Adam vs. Kris: Has American Idol victor already been decided?

[image-1]After Lambert's unexpected, slow-emo twist on Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire," you thought here's an original — but night after night after that he kept resorting to his trademark "banshee shrieks," as Holden calls them, no matter whether the song could bear them or not. And when the judges don't call him on his predictability, it produces some cognitive dissonance in the audience. As in, wait, didn't you hear that? Huh? Hell, I'm gonna vote for Kris. Who, despite a much more limited range, is still pulling off some surprises, as with his acoustic rethink of Kanye West's "Heartless."

And as far as the gay audiences go — well, sorry Adam, but Kris is just a wee bit cuter. Or rather, he's just not as self-consciously done up as you are (or maybe he's just got a better stylist). Between us fickle gays and Kris' lock on the tween vote, America, you may be surprised.

But never underestimate Lambert — he may still have it in him to do something that isn't the same-old, same-old, while Kris already does show an occasional tendency to be b-o-r-i-n-g. Which, whatever you think about AI, tonight's final probably won't be.