Last night’s season finale of “American Idol” had a bit of everything. It even had another somewhat surprising ending, at least from where I sit. Ryan Seacrest promised that there would be a few tributes to outbound Simon Cowell during the night, and there were. But here is how the rest of the show went down, and we’ll sum it up as quickly as we can:

The Season 9 Top 12 sang Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” and once we saw the school kids dressed like Alice Cooper we knew the man himself would make an appearance and he did. But he didn’t sound very good.

Last season’s champ, Kris Allen, sang his single “The Truth”…it was a B-plus performance

Then came the first of the Simon Cowell tributes, followed by Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly doing The Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love,” during which the two living Bee Gees (Barry and Robin Gibb) came out and performed with them. That was cool, but they didn’t sound great either.

Michael Lynche came out and sang The Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It To the Streets,” and Michael McDonald joined him on stage. McDonald sounded great in spots, not so great in others.

Dane Cook did a tribute to Simon Cowell and I’ll say it again…this guy is absolutely not funny at all. He never is and I don’t get it!

Lacey Brown and Didi Benami started Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” and were joined by the other women from this season, and then finally by Christina, who wound up finishing with a song by herself. Man, can that girl belt it. The finalists from this season had to be thinking, “holy crap.”

Then Lee and the other guys started a Hall & Oates medley and were joined by Daryl Hall and John Oates. Those guys sounded very good.

Then a quick check in with former contestants Janell Wheeler in Crystal’s hometown of Toledo and Matt Rogers in Lee’s hometown near Chicago.

Crystal came out and sang Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” and was joined by Alanis herself. That was pretty cool, but the two of them walking around nervously on stage was hard to watch.

Carrie Underwood sang her new single, “Undo It,” co-written by Carrie with judge Kara DioGuardi. I’m happy to report that we forwarded through this entire performance.

Then Kris Allen presented two custom-decorated Fords to both Lee and Crystal, and they could not have looked more unenthusiastic. Pretty funny stuff.

Then came one of the night’s great moments…..Casey James started strumming and singing Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” and I got chills as I knew what was coming….Bret Michaels. He got one of the biggest ovations of the night and rightly so, as the man battled for his life with a brain hemorrhage this past month. And he was just crowned the “Celebrity Apprentice” a few nights ago!

Then Lee Dewyze performed with the band Chicago to symbolize his roots. Yawn.

Another great moment in the show’s history followed, as General Larry Platt returned to sing “Pants on the Ground,” complete with dancers and a band. Even ol’ Larry could dance! He was joined by former contestant William Hung. Just heartwarming, I tell you.

Then Paula Abdul came out and did what looked like a comedy skit to pay tribute to Simon, but it just made me uncomfortable. How about you? I mean, that was beyond weird. After that, Kelly Clarkson and every American Idol champ except David Cook came out to sing together, and they were joined by other former contestants such as Justin Guarini, Diana DeGarmo, and Jason Castro. Then Simon joined them on stage and made a tearful goodbye speech that may have been rehearsed, but probably not.

Then Janet Jackson performed and was half singing, half lip-synching.

Finally it was time to announce the winner, who certainly would be Crystal, right? Well, no! It was Lee Dewyze, ladies and gentlemen. I admit I thought Lee really came on the last few weeks, and was peaking, but Crystal just annihilated him on Tuesday night. But, just like the last two seasons, the person we thought would win did not.

Still, Lee is a humble and worthy champion, and he was overcome by emotion because I’m pretty sure he didn’t think he would win. As Mrs. Mike pointed out, though, Crystal will now get to make an album the way she wants to, and Lee will have to make that co-written 19 Entertainment schlock. Mrs. Mike said this after throwing pillows at the TV!

Thanks for reading everyone, and enjoy your summer!

It’s hard to believe we’ve reached that time of year, but here it is. The “American Idol” two-part finale is next Tuesday and Wednesday and we’ve got your two finalists. But first, unless you just scroll down, we’ll make you wait just like the producers make us wait.

The show began with Casey James being whisked back to Cool, Texas, which looks like it’s a suburb of Fort Worth. He even went back to the hospital where his life was saved after a motorcycle accident seven years ago to thank his doctors for keeping him alive and giving him this opportunity.

Then Travis Garland performed. This kid is a signing of celebrity entrepreneur Perez Hilton, who was on hand to help Ryan Seacrest announce him. He did his new single, “Believe,” which wasn’t bad, but there were too many dancers on stage that were really distracting. Why can’t these pop acts just sing?

Then Crystal Bowersox went back to Toledo, and she appeared to have more fans than Casey. Hmmm. Anyway, that was cool. But Lee’s visit back to Chicago seemed even cooler for some reason. He finished by returning to the paint shop where he’s worked.

Then Justin Bieber performed two of his new songs, “You Smile” and “Baby.” That kid is pretty talented too for a teenybopper.

Finally, it was time to find out who was going home and who would compete for the title next week. First in, Lee Dewyze. No huge surprise. Down to Casey and Crystal. Crystal Bowersox, in, Casey James, going home. That’s how I saw it, and I’ve thought it was Casey’s time for weeks anyway. And that’s how it should be…Crystal vs. Lee for all the marbles.

So there you have it…..I think last season we thought it would be Adam Lambert crushing Kris Allen, and the year before David Archuleta crushing David Cook, but both turned out to not be the case. So while I think Lee will win, Crystal absolutely deserves to win just as much. It should be interesting, and an entertaining ride. See you all then!

At this stage of the season on “American Idol,” you know who wants to win and who could care less. You hope that they all want to win, and probably do, but some just want it more than others. Last night that was made perfectly clear during both rounds of performances. No mentors this time around, just two performances each from Casey James, Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox. They would choose one song, and one or two judges would pick the other. Here is our recap of how it went down, and we’re going to do it differently this week…we will break it down by performer and grade them at the end of our analysis:

CASEY JAMES

Casey’s own choice was a risky one, Eric Hutchinson’s “OK, It’s Alright With Me,” a song that I know but probably only 10% of Americans optimistically do. It’s a really good song but Casey absolutely did not deliver a winning performance with this one. At this stage, you’ve got to really hammer home the fact that you want to win, and Casey just didn’t. Randy said it was an interesting title, because that performance was “just alright with me”….Ellen said it wasn’t a “moment” and didn’t blow her away…Kara said it was an odd choice being that it was likely the first time many folks were hearing the song…and Simon said it was a dud. Grade: C

Casey’s judges choice was “Daughters” by John Mayer, chosen by Kara and Randy. I liked the choice, because even if it was a subdued song, it showcased Casey in his wheelhouse, and he even nailed the guitar solo note for note. Randy said the song fit like a glove (what else was he going to say?)….Ellen said it was a great choice…Kara said he showed more artistry and vulnerability (can she stop using that word already?)….and Simon said it was better than Casey’s first song, and it sounded really good, but he felt it was a lazy choice by Kara and Randy. Snap! Grade: B

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX

Crystal started with her own choice, an obvious one of Melissa Etheridge’s “Come To My Window.” It was very good, but not Crystal’s best, not for this stage of the competition. Randy said he didn’t love the arrangement but did love the vocal…Ellen said it was a good choice….Kara said Crystal got lost in the arrangement but it was a good vocal…and Simon said it wasn’t stunning, but he likes that Crystal is always true to herself. Grade: B

Crystal’s judge choice was Wings’ “Maybe I’m Amazed,” chosen for her by Ellen. I was thrilled with this choice right from the start, and Crystal really nailed it vocally. But it was weird hearing her sing the lyric, “Maybe I’m a man, and you’re the only woman who can ever help me.” I mean, that’s just weird, right? Lucky for her, the judges didn’t even mention it. Randy said it was a great song with great vocals, and that Crystal is “in it to win it”….Ellen said she couldn’t have asked for anything more…Kara said it was a big risk that paid off….and Simon said he was surprised at the choice but that he got it, and talked about how much soul Crystal has. Grade: A-minus

LEE DEWYZE

Lee started off with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” and it was a strong and heartfelt version. For me, Lee had this look in his eye last night that showed focus and the determination to want to win it all. Randy said it was a great choice and he liked the lyrical theme for Lee….Elle said he’d gone from a baby lamb to a gazelle since the start of this season…Kara said Lee has showed us all everything he’s got, and that he won Round 1….and Simon said the song choice was on the money. Grade: A-minus

Lee’s judge choice was Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” chosen by Simon. I and most other folks who watch this show are annoyed by now at how often this song is covered, but I understood the choice. And Lee just killed it, in the pimp spot, no less. He had that look in his eye to want to win even more the second time. Randy said it was Lee’s biggest moment of the season…Ellen said she’s glad Lee listened to Simon….Kara said Lee is what this show is all about and he owned the night…and Simon said he was very proud of him, and that he is both a fantastic singer and a great person. Yeah, pretty much. Grade: A-plus

So I’ve been kind of saying all along that it’s Crystal’s competition to lose, but she’s shown some cracks in the armor the last few weeks. Meanwhile, Lee is just vaulting himself into serious contention. Not that he wasn’t a contender before, but now he’s just made it his competition to lose. And I don’t see him messing up next week, assuming the voters didn’t go Melinda Doolittle on Lee.

As for tonight, I’ve been saying Casey should be eliminated for maybe the last three weeks, and I’m saying it again tonight. But honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if it was Crystal. What do you all think? Let me know and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

For the contestants who have made it this far on “American Idol,” going home has a different meaning than being eliminated. That’s because the top three finalists get to go home and enjoy a special day in which they perform in front of fans in their city, appear on radio and TV and usually have the mayor of said city give them a “key” to said city. Pretty heady stuff. But as always, it took the producers an hour to tell us the result that they could have delivered in a few seconds. And without DVR, it would have been excruciating.

To kick things off, Season 3 champ Fantasia performed her new single, “Bittersweet.” It was pretty good and she no doubt has a remarkable voice, but other than that, the performance was sort of bland.

Then the Top 4 lined up on stage and Ryan Seacrest brought their families up on stage to sit where the contestants usually sit. The results would be given “in no particular order.” So the first one to safety? Casey James. The guy I thought would be eliminated this week. Uh-oh.

Then former Idol finalist Chris Daughtry performed, along with the band that bears his name, their latest single, “September.” This dude has pipes and is clearly better than this year’s Daughtry/David Cook hybrid, Lee Dewyze.

Then back to the results. Big Mike….hang tight. That wasn’t a good sign. Lee Dewyze, on his way back to Chicago, but in a good way….safe! Down to Mike and Crystal, and you could already see it in Mike’s face that he knew he wasn’t going to take down Mama Sox.

But first, a performance from legendary rock band Bon Jovi, who sounded pretty good and strangely look like they are 20 years younger than they are. Mrs. Mike pointed out two things–that they have the money to look however they want, and Richie Sambora’s vocals were too loud. And she was right on both counts. Regardless, this band sounds pretty good for a bunch of 50 year olds, and their new song, “Superman Tonight,” wasn’t too bad either.

Back to the results……the person joining Lee and Casey in the Final 3….Crystal Bowersox. Big surprise, eh? Big Mike, heading home. He thanked the judges for keeping him in this thing, but dude should have been sent home when America said so. They need to ditch that save, it’s just so annoying.

So we have a Top 3 of Crystal, Lee and Casey. I’ve been picking Crystal and Lee for the finale all along, and I’m not going to change my stance now. What do you all think? See you next week…

To the contestants on “American Idol,” if you’ve made it to this week’s Final Four, you’re either on the verge of winning it all, or of being a pretender and fading into the show’s collective oblivion soon. Mentor Jamie Foxx signified as much when he had t-shirts made up that said “contestant” and “artist,” and told each one of them that they had to earn their artist shirt this week to prove they are ready. Corny, yes, but effective and correct. The theme this week was songs from movies, which is about as vast a catalog as there is.

I was wondering how they were going to either stretch four performances into an hour, or cram eight performances into that hour. What they did was meet in the middle and have them perform two duets, making it a comfy six performances in the hour. Nicely done, producers.

Anyway, here is our recap….

THE REALLY GOOD

The duet between Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox was flat-out awesome. They chose “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once. The song is great to begin with, but these two absolutely nailed it and had nice stage chemistry. Randy said it was a big difference from the first two solo performances (Lee and Mike)…Ellen said it was like watching the Captain and Tennille…Kara said they had great chemistry and it was one of the best moments of the season, and I agree completely….Simon said it was fantastic. Yep, pretty much.

THE GOOD

Crystal took on Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Alright” from the movie Caddyshack, and on the surface it seemed like an odd choice, but it was a very cool, funky version that proved one thing–Crystal wants to win it all. Randy said Crystal is a true artist but it wasn’t his favorite performance of hers….Ellen said she took the song and actually made it better than the original….Kara agreed with Ellen…and Simon said Crystal is now back in the game after a couple of mediocre weeks. Agreed.

THE PRETTY GOOD

Big Mike Lynche did Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There” from Free Willy, and it seemed like a hard song to sing, but Mike did a pretty good job with it. However, the judges didn’t quite see it that way. Randy said it was a cool song choice, but he didn’t love it….Ellen said it was a bit predictable…Kara said she wanted something akin to when Mike did “Woman’s Work” and that he played it too safe…and Simon agreed with the other judges but said Mike did give it 100%.

THE MEDIOCRE

Lee kicked things off with Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose” and it just felt bland and out of tune. This was an instance where I questioned the fact that Lee has made it this far, because it totally lacked any star quality. Randy said Lee did nothing with the song and that it was just okay and pitchy in spots…Ellen said more could have been done with the song, but Lee is still so good….Kara said while Lee had a great week last week, this was a difficult song for him…and Simon said he agreed with Randy, that with so many great songs to choose from, this one sounded a bit karaoke-ish.

The duet between Casey James and Big Mike was Bryan Adams’ “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” and for me, it was pretty boring. I don’t like this song to begin with, and it wasn’t awful, but it was just, well, blah. However, the judges were freaking out about how good they thought it was. Say what? Randy said he loved Casey’s guitar playing and that the two sounded great together…Ellen said “I have loved a woman,” which was her best line of the season…Kara said both duets last night were incredible…and Simon said Jamie should give artist shirts to both duets. Whatever.

THE NOT SO GOOD

Casey’s solo performance was Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” from The Graduate, and I was questioning this choice from the start. And yeah, it was very, very bland. Talk about safe…this was the safest and worst song choice of the bunch last night. Randy said he wondered why Casey would choose that song but that he liked the cool, laid back version. He then started poking fun of Kara, who has had a crush on Casey all season, for obvious reasons…Ellen said Casey got beat up by the judges last week but she liked the way he changed things up this week….Kara said she liked the choice, and that he is fighting to stay in the competition….and Simon said the song and performance had no substance and that it came across as lazy. I totally agree with Simon on this one.

So that’s it. Crystal and Lee are probably safe, if anything because of that awesome duet. Mike and Casey will be in danger of heading home, and I’m going to say it again this week…it should be Casey’s time to board a plane back to Texas. But it wouldn’t surprise me if it was Big Mike either.

What do you all think? Let me know and we’ll see you back here tomorrow….