American Idol' Winner
Unlike the actual "American Idol" results show, we don't intend to keep you in suspense about the winner with two hours of filler. After 132 million votes cast last night (really, people?), the 11th winner of the juggernaut reality competition is ...
Phillip Phillips.
The White Guy With Guitar strikes again! Looks like that stereotypical streak on "American Idol" isn't being broken any time soon. Whatever else you might say about P-squared (and I fully expect you to in the comments section), the ladies seem to love him. He's got a radio-ready sound -- especially with his Mumford & Sons-esque winner's song, "Home" -- and he probably has the greatest chance of making an impact on the charts, as so many previous "American Idol" winners have failed to do.
Did he have the best vocals, an impressive range or the ability to work the stage? No. But that doesn't preclude him from being a successful artist, I suppose. He can at least play his own instruments and write his own songs, and he's had a firm grasp on his identity all season long, which certainly differentiated him from raw and malleable runner-up Jessica Sanchez. He's not the surprising choice, but perhaps he's the most logical choice, since "Idol" has always been a popularity contest more than a talent competition.
Both finalists have the talent (or at least the "right sound") needed to have successful careers, although I'll be interested to see how Phillip does under Jimmy Iovine, since he's seemed so anti-establishment, in terms of resisting the image and vocal makeovers the producers have been pushing on the contestants all season long. I actually think he might have benefited from escaping the show's gravitational pull if he hopes to be an original and distinctive artist (and Jessica probably could've used Jimmy's hand-holding), but time will tell.
