'American Idol' finale recap: A former paint salesman takes crown

Two "American Idol" hopefuls who auditioned in Chicago last summer found themselves on centerstage for Season 9's big finale at the Nokia Theatre Wednesday night.

It was Crystal Bowersox, the consistently great singer, vs. Lee DeWyze, the dark horse with the momentum at the end. Host Ryan Seacrest said less than 2 percent had separated the top two going into the finals. Was that 2 percent of the final vote, or 2 percent when Casey James was still taking a chunk of votes? We'll never know.

The big night last night promised some surprises and "moments," much like the season overall.

The highlights, in order of appearance:

• The Top 12 singing with Alice Cooper, accompanied by Orianthi. Damn, that girl can play guitar! And Alice Cooper's appearance explained the weird eye make-up on the choir. Best group sing of the season (and you know I hate the group sing).

• Christina Aguilera showing the girls what a real vocal performance is all about. Katie Stevens and Paige Miles rocked it on "Fighter."

• Carrie Underwood with her new song, "Undo It" - much more rock and less country twang.

• Crystal doing a duet with Alanis Morissette. Singing "Ironic" and "You Oughta Know" really showed the rock in Crystal's voice. She should have sung one of these songs during the season.

• All of the previous Idol winners -- minus David Cook -- making an appearance to perform a good-bye song for Simon. Joining them were many previous Idol competitors, all of whom have gone on to various levels of success. It was a nice visual of all the careers this show has made.

• Janet Jackson making one of her rare appearances, singing both a new song and one of her oldies, dancers, lights and lasers all included. She can still command the stage.

• Crystal and Lee duet with Joe Cocker on "With A Little Help From My Friends" - this was the No. 1 highlight of the evening. Fantastic pairing, great performance, absolutely loved it!

You knew it would happen:

• Casey James with Bret Michaels - shouldn't that guy be recuperating or something? I guess Michaels can't get off the wave of publicity that comes after surviving a brain aneurysm.

• General Larry Platt, with "Pants on the Ground." The unexpected part were the dancers and overall production value, not to mention an appearance by William Hung. Yes, that William Hung. Very funny.

Why?

• Kris Allen with his new single, "The Truth." Oh yeah, Ryan's microphone was still on and Kris' was not. More evidence of the lazy production that permeated the entire season. I couldn't even tell you if the song is worth checking out on iTunes.

• Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly singing with the Bee Gees. 'Nuff said.

• Ditto Michael Lynche singing with Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers. Someone in the executive producer's office likes 1970s music.

• Lee Dewyze and Andrew Garcia with Hall and Oates. No, it did not get better when the rest of the Top 12 guys joined them.

• Did Lee make a producer mad or something? Next he was performing a medley with Chicago. I've seen Chicago in concert (and played "25 or 6 to 4" more times than I can count in high school band), and while they are great musicians, they are not a singer-centric band. It was a mess.

And then there was Simon's farewell:

In case you didn't know, he's leaving for "X Factor" and "American Idol" will never be the same. It's true. We'll miss you, too, Simon. Now, can we get to the results?

And your next American Idol Is.....

At 2:01 into a two-hour show, the accountant brings out the envelope. Lee looks ready to throw up and Crystal looks hyper. And your new American Idol is:

Lee Dewyze.

I'm not surprised, and I can't say I'm disappointed. I'd hoped Crystal could stay on top all season long, a la Carrie Underwood, and take the title. But Simon was right, Lee is what this show is ideologically about. Someone who is just a regular guy who needs a break, does really well, learns some things along the way and wins it all.

Congratulations to both Lee and Crystal, I hope they both have great success. But if I hear that Lee's choosing "Beautiful Day" was the cause of Bono's back injury and the cancelled U2 Seattle concert, then all bets are off!

And for my final bow out - thanks to everyone at Idol Confessions Headquarters and to everyone who shared Season 9 with us. It has been a blast.