May 26, 2004 - Last Chance

Diana, who lost the coin toss last week, went first, starting with the single, "I Believe." She did a fairly poppy version of it, a little harsh at points but showing off her strong voice. Judge Randy Jackson said that it's hard to sing like one of the greats, like Celine Dion, but that she had done it. Nice judge Paula Abdul said she felt like a proud parent who had watched her grow into an adult and found her performance stunning. She said the song soared. Tough judge Simon Cowell said that she'd sung it really well, but that his biggest concern was the same one he's had since the beginning, that the song speaks of experiences she herself, at 16, has never experienced.

Fantasia took the stage next with "All My Life," which was a sort of uneven song. She started out sweet and then got very emotional and powerful. Randy said he loves that song but didn't like the arrangement. He complimented her, though, saying she's amazing and that she was better than the arrangement. Paula said this is where Fantasia stands out. She can take a mediocre arrangement and grab the audience in a chokehold, saying, "Listen to this." Simon said she was lucky she still had two songs to sing that evening. He called the song "a mess."

Beginning round two, Diana delivered an atonal version of "No More Tears," which she had previously performed on the disco night. Randy said that she was singing her face off tonight. Paula said good job. And Simon said it was obvious she'd come to win, but that her dancing was hideous, reminding him of the pageants she used to compete in.

Fantasia then did "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess, which she had performed on movie night. While the first time she gave a tender, moving performance, this time she gave an equally emotional performance, though different than the first. Randy said, "Fantasia's back" and called the performance unbelievable. Paula said she likes how Fantasia always finds ways to reinvent herself and that she'll never bore an audience. Simon said that this show airs in 32 countries around the world and that, with two seasons, there have been in the neighborhood of 70 winners, but that she is the best contestant they've had. Understandably, this comment overwhelmed Fantasia, bringing her to tears.

For the third and final round, Diana finished off with "Don't Cry Out Loud," another song she'd performed on the show, earning praise the first time out. She gave a sappy performance which I felt went flat near the end. Randy said the song was weak in the beginning and that in the middle it fell apart. He called it pitchy. Paula agreed that something had happened in the middle of the song but said that Diana was still wonderful. And Simon said that it was her last song of the night and she'd had one chance to nail the competition, but she hadn't.

Finally, Fantasia closed off the night with her version of the American Idol single, "I Believe." Simply put, a magical performance. Gospel influenced, with tender moments and powerful moments. Although she was backed by the exact same choir who had backed Diana, Fantasia seemed to be singing with the choir and made the arrangement work for her. This won her a standing ovation from the judges, as they all called out their praise almost at once. Randy said, "Brilliant." Simon said, "This is your night." And Simon said, "This was your acceptance speech."

Now, this time around each contestant was given three phone numbers for viewers to call, and the phone lines were open twice as long: four hours instead of two. I made it my goal to vote for Fantasia as often as I could get a vote in. For the first several hours, this was a very difficult task. All three numbers were busy, although I managed to register a few. Not until much, much later in the night did the phone lines open up again.

I liked the fact that this time they even had a thank you message from Fantasia, thanking you for voting for her, leaving no doubt you'd voted for the right person.

The result show is tonight, and naturally they're going to stretch it out until the very last moment, just to leave us all in agony. While before, the nationwide audience had been split almost evenly, at least according to polls I had seen, perhaps last night changed that trend.

I have noticed that so far I've had far more people hitting my site searching for Diana than Fantasia, but this could be because they're searching for the misspelled "Diana DiGarmo," which I had mistakenly used on one of my Musings. I'm guessing this doesn't reveal any significant trends, since most people interested in either contestant probably end up at the AI home page.

The one poll where I'd seen Diana edging out Fantasia the week before, Fantasia is now a few points ahead. Again, it's within the margin of error, so it's hard to tell.

But if anybody had been waiting for the final performances to make their choice, such as someone who was a fan of a previous contestant who's been voting off, last night that decision became extremely clear. Diana does have a strong voice, it's true. But she just can't match with the unique sweetness of Fantasia.

Paul Anka even came out at the end of the show and did a version of "My Way" looking back at the season. In it, he called Diana a teen diva and her competition "sweet Fantasia," which won a lot of applause.

Of course, I hope Fantasia will win. I expect she's probably inherited votes from former favorites like LaToya. She may also have won votes from Jasmine Trias fans who might blame Diana for splitting the teen vote and denying Jasmine a shot at the top.

But again, as Clay Aiken has shown, coming in second on American Idol is no losing position. Should that be her fate, I'm sure Fantasia will see the same sort of success that Clay Aiken has seen, because she will never be number two in her fans' hearts.

Other Musings by Alyce on American Idol:

American Idol Index

Moral:
Fantasia's already a winner to her fans.