Kara DioGuardi’s song could decide ‘Idol’

The judges have always held a great deal of power on “American Idol.” A well-placed barb from Simon Cowell can doom a contestant, while praise can thrust another into the spotlight. But Tuesday’s “Idol” saw the newest judge, Kara DioGuardi, put in a position where her words may have decided this season’s winner.

Kara co-wrote “No Boundaries,” this year’s designated first single for the winner. It was the final song that Adam Lambert and Kris Allen sang on Tuesday, and left the final impression in the audience’s mind as everyone went off to dial or text their votes. And unfortunately for Kris, it was a song that fit Adam's voice better than his.

Therefore, on a night that not only saw Randy Jackson in a coat and tie, but also Simon trading his traditional T-shirt for a button-down, it was one of the women who stole the show.

One might think that with the stakes so high, the singers might have some freedom to choose their three tunes. But that was only true for one of the three songs, and the singers were limited to tunes that they’d performed already. Show boss Simon Fuller picked the second song for each finalist, and then both had to perform the song Kara co-wrote specially for the finale.

For his choice, Adam went with the song that nobody with a DVR heard, and Kris countered with one of the songs that marked him as a contender. The contrast in the performances showed the difference between the two singers’ styles.

Broadway or vampires?
Adam’s “Mad World” was a soulful ballad that took place in an overload of stagecraft and lighting. Dry ice blew smoke along the stage floor, and the blue spotlight glowed eerily on his face.

All the judges liked it, but debated whether that level of theatrics was more like “Phantom of the Opera,” as Simon thought, or the vampire franchise “Twilight,” as Randy countered. The former would be “Broadway” and therefore bad, while the latter is trendy and therefore good.

Slideshow   Kris Allen plays it cool Whether strumming his guitar or playing the piano, the “Idol” winner always stayed low-key. more photos

Meanwhile, there was no fog on stage when Kris sang “Ain’t No Sunshine,” nor was there any movement at all. It was just Kris and a grand piano, doing what he did best all season long. And the judges loved it.

“If you can hear a Kris Allen performance and he doesn’t move you, there’s something wrong with you,” Kara gushed.

Simon agreed. “I’ve got to be honest right now, when your name was announced last week I wasn’t sure that America made the right choice,” he said. “I absolutely take that back after this performance.”

He called round one for Kris. Unfortunately, that was the last part of the night that the singer from Conway, Ark. had under his total control.

Simon says ... sing these songs
For the second song of the night, “Idol” creator Simon Fuller assigned Sam Cooke's “A Change is Gonna Come” to Adam.

Slideshow   The many looks of Adam Lambert From motorcycle jackets to snazzy suits, the “American Idol” runner-up knew how to dress for each song. more photos

Paula Abdul was slightly impressed with the result. “That was the best I’ve ever heard you sing! Ever, ever, ever! Unbelievable!” she said. “Not only that, you look like a superstar up there. I know with every fiber of my being that you are going to be iconic.”

Kris was ordered to sing the Marvin Gaye anti-war classic “What’s Goin’ On,” and he played to his strengths by breaking out the acoustic guitar. Unfortunately for him, the judges weren’t happy with what the song allowed him to do.

“A little bit light for this big old room at this stage of the competition,” Randy said.

“It was like three friends in their bedroom strumming along to Marvin Gaye,” Simon added, and predictably awarded the round to Adam to raise the stakes.

That left each with just Kara’s song, “No Boundaries,” to close the show. Apart from the songwriter herself, nobody seemed thrilled with the tune. 

But Adam had more reason to be pleased than Kris. The song is written to be sung in a higher register, which is more in line with Adam’s strengths. And because none of the judges were thrilled with making their comments on that song the final verdict on the season, they focused their feedback more on the season as a whole.

‘A worldwide star’
That allowed Simon to give perhaps his most positive quote ever, telling Adam, “The whole idea about doing the show like this is you hope you can find a worldwide star. I genuinely believe with all my heart that we’ve found that with you. Congratulations.”

Interactive Vote: Rate the ‘Idols’ How do you think Adam and Kris stack up?

“Adjectives can’t express what you’ve brought to this show season eight. You can sing whatever you want to sing and I will be a fan forever,” Paula added.

Kris did his best, but the song was too high for his range and his final comments from the judges were more of the “great job making it this far” variety.

“You have been an incredible person to watch week to week. I hope people vote on the season,” Kara said.

That would make it seem like Kris is the underdog heading into Wednesday’s results show. But that doesn’t mean Adam can rest easy. Kris has been surprising everyone all season, and it’s not like the two are similar enough to be drawing from the same pool of music fans.

Ryan Seacrest made that clear in his pre-show introduction: “The acoustic rocker vs. the glam rocker. Conway (Arkansas) vs. California. The guy next door vs. the guyliner. It comes down to Kris vs. Adam,” he said.

Indeed, the two are different enough that tonight may not have mattered at all. Adam was his usual over-the-top performer, while Kris was the solid, dependable artist. Odds are small that either won any fans away from the other, so it all might come down to the former Danny Gokey voters whose favorite was eliminated last week. If Kris did enough to win over that crew, Kara’s song and Simon’s feedback won’t matter, and he’ll win “Idol.”

But if it’s based on Tuesday night and what the judges said, this is still Adam’s competition to lose, as it has been all season.

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington.

MORE FROM AMERICAN IDOL

Happy birthday, Simon, the best mean Brit ever

Happy birthday, Simon, the best mean Brit ever ‘Idol Gives Back’ returns to ‘American Idol’ Ellen brings EveryFan sensibility to ‘Idol’ Paula Abdul wishes Ellen luck on ‘Idol’   Add American Idol headlines to your news reader: