An era comes to a close this week as American Idol judge Simon Cowell bids farewell to the juggernaut he helped create. Last night Cowell gave his final critiques to season nine finalists Lee Dwayze [AI9LDE] and Crystal Bowersox [AI9CBO]. Known for his mean remarks and scathing commentaries, Cowell departed from his usual barbs by genuinely showing his love for the two contestants. This evening, either Bowersox or Dwayze will be crowned the next American Idol. Let’s see what their final performances yielded.
Dwayze has become the man everyone loves to love in the last few weeks. He had a successful run with Sinatra night and blossomed into a contestant who believed he could take the top spot. He continued his streak with movie themed night as well as judge’s choice night. Last night, Dwayze had to pull out all the stops to put himself above Bowersox. He started the evening with Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Boxer’ which he had performed before. The lethargic note elicited candid yet kind comments from the judges. He came back to perform REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ which fared a little better before U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’ completely overwhelmed him. The swaggering, confident Dwayze of recent weeks past gave way to a self-conscious, awkward performer. Dwayze delivered a dud and likely squandered his chances of winning. But, only time will tell!
The evening was all about Bowersox. She started out with gusto singing ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ which she performed during week 11. She channeled Janis Joplin and showed exactly how comfortable she is on stage. She won the judges over and continued to get love all around. Her next song ‘Black Velvet’ by Alannah Myles’ has been performed many times on the show. Bowersox managed to make it her own while adhering to its musical requirements with ease. She completed the evening with ‘Up to the Mountain’ by Patty Griffin. She gave one of her best performances of the season causing Cowell to call it ‘Outstanding.’ Bowersox started out the competition as the favorite and last night, ended the season expected to fulfill the prediction.
The American Idol we’ve come to love will be no more. Who knows what changes will be introduced in the now iconic show. But for one more night, you can log on to the American Idol Warrants and cast your vote just the same.
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