"American Idol": Glam Adam or Coffee-House Kris?

Guest blogger Claire Meyerhoff is back and writing about the finale pt. 1:

Blogging LIVE from the Ronald McDonald House of Durham…THIS is American Idol!

After weeks and months of auditions, scary contestants, a new judge, a guy named Anoop and a girl with tattoos, it’s down to the very last song-fest between a couple of cute guys who are very different. We’ve got glam Adam, sporting guyliner and alternating between sweet sounds and high-pitched shrieks. Then there’s coffee-house Kris, the adorable underdog who we barely noticed “way back when” but really is a very pleasing musician with a lot of charm.

Tonight, I’m watching Idol from the much-sat-in sofa in the Ronald McDonald House’s TV area, where many a worried and exhausted family member has spent time. Next to me is the smart, friendly, funny Sara Moody, a young woman I met last year while doing pro-bono work for the House. Sara’s daughter Cali has spent about half her life in and out of Duke Children’s Hospital. She’s just turning three. Sara’s other two little girls are home in Buies Creek with Sara’s husband Chad, one of the sharpest guys I’ve ever met. Their little cutie-pie, Cali is fighting a fight that no child should have to fight. Tonight, since Sara is just trying to relax, we’re not talking about doctors, procedures and prognosis.

We’re just talking about Adam.

“It seems like the judges love Adam no matter what,” says Sara. “They have all along, like they picked him to win a long time ago and it’s just a matter of time,” said Sara.

Sara is not an Adam fan. She liked Danny Gokey and has been voting for him this season. But tonight, as the show winds down, Sara is busily punching numbers into her cell phone, trying to cast her vote for Kris.

Tonight, for the final showdown, it’s the usual three song parade. Each guy sings a song they already sang earlier this season. Sara and I yawn. Whatever. Heard it before. Then they sing a song chosen by the show’s producers. Then they sing an original song, this year, it seems to be written in part by the new judge Kara. I say “seems to be” because here in the common area of the Ronald McDonald House, you don’t really hear 100% of what’s coming from the TV.

“Did Kara just say that she wrote that song?” asks Sara. I shrug.

Ava, the night manager, joins us. I tell her that the new judge, Kara, went to Duke. Ava likes this, because at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham, we like Duke. We like all the Duke athletes who come over in the evening to cook spaghetti then sweep the kitchen floor, but do we like Kara, just because she went to Duke? Hmmm. Jury is out. Sara and I think that Kara always just says the same thing and does this weird pointy finger gesture. But if Kara will visit the House, or donate a great gift for next year’s fundraiser, then we’ll like definitely like Kara.

So here we are, the final performance night of season 8. The performances are OK, nothing to write home about. Sara, Ava and I wish to issue this joint statement:

We are not blown away.

Who will win? If it’s up to Sara Moody, it will be Kris. She’s still trying to get through on her cell phone, but no luck. She has a theory…

…if all the Danny voters decide to back Kris, he’s going to win.

“I think you’re either an Adam person or not. If you’re not an Adam person, you’ve been voting for someone else all along…and tonight you’re going to vote for Kris.”

For the finale, I’ll head back to the Ronald McDonald House of Durham and hopefully Sara will be sitting next to me on the sofa again.