He's not singing Bryan Adams! Good lord, I'm surprised. lol. His Mrs. Robinson sounds good (though a bit lamb-y again), but it feels cheesy to me...

Finally! I haven't seen the rest of the show yet, but seeing Casey get to his spot is enough (for me) for now. Top three spot, now, is his. That was a pretty freakin' incredible performance.

I loved loved loved Crystal and Lee's duet! One of the highlights of the season for me, too, Kevin. Singing with Crystal, who is not shy about belting it out, seemed to bring Lee to a level of passion I've been wanting to see in him all season.

Mike and Casey's duet was pretty good, too, but couldn't hold a candle to Lee and Crystal. When they started these duet thingies last year (I think?), I groaned at the prospect. But then Adam and Allison were so awesome, I retrieved my groan. Now, after this year, I have to say: I'm a fan of the duets!

Weird song choices tonight. Crystal did a great job, but "I'm Alright" is such an inane song! I was quite surprised to hear she'd chosen it. I was glad Casey didn't do the predictable thing and sing Bryan Adams (solo, anyway), and I enjoyed seeing him mix it up and use a ukelele or a mandolin, or whatever that was. I can understand why Mike chose a Michael Jackson song, but that has to be one of the most boring Michael Jackson songs on the planet. I found my mind wandering to reorganizing my kitchen and whether I should move the canisters to the other side of the room, and how to fill the empty space should I decide to do so...and the next thing I knew the song was over. And, my fave Lee. Oh, Lee. Why don't these contestants ever listen to me when I tell them what to sing? Anyone can tell Lee's voice and Seal's voice are world's apart. For me, dog, it was Lee's worst of the season.

I had a small complaint and a large complaint about tonight's show:

Small: The joke about Kara being Casey's Mrs. Robinson went on waaaay too long. Randy started it, made a joke, ha ha, and it should have been left at that. But then every single one of them had to get in on it. I maintain that if these jokes were made about a female contestant and a male judge, people would be screaming the inappropriateness at the top of their lungs!

LARGE: Three times, I believe, the judges trashed the song choices (rather appropriately), but then pointedly made reference to the fact that there were soooo many movies they could have chosen songs from. Simon even used the word thousands. Now, everyone that posts here knows that's not true. The contestants ended up with, what, maybe 50 songs to choose from? If the producers don't want the general public to know that the contestants had such limited song choice, then they should just not bring it up. But to tell a bold-faced lie that they could have chosen from "thousands" is unfair to the contestants when the judges are in the process of trashing their song choice.

MJ's Big Blog is reporting the songs chosen by the judges for the Final 3.

* Ellen Degeneres chose “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney for Crystal Bowersox

* Simon Cowell chose “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen for Lee DeWyze

* Kara Dioguardi and Randy Jackson chose “Daughters” by John Mayer for Casey James

Tim Urban already sang "Hallelujah" this year! Come on, Simon! There were thousands of songs for you to choose from! You couldn't find one that hadn't been performed this season???

Ah, well, at least Paula's not picking anymore...

Quote:

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Simon Cowell chose “Hallelujah”

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I agree Starfish, it's been done plenty of times (and also done so beautifully by KD Lang at the Winter Olympics this year) so enough already.. Don't you think this is a bit "Indulgent" of Simon to choose this song anyway? (According to MJ's, Simon's company owns the publishing rights to the song.) Hmm.. It could make a few dollars in iTunes sales now, couldn't it? Let's hope some of those profits make their way to one of his charities if this is true.

I like Paul McCartney singing "Maybe I'm Amazed", it's a great song. I'm not sure if I will like Crystal doing it. I have heard a version from Jem who did it for the program "The O.C." a few years back but it didn't do much for me.. It's just that the line "Maybe I'm a Man" doesn't sound as good when it's "Maybe I'm a Girl"..

I'm not too crazed about "Daughters" for Casey either. At least Randy won't be able to say it's a bit sleepy this time as he was one of those who chose it.

I'm sure the judges will all give glowing reviews to their chosen performer for their songs this week. I'm pretty sure that the bus will be ready and revving up for Casey.

If you have half an hour to spare, go and check out Siobahn on EW's Idolatry. It is an eight parter! She is one funny girl (and very smart too), I really do miss her on the show.

Ooh I'm not crazy about Hallelujah for Lee he's usually not technically perfect in his vocals and that's a song where you kinda have to be.. why not choose more of rock song for him?? Hopefully it doesn't go so badly that he doesn't make it to the final...

Ugh, to be quite frank and honest, I'm tired of "Hallelujah".

I know ya'll will be surprised to hear that I thought Lee was awesome tonight! I was so excited when Ryan said he was going to do Skynyrd -- being a southern gal, Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of my very favorite bands. "Simple Man" wasn't as soulful as the original, but Lee's from Chicago, for goshsakes, and I thought he did the southern boys proud. I wasn't particularly looking forward to "Hallelujah" but he totally pulled it off. The best part was the look on his face when he'd finished. The camera caught him looking out into the audience and he looked awed, like it had finally sunken in that all those people were screaming for him.

Crystal's "Come To My Window" was a wee bit disappointing, if only because the song seemed perfect for her, and I expected it to be incredible. I'm not saying it wasn't good, but she's been better. "Maybe I'm Amazed" was a little off. I respect the fact that she sang the lyrics as written rather than changing all those "man"s and "woman"s around. But it may have been equally jarring to hear her keep referring to herself as a man. (Oh, well, at least she said maybe I'm a man.) Sorry, Ellen, I think you goofed on this one.

Casey was competent as always. Still not wowing me, as always. I'll be very surprised if he's in the finale next week. But he's gotten this far, so he must have a fan base out there. I actually met one the other day. I ran into a friend and I said, "Who's your favorite?" and he said, "Casey" and I said "Really?" If he would have just once come out and owned the stage -- I refer you to Chris Daughtry's Idol performances for comparison -- then I think I'd like him a lot more. He's very good at what he does, he's just...dull.

So, I have to go with the judges and say Lee won the night. What did the rest of you think?

Quote:

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I know ya'll will be surprised to hear that I thought Lee was awesome tonight!

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Really? I'm shocked Starfish.

Seriously, I do think Lee was the best tonight out of all of them. I also think Crystal was a bit off, not up to her usual standard for some reason. I am glad she stuck to the "man" in the song though, even if it did sound a bit weird. (I'm sure Ellen will find some jokes out of that one tomorrow night!)

The song choices from both sides were pretty dull and as Simon would say "forgettable". I do agree with you Starfish, Ellen did goof big time on that song choice for Crystal. What was she thinking? Simon tried very hard to manufacture a "moment" for Lee with his song choice but I don't think it will make headlines tomorrow or be remembered as one of the best of the season. (Starfish, you may slap me if you like.) I do like Lee, I just don't love him.

It should be a Lee/Crystal finale but who knows? Strange things happen on AI and Casey does have plenty of fans out there.

I liked Lee the best last night too, but Lee's pretty much been my favourite all along, if only for a lack of anyone else to consider a favourite. I like Casey too, but he doesn't 'wow' very often. I think we were spoiled with Adam last year and the wow factor.. it's hard to like anyone as much now

I'd prefer seeing Lee and Casey in the final (Crystal's fine, but I'm not crazy about her and haven't been since the beginning), but agree that it'll probably be Lee and Crystal... but if it's Crystal and Casey, that's just not right! I really think Lee could be this year's winner... sort of like a quiet out-of-nowhere winner like David Cook... well not out of nowhere, but kind of like how he kind of more blended in and did 'okay' the first couple of weeks, then emerged as really good..

I think we were definitely spoiled with Adam. I could not wait to see what he would do each week. I wonder how many years it will take for that to wear off?

There have been years where I would have bet a lot of money on the outcome and I'd have been wrong (last year, for instance). This year is a bit of a toss up. Both seem to have really strong fan bases. The last few weeks I've noticed more screaming after Lee's performances, but that may just be because he's a male. If I had to bet who'll win, I'd go with Lee, if only because the judges have been hyping him more lately and because he's male and there are more female voters. But this year, for a change, I'm not going to be surprised no matter who wins.

Last night was the first time I'd actually heard Justin Bieber sing...and I'm glad it was only the first time. Hopefully it'll be the last too...ugh.

Anyone have any insight on which groups/bands/singers will be performing with the final two next week? I really enjoyed the season finale last year with all the huge acts they brought in. Hopefully they do the same this year.

So far I've heard Carrie Underwood and Kris Allen from past Idol seasons, as well as Christina Aguliera. No idea who else will be there.

Last year's finale will be hard to beat. (Adam Lambert singing with Kiss? I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!) I've never been that impressed with the finale shows, but they really pulled out all the stops last year. Since this has been such a weird, low-key Idol season, I'm not sure what to expect. Last year was like a "wow" year with a "wow" finale. Does that mean this finale will be weird and low-key?

Whew! I can actually sit up long enough to pay right attention to an episode of our (now done, almost, for this year) crazy Idol madness this week. Some of you may giggle [and I don't blame you if you do] but getting to even watch LAST week was, for me, a special goal and a necessary destination. I fell some ten days ago and, even though I've grown a tad used to falling, I really really hurt myself that last one. But the light flickering? That thing that made me look forward to "something" as the agony came in split shifts? Whaddya think? Yep, it was 'American Idol" . Sad, ain't it? But I had to follow those three [now two] to the end of the matter. Sleepy as I seem to have gotten all year doing it . The only thing I can remember from last week is that the alleged *moment* wasn't such a moment for me. Lee did a g-r-e-a-t turn on "Hallelujah" -- a song so great that you have to be really bad to mess it up -- but I (hit me ) think Jason Castro sang it better, somehow, a couple of years ago. However, it was worthy of Lee's being called the best of the night. He skittered into tonight's final as being the favorite, all of a sudden. And I was glad about that. Even though my [cynical mind, I know] kept thinking: why are the judges gushing Lee-wards so much, all of a sudden? Could it be that they learned that tactic from last year? Gush like an oil well in Texas to one contestant and, oops, the other one sneaks in and wins? Voter backlash, or something. Could they be hoping to praise Lee into a Crystal "take that!" call-in triumph? Who knows.

But, without question, all politics went out the window (if there was any to begin with) tonight. Did Crystal smoke Lee, or what? That final *Winners Song* was all righty incredibly suited to her, and she nailed it. Lee didn't so much on his (but he wasn't horrible). That's the thing, I reckon. Nothing the two sang was forty miles close to 'horrible' tonight. But Crystal's final tune was winning. And I think, now, that she ought to win the whole she-bang. Will she? I dare not hazard a guess at this point. I think I'm with the two finalists, as they present, at the moment. Doesn't seem like either one wants to lose BUT, because of mutual respect and a similarity in laid backed-ness and intent, neither wants to beat the other one, either. Tomorrow night's results might be, by definition, one of the more "exciting" in recent years, maybe? We don't have a front runner. We don't have an underdog to upset things by earning confetti. It's actually a contest evenly matched! Maybe a sleepy one. But a good rumble, nonetheless.

As I shut up, though ~ I think Lee will likely win. But as I sit here propped up with enthusiasm ? I think Crystal should.

Have to agree with you, Gats, that Crystal should win it. It was unfortunate that the song picked by the producers for Lee was quite slow and the one picked for Crystal was upbeat and "rock like". I didn't think that was very fair...they weren't similar song choices at all.

I also think Beautiful Day was a horrible song choice for Lee...not sure if he chose it or the label did or what, but it wasn't a good choice at all.

Crystal owned the night, no question. So kudos to her for stepping up and nailing it. Too bad Lee seemed to be set up to fail from the beginning. Both would be deserving and with the performances tonight, Crystal should be the winner.

Oh, and hope you feel better soon Gats...

Well, I have to admit, Crystal blew Lee out of the water tonight! And that's fine with me. I'm going to be happy no matter who wins ~ they both deserve it, in my opinion. But if we base the contest strictly on tonight's performances -- then it's gotta go to Crystal.

"Everybody Hurts" wasn't a bad song for Lee, but I think there so many better choices. It was -- pardon me for saying this -- pretty pitchy. I thought "Black Velvet" was a horrible song choice for Crystal. She sang it great, I just hated the song.

I guess after the whole "No Boundaries" debacle, they decided to go with a cover song as the winner's single this year. I have this image of Kara going to the producers and saying, "So, do you want me to write the winner's single again this year?" -- and the producers quickly saying, "Gosh, thanks Kara, we would, but we're going to do a cover song instead." But it was weird.

MJ's Bigblog is reporting that the winner got to choose their own winner's single this year. I'm sure they were given a pretty small list, but I did not like Lee's choice of "Beautiful Day". He was totally drowned out by the band, too. Crystal chose a song that was perfect for her.

This is a unique year for me. It's the first time I've both agreed with America's choice for the final 2 and will be happy no matter who wins. So I'm looking forward to tomorrow night ~ I'm pretty sure I won't be bored or disappointed!

I will be happy with either too. I have been for Lee all along, I know, but Crystal was superb tonight
Well it is nice in a way to be happy with either.
Dave, what happened? are you OK now?

Oh, my goodness! I just read your post from above, Gats! I hope you are on the road to recovery!

It was cool to see Bret Michaels perform. Other than that, I was underwhelmed by the Finale.

Well, I maintain -- last year would be hard to beat. I was excited to see the Bee Gees, whose posters adorned my walls as a teenager. I loved seeing Crystal sing "You Oughta Know" with Alanis Morissette. Her posters probably would have adorned my walls had I been born a couple of decades later. And seeing all the past Idol winners (save David Cook ) singing together was a treat.

The evening did seem oddly unfocused on Crystal and Lee. Huge blocks of time passed by with no sight or mention of the stars of the evening. The chunks of the evening devoted to the departure of Simon were expected. But I don't remember Idol rejectees ever getting quite so much screen time during a finale.

Except for Christina Aguilera and Janet Jackson, the evening seemed tailored for the baby boomers, and since I'm one of them, that sat alright with me. The Tim Urban fan base, on the other hand, probably never even heard of Hall & Oates or Alice Cooper, so they might not have had as much fun.

I'm happy for both Lee and Crystal -- both have every bright futures ahead. Both Ryan and Simon have said recently how the winner's life would be changed forever. Both Lee and Crystal's lives are already changed forever, and neither needed to win the title tonight for that to be true. Lee may get some extra offers, like the Ford commercials that Kris Allen did this year. But they're both on their way to success and I wish them nothing but.

Looking forward to seeing what the rest of you have to say, but I've got a very early call in the morning, so I'll leave it at that.

I'm happy Lee won, but overall was really bored with this season... but again, I think it's 'cause I loved Adam so much and no one can compare. lol. Even our discussion thread here hasn't been nearly as lively.

Anyway. See y'all next season! (And over in the other forums here, of course )

Yep ~ another (mostly) fine season of AI , folks - and thanks for joining in the discussion as it went. I'm going to simply conclude that the word that best describes this year? I think I'll pick 'confusing' (with 'droopy' coming in a close second). The confusion started early, too, with all the judges barking [loudly] before the telecasts even began that this one would definitely be a "girls year". Huh? There ended up being some power in the Top 10, as far as the ladies went (Crystal and Siobhan, notably) but the other ones were either negligible or wildly inconsistent. But, let's be honest ~ gender business aside. The so-called "power" across-the-board this year was a bit like a low-watt bulb burning brightly, in a dim sort of way. I sit here wondering: what if Lee and Crystal had faced off with the likes of previous finalists Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood? Vocally, I think they would have all brought something to the table. But when it would come down to horsepower/electricity upon taking the stage? Our top Season 9 two would have been swept away in minutes. But, to be fairer even more - I'm thinking that either Lee -or- Crystal would have mopped the floor with those other two one-time finalists Taylor Hicks and/or Kat McPhee. Luck of the draw, I reckon. Just like life is, most of the time, eh? The other major confusing thing was (no surprise) the judges/judging. I think the worst example of their advice came with Katie this year. She came in with a young, pure and big voice this year ~ looking, I think, for the best way to learn to use it. All she seemed to keep hearing was "sing something *age apropriate*!" As she struggled already with the pressure of the contest, now she was trying to make her choices 'current', too. Just in time for Frank Sinatra week? Yep. There's some new millenium song pickin's, yes? Rock on, Kate. And (actually, this was almost funny ) how many times did they [pretty much] tell Aaron how bad he was, and then immediately offer that "you should try a country music spin next time." Snap! Take that multi-million dollar country music industry . We think they suck over here? Well, what else to do but send them to the fringes of Nashville for you all to sort through? Evidently, the judges have collectively decided that country western singers are third-rate at the gate (Carrie Underwood being a fireworks-like exception, o' course). Also, as enjoyable as I found her on occasion, Ellen was flatly a confusing judge! I'm still not sure what she really thought of Tim Urban's singing ... but I clearly DO know that she found him comparable to varying degrees of fresh fruit or liquor. Pick one. And, finally: all the preaching to keep it current mixed with 'that could be on your record today!' stuff. What better way to drive that notion home than to people the finale with folks like Hall and Oates, and the like. These acts were important when I was a pup (and I hardly remember my puppy-hood, most days, at this point, I assure you). How awkward and awful it was to see Lee duet with Chicago --- a band that basically retired before he was even born! But, then, just to make it more baffling? Pairing DeWyzeSocks with Joe Cocker? I thought that worked very (very) well. Hmmm. Lots of Idol "hmmms" in 2010.

But, unlike many others on the wires, I didn't HATE the season. I just have a hunch that I'll not remember much about it three years from now. And an only 2% difference in votes between Crystal and Lee, as it all came to an end? The final two are always, in my opinion, different versions of "winners" in terms of a season. This year? I'm of the mind that it was, essentially, a tie. And, for once, I can picture myself buying CDs by either of 'em, somewhere down the road.

Again ~ fun discussion (as always) this year, folks !
P.S. - My rickety bones are healing nicely (albeit slowly) after that unfortunate mishap two weeks ago . Rumor has it I'll have reached full recuperation by the time Season 10 starts, however ...

Thanks for the great AI commentary Gats, as only you could write! I got a bit busy the last couple of weeks, and never got around to posting in the forum. It was a strange season that lacked charisma, but I bet Crystal will have a great musical career ahead of her. And maybe Lee will too, if he can break out of the generic-rocker mold.

Get well Gats & take care! See y'all when the next season starts!