck powerhouse vs. one-man boyband); Ruben vs. Clay (soulster vs. popster); Fantasia vs. Diana (single-mom diva vs. teen sensation). PLUS, a cursory peek at forum pages and messageboards across most Idol fansites on the Internet shows that Bo has a humongous girlie following... further evidence that the majority of votes might swing in his favour afterall.
However, Bo's genre of music, rock, is not as marketable or commercially viable as Carrie's country-pop appeal which transcends almost all genders and ages, from eight-year olds to eighty-year olds. A Carrie win, therefore, might make more sense if the Idol producers were to think solely in terms of dollars and cents. Moreover, even if Bo didn't win, he wouldn't fare too badly considering the fact that he's got legions of die-hard fans ready to buy his records but a runner-up Carrie might not be as successful.
So who's going to be the next American Idol??? God knows...
