Elliott is eliminated on 'Idol'

At some point on ''American Idol" last night, the sad truth became perfectly clear: Elliott Yamin, who lost his bid for the finals by two-tenths of a percentage point, was the picture-perfect ''Idol" candidate.

It's not just that he was the best singer of the competition. He was the best all-around character. Elliott is humble. He's deaf in one ear. He loves his mother. He makes Paula cry. He gets to say true-and-heartwarming things like ''I'm just a counter clerk at a pharmacy." And he proved what an army of hairstylists can do: He may have started out looking like an extra from ''Joe Dirt," but by the end, he was melting women's hearts.

Rags to riches, baby. That's what ''Idol" is about.

So, onto the finalists. Taylor Hicks? Rags, maybe, but he's already got a band in his name, and that ''Soul Patrol" thing is beginning to wear thin. Katharine McPhee? No rags, unless you count that yellow dress that almost tore apart. Last night, we learned that she hails from a very nice section of Los Angeles (and studies at Boston Conservatory, though ''Idol" hasn't dwelled on that.)

The smart money's now on Taylor, who has sailed through the contest on a cloud of likability. As for Katharine, it's hard to know whether to pity or despise. Since she's not from a mid-sized Southern city, she didn't get a homecoming parade with marching band. Then again, the mayor of Los Angeles came to her high school gymnasium. And on her helicopter ride past the Hollywood sign, the woman did not look humble.

But then, last night wasn't about humility. It was about oversinging. It was about BMG chairman Clive Davis, who gave a stultifying speech about unit sales. It was about how divided America remains, apparently about everything.