There was less than 2% of votes that separated the two finalist that came out of the Chicago auditions.  Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox had to wait patiently while many performance and commercial breaks led up to the conclusion of Idol when the winner was revealed.

After 9 season’s, tonight was Simon’s official last night as an Idol judge.  So, of course, they created a video montage to give tribute to the much loved, yet hated, judge…actually, they created many videos for him.  Most of the night, between the rapid performances, was dedicated to Simon.  They showed many instances when he was rude and abrupt to the poor people that were horrible at auditions.  Also, his fellow judges said some ‘nice’ things about him, including Paula Abdul.  They ended the video with Ryan and Randy unknowingly being recorded while celebrating his departure.

Later, Dane Cook performed a song created from all of Simon’s mean comments to people.  Dane was joined on stage by some of the insulted contestants from the past.  The gig was ended abruptly when one idiot grabbed the mic and stated, “this is my Kanye West moment” and, “I’m gonna replace you, Simon Cowell.”  Idol quickly cut to commercial.  They continued periodically to poke fun at Simon.

The top 12 started off the performances with School’s Out, all dressed in school uniforms and accompanied by a lot of young kids also dressing in school uniforms and wearing typical black Alice-Cooper-like face paint around their eyes and mouths.  Then, onto the stage walks out Alice Cooper, himself!  Great performance!

Kris Allen, last season’s winner, then performed his song The Truth.  Then Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly began to performed How Deep is Your Love? They were then joined on stage by the Bee Gees.  It was a great performance, mixing Siobhan’s vocals in with all three guys.

Next, Michael Lynche was joined on stage by Michael McDonald, and together they sang Take it To the Streets. It was a soulful performance by two talented people!

The top 6 girls performed Beautiful and Fighter.  The performance hit a high note when Christine Aguilera came out in the last couple seconds of Fighter.  She continued solo and sang You Lost Me.  (Her new album comes out June 8th.)

The top boys had their chance to perform next with Dan Hall and John Oates.  The boys  performed Maneater and joined Hall and Oates for You Make My Dreams Come True, for which the boys only ‘woo hooed’ through the song.

Crystal Bowersox performed Ironic and then was joined by Alanis Morissette for You Outta Know.  Their voices are similar, at times you couldn’t tell which was singing if you closed your eyes.

At this point in the show, an hour has passed, and it seems like the producers of Idol smashed as much as they possible could into the time slot.

Next, was former Idol winner, Carrie Underwood who performed he song Undo It.

Casey James performed Every Rose has It’s Thorn and then was joined on stage by Bret Michaels, lead singer for Poison.  It was only this past April that Bret Michaels suffered from a huge brain hemorrhage after just having an emergency appendectomy.  His brain hemorrhage was also followed with two strokes but, on a lighter note, he just won the most recent Celebrity Apprentice!  It was amazing that he is looking so good and strong already!

Lee DeWyze then got on stage with Chicago and performed several short versions of their hit songs.

The highlight on the evening was when General Larry Platt took the stage to perform his viral hit song Pants on the Ground.  He was accompanied by some street dancers with their pants on the ground, literally.  It became even funnier with William Hung joined the performance.  That was awesome!

The night continued with surprises when Paula Abdul took the stage after a video she made for Simon, talking about the good times they had together.  She came out dressed in a hot pink, short dress.  She looked good and sober.  She joked that she had a baby with Simon and that is the reason she left Idol.  She was laughing at her jokes, even though the audience was silent most of time.  She also said that Idol will go on without Simon.

A special performance of the night was from 7 of the past Idol winners as well as many old contestants.  Reuben Stoddard, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Kris Allen performed, to name a few.  After the performance, Simon was taken to the stage and allowed to say a few words.  He admitted to being emotional and that he was going to miss it all.

Janet Jackson was the second to last performance for the evening.  It was almost like Michael was performing and not Janet.  She performed Nothing and Nasty.  It was a pretty awesome performance.

Finishing the night was Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox singing with Joe Cocker.  They performed With A Little Help From My Friends.  The song is fitting since it was their friends that helped put them where they are, waiting to find out if they are the next American Idol.

Finally, results time came…and the winner is LEE DeWYZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And when asked how it feels, all he could say was, “I don’t know,” and “Thank you.”

With an audience of 7,000 at the Nokia Theater in LA, Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze performed for the last time before an Idol is crowned.  Also, this was Simon’s last night judging.

Three rounds were performed tonight; one is the contestant’s favorite from this season, two is Simon Fuller’s choice, and the third will be the song that will be released for whomever wins.

Lee DeWyze

Song 1:  From inspiration Week, The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel

• Randy -  “A great way to start off this night.”  “You sounded nice doing it but pick it up, pick it up.”
• Ellen -  “I couldn’t be prouder if I birthed you myself.”
• Kara -  “You gotta punch harder.”
• Simon -  “I would expect actually a lot more passion, excitement.  That was a kiss on the cheek when I want a kiss on the lips, not from you.”

Song 2:  Everybody Hurts by R.E.M

• Randy -  “You pulled it together and I could feel that Lee that I love by the end.”
• Ellen -  “A couple of time you really, really got into it…and then you pulled back again.”
• Kara -  “You’re emotionally accessible.  And that I can feel every word that you’re saying.”
• Simon -  “You went a little bit off melody at parts.”  “You’re nervous.”

Song 3:  Beautiful Day by U2

• Randy -  “By the middle of the song, when you hit the high notes and the chores, you started to get your groove back.”
• Ellen -  “You were fully present for that song.”  “You did a great job.”
• Kara -  “You got swallowed up in that song.  You had some good moments and some not so good moments.”  “You’ve grown the most on this show.”  “You deserve to be here tonight.”
• Simon -  “I genuinely wish the best for you.  You’re a great guy.”

Crystal Bowersox

Song 1:  From Billboard #1s week, Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin

• Randy -  “I hope you make a record like that, it was dope dude.”
• Ellen -  “You are so compelling on that stage.”
• Kara -  “You have fire in your belly tonight.”
• Simon -  “This brought me back to time that we absolutely fell in love with you.”  “This is you, back on your best.”

Song 2:  Black Velvet by Alannah Myles

• Randy -  “Mama Sox is in it to win it!”  “That was hot!”
• Ellen -  “That was fantastic!”
• Kara -  “You want it, you can tell.”
• Simon -  “You took that song and you absolutely nailed it.  I’m very impressed.”

Song 3:  Up To The Mountain by Patty Griffin

• Randy -  “This is one of the greatest performances and one of your best moments at the perfect time.”
• Ellen -  “You are in a league of your own.”  “If you make a salad, I’ll eat it.”
• Kara -  “You were completely emotionally invested in that song, unlike any other night.”  “You really blossomed just with that song.”
• Simon -  “That was by far the best performance and the song of the night and since this is the final critic I’m ever gonna give, I just want to say, that was outstanding.”

And with that, the competition is over and we just wait for the results.  Crystal seemed to steal the show tonight with her rendition of Up To the Mountain, but was it enough to take the popular vote and win it all?  We will have to wait for tomorrow night!

Over 47 million votes were cast last night to decide who will go to next week’s finale.

The contestants went over footage from when they returned to their hometowns.  Casey James went to Texas where a sea of screaming teenage girls were waiting for him.  He even signed some lady’s dog.  Casey also visited the hospital that saved his life after he was in a serious accident.

Crystal Bowersox returned to Toledo, Ohio.  She signed some grungy guys chest.  Crystal received the key to city after having her own parade.  She also had a family BBQ where she saw her son and then continued on to her concert called “Bowerstock.”  She was brought to tear watching her footage.

Lee DeWyze came home to Chicago, Illinois.  Lots of screaming girls and women met him.  He got to throw the first pitch at a Cubs game.  He returned to his elementary school where he got to see his 1st grade teacher.  The paint shop that he formally worked at received some free advertisement as he returned to see it.

Travis Garland, discovered on the internet by Perez Hilton (who was at Idol tonight), performed his song Believe.

Justin Bieber also performed his songs U Smile and Baby.  He had some fancy dance moves to go along with his singing.  He also performed his own drum solo.

It was announced that auditions will be going to Jersey City, San Fransisco, Nashville, and New Orleans this summer.  More details will be posted at AmericanIdol.com

Finally, the results.  Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox are safe and will be competing next week to take the whole thing.  Casey James is returning home.

The top 3 performed 2 songs, one chosen by them and one that the judges picked.

Contestants’ Picks:

Casey James – OK, It’s Alright With Me by Eric Hutchinson

• Randy -  “That song was just kind of alright with me, too.  I wanted to hear more from you, something that was different, unique, interesting.”
• Ellen -  “I wish you would have brought it.”  “It was alright.”
• Kara -  “It’s hard to pick a song that not everyone knows.”  “That didn’t work in your favor.”
• Simon -  “I would compare that first song to if you were having dinner, that’s the salad.”  “That song will leave no lasting affect on the audience what-so-ever.”  “I think that was a dud song choice.”

Crystal Bowersox -Come to My Window by Melissa Etheridge

• Randy -  “I did not love the arrangement.”  “I loved your vocal one it.”  “It all worked in the end.”
• Ellen -  “That’s your comfort zone.”
• Kara -  “You did get a little lost in the arrangement.”  “Still a good vocal.”
• Simon -  “I don’t think this is the most stunning version we will ever hear.”  “You haven’t compromised yourself as an artist.”  “It’s a very honest performance.”

Lee DeWyze -  Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd

• Randy -  “Great song choice.”  “You sounded amazing.”  “Throwing down!”
• Ellen -  “You took this thing seriously.”
• Kara -  “You showed us everything you’ve got.”  “Round one goes to Lee.”
• Simon -  “That song…was absolutely on the money.”  “I think you just crushed the other two.”

The Judges’ Picks:

Casey James – Daughters by John Mayor

• Randy -  “This fit you like a glove.”
• Ellen -  “That was beautiful for you.”
• Kara -  “This showed the more artist side of you.”
• Simon -  “It was a bit of a lazy arrangement.”  “You sounded very, very good on it.”

Crystal Bowersox -  Maybe I’m Amazed by Paul McCartney

• Randy -  “Great song.  Great vocals.”
• Ellen -  “That’s what I was hoping you’d do and you did it.”
• Kara -  “You really showed parts of your voice that I don’t think we’ve heard until tonight.”  “You really pushed.”
• Simon -  “You’ve got soul.”  “You worked outside of your comfort zone.”  “That was terrific.”

Lee DeWyze -  Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

• Randy -  “This was your biggest moment at the biggest time on this show.”  “Unbelievable!”
• Ellen -  “That was stunning.”
• Kara -  “You are what this show is all about.”  “You are the heart of this show this season.”  “You owned the entire night.”
• Simon -  “You proved that you are a fantastic singer, a great person.”

We will find out tomorrow night who make it to the finale next week!

Over 37 millions votes were cast last night, the most of the season so far.

Fantasia, winner of the third season of American Idol in 2004, performed her song Bittersweet.  The song is the new single from her album that will be landing in stores this summer, the first in three years.

Another familiar face to Idol, Daughtry performed their new song September. He was the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season.  Seeing how much he has accomplished is encouraging to those do not win Idol, or even make it into the top 3.

Before revealing who was being eliminated tonight, Bon Jovi performed their song Superman Tonight. They are the #1 touring band in the world.  

The Top 3:

• Casey James
• Lee DeWyze
• Crystal Bowersox

So that means, unfortunately, that Michael “Big Mike” Lynche was eliminated.  We fell in love with his story, becoming a father in front of America, and now we love him as an artist.  Goodbye, Mike!  Hopefully, he follows in Chris Daughtry’s footsteps and becomes a successful artist after being #4 on Idol.

Tonight the the contestants must perform songs from the movies.  Jamie Fox is the mentor for the week.  He is both a multi-platinum R&B artist and actor.  He won an Oscar for his role as Ray Charles in Ray.

The contestants also performed duets, Casey with Mike and Crystal with Lee.

Jamie brought t-sheets with him saying ‘contestant’ and ‘artist.’  During his mentoring session with them, he gives them the shirt that he feels that represent them.  He gave Lee an ‘artist’ shirt.  He gave Michael the ‘contestant’ shirt because he couldn’t remember the words right away but Michael refused that shirt and said he was coming for the other one.  Casey James received ‘artist’ shirt  and, of course, Crystal received the ‘artist’ shirt, as well.

Lee DeWyze – Kiss From a Rose by Seal

• Randy – “You did nothing with that song. “  “Choose some other rock sort of song.”  “It didn’t work.”
• Ellen -  “There could have been more done with the song.”
• Kara -  “You got lost a little.  You had some out of tune issues but you can’t take away from the fact that you are still great.”
• Simon -  “That was verging on, I’m afraid to say, karaoke.”

Michael Lynche – Will You Be There by Michael Jackson

• Randy -  “It was just alright.”  “It started kind of rough.”
• Ellen -  “You always sound good.”  “It was a little but predictable.”
• Kara -  “I know you have more.”  “You played it safe.”
• Simon -  “A least you gave it 100% and I kind of felt that you meant it.”

Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox -  Falling Slowly from the movie Once

• Randy -  “That could be a hit right now.”
• Ellen -  “God!  That was great!”
• Kara -  “One of my favorite moments of the entire season.”  “You brought out the best in both of you.”
• Simon -  “I would call it a fantastic song.”

Casey James - Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel

• Randy -  “You sounded cool.”  “It was a cooled, laid back kind of version of that song.”
• Ellen -  “I like that you came back a did something different with the song,  and, for a minute, I thought you were going to go further with it but you didn’t.”
• Kara -  “This is you fighting to stay in the competition cause this is where you’re not comfortable.”
• Simon -  “I didn’t think the song, or the performance, had the substance required on this important night.”  “It was a little bit lazy.”

Crystal Bowersox – I’m Alright by Kenny Loggins

• Randy -  “At least you tried to switch it up and make it somewhat interesting and fit you.”
• Ellen -  “That performance just got ‘Crystalized.”  “You actually took that song and made it better.”
• Kara -  “Artist!”
• Simon -  “You, Crystal, are back in the game.”

Casey James and Michael Lynche – Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? by Bryan Adams

• Randy -  “You guys sounded really good.  Nice one!”
• Ellen -  “As a matter of fact, I have loved a woman.”
• Kara -  “The duets tonight were incredible!”
• Simon -  “That was really good.  Well done!”

Tomorrow night one more will be voted off.  Make sure you get your votes in!

This week’s mentor was Harry Connick Jr.  Connick is an actor both on the stage and on the big screen.  He’s also a great pianist and singer.  His first recording was when he was 10 and he broke-through at 22 years old.  He won his first Grammy from the soundtrack of When Harry Met Sally.

The theme for this week came from the music of ‘Old Blue Eyes,’ Frank Sinatra.  Connick helped them to interpret Sinatra’s songs into their own style.  He actually wrote the arrangements and orchestrations for the contestant so that he could get a little more involved with the Idol-wannabe’s then the usual mentors.  He brought along some of his musicians and he, himself, played the piano behind the performing contestants!

The daughter of Sinatra were in the audience and they brought Simon a gift of their father’s monogrammed handkerchief.  Simon was surprised.

Aaron Kelly – Fly Me To The Moon

• Randy – “Dude, you did a really good job.”
• Ellen -  “I thought the piano was a little pitchy.”  “I cannot believe I didn’t hear any country in that at all.”  “You really pulled it off.”
• Kara -  “Compared to last week though, it wasn’t as strong.”  “You still need to break out as a performer.”
• Simon -  “It didn’t have the conviction for me.”  “The vocals toward the end were a bit corny.”

Casey James -  Blue Skies

• Randy -  “Your worse performance, dude.”  “You were out of your element.”
• Ellen -  “I thought it was a bad idea to have the piano on stage.”  “That felt very stiff to me.”  “It didn’t feel effortless.”
• Kara -  “It took you a long to time to warm up and to feel more relaxed.”  “At least you held some notes.”  “You kind of sounded like a lamb.”
• Simon -  “This is uncomfortable.”  “You came over a bit embarrassed and awkward.”

Crystal Bowersox - Summer Wind

• Randy -  “It was a little sleepy.”
• Ellen -  “You have so many different sides to you.”
• Kara -  “I kind of liked it.”  “I liked your phrasing.”
• Simon -  “It felt a little bit indulgent.”  “Too jazzy.”  “I expect better.”

Michael Lynche – The Way You Look Tonight

• Randy -  “Mike is in it to win it!  This is what I’m saying!”
• Ellen -  “You seem to have the most comfort on stage.”  “Very smooth, a lot of charisma.”
• Kara -  “You took us up, you took us down, you took us on a journey, you did everything right.  But, above all, you didn’t lose yourself.”
• Simon -  “I felt that you listened and everyone worked together.”  “Fantastic, well done.”

Lee Dewyze - That’s Life

• Randy -  “You stayed your rocker self.”
• Ellen -  “First I was distracted by Harry’s organ…”  “If this was the last night of performances, you would have just won this whole thing.”
• Kara -  “You can win this  thing.”
• Simon -  “You gave it 110%.”  “It was, by far, the best performance of the night.”

A whopping 33,000,000 votes were cast last night.

Rascal Flatts started the show off with their hit song Unstoppable. This was their 3rd time appearing on Idol. Later in the show, Rascal Flatts performed again with Shakira.  For the first time ever, they performed Gypsy. It was a strange combination and it was mainly all Shakira singing with a slight hint of Gary LeVox, lead singer for Rascal Flatts.

Next to perform was the group Sons of Sylvia.  They are out on tour with Carrie Underwood and have been performing with her since she left Idol.  Carrie Underwood introduced them.

Lady Antebellum performed their award winning hit Need You Now.

The Bottom 3:

• Michael Lynche
• Casey James
• Siobhan Magnus

And Siobhan Magnus goes home!

Next week, the mentor will be Harry Connick Jr. and the songs will be from Sinatra.

Tonight was a special night on Idol.  It was a night to celebrate the charity work that Idol does for children throughout America and all over the world.  Queen Latifa also hosted the show live from Pasadena, Ca.  Among the performers tonight were The Black Eyed Peas, Joss Stone, Carrie Underwood, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Alicia Keys, and Mary J. Blige.  Even Randy Jackson played guitar with Travis Barker on drums while Blige sang Stairway To Heaven.

George Lopez hosted the opener to result portion of the show.  His comedy routine was hilarious.  He decided that it was time to “judge the judges for a change.”  He joked with Randy about his use of the words ‘pitchy’ and ‘dog’, and asking Kara for her opinoin.  He made fun of Kara about her name, a nude picture of her that he has, and saying ‘you didn’t make it your own.’  Ellen got ripped on for ‘I love that,’ ‘Simon, stop touching me.’  He called her the Courtney Kardashian of judges.  He saved the best for last, Simon.  George got him on the use of the word ‘rubbish’ and ‘Ryan, stop touching me.’  Also, he told him to try wearing a larger shirt cause the people at home can tell if it is cold in the theater.  Apparently, Simon isn’t safe and must return to England but, due to the volcanic ash hanging over Europe, Simon is safe because he can’t return home.

The Bottom Three:

• Casey James
• Aaron Kelly
• Tim Urban

…and Tim Urban goes home tonight.

Tonight’s performer included Jason Derulo with his hit In My Head. He’s an accomplished songwriter as well as a phenomenal singer.

Performing next was David Archuleta with John Lennon’s Imagine.  Playing the piano himself, Archuleta gave a beautiful rendition of the Beatles song.

Rihanna also performed her new song Rockstar 101.

Next week, Adam Lambert will be mentoring the contestants.  It will be exciting to see him back on the Idol scene!

The Bottom 3:

• Michael Lynche
• Aaron Kelly
• Andrew Garcia

And the contestant with the least number of votes…Michael “Big Mike” Lynche.  Seriously?!?  Two weeks in a row and American has got it wrong!  THANKS TO THE JUDGES, HE WAS SAVED FROM ELIMINATION!!!!!!!!!

Why is Tim Urban still in this competition?!?  Big Mike deserves to still be in this!!!