American Idol: the most rated show comes to an end
The winner of the popular US television contest will be announced at the end of a two-hour finale on Wednesday, but not before finalists Jordin Sparks, 17, and Blake Lewis, 25, are given one more chance to strut their stuff on Tuesday night, Reuters informs.
Not even the show's acerbic judge, Simon Cowell, dared to predict the winner.
"I can't call it at this stage because I think they've both got different strengths," Cowell said on a call with reporters. "One is a better entertainer (Lewis) and one is a better singer (Sparks)."
The winner of American Idol is chosen by telephone vote and receives a recording contract. Often, however, many ousted contestants end up landing their own record deals soon after the show winds down.
Sparks, who hails from Glendale, Arizona, wowed audiences with her big voice, belting out songs including I Who Have Nothing and You'll Never Walk Alone. The daughter of former National Football League player Phillippi Sparks won the judges' praise for delivering performances worthy of artists much older than her 17 years and charmed viewers with her youthful good looks and upbeat personality.
Cowell said Sparks is "a great singer," but added that "she hasn't done one performance yet which I can remember as a 'wow'."
Lewis, who Cowell said was a "brilliant entertainer ... not a fantastic singer," had a somewhat rockier road to the finale. A full-time musician from Bothell, Washington, he puts his own original twist on classic songs by using a vocal percussion technique known as beat-boxing. At his best, the spiky-haired Lewis danced across the stage delivering energetic, edgy performances of songs like You Give Love a Bad Name and Time of the Season.
Lewis and Sparks last week beat out older, more experienced singer Melinda Doolittle for their slots in the finale.
According to Reuters, American Idol has reaped huge rewards for the Fox network, propelling the News Corp-owned broadcaster to first place in the ratings race for prized viewers aged 18 to 49. But though it is still the nation's top-rated show, American Idol's viewership is down slightly from the 30 million viewers it averaged last season.
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