American Idol Finale: Idols 'R' Us - Page 2

We elevate mediocrity to godhood.

All of this brings us full circle to McPhee v. Hicks on tonight's finale. In this corner, Katherine McPhee, a curvy, doe-eyed little songbird who goes in swinging with the advice "girls should keep working on themselves." And in this corner, Taylor Hicks, the choreography-challenged leader of the Soul Patrol, who wants nothing more than to "inject as much soul as I can into the American public."

Both opponents are strong contenders, obviously, but in the end, only one can ratchet the level of mediocrity up or down a notch, depending on one's point of view. The odds makers favor Hicks by a narrow margin. After all, he's already a hero to millions of karaoke barhopping good ol' boys and the bored administrative assistants who love them. Drunken dance moves are funny, if not downright cool, as we all know.

On the other hand, Katharine McPhee can wow a crowd merely by kneeling and begging audiences to love her. She's a role model for depressed female adolescents and an iconic fantasy for millions of stressed-out office managers.

It's a tough call, to be sure, but in the end, it will get down to this: who challenges us least? That person will win it all tonight. They'll be heralded as an artist for a month, maybe two, before we get bored and the American Idol cycle begins anew.

As to who I think will win, I haven't the faintest.

Nor do I care overmuch.

I'll be listening to the Dixie Chicks.

Article Author: Ray Ellis

Ray Ellis is a freelance writer who has been dissecting pop culture and its effect on how we view ourselves for over twenty years, ruffling feathers and dragging unsuspecting pedestrians along for the ride whenever possible.

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