IDOL LIVE predix: Season 8 Winner

After this long, hard slog through the murky waters that were Idol's eighth season, we have finally reached the finish line. And might I add, it could not have come soon enough.

What we are left with are two very different contestants, one that has delivered much talked about performances consistently week after week and one that has grown a little bit as a performer and has evolved into an artist over the course of the past few months. Picking a champion between these two is like placing your hand into a bag with one purple rock and one yellow rock, and whichever one you pull out is victorious. It's 50/50, and really either of them could come away with the title tonight.

But I'm going to be as brave as the next guy and put my two cents in for whom I think will walk away as the next American Idol. Here it goes:

Winner
>Kris

There, that's over with. What makes me think that Kris will defy all logic and swipe the title from Adam is pretty simple thinking, and maybe it would only work in an ideal world, but it's worth a shot. I think Kris represents the original intention of Idol, going back to the days of a small town waitress from Burleson, Tex., named Kelly Clarkson. This show is about finding undiscovered talent and watching an individual transform and step into shoes of a more seasoned performer over the course of the show, and that is exactly what Kris is the embodiment of.

Adam is an undeniably talented performer, and has a command of the stage that might possibly be unprecedented on this show. But he finished the season just as he started it, and never really grew at all. That said, it would not be a problem if Adam wins and he would probably do a good job representing the Idol brand, but he would be better off in the long run if he did not have the Idol tag joined to his hip for the rest of his career.

Kris also seems like more of the traditional winning type, and has broad appeal. His style of music is in at the moment and is more marketable than Adam is, which is probably running through the minds of TPTB and even the judges. Plus, if one of the two finalists had to be stuck with Kara's awful "No Boundaries," Kris might as well take on the duty since his vocals are better suited for it.

Regardless of what happens, it has been an interesting ride this season. This finale was not my favorite by a mile, and neither was the season, but I will leave that commentary until after a winner is crowned tonight.

As for my prediction history, I originally had Danny taking the top prize in my pre-Top 13 predictions, which I admit was a good guess, but not good enough.