American Idol: Lee DeWyze wins!
LEE DEWYZE UPSET CRYSTAL BOWERSOX TO BECOME ‘AMERICAN IDOL,’ by Gil Kaufman MTV
LOS ANGELES – They auditioned together in Chicago last summer, and they’ve become good buds in the nine months since. They’re both 24 years old and were vying to be the first Midwesterner to win the “American Idol” title. One, Ohioan Crystal Bowersox, was the odds-on favorite to win it all for most of season nine, while the other, low-key Illinois-bred Lee DeWyze, came on strong down the stretch and threatened to pull out an upset victory. On Wednesday night (May 26), when all the hoopla, oldies acts and teary goodbyes to departing judge Simon Cowell were finally said and done, it was DeWyze who emerged victorious in an “Idol” upset for the ages.
While Bowersox hugged him and looked loose and relaxed, DeWyze seemed gripped by nerves as he awaited word from host Ryan Seacrest. When the verdict was read, the former paint-store clerk and high school dropout with a musical dream bent over and looked like he was going to be sick. He was quickly swarmed by the top 12, emerging with a smile and the outburst: “Oh my God!” When Seacrest asked how it felt to be the new American Idol, DeWyze laughed nervously. “I don’t know! This is amazing. Thank you guys so much for everything. Thank you. Thank you,” he said breathlessly, gesturing to the crowd with tears in his eyes and then hugging Bowersox and telling her that he loved her.
“I’ve never been happier in my life,” he added before breaking into his coronation song, “Beautiful Day,” as a rain of sparks, confetti and lasers filled the air in the Nokia Theatre. It was an unlikely ending to an uneven season with what many considered the shallowest “Idol” talent pool in memory and which suffered from a nearly 10 percent decline in viewership — but is still the #1 show on TV. Season nine saw the addition of fourth judge Ellen DeGeneres, whose quips and twisted food metaphors sometimes fell flat, as well as the departure of Cowell, considered the heart and soul of the judging panel.
But before DeWyze could celebrate the realization of his long-sought musical dream, the two-hour show trotted out the usual assortment of time-fillers. The battling finalists first took the stage in burgundy Hogwarts-style school uniforms, which made sense a short time later as former Michael Jackson guitarist Orianthi shredded the opening licks to Alice Cooper’s season-appropriate summer anthem “School’s Out,” which the top 12 lip-synched alongside a kids’ choir with dead eyes and the Coop himself. Last year’s champ, Kris Allen, came by to sing his new ballad, “The Truth,” and one of the show’s biggest stars, Carrie Underwood, showed the newbies how it’s done with her sassy new single, the Kara DioGuardi co-written country rocker “Undo It.”
Third-place finisher Casey James got one of the most plum assignments of the night, singing Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” with accompaniment by none other than surprise guest Bret Michaels, making his first stage performance since a string of recent health crises including a heart scare and a nearly fatal brain hemorrhage. Some of this season’s castoffs got one more chance to shine, with shaky vocalist Siobhan Magnus teaming up with Teflon teen Aaron Kelly for the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love,” which featured a cameo from the living Gibb brothers, Robin and Barry.
Michael “Big Mike” Lynche hooked up with Michael McDonald for the Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It to the Streets,” while the top five girls joined Crystal for Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” which morphed into the grinding “Stronger.” Aguilera herself showed up halfway through and eased into her new piano ballad “You Lost Me,” which she sang while standing on a pedestal covered with light bulbs and wearing a black catsuit and spangly tights. The top 12 harmonized on Janet Jackson’s “Again,” with Ms. Jackson herself strutting out in flowing black Elvira dress and her new short hairdo to take center stage and sing the hushed balled “Nothing.” She later stripped off the dress to reveal a skintight black bodysuit for a strut through her signature hit “Nasty.