This..is American Idol.

I don't have the nasty habit of biting my nails. It's pretty disgusting, so i don't do it. But during the course of the American Idol Finale, i have successfully gnawed of the entire thumb cuticle.

Honestly, i'm disappointed. It takes a real idiot to not notice which David i'm rooting for, so yea. :( Dont' get me wrong - David C performed beyond superbly well.. just that he seemed to pale in comparison to David A's powderful vocals, which were uber powderful throughout the entire 1-hour long show. David C's vocals were great too, but David A really outdid himself. I just wish David Cook had come up with some totally shocking, 360 degrees turn kinda stunt. Well, i was warned about this expectation nonsense. sigh. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the source of my disappointment..and as of now, non-existent cuticle.
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5.45 pm : Rushed downstairs to fix myself a snack. Started to panic when i realized "shit, it's raining." Raining = NO ASTRO!

5.55 pm : It stopped raining! Oh Bless the Powers Above! (they must be huge AI fans too.)

6 pm : Fidget around on the sofa while Family Guy wraps up, and (finally!) the Starworld Ai Intro plays. Here we go!

Round 1 - Song picked by music mogul, Clive Davis.
David Cook: U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
David Archuleta : Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"

First thing that fazed me was the unfamiliar song choice. Well, to me at least. Nevertheless, Cook did it great as expected which eve got Simon spouting out "phenomenal" critique. At least when Archuleta sang, i had some comparison. Despite the performance being a tad boring, his vocals really really blew me away. No one puts such raw emotion into a song like David Archuleta does. It's like, you can feel his need, his desire to win AI. (cue nail-biting)

Simon Says: Archuleta wins round 1.
Ri says: Entertainment value - Cook; Vocals - Archuleta; Overall - Cook, just coz he didn't bore me to tears.

Round 2 - The "Winning Song"
David Cook : "Dream Big"
Davud Archuleta : "In This Moment"

10 songs composed by anyone,everyone were chosen by the producers, and chucked at the boys leaving them to decide which one they wanted as their winning song. Again, no comparison to original singers, and also no comparison to anything! Which is a good and bad thing i suppose. Cook went all out, i quote Randy: "singing his face off". With his trusty 'AC' guitar in hand (did you know the "AC" stands for Adam Cook, his brother suffering from cancer?) he rocked it out. All was well till, well, Simon spoke. He said it wasn't really winning song material, to which Paula retorted "it's not the winning song!" (Thank You, Paula!) lol, yes the nail-biting gets more intense right about now. But in retrospect, Simon's right la. The winning song has always been a heart-wrenching/warming number full of passion, moments-like-these and this-is-my-nows - something, to my utter dismay, is right up Archuleta's alley. Archuleta, of course, sang a ballad with supposedly great lyrics but pft. haha, i'm keeping this as unbiased as i can! His powderful vocals didn't really come out in this song, but maybe he's saving up for his final number. It's a marathon, after all. *nod nod*

Simon Says: Round 2 goes to Archuleta.
Ri says: BOOOO!! just coz he picked the stereotyped winning song! Listen carefully to Cook's song choice and you'll hear much more drive, power and passion! Round 2 is COOK'S!

Round 3 - Contestant's Pick.
David Cook: Collective Soul's "The World I Know"
David Archuleta: John Lennon's "Imagine"

David Cook announced his song choice first, so when David A said he was singing "Imagine" i was like @%*^%$&(*^&$##^&?!?! Why isn't David Cook singing something uber spectacular from his past choices(hello? is it me you're looking for??), or at least picking a slow number and giving it some David Cook edge?! (Later he says, in quite the dejected tone, that, i quote: "it's a progression" and he didn't wanna do something he'd already done.) It was bad enough i was totally not familiar with the song, but David A was performing something everyone knew was his strong suit! (there goes the rest of the cuticle) David Cook sang, albeit well, but did not receive the much-needed stamp of approval from Simon. You know something's wrong when someone starts off a critique by complimenting them of their personality, instead of their talent. Then comes Archuleta and his annoyingly perfect rendition. @*^!&^@*&!^!(#^!! B-A-H.

Simon Says: Archuleta knocked out the competition. (&^%&&$&$&)
Ri says: Round 3 goes to Archuleta. :(

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I still think Cook so deserves to win, because looking at the competition as a whole and not at one night, Cook has still been the better performer. Well, in all fairness, Archuleta is the most consistent (i'm screaming BO-RING! inside) contestant, vocal-wise. Sad part is, Cook somehow..oh i don't know. My mum says he didn't rise to the challenge, but i don't think so. It's not like he performed badly. It was more of a..wrong choice. to sing an unfamiliar song at this stage in the competition when the competition himself is singing his most powerful song? it's just suck a risk. Well, here's hoping the risk will pay off.

Archuleta wins the night, but Cook Cook COOK all the way man. Without a shadow of a doubt, Cook deserves it more than Archuleta.

Maybe i'll watch the 8pm show and find some glimmer of hope. :(

Otherwise you'll find me at 8am tomoro morning, disheveled all over from lack of sleep (Chelsea Chelsea!), sitting in front of the TV gnawing off my other nails.