The 2-night American Idol Season 9 finale starts tonight. Crystal Bowersox & Lee DeWyze will sing 3 songs each tonight. The 1st will be the contestant’s favorite song of the season. The 2nd will be a song chosen by Idol Executive Producer Simon Fuller. And the 3rd will be the song they’ll release if they win. As the judges are shown on screen, I have to say that I’m pretty sad to see Simon Cowell go. Much has been made about the fact that viewership is down on the show this year. But the fact still remains, it’s consistently at the top of the ratings and never at the bottom. It’ll be interesting to see how Simon’s new “X-Factor” show performs up against Idol. Simon fans are already proclaiming that like Simon, they won’t be returning to Idol next season. Me? I’ll give it a chance. I’ll also be watching “X-Factor.” Alright…after winning a coin toss last week, Crystal has decided to perform 2nd. So up 1st, it’s…

Round 1: Contestant’s Choice

Lee DeWyze: For his favorite song of the season, Lee chose to sing the song “The Boxer.” I vaguely remember Lee performing this one during Inspirational Week. He sounds pretty okay singing it tonight. The performance wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t mind-blowing or even worthy of finale week. Randy said it was a great way to start it off, but that he wasn’t sure it was energetic or exciting enough. Ellen says he performed it better than he did the 1st time. Kara says it was a meaningful song & that he was believable performing it, but she also agrees with Randy that he needs to bring up his energy. Simon said that he would expect a lot more passion & excitement on such an important night. He says that it was like a kiss on the cheek when he wants a kiss on the lips!

Crystal Bowersox: Crystal chose her song from Billboard #1’s Week, “Me & Bobby McGee.” Crystal sounds great, as usual. She also had a little more energy than Lee & I like how she made the audience a part of her performance. In my opinion, she’s winner of Round 1 tonight! Randy agrees with me! He thought it was dope! Ellen said that Crystal is so compelling onstage & that she and her guitar fill up the room. She thought the performance was stunning. Kara loved it when Crystal 1st did it & she loved it tonight. She said that Crystal told us so much about herself as an artist tonight & she has fire in her belly. Simon said that the performance brought him back to the time when he absolutely fell in love with Crystal. He said that this was Crystal back on her best & that we’ve got a competition tonight!

Round 2: Simon Fuller’s Choice

Lee DeWyze: “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. My 1st thought was that this was the perfect song for Lee. As much as I love acoustic guitars and all, I have to say that this show is really kind of boring tonight since Lee and Crystal are both playing acoustically & singing low key songs…so far. I agree with Randy, this show needs some energy or I’m gonna fall asleep! Again, I thought that Lee sounded good. He had a choir behind him again. My opinion on that is that choirs make anybody sound good. This competition should be judged on the contestant’s performance, not on the added benefit of the choir. Randy said that it started off a little pitchy, but that it was a lot better than the 1st one. Ellen said that a couple of times Lee got really into it & got everyone excited, but then he pulled back again. Kara says that what makes Lee great (not being a hater, but “great” must be relative) as a performer is that he’s emotionally accessible. She said it wasn’t a perfect vocal, but she loved his emotional accessibility. Simon thought it was a brilliant choice of song for Lee, but that he went off note a few times. He says that Lee is nervous & warned him to understand the importance of the night and come back to perform perfectly for his final song.

Crystal Bowersox: “Black Velvet.” I immediately like that she’s not playing a guitar. Her singing is really nice & gutsy on this song. She sounds great. She hit some great notes, but I wish she would have worked the stage just a little bit more. Randy said that this is what he fell in love with from day 1 and that Mama Sox is in it to win it! Since Crystal changed into a slinky black dress for this number, Ellen joked that the wardrobe changes made it feel like it was a Cher concert! Lol. She said the performance was fantastic. Kara said that tonight is the night to give it all and that’s what Crystal is doing. Simon said that he had a little bit of a problem because he’s almost allergic to that song from hearing it so much in auditions. I have to agree with him. As soon as I heard she was singing it, I was like, ‘This song again?!’ But she pulled it off! Simon says that Crystal took that song & absolutely nailed it! He said he was impressed. Round 2 goes to Crystal as well!

Round 3: The Song That’ll Be Released If They Win

Lee DeWyze: “Beautiful Day.” Wow, he’ll release a cover of U2’s song if he’s the Idol winner. I like that he’s not playing the guitar this time. Watching Lee perform this one, I can’t help but think of Bono & U2. Bono is such a unique performer. Lee, however, is just letting his nerves get the best of him tonight & just didn’t capture the magic of this song the way Bono does. He sounds decent, but there’s nothing exciting about hearing him or seeing him. I’m team Crystal all the way, but I didn’t want to see Lee come all this way just to choke like he did tonight. He had so much momentum coming into the week, but he disappointed. Sad. Randy said that the performance started off a little awkward, but that he was strong towards the end. Ellen said he did a great job. Kara said he got swallowed up a bit in the song. She said he had some good moments & some not so good moments. Simon said Lee made the most of it. Simon also pointed out that this is his final time ever judging on American Idol, so he wanted to say that this competition was designed for someone like Lee who’s worked hard and he wishes the best for him. But you notice that Simon didn’t actually say how he felt about Lee’s performance. That’s because Simon wants Lee to win & has already gone on the record as saying that Lee would win the competition. So for him to actually say that Lee sucked, wouldn’t go along with what he’s been saying for the last week or so.

Crystal Bowersox: “Up To The Mountain.” She returned to the stool with her acoustic guitar for this one. Although it’s another low key song, Crystal sounds soulful & stirring singing it. She was really feeling the song in her soul & it came across in her voice. I could see that she was close to tears at the end of the performance. She also had a choir, but they weren’t as noticeable because Crystal’s voice was so powerful. Randy said it was an amazing song by an amazing singer. He said he was proud of her because it was one of her best performances at the perfect time. He said it was incredible! Ellen said that she can’t compare Crystal to one contemporary artist out right now & that she’s in a league of her own. I guess so if you discount Melissa Etheridge, who has a new album out right now, btw. Ellen went on to say that Crystal has a beautiful voice. Kara said that this was a very important song for Crystal tonight. She said that if she had one critique of Crystal, it’s that at times her walls have been up. But she said that tonight, Crystal’s walls were down. She said that Crystal completely & emotionally invested in that song unlike any other night and for her, she really blossomed with that song. She said it was amazing. Crystal wished Simon luck on his future endeavors since this would be his final critique as judge on the show. Then Simon said that Crystal’s performance was by far her best performance & the best performance of the entire night. And to quote him verbatim, ‘Since this is going to be the final critique I’m ever gonna give, I would just like to say that was outstanding!’

And with that, the Simon Cowell era on American Idol is just about over. Can’t wait to see the big sendoff for him on the Results Show tomorrow. I was already pulling for Crystal to be the next American Idol and she clearly outperformed Lee DeWyze tonight in every round! She has been THE most consistently good contestant all season. If she doesn’t win the American Idol title tomorrow, it’s not because she doesn’t deserve it. There was no contest tonight…Crystal Bowersox was the better contestant & she’s so getting my vote!