American Idol: Doolittle's Going Home

I'm not really surprised nor am I upset that Melinda Doolittle was voted off of American Idol last night. Mainly because she doesn't embody an "American Idol" (the way the show is intended) except that she has a great singing voice. That's nice but I imagine she'll end up taking a route similar to Jennifer Hudson. She may make an album or two, but I doubt will sell well in the mainstream pop charts beyond those Idol fans hoping to hear her voice again because of the nature of her vocal talent. I can't imagine record producers giving her very many "pop" songs to perform because she doesn't have that presence and style. Sure she did well enough on the show to last this long and surprised me with a couple performances that I thought she would tank but I don't see a mainstream, pop music career for her. She does have an interesting, almost infectious, personality though which, I think, would carry over well to Broadway along with her voice. I guess we'll see what happens.

Jordin was a shoe-in because she mixes all that a pop-star should have. She's got the attractive look, the great voice, the youthful attitude and good stage / performance presence. Blake is almost the same. He's an excellent performer, has a pretty good voice for most types of singing that he's done on the show, has the young, attractive thing going for him and certainly brings marketability to the table with his beat boxing and humor.

Of the two finalists, I'd give the edge to Jordin because she's more of a total package but Blake definitely has a prosperous future ahead of him. I could easily see both on television shows and Blake seems like he would fare much better than Justin Guarini in movies.

So, while this season has had its ups and downs (mostly downs in my opinion) it's ending on a pretty good note. Some good talent in the end and, hopefully, a good finale show next week will carry us over until next year.

And, if that's not enough for you, remember that we don't have to listen to Paula's comments for another eight months!!