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Wednesday, May 19, 2010
No surprise, Bowersox and Dewyze to battle for Idol gold
Was there really anyone else out there who thought tonight’s elimination show was anything more than just a formality?
Ohio’s very own Crystal Bowersox and Chicago’s Lee Dewyze will sing for the big prize in next week’s finale.
I’ve been looking forward to this sing-off all season: Crystal, the dreadlocked mom from a small northeastern Ohio town called Elliston, vs. Lee, the very reserved paint salesman from Chicago.
Judges and media predicted Crystal would take home the “American Idol” crown from the get-go. Bowersox, the bluesy singer-songwriter whose style is a blend of Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman and Melissa Etheridge, has been consistently fantastic week after week. Even her “off” weeks were pretty good.
Lee was practically invisible at the start of the season. We never saw much from him in the auditions or during Hollywood Week because he doesn’t have the strong, outgoing personality most of his competitiors have. He has a radio ready voice and draws influence from Ben Harper, Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton and Simon & Garfunkel. He has come out of his shell a little bit and has really grown so much more comfortable on stage. You can see he finally believes in himself.
Will the frontrunner take home the crown or will we see another upset in the finale of Adam Lambert/Kris Allen proportion?
Now onto the stuff that doesn’t matter …
Ryan Seacrest tried to have a “touchy-feely” moment with the three remaining contestants by asking them what they’ve learned over the course of the past few months. His facial expression is loaded with gravitas because this is, after all, a serious moment. There’s few things in the world sadder than Ryan Seacrest trying to be a real, live journalist.
Seacrest tried again to play “big boy” journalist again by asking the judges what sorts of progression they’ve seen from all three performers. Really? Could they really try any harder to stretch about three minutes of actual television worth watching into 60 minutes. This is getting painful. Not “Idol Gives Back” painful, but certainly painful nonetheless.
Casey returns to his north Texas hometown. I’m surprised no one asked him to take his shirt off. Still one of the saddest moments in Idol history (shame on you Kara DioGuardi and Posh Spice), by the way. Guess asking him if there is someone special in his life was enough prying tonight.
A really lame performance by Travis Garland with some horrible dancer wearing Daisy Dukes. I’ve lost all respect for Perez Hilton, who said this guy is better than Justin Timberlake. Has anyone even heard of this guy?
The best part of the show of course was Crystal’s visit back home to Northwest Ohio for a parade and appearances through the Toledo area. She got to spend time with loved ones at a family barbecue, threw out the first pitch for the Toledo Mudhens and performed some original songs at Bowerstock, a concert for her local fans. Crystal’s love for her hometown was really touching.
Lee Dewyze headed home to Chicago with stops at Wrigley Field, an appearance at his elementary school and his paint store. You can tell he’s really living a dream right now and was so overwhelmed by his newfound stardom.
More icky stuff: Two nauseating performances by every preteen’s dream Justin Bieber (insert scream here!!). The drum solo was more than I could handle… not to mention the ridiculous hair cut. He makes me miss Tim Urban.
And finally … the results in the final moments … goodbye to “Goldilocks” Casey. He was very gracious … it must be hard to come that close and not make it to the final. Somehow I still think he’ll have a big career. After all, he is “eye candy” and “ear candy.”
