Jordin Sparks will be named the new American Idol - if North America's most popular and embarrassing TV addiction really is a singing competition.

Last night, the 17-year-old Arizona native blew her competition, 25-year-old Blake Lewis from Seattle, out of the running with two phenomenal performances which should earn her the Idol crown.

In front of more than 4,000 fans inside Hollywood's Kodak Theatre and millions of viewers around the world, the final two went head-to-head for cheers, votes and words of encouragement from the judges.

Singing three selections - a favourite from the past season, a new pick and the corny Idol song - they both gave it their all in hopes of becoming the next Taylor Hicks or Kelly Clarkson.

Here's how it went.

Round One goes to Blake Lewis.
Lewis picked his favourite song from the past season, Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name. While the performance certainly showed off his mad beat-boxing skills, it was a terrible choice for highlighting his smooth vocals.

Judge Simon Cowell, as always, called it correctly, saying although Lewis shouted the words at times, he killed the song.

"You're not the best singer in the competition, but you are the best entertainer I think we've had," he added.

As for Sparks, she sang Christina Aguilera's Fighter, which the judges agreed was a great vocal performance, but lacked anything extra.

"You were brilliant. It sounded amazing," said Randy Jackson, who felt Sparks won the first round based on her voice, but Lewis stole it based on entertainment value.

Paula Abdul, who apparently had a broken nose, called it a tie, but Cowell spilt the panel's indecision by going with Lewis.

Round two goes to Jordin Sparks.

In a total shocker, Lewis picked a Maroon Five song. This time, with She Will be Loved, he let his vocals shine, but left his personality back stage.

"You sounded great," Abdul told him, before Cowell rang in with his criticism of the song choice. "It was good. It was safe. It wasn't as good as the first song."

Sparks, also remaining tightly in the conventional box, chose Martina McBride's A Broken Wing, which earned her rave reviews on an previous Idol episode. Once again, she hit it out of the park, wowing the fans in the Kodak Theatre with her insane voice.

"That was flawless. I think better than the original," said Jackson.

Added Cowell, "Now that was good."

Round three goes to Jordin Sparks.

Painful is the only word to describe Lewis' performance of this season's cheesy Idol song, This is My Now, written by two guys from Seattle. It's not that he messed up the lyrics or cracked his voice, he just had difficulty singing a sappy ballad that has nothing to do with the kind of music he'll eventually record.

"I thought that was a little odd," said Cowell, as Lewis nodded in agreement. "I think we have to judge you tonight primarily on your first two performances."

Sparks, on the other hand, seemed a perfect match for the emotional tune.

"You just wiped the floor with Blake on that song," Cowell told the tearful singer.

But it was Jackson who truly summed up the night. "You were the best singer tonight. You deserve it all."

The two-hour American Idol final result's show airs tonight on Fox and CTV. tara.merrin@sunmedia.ca