AMERICAN IDOL recap: Phillip Phillips Wins Season 11

By PETER BROWN / Contributing Editor

Posted: May 24th, 2012 / 01:23 AM

Phillip Phillips perform after winning AMERICAN IDOL - Season 11 | ©2012 Fox/Michael Becker

Cast: Ryan Seacrest, Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson
Network: Fox, airs Wednesdays and Thursdays @ 8 p.m.
Original Telecast: May 23, 2012

So we are mercifully at the finale of the 11^th season of the world’s greatest karaoke competition, AMERICAN IDOL.

I missed last week because I had a serious case of IDOLitis, meaning I simply could not watch the show last week it was something in my blood. This is roughly the 40^th review I have done this year and so yes it grates on you after many, many weeks.

Anyway, just to get this out of the gate first: Two hours IDOL? Really? C’mon man. One hour for the results is painful enough with filler and terrible vignettes and commercials but two hours? We get a boatload of unnecessary fluff.

Well, the big news, of course, is that Phillip Phillips won the whole damn thing. Leaving Jessica Sanchez as the runner-up to the show.

Now, I don’t want to toot my horn but when I actually get something right, I like to, uh, toot my own horn. Back when Phillip Phillips auditioned for IDOL I said at the time he would not only make it into the Top-12 but that he might be one of the ones to make it to the finale. Unlike Taylor Hicks, I think Phillips will actually do pretty good in the music market, especially if he continues to do some of the unique stuff he’s been doing on the show this year.

Here’s how the two-hour event happened just in case you didn’t want to sit through the whole thing, which I really don’t blame you.

Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips perform during the AMERICAN IDOL - Season 11 finale | ©2012 Fox/Michael Becker

The show began with a group song with the 10 other contestants from the show that were kicked off. It was mediocre at best.

Then we got a performance from Phillip Phillips and John Fogerty singing “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” Kinda boring actually but I gotta admit, Fogerty looks damn good for his age and the pipes seem to be in well working order. Luckily, “Bad Moon” was much better and not nearly as sleep inducing.

This was followed by the obligatory bad clip reel with all the terrible acts that auditioned for the show in the arduous process that seems to go on forever. It is bad enough we get to live through these things once, but twice? That’s just sadistic and another reason why this whole aspect of the show should be abandoned.

Joshua Ledet came out after the bad clip show and proved once again why America got it right last week by getting rid of him. I had been saying for a number of weeks that while Ledet has the pipes that everyone dreams about having, his whole gospel vibe just doesn’t flow with what people in music want today. His crazy awesome voice was the only thing keeping in the competition as long as he did.

Group song time again with the girls of the Top-12. Oh yeah, Shannon Magrane. Had a lot of potential. Totally blew it when she hit the stage.

Rihanna then did some bats*** crazy stuff on stage in the hopes we’ll forget all about BATTLESHIP and remember she’s really just a singer.

Then Reba and Hillbilly Hoedown Skylar Laine show off their spandex on stage in a duet.

Oh and we got a tour of Steven Tyler’s “dressing room” complete with faux Playboy bunnies, a monkey, a fake Zebra, a dude holding a skunk and Randy Jackson acting like it was all normal. I smell reality show.

Of course, IDOL is never beyond pimping itself at the misery and death of others, so Jessica Sanchez belted out Whitney Houston. No doubt Donna Summer is coming soon.

First, however, the guys of the Top-12 decide to do that hip, songs of today singer Neil Diamond in “Coming to America”. I just keep wondering if those not in the Top-10 and going on tour are getting paid for this gig or if they gotta do it for gratis. Wait, remember when I was talking about songs from dead people, yeah, they also did “I’m a Believer” which Diamond wrote and the Monkees made famous. OK, Neil Diamond is in the house and singing “Sweet Caroline” all is forgiven.

Sigh. Another bad highlight reel of Randy Jackson saying over and over again that people can sing the phonebook. Then the Top-12 do it in full gospel regalia, it is supposed to be funny, it’s just bad.

Speaking of pimping themselves, J.Lo takes the stage to autotune her new songs and do some fancy dance moves.

Taylor Hicks sighting. Hey, he’s got nothing else to do tonight, why not sit in the IDOL audience.

Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. They are ringing out the dead tonight for sure as they decide to do a medley of Bee Gees songs in tribute to the passing of Robin Gibb. Unfortunately, it’s really terrible, it takes a definite finesse to sing Bee Gees and none of these clods have it.

Speaking of pimping themselves, Aerosmith (going on tour shortly and probably a new album) then performs

And after all of this, they actually end up going long into the show and pushing past two hours to finally get the reveal that Phillip Phillips is the victor.

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Related Link: AMERICAN IDOL Season 11 recap: Phillip Phillips becomes a frontrunner during the Finals; Jessica Sanchez falters

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AMERICAN IDOL recap: Phillip Phillips Wins Season 11 – Season Finale

Jessica Sanchez is the runner-up

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