Let's not forget runner-up Diana DeGarmo, at 16 the youngest finalist of the season. Her achievements have been remarkable, she has handled all the pressures with poise and fortitude and she's given Fantasia a very close run for her money. Perhaps her most remarkable achievement was to earn an apology from Simon who had pigeon-holed her as 'too young'. The quality of her performances forced him to take that back. We will hear a lot more from little miss dynamite DeGarmo, that we can count on.
Tonight though was 'Tasia's night. When Ryan Seacrest announced that she had won the contest she cried, "Thank you so much" she said "I broke my shoe!". Feeling all the emotion she added "I've been through some things, but I've worked hard to get where I'm at". With tears of joy Fantasia celebrated her victory by singing what is now her own song "I Believe". It was a fantastic sight, or is the word Fantasiastic, they're synonyms aren't they?
The ultimate finale was quite a grandiose 'event'. Ryan was aided and abetted by two beautiful co-hosts, Jennifer Love Hewitt and ex-Idolist Christina Christian. They handled the hosting outside the auditorium.
For a bit of Idol reverie we were treated to Jasmine Trias, La Toya London and George Huff performing tracks from their American Idol CD. (Jasmine: Midnight Train To Georgia; La Toya: If You Don't Know Me By Now; George: Me And Mrs Jones.)
Ryan also interviewed Diana and Fantasia in their dressing rooms. They were both looking forward to the night, Fantasia showed off the candle that was sent to her from Toni Braxton as a good luck wish.
There were live broadcasts from the packed Georgia Dome and Greensboro Coliseum, NC where 60,000 had turned up. The respective mayor's were also there supporting their Idol candidates. Sonny Perdue, Govenor of Georgia was supporting Georgia peach Diana. He mentioned there was a bet between himself and Mike Easley, Govenor of North Carolina. The bet involved tickets for the NASCAR races, some North Carolina blueberries and some Georgia peaches ... no, not including Diana herself!
Back at the Kodak theater plenty of celebrities were arriving for the grand finale, they included Sharon Osbourne, Nicole Richie, Ray Romano, Australian Idol Guy Sebastian and even 'The Fonz' (aka Henry Winkler) was in attendance. Tamyra Gray further enhanced the sense of occasion by singing the National Anthem.
Diana DeGarmo came out and began singing "The Impossible Dream", soon to be joined by Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard.
Kelly performed solo, the 12 Idol finalists performed a medley, then Ruben did his thing ... it was all great entertainment, however the anticipation and tension was becoming unbearable, but we knew in true Fox fashion this one was going to string out for however long a piece of string is!
It was now time for solo performances from Diana and Fantasia. Diana sang 'I Believe' and Fantasia followed with 'Dreams'. They both gave really good performances, especially considering the nerves they must have been experiencing.
The girls then performed a duet of "I Knew You Were Waiting" ...yes virtually all of America was waiting, especially the two ladies who were singing the song! But not for much longer...
It was over to the panel of judges for some final thoughts. Simon Cowell said that the winner "...gets what they always wanted; fame, stardom, a ton of money". Randy Jackson said he was proud of both Diana and Fantasia because they'd made it to the top 2 out of 70,000.
At long last Ryan announced that 'Fantasia' is our new American Idol!
It was a brilliant end to the series. Despite (or maybe because of) it's many shocks and controversies no-one can deny it has been an intriguing and highly entertaining season. The producers must be relieved that talent prevailed and they've finished up with the phenomenal Fantasia as an honorary ambassador. We can only hope that they improve their voting system for American Idol season four which begins in January 2005. For the program to maintain its credibility the voting process must be seen to be credible...
...in the meantime let's just celebrate Fantasia...now she is 'incredible'!