The competition started out shakey this year, with a variety of singers with different levels of singing competency, and when it seemed almost too easy to decide who would be the next one to go out. However, when the competition came down to the final 4, the heat truly went up. By the time it came down to 2, I didn't have a clear favourite. Well, it is true that unlike the last seaso, these 2 are seriously good looking people! I mean, Jordin is on the big-side but hey, she has beautiful features, a winning smile and youthful confidence. Nevertheless, with their diverse styles in music, how can you compare oranges to apples???

Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks were the 2 contestants left to battle it out today (well, at least it's shown today in Asia).

Vocal-wise, Jordin definitely stole the show. At age 17 she manages to tackle old and new songs with amazing ease. And of course, her powerhouse vocals have shown incredible range, depth and versitility.

Performance-wise, I'd say Blake takes the title. A definite crowd-pleaser. I love that song from last week "This Love" and I loved the way he beatbox-ed it, nevertheless.

But really, vocal-wise, as the media has mentioned time and time again, Blake is still the weakest. Actually, Blake can sing. Just that he doesn't have that powerhouse vocal to stand out from the competition. Both of them sang 3 songs today. Blake chose, of course, "You Give Love a Bad Name" which was one of the defining moments in his Idol journey. A flawless performance, in my opinion, and it still doesn't cease to get me high even after hearing his version for a 2nd time. Blake then sang "She Will Be Loved", a Maroon 5 song which again, I do like a lot and actually was hoping that he could pick this song to sing in one of the rounds. Ordinary vocals, but competent for the song. Reminded me of the original, actually, and as Simon correctly pointed out, the song just isn't something you would pick for the finals for it's almost monotone quality to it which thrives on the music arrangement rather the vocals. Then again, Blake probably knew that which was precisely why he picked the song.

Jordin sang her first song "Fighter" with zest though despite the judges' complements, I felt it fell flat on me. Not too memorable. But Jordin picked it up with the 2nd song "Broken Wings". It's basically a beautiful song in its essence, and Jordin did a wonderful rendition with it. This song, to me, was also Jordin's defining Idol moment.

But really, the difference between the apple and the orange really showed with the 3rd and final song, an original song to be sung by both Blake and Jordin and would be the winner's debut single. Blake started first and it sounded like... well... a boyband which to me means just-ok and competent vocals but with little character But when it was Jordin's turn to sing, she basically just floored Blake. And I'm sure that tearful end to the song would win some more votes for her sincere performance.

Randy and Simon commented that Blake clearly wasn't comfortable with that style of singing, and Blake himself did not contest to that. Simon even said that the audience would just have to judge of his first 2 performances. Yet to me, that 3rd song amplified the fact that while Jordin is versitile enough to perform in most genres of songs, Blake may probably be limited only to rock and beatboxing. Though I think Blake may want to consider venturing into music arrangements later.

So who do I think will win? I'd say Jordin, for her cheerful, youthful and girly personality with those powerhouse and versitile vocals. Still wish for some good things for Blake though.

But really, ultimately, if I were given the choice I'd still rather have Merlinda Doolittle against Jordin. As shown by the choice of the original song, AI and America is not ready for Blake. And I still think that Merlinda should be the winner this season.

By the way, gotta add this - this year's orginal song really is quite nice, unlike last year's.

Looking forward to the results tomorrow! Tension!