Season 9 of AMERICAN IDOL is about to come to an end. Who will wear the crown? It’s mom and indy girl Crystal Bowersox versus former paint store guy and rocker Lee DeWyze. Everyone pretty much agrees that Crystal took the night last night, but that doesn’t always translate into a win.
Also tonight, Simon Cowell’s swan song. We say goodbye to Mr. Cowell and perhaps goodbye to IDOL. How does it come back with no Simon? That’s a question for another day. On with the show…
Ryan tells us at the top of the show that before the finale there was only a 2% difference between Crystal and Lee. VERY CLOSE.
We kick things off with a group performance with the Top 12. Ugh! It’s “Schools Out For Summer” with a surprise appearance by Alice Cooper. Let’s hope next season we will have graduated from these horrific group numbers.
Kris Allen then performs a new song called “The Truth.” Not a bad single.
We are then treated to a very funny taped piece of the judges talking about how “professional” Simon has been over the years intercut with Simonisms from years past.
Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly then perform for us “How Deep Is Your Love,” but only get through the first verse when the Bee Gees come out on stage to help them finish.
After the break, we come back to Michael Lynche singing The Doobie Brothers’ “Taking It To The Streets.” Michael Lynche then introduces Michael McDonald, original lead singer of The Doobie Brothers.
Then Dane Cook sings a song in which all of the lyrics are the “rude” comments Simon has made over the years. Then, Idol’s most famous rejects take the stage and one of them takes the mic and announces he is replacing Simon Cowell. I can’t tell if that was planned or not. After a few seconds, the camera pulls out and pans off and we go to commercial. My gut tells me it was not part of the plan. If it was, it was messy.
After the break, Lacey Brown comes out and slaughters Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.” She is joined by DiDi Benami, Katy Stevens, Siobhan Magnus and Crystal Bowersox. Their group performance of the song leaves a lot to be desired. The ladies then perform Christina’s “Fighter” and are joined by Paige Miles who sounds amazing.
Christina comes out and finishes “Fighter.” She then segues into ” You Lost Me” from her forthcoming album, “Bionic.” She kills it! She has one of the best voices in decades. Just incredible.
Ricky Gervais then treats us to a special and funny Simon farewell. He also tells us tha Simon throws away his money when it gets wrinkled so we should dig through his trash.
After the break, Lee DeWyze and the guys of the top 12 sing “I Can’t Go For That.” They then sing “Maneater.” If Hall & Oats walk out, I will scream. SSSSSCCCCRRRRREEEEAAAAMMMMM! Idol, what’s with all the oldies??? Hall & Oats sing one of their 80’s hits. Does anyone really care which one???
Crystal then comes out and performs some Alanis Morrisette and “Ironic.” This song is perfect for her! She then introduces Alanis Morrisette who always sounds great. They duet on “You Oughta Know” and it sounds awesome.
One hour down and another to go… sigh!
After the break, Carrie Underwood comes out and performs her latest song, “Undo It.” Another amazing singer!!! Great performance.
Ford then gives Crystal and Lee their very own Ford Fiestas for making it to the finals.
Then Casey James comes out and sings “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn.” We then get a surprise from the recently almost deceased and “Celebrity Apprentice” winner Bret Michaels. It looks like Bret is really playing the guitar and like Casey is faking it. Bret is also blowing him out of the water, performance wise.
After the break, Lee DeWyze performs a medley of hits with “Chicago.” Why? I know he’s from there, but are they even still together? The vocalists in the band sound HORRIBLE.
We are treated to another funny video about how much Simon loves himself!
Then a reprise of “Pants On The Ground” complete with hip-hop choreography. Will it ever end? Apparently not, William Hung just came out to help sing. GOD HELP US!
Paula Abdul then treats us to a video detailing her relationship with Simon. It’s funny and sweet and then Paula surprises the audience walks on stage. She gets a standing ovation, but then it gets very awkward when she tries to tell jokes. It’s just bad.
Simon then does his own farewell video telling everyone how much he’ll miss them. Following that the previous IDOL winners (except David Cook for some reason), one by one take the stage to sing to Simon and then several members of the Top 10 from past seasons back them up. It’s a nice moment. Simon then takes the stage to give his heartfelt thanks and reminds people that the show will go on without him.
We come back from a break and the top 12 are singing Janet Jackson’s “You Again” and then Ms. Jackson appears on stage sporting her new do to join them. She then segues into “Nothing”, a solo ballad with a head mic and a hand mic. Hmmm? Maybe she’s going to do something more up tempo next? Yep…she breaks into “Nasty.” She’s lip syncing, but it’s still good! Gotta love Janet!!!
We see a video of Crystal and Lee’s journey to IDOL. Then they duet on “A Little Help From My Friends.” They sound awesome and then introduce Joe Cocker, who looks like he is having a seizure on stage, but he always looks like that. I also notice that it’s 9:56 which means once again IDOL will run over!!! Amazing that they still can’t time a show!
Oh wait! The end time for the show is 10:07pm! Because their really isn’t 7 minutes to be cut ANY WHERE!!! Ridiculous!
We are back after the break… Ryan is about to name the winner. He is given the official envelope. Lee is very nervous. Crystal is not. The winner is… LEE DEWYZE! He nearly collapses on the floor and is filled with tears. The IDOL finalists crowd the stage and hug him. Lee says, “OH MY GOD!” Ryan asks how it feels to be the new American Idol. Lee replies, “I don’t know.” He thanks the audience and says, “Crystal, I love you.”
He sings “Beautiful Day” as fireworks fall around him. Congratulations, Lee DeWyze! And now the work begins!
Until next year…