The show's panel backed the chipper, 16-year-old songbird of Rossville, Ga., to take first prize the venerable windfall after she faced off against Scotty McCreery in three performances on the Fox strength competition's finale Tuesday. Jennifer Lopez said Alaina's soaring interpretation of the ballad, ''Like My Mother Does,'' may have secured her the title. ''This is a very secure hurry tonight, but Lauren, with that song, you may have just won,'' said Lopez. McCreery, the deep-voiced 17-year-old fatherland crooner from Garner, N.C., was also in it to attain it on the Nokia Theatre station with his own practicable time to come single, ''I Love You This Big.'' Randy Jackson said his sphere on the ballad was great because he ''sung real low-born and absolutely high.'' Both tunes were selected by ''Idol'' mentor Jimmy Iovine. ''If he brings that Scotty coolness tonight, there's no intellect that confetti doesn't be captured on him,'' said Iovine, the Interscope Records chairman who will monogram the victor to his label.
McCreery, who has solidly maintained his old-school mother country vibe throughout the competition, has never been to each the show's ill-bred vote-getters and has big been considered to be one of the 10th season's front-runners. Alaina has also uniformly delivered burnish performances this season, but she once found herself at the bottom three weeks ago. Tuesday's finale began dramatically when master Ryan Seacrest announced that Alaina astray her bring up during rehearsals. He brought Dr.
Shawn Nasseri on juncture to resolve that Alaina blew out one of her vocal cords but had been given ''a lot of medicine'' to be able to snitch during the finale. Alaina insisted at the beginning of the show that she would perform. ''I'm here,'' she said. ''I'm in danger of to sing, and I'm fine. Don't torment about it.'' The malaise didn't seem to dissuade the diva during the original two rounds of the finale, when she performed a rollicking execution of Carrie Underwood's ''Flat on the Floor,'' which she in days of yore took on during the ninth week of the finals.
She later belted out Pam Tillis' ''Maybe It was Memphis,'' which was selected by historic ''Idol'' conquering hero Underwood. McCreery rigorously reprised his interpretation of Montgomery Gentry's ''Gone,'' which he also performed during the finals' ninth week, before breaking out his acoustic guitar for George Strait's ''Check Yes or No,'' which was picked by Strait. Lopez and Jackson break those rounds between the pair, but Steven Tyler told McCreery that Alaina edged him out because ''she's prettier than you are.'' Backstage after the finale, Alaina remained noiseless and scrawled responses to reporters on a notepad with a diabolical marker. (''This is weird!!'' know one note.) When asked if Alaina was involved when 20-year-old preceding finalist Haley Reinhart of Wheeling, Ill., was brought in to go through in receptacle Alaina couldn't perform, she vehemently responded no. ''Going into tonight, Scotty absolutely had an edge, and he may still have a inattention edge,'' Jackson said backstage before noting that Alaina was ''the best tonight.'' The songster with the most viewer votes will be revealed Wednesday. ___ AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report. ___ Fox is a module of News Corp.
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