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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.”
Comments
By sw
May 20, 2010 2:22 PM | Link to this
Casey has probably already signed a record deal.
By Squirrellygirl
May 20, 2010 1:56 PM | Link to this
Has Adam Lambert sold a million copies of his album yet? Just sayin… I think he received too much praise too early. His record hasn’t done as well as David Cook’s who sold 1 million copies of his CD in just 3 months after release. Don’t get all the hype over Adam. If you compare the advertising Adam and David received, you’ll see David received very little compared to Adam. I don’t get it. And how was it that Adam was qualified to be a judge on Idol when he hadn’t established himself yet? How is that?
By Squirrellygirl
May 20, 2010 1:52 PM | Link to this
It’s hard for me to listen to Lee because he sings off key so much. I don’t think he should be in the finale, I think Casey should have been. Apparently the judges are deaf. I don’t get it. In Casey’s case, he’s a blues artist, but he has the voice of the lead singer from guess who, and I’ve watched him sing different genres. There’s something about Crystal I just can’t put my finger on it, but I do like her voice and her music most of the time although I didn’t care for her performances Tues. night. I’ll miss Casey in the finale.
By general zao
May 20, 2010 1:52 PM | Link to this
Yes, it would be great to see Chrystal win, but being who she is 2nd place would suit her and probably give her much more success (ie. Adam Lambert & Clay Aiken). I like Lee, but I think that he’ll fade into the woodwork like Kris Allen……..
By Mike
May 20, 2010 12:20 PM | Link to this
I love Crystal but I hope Lee wins so Crystal can do music her own way. The winner will be bound by the Idol contract for a year and they can really water down the music. Crystal doesn’t need that. Runner up would be perfect for her.
By FAN
May 20, 2010 10:06 AM | Link to this
I don’t really mind the results shows with all of their empty filler. Thanks to the miracle of DVRs, I can skip through all the stuff I don’t want to see. I took about 30 seconds of Bieber, just because I’d never heard him and wanted to see what the fuss is about. Actually, 15 seconds was enough! I was happy with the end result, though. Crystal and Lee deserve to be the final two. Either one of them could win and I’m okay with that.
By ha
May 20, 2010 8:53 AM | Link to this
It took til now to lose respect for Perez Hilton? lol
By Ray
May 20, 2010 8:00 AM | Link to this
You wanted vanilla, you got vanilla. Meanwhile, the real star will shine. Did you see Siobhan on Letterman?
By Scott
May 20, 2010 7:51 AM | Link to this
Did the writer of this article like anything? My biggest problem with this whole season was that most of the songs were boring
By Mr. Magoo
May 20, 2010 7:22 AM | Link to this
I think Crystal is the better overall performer, more complete and more consistent. I want her to win. However, Lee might have more commercial success. The problem I have with Lee is he still really has no personality on stage and will end up being the Kris Allen-type winner, if he wins.
By agent
May 20, 2010 7:01 AM | Link to this
In some small way this final reminds me of Carrie/Bo a few years back. No matter who wins, they should both do very well in the future.