A Matter Of Personal Choice:

The first round started with the songs the contestants chose themselves. A familiar tune by Adam Lambert in the form of "Mad Mad World" was first on the scene. While we've heard this song in previous rounds, we haven't seen it done on the big stage with the big coat and the even bigger prescience Adam seemed to embody during what would be the first of his last performances. A reserved Adam left me with a desire for more... which is a good thing. Had Adam come out of the gate with his signature Rock-God vocals he might have showed his wares a little too early. Not so, and he was roundly praised by the judges.

Not to be outdone by the larger-than-life Adam, Kris Allen stepped in the ring and delivered a great performance of his pick "Ain't No Sunshine", complete with piano and one of his best looks -- the easy white cotton tee, the cool Dog Tags, and the simple vest. After a hitting a slight sour note on the opening passage of the song, Kris never looked back and delivered an outstanding performance of the Bill Withers tune. Unlike Adam, Kris went with a song that he hadn't performed before on the show. I believe it was a wise move considering that in order to beat the ever-popular Adam, Kris would need to pull out all the stops and continue his clever trend of giving America the unexpected treat.

Round 1 would be touted as Kris's round by none other than Simon himself.

Il Capo Di Tutti Capo:

In a new development this season, Simon Fuller, who usually prefers anonymity, put his name and reputation squarely into the mix by opting to pick a song for each contestant. If you know Simon Fuller, or have had the pleasure of dealing directly with him, you know that he is quite clever, and though he is gentle and always kind... he's not someone to be taken lightly.

Adam Lambert came out swinging with a well-crafted rendition of "A Change Gonna Come". The song fit Adam like a glove. Even though the ballad traditionally finds itself in the repertoires of ardent R&B artists, Adam was able to masterfully tailor the song to fit the lofty end of his voice. Simon even remarked that Adam was back in the hunt for the Idol crown.

Kris pulled out an acoustic version of Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On". It was here that I finally got a look at Kris's face close-up and saw that he brought back the slight scruff that was a hallmark of an early round success. In direct opposition to Adam, Kris chose a mellow and grooving arrangement that had Randy shaking his head a bit, Kara and Paula handing out lavish praise, and Simon comparing the performance to a musical get-together. I think that Kris once again stuck to his guns, and didn't try to beat Adam at his own game. Kris doesn't need fanfare or lavish arrangements, Adam has successfully made such wonders his own personal measuring stick, and for Kris to follow suit would be an exercise in disaster for the Arkansan native.

Simon, unsurprisingly, gave the second round to Adam.

Sign Here...And Sing This:

The final round was home to the obligatory "Winner's Single". Every year people complain about the single, usually labeling it "not good enough"...then they go out and buy it the very next day. With alarming regularity, the song hits the number one spot on the iTunes best-seller chart, and then proceeds to climb the Billboard charts with the ease of a Lemur climbing a Banana tree.

Adam Lambert took his turn to wow America with the pop offering, and while I don't think that it sat perfectly with him, he did his level best to make it his own. Gone were the over-arching tonal moments that we come to expect from Mr. Lambert. Replacing them was a lyric-focused song that had many of the same thematic elements of Miley Cyrus's "The Climb." Regardless it seemed that Adam gave his all, and was visibly relieved, if not flat out exhausted after singing his last.

Kris Allen came up after the break and did what I consider to be a better job of fighting through the exhaustion and the obligation. The song seemed to fit Kris, and although that should come to me as a surprise, considering how dominant Adam has been over the entire season, it doesn't. Kris is the one this year for the unexpected, and he delivered yet again.
Simon didn't give the round to anyone, but the consensus in my house is that it went squarely to Kris. Now the choice lies in America's hands.

I am stunned that we are finally at the end of the season. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was talking to auditioners in cities all over the country. Now is the time for celebration and I, for one, will be in the audience tonight doing just that... celebrating a stellar season of American Idol, and the crowning of a champion.

Justin Guarini and Kimberly Caldwell host two hours of LIVE "American Idol" Finale Red Carpet Coverage TONIGHT at 6/5c on TV GUIDE NETWORK.