Lee/Crystal

Clearly, it was Crystal Bowersox’s night. Momma was on FIRE! And after a couple of weeks of not-so-hot performances, she delivered when and where it counted the most. Lee was visibly nervous but he picked up the energy by the third song. Unfortunately, Crystal seemed to beat him in all three rounds, judging by the panel’s critiques.

The thing is, however, the one whose light shines brighter on this night doesn’t always end up the victor. If the finales of the previous two seasons are any indicator, then we definitely know who is going to win American Idol Season 9 later!

I like both of these contestants and I wouldn’t mind seeing either of them win. Taking the entire season into account, I thought Lee did slightly better than Crystal. But based solely on last night’s show, Crystal simply hit it out of the park. I think Lee suffered from not-so-great song choices whereas Crystal had the advantage of performing ones that brilliantly showcased her talent. That last song (Up to the Mountain) was just incredible… without question the best performance of the season for me. I love Patty Griffin (especially love her album Living with Ghosts) and Kelly Clarkson also did an amazing rendition of this song a couple years ago on Idol Gives Back. If Crystal doesn’t win, I hope the producers still decide to release this single.

Actually, we could do without the hypothetical phrasing because it doesn’t look like Crystal’s going to win anyway, what with Simon predicting Lee’s win this week on Ellen and the fact that Lee has never been in the bottom two. Online polls also reveal better odds for Lee but I haven’t checked Dialidol, which has always correctly predicted the winner.

To some degree, this Lee-Crystal showdown reminded me of the Season 8 finale AKA the battle of the Davids. It was clear that David Archuleta had the better night (Simon called it a “knockout”) but the very nervous David Cook ended up winning in one of the most emotional finales ever. I was on Team Archuleta but, in hindsight, I could totally get why David Cook won. Whenever I revisit the performances of that wonderful season, it is always clear to see why David Cook is an American Idol.

Crystal was leaps and bounds ahead of the very nervous Lee last night but instinct tells me (well, a lot of people actually) that Lee is going to emerge victorious. And like I said, that won’t be a problem because either of the two truly deserves it.

Last season is a different story though because, one year later, I’m still scratching my head why — of the 12 finalists — Guitar Boy won. For the record, I don’t like the attention whore Glam Boy has turned into but it was clear to me last year that he should have won it, hands down.

Anyway, back to Season 9. So it’s Simon’s last year which means next year Randy Jackson will be the only original judge sitting in the panel. The ratings have plummeted this season and some suspect it’s because of Paula’s departure. Like I said at the start of the season, Ellen’s great, Ellen’s entertaining, Ellen’s funny… but the show doesn’t really need her. A lot was riding on her inclusion in the judging panel but, apparently, not even she could boost the show’s ratings. Notice Ryan never really acknowledged the magnitude of votes that were cast during results show, the way he did seasons past?

I’m not surprised at all that the show is losing viewers because I’ve been pretty bored with the season myself. It just isn’t as exciting as before. I don’t know if it’s because of Paula’s absence or the number of judges or the one-hour results shows but to me American Idol has lost a bit of its magic.

Ironically though, the results seemed to pan out right this season. (Then again, the predictability could have been a factor why the show’s become so boring.) What I like about the final two this year is that they are both the best in their respective semifinal groups (Lee for the males, Crystal for the females). And haven’t we all predicted from the start it was going to be Lee vs Crystal? I can’t say the same for most of the previous Idol seasons wherein at least one of the potential winners was eliminated before the finale.

I guess that’s pretty much it… I felt the need to write about the show because I always do every year (except last year because ze blog was down). Here’s hoping for a better Season 10 because I really want to continue following this show!