American Idol Finale! Lauren vs Scotty in the battle of the Country teens . . . .

Tonight is the Finale show and it all comes down to two young teenagers, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery. Both Country, both young and both very talented. 

I must admit that I was hoping for a Haley vs Scotty finale but in the grand scheme of things I think that it was a virtual 3-way tie between Lauren, Scotty and Haley and I'm happy with any match-up combination.  Maybe AI should really think about turning the final two showdown into a final three showdown.  Now that would be a neat little twist for next season. :)

First, I really want to say a huge thank you to all of my fellow AI fans, AnnieNC, Menehune and Barb for all of your recap comments, thoughts, and opinions throughout the season.  It was totally cool sharing recaps with you all and it made it so much more fun for me watching Idol this season. 

So how will they perform under the intense spotlight, who will deliver the best performance of the night to earn our votes . . . . well, here's how the night went:

Round 1:  Songs that are chosen by Scotty and Lauren.

Scotty McCreery start the finale night with Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone”.  A wonderful performance and great song choice.  Scotty is such a natural on stage and it seems so effortless when he sings.  Great energy and I loved it!

Lauren Alaina starts her first round with Carrie Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor”.  I was curious how she would perform since they announced at the beginning that she had strained her vocal cord.  I thought she did a great performance.    

Round 2:  Songs selected by their Idols. 

Scotty McCreery sings George Strait’s “Check Yes or No” and I thought he did a wonderful job.

Carrie Underwood picks "Maybe It Was Memphis" by Pam Tillis for Lauren to sing and she did a fabulous job.  I liked it better than her first song. Wow, this is going to be a tough competition to call. They are both doing really well so far.  

Commercial Break:  The new coco cola song is debuted.  I like it. Very catch and I found the lyrics to be very "positive". :) 

Round 3:  Songs selected by Jimmy Iovine

Scotty McCreery sings “I Love You This Big”and he did a fantastic job.  I loved it!

Lauren Alaina sings “Like My Mother Does” and she did a fabulous job.   And I have to admit that the flood gates opened up as I listened to the lyrics and while watching Lauren perform this song with such emotions.  It was very moving seeing her walk down and give her mom a big hug. 

I have to agree with JLO that both Lauren and Scotty did an outstanding job in all three of their performances tonight.  They are both very deserving to win and no matter who receives the most votes tonight, I believe that they will both have very successful music careers. 

And so tomorrow night we will hear Ryan Secrest say "dim the lights" one last time to find out who will be crowned the New American Idol!    Good luck to both Lauren & Scotty . . .

And that's my Final Recap!  Keep on Rocking American Idol . . . until next season!