Jordin Wins!

Jordin Sparks is the new American Idol!!!! My favorite singer won, the first time this has happened since Kelly Clarkson. I was so happy for her. It really paid off that after months of singing and a record breaking 51 posts, Jordin took home the prize. The only bad part was that we had to sit through 130 minutes of crap to get the answer.

Now I know the producers think that they're getting a good end, landing a stageful of multiplatinum superstars in exchange for a bunch of amateurs who'll be lucky if they're playing amusement-park stages or landing supporting gigs in Off Off Broadway shows five years from now. Now that may be right. But the thing is, the Idol finale should not be confused with the Grammys, or the American Music Awards, or even "Idol Gives Back." And it most certainly shouldn't be used as a vehicle to promote some megastar's latest single, or a new Vegas casino gig, or Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.

That's why their decision to focus the bloated, 130-minute telecast on pretty much everyone except for this season's 12 finalists was so disappointing and, ultimately, infuriating. This was their now. Why not let them (and us) live in the moment? In fact, here's an ideal guideline for the season 7 send-off: Don't allow any non-Idol performers to take the stage — unless they agree to duet with one of the 12 finalists. Think about it: Instead of piping in a "live" feed of Gwen performing "4 in the Morning" with utter detachment, you could've forced her to show up at the Kodak and duet with Chris Richardson on "Don't Speak," a number he'd already nailed earlier in the season. You also would have scored if Kiki had rescued Bette midway through her abysmal and terrifying "Wind Beneath My Wings." And come on, Tony Bennett's "For Once in My Life" was taken from his album Duets, and Melinda Doolittle's Memphis audition number was..."For Once in My Life." Do I really have to do the math for you?

Then again, maybe you like the numbers exactly as they are. Clive Davis sure seemed happy reporting the staggering sales successes of Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, and Kelly Clarkson — even if he managed to make a dig at the original Idol champ with his comment about the importance of working with the right songwriters and producers. Get over it dude! She is doing great!

Who knows, though? Maybe the powerful record exec was merely issuing a warning to Jordin and Blake not to go all rogue on him when it comes time to cut their albums in the fall. After all, Clive can giveth, and he can also mention your subplatinum sales figures in front of an audience of 30 million people. I'm looking at you Taylor Hicks. Not only did the Soul Patrol man suffer that indignity, but his jittery performance of "Heaven Knows" shriveled in comparison to Kelly's ferocious "Never Again" and Carrie's tender, stripped-down "I'll Stand by You." Another question is why Ruben was the only former champ who didn't get his own solo moment.

Also, we should ask why Jordin didn't land a more high-profile duet partner than Ruben on "You're All I Need to Get By." She nailed it, of course, nailing every note of her number and not frozen in front of the mike stand, either. It reminded me why started wearing my Team Sparks jersey. In that moment, on that number, the season 6 champ could've held her own with anybody. She has managed to bring an emotional connection to her material that her chief season 6 rivals often neglected to provide. You almost feel something evertime she sings.

One more thing, Sanjaya. Was it absolutely neceassary for him to give us an encore performance of "You Really Got Me?" The ugly truth is that each time they mention the kid it adds an extra second to his 15-minute clock.

And here ended another season of American Idol. I hope you all enjoyed it and enjoyed my summaries. I wish Jordin the best of luck and the she joins the ranks of Kelly and Carrie. I know I'll be buying her first single and her album.

See you next January!