American Idol And the Winner Is

Last night, we were reminded why American Idol is American Idol. The show isn't built for beat-boxing, Blake Lewis, or, you know, originality. It's built for people like Jordin Sparks. And, in this case at least, that is a very good thing. This fact became unavoidable while watching Jordin and Blake take on this year's corny/brilliant Idol original song, "This Is My Now" (watch the two versions here and here). The tune is your typical inspirational Celine rip-off, and, simply, Blake did not know what to do with it. His emotionless version exposed the song's cliched lyrics and staid structure; Jordin somehow made it meaningful. Obviously, Jordin's Mariah-style perfection lends itself to the power-ballad melodrama of something like "This Is My Now" more than Blake's Jamiroquai-lite nonsense, but watching the Blakester jump up and down like a 5-year-old in an effort to inject energy into the lifeless performance was embarrassing. And when Jordin hit the big "noooow!" and choked up during her closing lines...game over. "This Is My Now" needs a voice to work; Jordin has a voice, Blake does not. Though this season of Idol has often been overshadowed by dirty Internet pictures or silly hair, it's still about the singing—and America isn't ready to crown a 311 fan boy just yet.