Tossing Salt Is American Idol - May 24. 2011

Tossing Salt Is American Idol
May 24, 2011
Doug Maynard

After so many weeks and so many great singers coming and going, we're now down to the main event. It's the season finale of American Idol. It's all country as Scotty takes on Lauren to decide which underage entertainer takes that trip to the pay window, if you will, and is crowned the 2011 American Idol. The judges are Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. The host is Ryan Seacrest. The advisor is legendary music producer Jimmy Iovine. And I'm a big fan of hula hoops, Bud Light and the yellow M&M's (with peanuts).. It's "Tossing Salt Is American Idol!" Let's do this...

There are three rounds tonight. Round One is each contestant's favorite song from the season. Round Two is something new where the Idol contestant's Idol gets to pick the song for them. And Round Three is a song selected with the aid of Jimmy Iovine that will be released as the first single for either Scotty or Lauren, if they win Idol. And now we know the framework of the show. Let's get to the singing.

Scotty started off with an awesome rendition of Montgomery Gentry's "Gone". And as expected, he just nailed it. Scotty looks so relaxed and causal up there on stage when he's performing, it's hard to believe that he's just a seventeen year old kid from Garner, NC.

Lauren came out next and did a cover of Carrie Underwood's "Flat On The Floor". It's a great song for her and she did a really good job. I can easily picture her singing this song on a concert stage as part of her act. Great job.

And then we moved on very quickly to the second round where Scotty and Lauren's "Idols" picked out the song they performed.

Scotty's song was "Check Yes Or No" by George Strait, picked out by (surprise) George Strait. And it was a good performance, but Scotty seemed a little uncomfortable with the song in a few places. But he cranked it up, pulled it together and did an awesome job. I'd love to hear Scotty tackle a few songs by Ricky Van Shelton. His voice is so similar and so good.

Lauren's song was picked for her by Carrie Underwood and she performed a cover the Pam Tillis hit, "Maybe It Was Memphis". To me, Lauren sounded a slight bit pitchy at first, but as she went along, the song just got better and better. She nailed it and did a great job.

Then we finally go to the judges. Randy says that they're both incredible and it is so even. He scores the first round for Scotty and the second for Lauren. J-LO speaks next and says that Scotty gave the show an explosive start and Lauren did an amazing job. She scores it as round one for Scotty and round two for Lauren. Steven cuts right to the chase and says that Lauren won both rounds just because she's prettier. Wonder what "talent" Steven was thinking about? We see the debut of the new song "Positive" as performed by (hope I got this name right) Tyler Cruise.

And then it's off to Round Three where Scotty and Lauren perform the song that will be released as their first single IF they win and become the 2011 American Idol.

Scotty's song is called "I Love You This Big" and it's good. Damn good! Scotty does the amazing job we've come to expect of him and shows the world exactly why he's made it to the finals. Randy says that the song is perfect for him and he is "in it to win it!". J-Lo calls Scotty an amazing storyteller and says that it's an amazing song. Steven says that Scotty has come a long way. He likes to take chances and he just nailed it again.

Lauren is next and her song is called "Like My Mother Does". It's a sentimental tearjerker and she played it to the max with an amazing performance that included going out to hug her Mom and shared tears between mother and daughter. Just a great moment, no doubt. Randy called it an amazing song and says that Lauren has arrived. J-Lo says that with that song, Lauren may have just won it all. And Steven loved it as well.

Asked to pick who won the third round, all three judges agreed (although J-Lo tried to back out and say she couldn't make that choice - it's too close), that Round Three belongs to Lauren. And then we closed with the great David Cook singing "Don't You Forget About Me".

And there you go. The performances are complete and in less than twenty-four hours, we will have the 2011 American Idol. And though neither Scotty or Lauren were my first picks to be in the finals (James Durbin was my pick from the start, along with Casey), I have to admit that both have some amazing talent and amazing voices. And I will predict now that both will be big time players in the music business for a long time to come.

So who wins? I have my personal favorite, as I'm sure everyone reading this does. And my heart is saying the local boy, Scotty. BUT (didn't you know that there would be a 'but' somewhere in all of this?) - when they did the recap at the end of the performances, I noticed something. Scotty does great and sounds awesome. And if I was sitting on the grass at a concert, drinking my Bud Light and hanging with my buds, that's the show I'd probably enjoy more. But tonight anyhow, Lauren had all the energy and charisma in her performances. Scotty is so relaxed and laid back that maybe he's just too laid back. Lauren belted the songs out like she was trying to prove to everyone why she's in the finals and that she does deserve to be there. And I think she did it.

So my prediction for the 2011 American Idol is... Lauren Alaina. Not my personal favorite, but she did a great job tonight, showed a ton of fire and is absolutely "in it to win it!".

And that's it for me. We'll find out if I'm right tomorrow night. Also, all the American Idol contestants will be returning to the stage in L.A. so that should be awesome. Should be a great season finale. Until the next time, I'm Doug and I'm YOUR recapping Idol (go ahead - you can admit it...lol). Have a great night. Ubuntu!