If the American Idol finale didn't tick off half of the people, it wouldn't be American Idol. That's why I always question why so many of us love a show that we know will make us mad at one point or another.
Even though I predicted a narrow Bo victory, and I was surprised at last night's outcome, the more I think about it, the less shocked I am that Carrie took the title. After all, Simon predicted a Carrie win weeks ago, and he's never been wrong yet.
Oh, of course, people are screaming (again) that the fix was in. And okay, conspiracy lovers, maybe it was. Maybe votes (or Botes, as the case may be) didn't really matter. Perhaps the AI handlers, looking at the Idol suit hanging in the closet, knew that only one of the 12 really could wear it, much like Greg Brady in that Johnny Bravo episode. And so the competition was manufactured so that Johnny Bravo was the natural and inevitable winner. If there's anything in the way of proof to that theory, it would be Tuesday night, when producers handed Carrie the perfect song selection and kicked Bo so far out of his comfort zone that his zip code changed.
But I prefer to believe that, knowing what a money machine the Idol franchise is, due in no small part to the interactive nature of the show, that the powers that be wouldn't dare thoroughly tamper (perhaps just tweak) with the vote totals and endanger this pop culture phenomonen.
If that makes me a sap, so be it. I'll just continue to sap away.
The Carrie people are reveling in their happiness this morning, as they should. Their girl is going to be all over the television, singing that insipid Heaven song until she's hoarse. And they're counting the days until the release of her single (which, if history repeats itself, will be continually delayed until sometime in 2008).
The Bo people are rightfully disappointed, angry even, that their rocker, a true Idol original, will be forced into the blond shadow, not even getting so much as a funeral tape to mark his journey into their hearts. (See, I still think third is better; at least third gets a swan song...)
But I maintain, and I have since season two, that being the runner-up is often the real prize. Bo will benefit from the media attention his "upset" loss will generate. But he won't be forced into the suit. The Idol people proved they really didn't know what to do with a rocker. They proved that on Tuesday. And somehow, I can't envision Bo Bice obediently agreeing to jump through the hoops they are going to force Carrie to leap through. (If you'll recall, Ruben Studdard tried to extradite himself from their claws when he realized Idol was methodically sucking out his brain.)
Carrie has a lot of widespread appeal. There are thousands, maybe tens of thousands of little girls in this country, who, not being able to really identify with any Idol since Kelly, want to be just like her. (I know this first-hand, as I have to fork over five bucks to a granddaughter who has now switched from BET to CMT, all because she wants to be just like the pretty blonde.) And what parent doesn't want their daughter to "idolize" a squeaky-clean, genuinely nice, small-town girl? Carrie fits the bill, the suit, perfectly, while Bo, with his rough exterior and "checkered" past and knowing he really didn't need to win to succeed, would have been certain to tear the seams apart.
Clive Davis is salivating at the thought of a Bo Bice CD -- aside from the even-more-insipid-than-Heaven Long, Long Road that they're threatening us with. If Davis has the faith in Bo, and in Bo's fans, and produces a CD filled with real music, not the standard Idol fare, it could very well outsell anything Idol forces Carrie into. (Those Idol CDs are not known for their song quality, after all.)
Hopefully Carrie enjoys the success that an Idol should. It's a tough playing field out there, as American Idol winners are often not given a high level of industry respect until they've proven they deserve it, as Kelly has. And poor sales from the debut CD can often send Idols into some mystery closet, where they're not seen for months.
And hopefully Bo will drive the vehicle of Idol controversy/exposure into the nearest recording studio, someone somewhere with ears will realize the planned single is nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen, and allow him the freedom to select something worthy of his effort. And our money.
If so, everyone's suit will fit. And we can live happily ever after.
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