American Idol 9: Top 2

This is it! The final stretch of this season’s American Idol Season 9.

Coming into this Final showdown of Crystal and Lee, I really thought that this will be a total horserace to the finish. Well, I'm wrong. The difference between the two was enormous!

That being said, for the first time EVER, I really don't care who wins. I like both of them equally. I feel Crystal Bowersox deserves it a little more than Lee Dewyze, but I like him just as much. So, whatever.

This week, just like the last two seasons, it will be a lot different as both of them are battling this competition head to head.

So here’s how I rank their Final Performances in different categories:

Lee Dewyze
The Boxer
Ok. This was probably Lee’s stupidest decision of the evening. While this rendition of The Boxer was better than I recall from him before live, this performance came out flat, lazy, and uninspired. It failed to fill that giant auditorium and Dewyze was promptly, and accidentally, swallowed up by the stage. I don't know. The key was actually better than usual, but the way he performed it lacked a certain passion. Lee would have been better served if he had selected Treat Her Like A Lady or something that would have lightened the mood in that space. Or something that had more of a punch than this one. Instead, big error to start the evening. Oh well.

Crystal Bowersox
Me and Bobby McGee
Well, Crystal didn't make the same mistake. SNAP! Haha. Me and Bobby McGee was one of her finest moments on the show and it was so long ago it felt brand new. She showed energy and conviction and she definitely hit it harder for her first number - something she's good at! Sure, she was dressed like a crazy cat lady, or a villain from a popular anime, but she nailed the song. Passion? check. Vocals? done and done. Now, as to you Kara, I hate your stupid singing metaphors. Really? Fire in her belly? Geez.


VERDICT: Crystal Bowersox. She filled that auditorium to the brim and made Round One’s results so obvious a politician would know the right thing to do. Enough said.

Lee Dewyze
Everybody Hurts
This performance looked so sad. Just a single solitary guy on that big stage was too small to fill it up. Oh, nevermind. There goes the choir of pimp. Haha. So, am I the only one who thinks that he uses the choir to mask his off key singing? Dang! Everybody Hurts would have been a great second song choice for Lee if he hadn’t have already saddled himself with a ballad in the first round. The performance just didn't really take off. There was simply not enough energy from him tonight and when that happens, Lee just sits there looking dazed and confused. Frankly,this further showed me how weak his interpretation have become. Sigh. For this to be a Finale, he was singing like it was the Top 10 Guys and back doing Lips Of An Angel.

Crystal Bowersox
Black Velvet
Holy crap! That was, by far, the best version of this song I've ever seen/heard on this show.. and trust me, I've seen a lot. At first, I thought that this song choice was terrible for her but I just don't remember any of the other performances anymore. Haha. Minus the off pitch note at the end, this was really good. The confidence, the entertainment, and the liberties - they all served to show us something new with the song. Bravo.


VERDICT: Crystal Bowersox. Very easy to call.

Wait? Where's my Magic Rainbows and Mountains?

Lee Dewyze
Beautiful Day
Color me confused.. or, you know, black. But they didn't get a sappy single about puppies and sunshine this season? Why? There is a part of me relieved, but the other part of me, you know, ME, is in a state of grief. Nothing to make fun of! Haha. Anyway, Beautiful Day was a song that worked well on paper for Lee and certainly was his best attempt of the evening, but his performances were all starting to merge together by the end of the evening. Vocally, he was unable to hold those notes well and at other times, he just mumbled. However, while there were a couple of pitch problems in the beginning, the anthemic nature of the song certainly allowed me to see Lee standing at the middle of the stage under a swarm of confetti after the final results are read. So, there's that.

Crystal Bowersox
Up To The Mountain
This literally assaulted every other performance of the season. Seriously. It grabbed every great performance we’ve seen over the past few months and slapped them into submission. I mean, that's as close as this season has come to a moment, and it didn't even have to be manufactured. I was hoping that for her to grab the momentum back and win this competition, she needed to return to her roots and show us the singer-songwriter that we all fell in love with. And then, BAM! It happened. It was a culmination of a great record of performances that lead me to proclaim..


VERDICT: Crystal Bowersox for Round Three.

01. Crystal Bowersox

Up To The Mountain

02. Crystal Bowersox

Black Velvet

03. Lee Dewyze

Everybody Hurts

04. Crystal Bowersox

Me and Bobby McGee

05. Lee Dewyze

Beautiful Day

06. Lee Dewyze

The Boxer

01. Crystal Bowersox
She was absolutely phenomenal tonight. She delivered one great performance after another. Crystal, to me, has carried this show all season long and she carried this Finale all night. 100% impressed by her. If I'll have it my way, there's no question that she'll be the next AMERICAN IDOL..

02. Lee Dewyze
.. but then, there's Lee. Frankly, he had one subpar performance after another. I don't think he was bad but for a Finale night, his performances were all underwhelming. He'll remain an enigma to me. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if Lee will win tomorrow. The current Idol demo – lot’s of middle-aged women and their kids – loves the White Guys With Guitars. See: David Cook and Kris Allen. Enough said.