American Idol crowns winner (spoiler)
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The new American Idol is Lee DeWyze, a paint store clerk who overcame his shyness and prevailed over soulful Crystal Bowersox in the singing contest's ninth season.
Host Ryan Seacrest said 24-year-old DeWyze, of Illinois, edged Bowersox, also 24, of Ohio, in viewer votes cast after Tuesday's performance show.
Although Bowersox drew higher marks from the judges for her performance this week, the panel had reaffirmed its respect for DeWyze's talent and his character - and the audience agreed.
He'll release a single, Beautiful Day.
Wednesday's finale also marked the departure of judge Simon Cowell, walking down memory lane through film clips, a parody song by Dane Clark and the return of ex-judge Paula Abdul.
An estimated 24.2 million viewers tuned in to the Fox network to watch the finale - an 18 percent drop from last year, according to preliminary ratings figures.
The nine-year-old TV singing contest was the No. 1 US show of the night and has retained its top rating this season for the 7th consecutive year. But audiences were down nine percent this season to an average 23.9 million, compared to a 2006 high of about 30.8 million.
Fox entertainment chairman Peter Rice told reporters earlier this month that there was "no bigger question this summer" for the network than the replacement of Cowell.
The acid-tongued British judge has quit to launch his own show on Fox in 2011, saying he was bored after nine years on Idol.
Cowell is not alone when it comes to Idol fatigue. Media watchers say Fox, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp , and Idol producers need bigger fixes if the show is to recapture its buzz and retain its fans.
"If they are smart, they will look at this as a way to re-boot the show from top to bottom, starting with the auditions, which were once funny, to the weekly themes like Elvis and the Beatles, which are getting stale," Entertainment Weekly's Michael Slezak told Reuters.
The addition of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres as a judge earlier this year was widely seen as a disappointment.
"Ellen was really dull. After that casting disaster, the Simon replacement is a pretty important one," said Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University.
DeGeneres signed a five-year contract with Idol and judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi have contracts that take them into 2011. But some Idol watchers think the entire panel should be thrown out.
"I would be really tempted to clean house on the panel and freshen the show up so much you would have to tune in because you know the dynamic would be so different," said USA Today music writer Brian Mansfield.
"I think they will be in real trouble if they succumb to the temptation to bring in another celebrity judge," he added.
Fox has already announced some tweaks to the 10th season, which starts airing in January 2011. The hour-long weekly results show will be cut by half, while contestants will get an extra 30 minutes in later stages of the contest to perform.
Aspiring singers can audition on MySpace for the first time in addition to try-outs before the judges in US cities nationwide this summer, Fox said on Wednesday.
American Idol creator Simon Fuller believes the format has life in it yet.
"I think American Idol will continue for a few more years for sure ... It has had a fantastic run, so I am not complaining," Fuller told Reuters earlier this month.
And Thompson said that although the show has a lot of problems to overcome, "American Idol performing mediocre is better than most series at their best, which is why I think it is probably going to be around for a while.
"It just may not continue to be No. 1 every week."
-AP, Reuters
* Did the right person win? Post your comments below.
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I think that had to be the best finale that American Idol has had! Was great that Lee won, but I think Simon really stole the show! I will miss him as a judge, as he was critical and honest with all the contestants!
GO QUEENSLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hubby said he wouldn't watch the next one if Crystal didn't win, but we will to see how it goes without Simon. Face it, he often said what everyone was thinking but were too polite to say! Lee may "deserve" it more but Crystal was definitely better on the night, and all throughout the comp. I bought Adam Lambert's CD and I'll buy Crystal's - Chris Allen sounds like every other generic singer and I think Lee will go the same way. And one more thing - all through the comp. they told the guys to get more contemporary and now then they fill the last night with old rockers! They may have been good in their day, but now? Where were the "now" artists?
@ Darcy #1 - you are the coolest person i wish i knew
crystal lost?? oh well in most cases the winner of american idol is easily forgotten except for the rare 2 or so that had a decent career.
Crystal should have won, that was clear. She was, quite simply, more talented. Beautiful voice and great guitar skills. Lee has a very commerical, typically American style of singing, which I can see was why he appealed more to the American psyche and ended up taking out the competition. However, Crystal will no doubt go on to have a successful singing career - look at Adam Lambert, he was the runner up last season and is doing incredibly well, while no one has heard of the guy who actually won (whose name I can't even remember! Proves my point!)
heard his song on the radio this morning, couldnt they orgnaise his own song?? Using U2 beautiful day, so unorginal. I disliked the song when u2 sang it and I still very much lislike it! What a waste
ill put my two cents in and say crystal should have won, outperformed lee, also 'beautiful day' for lee's first single?? weird choice....if he did the song justice then ok, but i would prefer originals over covers
@ Darcy, if you think it's that bad, why waste your time reading the article? I actually like Ellen as a judge, I thought she was funny. I'm not a fanatical watcher of the show, but I do enjoy watching it in the later stages when the good performers are left. Really liked some of the guest stars on the final last night, though Janet Jackson sounded like Michael and it kind of freaked me out =p
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I know - Janet Michael Jackson. All the judges are good. Ellen is great and will definitely miss Simon. Didn't think Crystal sounded screechy at all. She definitely wanted it - which is why she picked it up and let loose (used her full range) in the last round. It is a bit ironic that Lee didn't do that and then won where she had been defending her right not to necessarily do that to songs, and finally did what the judges were telling her to and missed out. Lee disappointed me in the last round as he had been just getting better and better. I think the ones who continue to improve tend to get the vote where the ones who have been great all along don't (Crystal and Adam last year).