I think there must have been a discount on geriatric rockers this season. There were a few fun moments and a fun chorus of General Larry Platt’s Pants On The Ground with special guest performer William Hung. And the man who can’t just sit down and take care of himself, Bret Michaels, sang with Casey, it was actually a fun moment and it’s great to see him doing so well.

It’s a good thing the finale only happens once, two hours is about an hour and fifty-five minutes more than they really need to celebrate this season. I guess I should look at it more as a farewell to Simon, that at least is worthy of the two hour time slot.

As usual the final two got a free Ford, this year is special because their Fiestas are the ones they custom designed earlier in the season. I love the sunflowers on Crystal’s. There’s several cute montages of fun season 9 moments, a final song from Lee and Crystal including an appearance by Joe Cocker, and perhaps now we can have some results…

And the winner of American Idol Season 9 is…

Lee DeWyze

That’s all for season 9 folks, I guess I’ll do it again for season 10 next year, who knows how long Idol will survive after that.

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Tonight is the last time we vote, I’m torn between being glad this season is over and being sad that it’s the last of Simon & American Idol. Crystal won the coin toss last week and chose to sing last so here we go with three songs from each contestant.

1. Lee DeWyze – repeat – The Boxer ~ Simon and Garfunkel – I liked this but it really was better the first time around, I think his nerves are getting the better of him.
2. Crystal Bowersox – repeat – Me and Bobby McGee ~ Janis Joplin – She is so fabulous doing this song, it really fits her and her style, great choice for a repeat performance.
3. Lee DeWyze – producer’s choice – Everybody Hurts ~ R.E.M. – He just missed really grabbing a hold of that and running with it. I’m not sure he can shakes the nerves tonight.
4. Crystal Bowersox – producer’s choice – Black Velet ~ Allanah Myles – I love this song, but Crystal seems a tiny bit screechy on it, and she really looks uncomfortable in that dress and heels combo.
5. Lee DeWyze – first single – Beautiful Day ~ U2 – I’m not sure what I think of a U2 cover being his coronation single, it wasn’t horrific, but there were no chills moments either. Guess I’m a cheesey coronation song girl, just give me magic rainbows and I’ll be happy.
6. Crystal Bowersox – first single – Up To The Mountain ~ Patty Griffin – Wow, that was really beautiful and she was so there and in it, a fantastic performance. I’m just not sure if this is a great coronation song, who picked these this year.

• Round 1: Crystal
• Round 2: Lee
• Round 3: Crystal

Crystal earned the win tonight but I think they are both popular with the fans and who takes it is anyone’s guess. I’ll be content either way, I never really got solidly behind anyone, so there’s no chance of me being disappointed. Looking forward to tomorrow’s festivities.

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So we’ve made it to the top 3 and I must admit that I haven’t been this glad to see an Idol season coming to a close since season 5. I actually worked through that finale and never bothered to watch the entire show, it was “who cares” kind of moment and that’s how I feel about this season. Will tonight change my mind, we’ll see…

First round is the contestant’s song choice, second round is judge’s song choice.

1. Casey James – Ok, It’s Alright With Me ~ Eric Hutchinson – That was really sort of bland and is a perfect representation of this season, who cares.
2. Crystal Bowersox – Come To My Window ~ Melissa Ethridge – I was really expecting something more from her and this just wasn’t it. She’s still a great talent its just that the performance left me wanting.
3. Lee DeWyze – Simple Man ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd – It was a really good performance and I enjoyed it, but we still haven’t hit chills yet. Of course he does come out on top when compared to the first two perfomances.
4. Casey James – Daughters ~ John Mayer (Kara & Randy) – I only like when Mayer does this live, and Casey comes no where near that. It had one moment when I felt it might take off and then it didn’t.
5. Crystal Bowersox – Maybe I’m Amazed ~ Paul McCartney (Ellen) – Okay, that was better, I liked that a lot more than her first song and it showed her depth and range.
6. Lee DeWyze – Hallelujah ~ Leonard Cohen (Simon) – Wow, there was my chills moment, this performance was so far beyond anything else we have heard this season. Right now I care more than I have for the whole season. Way to go Lee!

My Ranking: Lee, Crystal, Casey

I’m not thrilled with this but it was better than last week. Too bad I don’t have one of those neat Sony VAIO notebooks, so I could put my feet up and relax while I watch and blog. Here’s to hoping the real fans out vote the VFTW crew and Casey goes home tomorrow.

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So here we are at the top 4 and the theme is songs from the cinema. Jamie Foxx is the mentor and he challenges the contestants to show that they are artists. Each contestant will sing a solo song and a duet, this could be interesting.

1. Lee DeWyze – Kiss From A Rose ~ Seal ~ Batman Forever – This wasn’t his best performance but I didn’t think it was as bad as the judges did. Good thing Lee has a pretty strong fan base.
2. Michael Lynche – Will You Be There ~ Michael Jackson ~ Free Willy – This night isn’t going great, Mike delivers an okay, but really uninspiring performance. Hope his duet is better, but since he’s paired with Casey I’m not holding my breathe.
3. Crystal Bowersox & Lee DeWyze – Falling Slowly ~ Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova ~ Once – I’m loving this, they sound great together! Any faults in Lee’s first performance are forgiven here.
4. Casey James – Mrs Robinson ~ Simon & Garfunkle ~ The Graduate – It just sort of was, he wasn’t awful or anything, but it just wasn’t all that inspiring.
5. Crystal Bowersox – I’m Alright ~ Kenny Loggins ~ Caddyshack – Way to make the most of the last solo performance slot. This is such a fun performance!
6. Casey James & Michael Lynche – Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? ~ Bryan Adams ~ Don Juan DeMarco – This is such an odd pairing, Mike is definitely better than Casey, but Casey’s vibrato seems to be contagious. Casey might be helped by this, but I can’t imagine that it’s doing anything for Mike’s standings.

My Order: Crystal, Lee, Michael, Casey

It was an okay show, but like the rest of this season it was a touch of a let down. I wish we’d had at least one show already that really blew me away, just one show that didn’t make reading diet pill reviews an exciting alternative to watching AI. Oh well, maybe next season? Hopefully VFTW won’t be able to keep Casey in the running and he’ll be headed home tomorrow, or at least to the losers’ wing of the hotel. I’ll share the results tomorrow.

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So I get Harry Connick Jr. as a mentor and performer for a Sinatra themed week, but Lady Gaga? Let’s face it this results show was just too weird.

Lee was declared safe early on and then about mid point Crystal and Casey were put together and Michael and Aaron were put together. Turns out that Michael and Aaron were the bottom 2. Sweet little Aaron got voted off, I’m hoping this means he’ll rest his voice just a little before all the end of season, post season shenanigans start up.

I would have rather seen Casey go after last night’s performances but it wasn’t like Aaron was great either.

On a totally non-Idol note, it is really getting hot down here now and while some of the smaller rivers are starting to recede ,the Mississippi is now threatening to rise up over it’s banks. Not bad for us being a fair distance away and in the bluffs area of the river, but not so good for those in lower lying areas near the Mississippi. Hard to believe a year ago we lived in Georgia and were always worried about drought.

I’m off to put the munchkin to bed and find a cool place to stretch out and read, this office is like a sauna.

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Tonight the top 6 sing the songs of Shania Twain after being mentored by Shania. It will be interesting to see how four guys tackle these girly songs.

1. Lee DeWyze – You’re Still The One – he truly comfortable on the stage now, and looks like he is having a good time performing. I liked this one.
2. Michael Lynche – It Only Hurts When I Breathe – Mike is at his best when he does these emotional numbers, he really connects and it’s easy to believe.
3. Casey James – Don’t – I liked it but I don’t know that I was quite as wowed as the judges were.
4. Crystal Bowersox – No One Needs to Know – It wasn’t Crystal’s best performance, but she’s right, bigger isn’t always better, and even at her worst she is head and shoulders above her competition.
5. Aaron Kelly – It’s In The Way You Love Me – Our youngest contestant is redeemed. He did a great job changing up the lyrics and singing it to his Mom. I can still hear some strain in his voice though.
6. Siobhan Magnus – Any Man of Mine – Okay, this is tough, I know the judges loved it, but to me it was horribly flat and unemotional through the verses, the chorus was okay, and then we had to do the almost the right note screech. She is better than this performance, I just wish we were getting more of her best.

Bottom Half: Michael Lynche, Casey James, Siobhan Magnus

So there it is another week of singing over, it should be interesting to see how the votes fall, not that I’ll be getting any dark circles under my eyes worrying about it, Crystal will be safe and that’s all that really matters at this point.

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The show was long, and filled with great performances and sad stories, too many to recount here. The bottom three was made up of Casey James, Aaron Kelly, and Tim Urban. Then finally a miracle happened, VFTW lost their poster child for bad singing, Tim Urban is gone. I almost can’t believe it, guess that means I have to keep my promise to diet and exercise, oh well, perhaps it will help me by getting rid of belly fat that I don’t really want.

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