http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=123290
Idol' Finds Two Stars, One Winner
by Daniel Fienberg
Zap2it, TV News
LOS ANGELES -- The same theme ran through each and every interview that aired during Wednesday night's (May 21) finale of "American Idol." From contestants to judges to people on the street, the consensus was that while everybody had a preference between Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, fans seemed pleased with the final two.
The rallying cry mirrored Bill Murray's inspirational mantra from "Meatballs": It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. While Murray filled those words with summer-camp nihilism, here they offered signs of hope and reconciliation.
Stretching well past the breaking point at two hours, the "American Idol" finale didn't even officially begin until 9 p.m. ET, leaving many viewers possibly wondering what they had been watching for an hour. The jubilant filler was full of nostalgic reminders of awful "Idol" moments.
There were lowlight reels from the worst performances in "Idol" competitions worldwide, including spectacles from France, England, Germany and Lebanon. Reassuringly, though, the worst "Idol" contestant in the world, Keith, of "Like a Virgin" fame, lives in our own back yard. The remembrance of contestants (thankfully) past concluded with slew of rejects butchering "Sing, Sing a Song."
It was a night of medleys. One could scarcely turn around without bumping into a group of "Idol" finalists just bursting to explode in semi-synchronized song and dance. Ruben, Clay and last year's winner Kelly Clarkson opened the second hour with one medley, joined by the entire slate of finalists clad entirely in white.
The night's centerpiece featured the finalists singing tunes from the guest judges, including "Tears of a Clown," "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "Let's Get Physical" (a song Carmen Rasmusen still thinks is about aerobics). The finalists do their best to dance up a storm, despite limited mobility. There were at least three moments where Julia DeMato lost track of her steps and bumped into the people next to her, adding to the demented charm. This year's three finalists (with Kimberley Locke in the fold) collaborated, and Clay and Ruben concluded with another medley.
The night's other theme was repetition. Kelly did her second version of "Miss Independent." Ruben, Clay and Kimberley did return engagements of "Superstar," "On the Wings of Love" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Ruben and Clay both redid versions of their Tuesday night (May 20) performances.
Somewhere, though, in the midst of the time-killing, there was the looming specter of the vote. Without disclosing the full results, Ryan declared that out of 24 million votes cast, the final two were separated by 13,000 votes. Later he would say it was only 1,300 votes between them. By the end of the night, that pesky comma had taken a long trip and the final figures revealed a gap of 130,000, still remarkably tight.
As the evening progressed, casual hints were disclosed. First it was announced that Ruben had won the state of Alabama. That would seem to have given him nine electoral votes. Ryan, cultivating three days worth of stubble, later gave Clay the New York vote and, I guess, its 33 electoral votes. Ruben won Florida early on, which never bodes well.
Fortunately, the state-by-state gimmick was only another way of stalling, truncated before the "American Idol" race had to go to the Supreme Court. With Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia as swing votes, anything could have happened.
In the end, with time dwindling, Ryan called the finalists to center stage and briefly turned things over to the judges. Randy declared that both men were his dawgs. Paula praised them to the sky and closed with the blatant falsehood that "No kid ever grew up wanting to be a critic." Simon announced that their singles will be released on the same day.
Just moments before 10 p.m. ET, Ruben Studdard, the soft-spoken 25-year-old from Birmingham, Ala., became the second American Idol. Sweat and tears swiftly reduced Ruben to a puddle of overjoyed, relieved liquidity.
A spectacularly graceful loser, Clay, the 24-year-old from Raleigh, N.C., led the crowd in chants of "Ruben, Ruben." The nearly speechless winner could only say, "I feel great," while his rival and friend joked, "I'm going to beat him up later for stealing my title."
At the end of the competition, both finalists have record deals and will record with 1,000-year-old industry legend Clive Davis. Ruben's victory perk is mostly just a title, as the door to greatness has been cracked open for Clay and probably Kimberley as well. It just doesn't matter, because they'll all get their chance.
