American Idol 8 is in its final week, and that means the show is more exciting than ever. A new Idol is about to be crowned, and on Tuesday the two contenders had to square off vocally. Every thing they did will affect the results they’ll receive on Wednesday. This performance night could, in fact, be the most important of their entire lives.

After all, it might just mark the difference between winning…and losing.

Adam Lambert started the evening out with “Mad World,” which previously drew him much attention and acclaim from the judges. He performed the song for birth year week when he was part of the Top 8. Lambert’s very dramatic entrance was only the beginning of his theatrical performance, which I found very similar to his first take on the song. As smoke rolled around on stage, Adam simply oozed drama, making his slow way through the melody. Honestly, it was a little bit boring. He kept the song soft throughout, which I’m not sure was a great idea.

“This is it. We’re down to the wire,” Randy Jackson highlighted the importance of the evening. He said he loved Adam’s “sensitive side,” and gave the performance an “A - A for Adam!” Kara DioGuardi was “so happy” he chose this particular song, calling Lambert an “incredible artist.” After she called him “astonishingly handsome,” Paula Abdul told Lambert to “bask in it - this is your moment.” Simon Cowell wasn’t quite as moved as the others. “I always thought this was your best performance,” he said, but went on to add that it was “a little over-theatrical.” And that’s putting it pretty mildly. “It reminded me a little bit of Phantom of the Opera,” Cowell added.

Kris Allen: chose to sing his mid-season hit, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” while sitting at the piano. Whether he was paying homage to Matt Giraud or is just a fellow fashion victim, I hated the vest. He put a lot into the performance and offered up quite the vocal show, but it all felt a little impersonal. I’m not sure the piano was the right choice for this one.

“What I love so much about you is, I can tell exactly what kind of artist you are,” Randy Jackson praised, calling the performance one of Allen’s best. “You have a way of creating an intimate bond with everybody in the audience,” Kara DioGuardi told him. Paula Abdul and her bright green blouse spoke, but it was just too hard to hear over that eye-assaulting color. “I’m gonna be honest with you, when your name was announced last week I wasn’t sure whether America had made the right choice,” Simon Cowell admitted. “I absolutely take that back after this performance,” he added, much to the delight of Kris Allen fans. In fact, Simon Cowell declared Kris as the winner of the first round.

And the plot thickens.

Idol returned from the break with Round 2, songs picked by producer Simon Fuller. He chose “Change is Gonna Come” for Adam Lambert, who delivered the song in a suit. Lambert nailed the opening, powerful vocals and offered up just the right attitude for the soulful song. This guy’s got nothing but stage presence - just give him a spotlight and turn him loose.

Randy Jackson loved the song choice, adding “you can sing your face off - and that was unbelievable.” “Adam, that may have been your best performance and interpretation of a song,” Kara DioGuardi was also astounded. “That was the best I’ve ever heard you sing!” Paula Abdul jumped to her feet. “You look like a superstar up there,” she added. Wow. They really, really, really want Adam Lambert to win. “Adam, all I would say after that is, you are 100% back in the game. Congratulations,” Simon Cowell remained subdued.

Kris Allen had to sing “What’s Goin’ On,” which I thought was rather unfortunate. With his acoustic guitar, Allen tried to make this joint a little bit more upbeat and exciting. It didn’t really work. Somehow the tune had a weird, almost reggae-like feeling to it. Really, the whole thing was a bit like bad Caribbean music. Yeah…I hated it. The arrangement was awful, awful, awful.

Randy Jackson called the song “a little light,” though he praised the vocals. “You’ve been true to yourself from Day 1,” Kara DioGuardi complimented him, calling the song “socially conscious.” Yeah, I didn’t get all that. I didn’t get anything close to that. “Kris, I know what’s goin’ on - you tore that song up and made Marvin Gaye proud!” Paula Abdul cried. “I love the song, but, if I’m being honest with you it was like three friends in their bedroom strumming along to Marvin Gaye,” Simon Cowell pulled no punches, saying the song was “too laid back.” Simon quickly declared that Adam Lambert was the winner of Round 2.

Which only left the final round. Viewers got a quick glimpse of the Top 12, who are on hand for Wednesday night’s big finale spectacular.

Adam Lambert then stepped on stage to sing “No Boundaries,” co-written by Kara DioGuardi. He delivered the opening of the song in a breathy voice, building up toward his big vocal moments. I actually don’t care at all for the song - it’s a bit of a musical mishmash and I’m not sure to which genre it’s trying to belong. Adam delivered it with conviction, however, and his usual strong vocals can make almost anything interesting. But for this very important night, he doesn’t have the final song. Will it affect his eventual results?

“I said it before, I’ll say it again, dude, you can sing anything,” Randy Jackson said, adding that it was “just a’right,” for him. He found it “a little pitchy in spots.” Kara DioGuardi was “moved” and “proud.” “Adjectives can’t express what you’ve brought to this show,” Paula Abdul observed. “You can sing whatever you want to sing and I will be a fan for ever,” she smiled. “I’m not gonna judge that song - I’m gonna judge you,” Simon Cowell waved it off. The hard-to-please judge thinks Lambert will be “a world-wide star.”

Kris Allen then took his time to sing “No Boundaries,” and I thought some of his lyrics were hard to understand. On the whole, however, his performance felt far more heartfelt. Allen may make weird faces when he sings, but he can certainly sell a tune. With Kris crooning the tune, I got a good idea of how I think it was meant to sound. Overall, I truly think he sang it better. Does that mean he should win the season? Well…let’s not go too far.

“You should be very proud of what you’ve done in this competition,” Randy Jackson praised. “I actually think that song kinda fits your voice even better, for me, than Adam,” he added. “I want you to be judged on the fact that you’re a compelling artist,” Kara DioGuardi told him. “You’ve done an amazing job to be where you are now,” Paula Abdul said, and they’re all talking like he’s already lost the whole show. “Again, I think that your highlight tonight was the first song you sang,” Simon Cowell said. “You have thoroughly, thoroughly deserved to be standing on this stage tonight. Congratulations.”

As clips from Season 8 played in the background, the last moment of the show was when Carrie Underwood sang the song we’ve been hearing throughout. Her live performance of “Home Sweet Home” was saved for the very end and I wish she’d been given a better spot. For a show that runs long, being stuck at the end can be a real problem.

The finale will air tomorrow night (for quite a long time). The end of the episode will feature the winner singing his final song, plenty of guest appearances and lots of other treats.

Both these competitors are very slick on the mic - they know what to say and how to say it sincerely. Are they both sincere? That doesn’t matter, because we’ll never know anyway. What matters is, which one is more marketable? Because that’s the one who will win.

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)