The big night, the grand finale, and the final goodbye for Simon Cowell, it was a big night for American Idol fans. Only 2% of the votes separated Crystal and Lee and the audience seemed to have more Lee fans than Crystal fans in it. Could this be an omen?

With the opening reminder of Simon’s farewell, Randy stood up to give Simon a standing ovation followed by Alice Cooper singing “School’s Out.”

Last year’s winner Kris Allen sang his song “The Truth.” It was a fitting start for the tribute to Simon. They showed clips of Simon’s journey on Idol and I was amazed to see Simon with longer hair, having missed the first two seasons. Simon was so moved by the clips he laughed until he had tears in his eyes. Yes, Simon with tears, pigs do fly! Even Ryan was “feeling a bit weepy” as he put it.

Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly sang a love song for Simon. “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees, who came out during the song to join the singing. There were only two of the Bee Gees brothers, Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb, both of the original Bee Gees group. The other brother of the original three, Maurice, died in 2003.

This turned out to be just the beginning of the many big singing stars that would grace the stage of the Season 9 finale. Big Mike Lynche sang “Taking It To The Streets” with Michael McDonald, member of the Doobie Brothers band from 1975 to 1995 according to Wikipedia.

Dane Cook sang a tribute to Simon which I think may have been called “Simon Said” but that’s just a guess. Dane said that Simon had the honesty of Abe Lincoln and the charm of the guy who shot him.

The top six Idol girls came out singing Christina Aguilera’s song “Beautiful”, joined by Christina herself, who went on to sing another song. It was a bad girls night with Christina and all the female Idols in black leather. Siobhan’s stockings took it, though, being some strange variety of fishnet that wasn’t fishnet.

Comedian Ricky Gervais paid tribute to Simon calling him the “king maker.” Hey, what about queens? (No, we’re not going THERE.) Ricky claimed that Simon threw away old wrinkled money and you could get rich digging thru his trash cans for it. I kept thinking that past Idol Chicken Little was named Kevin Gervais and wondered if there was a relationship. My memory was close but not close enough because Chicken Little of Season 5 was actually Kevin COVAIS. Okay, so I was close.

The top six Idol dudes came out singing “I Can’t Go For That” and “Maneater” by Hall and Oates who joined in. I smiled to be reunited with Teflon Tim if only for a song or two.

Crystal Bowersox sang a duet with Alanis Morrisette. It was an amazing duet, the two were such a perfect vocal match. We got to see almost the entire giant sunflower tattoo on Crystal’s back.

Carrie Underwood, winner of Season 4, came out singing her song “Undo It.” Carrie continued the bad girls theme wearing black leather pants. Carrie is one of the biggest superstars ever to come out of American Idol winning several Grammy awards, CMT awards, Billboard Music awards, a host of other awards and induction into the Grand Ole Opry.

Crystal and Lee were both surprised with Ford Fiestas sporting the designs each had created for the cars earlier in the season. Crystal’s had sunflowers to match her tattoo. I’m not sure how surprised they were as this seems to be the tradition for the top two Idols.

Then came the biggest surprise of the night. The surprise that brought me to tears. It was a huge moment, full of emotions on so many levels. Casey James started the song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”. My heart stopped, this is the signature song of Bret Michaels, lead singer of the band Poison. Bret was just crowned the Celebrity Apprentice by Donald Trump just a few days ago and he’s had quite a journey these past weeks.

Bret was the underdog on Celebrity Apprentice who everyone expected to bomb out early, assuming him to be just another airhead druggy rocker. Bret, however, turned out to be the biggest surprise of the year. He’s intelligent, hard working, an excellent team player, and he’s got a big heart, especially for his daughter.

I’m not a fan of the band Poison but I’ve definitely become a fan of the man, Bret, who I’d never heard of before The Apprentice. Not only did he win the title, he did it in spite of a series of life threatening medical issues that started with appendicitis and ended with a brain hemorrhage, warning stroke, and the discovery of a hole in his heart, all while he was competing on Celebrity Apprentice. He won $390,000 for his charity, the American Diabetes Association. Bret himself has diabetes and takes four injections a day for it. During his Apprentice competition he had the scare that his daughter would be diagnosed also. He’s been on quite a ride and I was amazed to see him join Casey in the song on stage. I knew that his doctors didn’t think he should be doing anything but resting yet here he was, performing. I’m sure I’m not the only one who cried.

One thing I’ve got to say about Bret, no other contestant on Celebrity Apprentice did a better job of making sure their charity got top billing. Throughout every single episode, Bret made sure to talk about diabetes and his charity. Most of the contestants I couldn’t tell you what charity they represented but Bret, he got it out there and he kept it out there week after week. Great job, Bret Michaels!

Bret exited saying, “You rock my world!” and Lee came on with the band Chicago. Lee finally mastered the art of looking into the camera when he sings.

Enter Paula Abdul to join the Simon tribute saying that Simon is a flirt if you’re a mirror. She added that he actually really was a flirt but that his hands always ended up on his own chest.

One of the more memorable Idol wannabes was brought on to perform. Larry Platt performed his hit “Pants On The Ground”, made famous during his unsuccessful Idol tryout. He was backed by a group of dancers who ended the song literally by dropping their pants to the ground, dancing with their pants wadded up at their ankles and sporting boxer shorts.

Another Idol wannabe from a season long past made a brief appearance. Try to remember William Hung, the strange looking Chinese fellow who sang the Ricky Martin song “She Bangs.” His unusual looks and bold but horrible audition catapulted him to instant fame, a small record deal, several TV appearances and even parts in several movies.

Paula offered a long farewell full of memories and said that the judges had become America’s favorite dysfunctional family. She said that after years of sitting between two men with boobs bigger than her own, she knew she’d had enough and finally left the show. Paula blew Simon a kiss, drew him a heart in the air and said, “To sir, with love.” They played a special song for Simon: “I did it my way.” Simon responded by saying, “It’s been the best 10 years of my life. I genuinely mean this, thank you, and I’m going to miss you!”

Every American Idol winner came on stage after Paula’s farewell with the exception of one: David Cook. The rest were there: Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, and Kris Allen.

Simon said a few words and talked about his replacement judge. He said that the judges of American Idol were the voters who watched the show, motioned to the Idol winners of seasons past, said that the voters had done a great job and that for himself, “It’s been a blast.”

Another superstar came on stage to perform, Janet Jackson. It was a bittersweet performance with the shadow of Michael Jackson dancing thru my memory. I was reminded of how genuinely talented the Jackson family is. The death of Michael Jackson was one of the biggest losses of the music world. I consider Michael to be one of the greatest entertainers of my lifetime.

American Idol really pulled out all the stops for this finale and for most of it, I forgot what we were there to witness: the crowning of the new American Idol. Crystal and Lee sang “With A Little Help From My Friends” with Joe Cocker. They looked so free. That’s the only way I can describe it. They sang happy and free, no more judges to impress, no more votes to contend for, just the music and the song. They both totally let go and enjoyed the moment with the knowledge that win or not, their journey was just beginning.

I was reminded of a wise old saying: “The time to worry is before you place your bet. After that, the result is out of your hands so just sit back and enjoy the game.”

The moment of truth was fast approaching and Lee appeared ready to cry regardless of the outcome. He could barely contain his emotions. Crystal Mama Sox stood by him in an attempt to give him a shoulder. The verdict was read and Lee DeWyze was declared the ultimate winner of American Idol Season 9.

He was so moved that he could barely speak. His first words were, “Oh my god!” Ryan asked how it felt to be the new American Idol and Lee answered in a shaky voice, “I don’t know! It’s amazing! There are no words to describe the feeling. Oh my god!”

I have no doubt that both Lee and Crystal will go on to great success. Not every Idol achieves big success but I believe that these two will. Lee has the heat, the drive, the desire, and the voice. Crystal has incredible talent and the ability to inject the clearest crystals of soul into her songs, which become “Crystallized” by her voice. I don’t know how much drive she has being divided between her child and the road to success, but we’d surely miss out on a rare songbird if she didn’t take the road. Good luck to you both, Crystal and Lee! You both truly have earned it!

Tags: aaron kelly, alanis morrisette, alice cooper, american idol, andrew garcia, barry gibb, bee gees, benami, bowersox, bret michaels, brown, carrie underwood, casey james, celebrity apprentice, chicken little, christina aguilera, cowell, crystal bowersox, dane cook, david cook, degeneres, dewyze, didi benami, doobie brothers, ellen, ellen degeneres, fantasia barrino, garcia, hall and oates, james, janet jackson, joe cocker, jordan sparks, kara dioguardi, katie stevens, kelly, kelly clarkson, kevin covais, kris allen, lacey brown, lee dewyze, lynche, magnus, michael lynche, michael mcdonald, miles, paige miles, pants on the ground, paula abdul, ricky gervais, robin gibb, ruben studdard, ryan, ryan seacrest, seacrest, season 9, simon, simon cowell, siobhan magnus, stevens, taylor hicks, tim urban, william hung

Category: American Idol 2010

Revealing the final two for next week’s showdown, that’s what tonight was all about. First, however, they took us home with the three remaining American Idols.

Casey James went first to his home state of Texas. The crowds were some of the biggest I’d seen for Idols going home. He has a huge fan base and I wondered if maybe there’d be an upset. I had predicted that Casey would be voted off but after seeing his fan base, perhaps he’d make it to the final two after all.

Travis Garland came on next singing “Believe.” Perez Hilton made an appearance and said that he thought Travis was better than Justin Timberlake.

Then they showed Crystal Bowersox going home to Ohio. I was scanning the crowds for old hippies and I wasn’t the only one who made the connection because they called her concert there “Bowerstock” as a Crystallized version of Woodstock. Crystal cried that she got to sing a song she wrote herself, a song that gave hope to the city of Toledo, Ohio.

Her trip would have done Woodstock proud. Crystal signed her name on some dude’s chest and told him he’d better bathe. He said he was planning on turning her signature into a tattoo (so that it would never wash off when he bathed).

Lee’s trip home to Chicago, Illinois didn’t show quite the hoopla as Casey’s and Crystal’s trips home, making me again second guess my prediction of who would be going home. He broke down during his concert there and cried, he was so moved by the outpouring. He made it very clear during his interview with the judges and at his concert how much he wanted to win. Casey sounded like he was ready to go home and he kissed the ground when he got off the plane. Crystal was ready to go home and see her child. Lee was ready for his career, starting with winning American Idol.

While I was pondering these revelations, thinking that maybe Lee should be the ultimate winner instead of my favorite, Crystal, Justin Bieber came on and sang “U Smile” and “Baby.”

Finally the moment of truth came and Lee was sent to safety. Then Crystal was sent to safety much to her confusion. She asked, “Am I safe? Am I safe?” I don’t know if she couldn’t believe she was in the top two or whether Ryan’s wording confused her.

Casey signed off singing “Daughters” again, finishing the song with a little beribboned girl on his lap to punctuate the song. She wore pink and green ribbons and was either uncomfortable on camera or sad for Casey because she had tears in her eyes. He may not have made it to the top two but I’m not worried about Casey, I have no doubt there’s a nice career in front of him. I hope he goes back to the jam guitar type songs and leaves behind the sappy Kara songs that got him outed.

Tags: american idol, bowersox, casey, casey james, cowell, crystal bowersox, degeneres, dewyze, ellen, ellen degeneres, illinois, justin bieber, justin timberlake, kara dioguardi, lee dewyze, ohio, perez hilton, ryan, ryan seacrest, seacrest, season 9, simon, simon cowell, texas, travis garland

Category: American Idol 2010

Tonight was the battle to be in the finale. All three deserve to win. All three have the talent and I like them all. My top pick starting out the night, however, is Crystal. Ryan announced that each contestant would sing two songs: their own pick and a judge’s pick.

Casey James

Casey’s pick was the Eric Hutchinson song, “OK, It’s Alright With Me.” I couldn’t believe he didn’t pick a Bob Seger song. It was a golden opportunity for him. Instead, he picked a song I’ve never heard. Apparently I’m not the only one because the judges commented on that. All I know is that if the judges didn’t pick a Seger song for him, they don’t want him to win.

Casey said it was the type of song he would write. Randy thought it was just alright and told Casey he shouldn’t have done a safe, easy song. Ellen said this was the live or die moment, the do or die moment, and she wished he’d have brought it. Ellen said that Casey needed to blow us away (but didn’t). Kara brought up the fact that it wasn’t a well known song so he couldn’t do anything special with it except to introduce us to it. Simon called it the most important night of his life and said that if we were having dinner, that song was just the salad. Simon called it a dud song choice. I agree.

Unfortunately for Casey, the judge’s pick was even worse. Apparently Kara picked the song “Daughters” by John Mayer. This song was the kiss of death for Casey. For some reason Kara considered it a brilliant song choice but to me, it was just a sappy song that didn’t do Casey any favors. It sunk him. Kara believes that sappy is the direction Casey should go in. I think she’s an idiot. Yes, a strong opinion here. There was no fire in the song or in Casey’s singing it.

Randy, however, thought the song fit Casey like a glove and hopes that Casey moves in that direction. Ugh. Ellen liked it a lot. Kara thought it showed Casey’s artistic side and of course she thought it was the right choice for Casey since she picked it. Can I say “ugh” yet again? Simon considered it a much better song choice than Casey’s but called it a “lazy arrangement” and blamed it on Kara and Randy for not giving Casey a bigger climax moment. Kara argued that this song wasn’t supposed to have that kind of moment. Simon said the song had no wow factor. I still cannot believe that nobody hears Seger in Casey.

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal’s choice was “Come To My Window” by Melissa Etheridge. She accompanied herself with a harmonica and guitar. I liked Crystal singing it way more than Melissa though I’m not a big fan of Melissa or that song. Randy didn’t love the arrangement but did love her vocal and said it worked in the end. Not exactly a strong yes. Ellen called it a good song choice. It showcased the type of artist that Crystal wants to be and Ellen said that Melissa would be proud. Kara called it a good vocal but said that Crystal was capable of a moment and Kara hoped that Crystal would have that moment tonight. Simon said that from the very first day Crystal did not compromise herself as an artist. Simon said he had a lot of respect for Crystal for that and that she probably made the right song choice, congratulations.

Ellen chose the song “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney for Crystal. A very smart choice with such a well known, well loved song. Someone flashed a sign “Bow down to Bowersox.” Was it a prediction of success to come? This song definitely put her in the finals. She totally nailed it.

Randy called it a great song with great vocals. He added that “We’ve got somebody else in it to win it” referring to Lee as the other. Ellen couldn’t have asked for more. Kara noted that Crystal was out of her comfort zone with no instrument and that she really pulled it off. Simon hadn’t understood the song choice but once he heard Crystal sing it, he got it. Simon said it proved Crystal had soul. He said that she might be thanking Ellen for the song choice next week for putting her into the finals.

Lee Dewyze

Lee chose a very surprising song, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I wouldn’t have expected him to pick from this type of artist but it was the most perfect song choice for him. Unlike Casey’s error, Lee chose a well known, popular song.

Randy called it a brilliant song choice for Lee and said that he could see Lee making a record like this. Funny they still use the term “record” over CD. Randy said, “Someone here is feeling like he could win this.” and added, “You are ready.” Ellen said he started the competition as a baby lamb and was now more like a gazelle or impala, springy. Kara said that Lee did what every contestant needed to do and said that round one goes to Lee. I agree. She said he gave it everything he had. Simon called it absolutely on the money and that the other two contestants were just okay. For the first round, Simon said Lee crushed the other two. Yup.

For the judge’s pick it was Simon doing the picking. He chose the song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. Simon said we’d heard this song before but that nobody had sung it the way Lee would sing it and he wanted Lee to have his moment. It was truly awesome. Lee does have such a beautiful voice and he’s perfectly suited for the storyteller type songs.

Randy said he’d been waiting all season to see who was going to throw down the gauntlet to win this whole thing and called it “unbelievable”. Randy said Lee should be thanking Simon. Ellen called it “stunning.” Kara said that Lee is what this show is all about. She called it an incredible, epic moment and said that Lee owned the entire night. Simon said he was “very very very” proud of Lee, that he proved he was a fantastic singer, and added that he hoped Lee made it into the finals next week.

Of the self picks, Lee was my favorite. Of the judge’s picks, Lee was my favorite even though I’m rooting for Crystal to win it. I absolutely predict Lee and Crystal as the final two and with Casey’s many bad song picks through the weeks, much as I love listening to him, he just blew it too many times. Next week is the biggie. The final showdown at the Nokia Theatre in LA. Who are YOU hoping will be there?

Tags: american idol, bob seger, bowersox, casey, casey james, cowell, crystal bowersox, degeneres, dewyze, ellen, ellen degeneres, kara dioguardi, lee dewyze, lynyrd skynyrd, melissa etheridge, paul mccartney, ryan, ryan seacrest, seacrest, season 9, simon, simon cowell

Category: American Idol 2010