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***Ruben/Clay finale, Linda Cobbins says something Interesting***
May 22nd, 2002
Big man Ruben Studdard of Birmingham was crowned the new American Idol Wednesday night, proving size doesn't matter.
"I feel great, man," a stunned Studdard, 24, said immediately after the announcement of the audience's close phone vote on the live Fox network show.
Of 24 million votes, 50.28 percent were for Studdard, putting him 130,000 votes ahead of Clay Aiken of Raleigh, N.C.
The American Idol sing-off pitted Studdard's smooth, silky rhythm-and-blues style against Aiken's gut-busting Broadway sound.
Wednesday night's almost-interminable 2-hour finale stretched the suspense until the show's last 10 minutes, filling the time with production numbers featuring '60s and '70s tunes sung by previously eliminated contestants - including Memphian Trenyce - solos by the two finalists, and plenty of padding. Not to mention an avalanche of ads. No fewer than 45 punctuated the broadcast.
When the new idol was finally announced before thousands of cheering fans, the two final contestants embraced.
"I couldn't have had a better experience," Aiken said.
Fox had said it expected more than 30 million viewers to watch the verdict in this second edition of Idol.
In Memphis, only a few fans showed up for the watching party at Isaac Hayes Music, Food, Passion.
And there was hardly anyone to shush during the watching party at Gill's Bar and Grill, where Linda Cobbins and a couple others watched who would become the "Idol" that bested her daughter, Trenyce.
Memphis is a "locals town," and when the local was no longer in the hunt, said Cobbins, most folks lost interest. Not that there was much to begin with, she said.
"We had watching parties before, when Trenyce was still in it, and they were just like this," she said, looking around and pointing at empty chairs.
"Trenyce has more fans in Los Angeles than Memphis."
On American Idol this season, the contest began with more than 70,000 people at auditions in six cities - often with hilarious and disastrous results.
As the field narrowed, the three judges played their expected roles, with Paula Abdul showing empathy, Randy Jackson calling everyone "dawg" in a fatherly way, and Simon Cowell dumping cold water on thousands of pipe dreams.
The Idol formula has attracted about 20 million viewers to each episode, allowing Fox to charge advertisers ,000 for a 30-second ad in the finale.
The finalists could really sing, making the competition about aptitude rather than appearance.
The reed-thin Aiken, a 24-year-old teacher's aide from North Carolina, and Studdard, who is unemployed, set themselves apart early not only with their voices, but also their sizes.
They will join with eight other finalists, including Trenyce, in the "American Idols Live!" tour, which comes to Memphis Aug. 16.
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All information supplied by www.GoMemphis.com, THANX!
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