Lee DeWyze vs. Crystal Bowersox: American Idol Season 9 Finale (recap)

It seems like just a couple months ago that outgoing American Idol judge Simon Cowell (wink, wink) predicted Crystal Bowersox the winner of American Idol Season 9. But apparently Mr. Cowell (wink, wink) has changed his tune, according to this article in People, and now thinks Lee DeWyze will win it.

Frankly, I think Lee DeWyze will win, too. Not because Lee is the better singer or performer but because he has momentum going into the finale -- and I think the majority of American Idol viewers (that is the ones who actually vote) are females ages 12 to 24, who are more likely to vote for Lee than Crystal. Just sayin'.

Though at this point, I don't really care who wins American Idol this season -- I'm just glad it is almost over (though what I'll do on Tuesday nights, other than watching baseball games, I don't know). Also, regardless of who "wins," you know both Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze are going to walk away with recording contracts. So really, what's the big deal? They're both winners.

Btw, for those of you who care, Idol has set up a special "Season 9 Finale" page, where you can see videos of Crystal and Lee, read their Tweets, and leave comments. Woohoo!

And now, let the singing -- and judging -- commence!

Round One

So Lee DeWyze chose "The Boxer." A good choice, though perhaps a bit too safe. Or "a kiss on the cheek" rather than "a kiss on the lips," as Simon (wink, wink) said. Our grade for Lee DeWyze: B+

Crystal Bowersox also picked a pretty safe -- though good -- song in "Me and Bobby McGhee." What else can I say about Crystal at this point (without sounding like Ellen DeGeneres)? Crystal has been totally consistent, in a good way, throughout the season, and this was definitely one of her best performances. Our grade for Crystal Bowersox: A-

Round Two

So Simon Fuller chose R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" for Lee DeWyze. Another good choice, though not the best in terms of producing a "wow" moment or creating some musical tension. Also, not exactly an upbeat song, which doesn't help Lee's cause. Again, what can I say? It was another good performance, though nothing... special. Our grade for Lee DeWyze this round: another B+

And Simon Fuller's choice for Crystal Bowersox? "Blue Velvet," originally sung by Alannah Myles. Another good choice -- or so I thought until Crystal started singing. Now? Not so much. I actually thought that performance was a disaster. Crystal was off-key, and the arrangement just didn't work for me. Though clearly the acoustics in the Nokia Theatre are different than what I heard on our 40" Sony Bravia, because the judges luuurved it. Huh? Our grade for Crystal Bowersox: the spouse gives Crystal an A-; the kid, a B+; me, a B-

Round Three

OMG!!! NO HORRIBLE ORIGINAL SONG BY KARA DIOGUARDI?! The evening is starting to look up!

So if Lee DeWyze wins, he will record U2's "Beautiful Day"? I like Lee, and think he has a really good (yes, commercial) voice, and I am not a huge U2 fan, but seriously, why on Earth would you buy Lee's version of "Beautiful Day" over U2's (unless you are a 12-year-old girl)? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? FWIW, we (the spouse, the kid, and I) ALL thought that was Lee's best performance of the night, but was it enough to beat Crystal? Dunno. Our grade for Lee DeWyze's version of "Beautiful Day": A-/B+

And Crystal Bowersox's single? "Up to the Mountain"? I'm (somewhat) embarrassed to say I have never heard of this song, nor has the spouse, which is surprising, since folk is his thang. Anyway... per Wikipedia, it's a contemporary folk song written by Patty Griffin. Well, that solves it. Not. Whatever. It was definitely in Crystal's wheelhouse. She sang it well. And I think Simon (wink, wink) Cowell was right when he said it was the best performance of the evening. But I was (am) still bored. Our grade for Crystal Bowersox's "Up to the Mountain": A-

Based on the performances tonight, and throughout the season, Crystal should win, IMHO, but I can't count Lee out. Until tomorrow, Idol fans. I'm off to watch me some Lady Gaga on Glee.

And the winner of American Idol Season 9 is... Simon Cowell! No wait! I mean Lee DeWyze. As predicted. Happy for Lee, but am majorly bummed for Crystal, though, as I have said dozens of times, Crystal will be FINE. Interesting show, for lack of a better word. Nice to see Paula Abdul again, who looked great. And nice to see all the Idols -- and be reminded that winning Idol doesn't guarantee success. (Btw, for those of you who, like me, were wondering where Season 7 American Idol champ David Cook was, he was at a charity event.)

For more on last night's American Idol finale, check out Craig Berman's latest column over on MSNBC. (Berman's been covering Idol for years and is very funny -- and accurate.)