Final Idol performances wow judges
2010-05-26 22:36
Los Angeles - Crystal Bowersox stormed back against a nervous Lee DeWyze in the American Idol performance finale screened in the US on Tuesday, stealing the hearts of the judges and setting up a nail-biting finish to America's most-watched TV show.
Bowersox, 24, a dreadlocked single mom from Ohio whose energy had been lacking in recent weeks, was the clear judges' favourite for the 2010 title after her three-song set.
But America's choice will be revealed on Wednesday night after millions of SMS and telephone votes from around the nation have been counted.
"This is one of your best moments, at a perfect time" judge Randy Jackson told Bowersox after she closed Tuesday's show with an emotional rendition of the contemporary folk-gospel song Up to the Mountain.
DeWyze, 24, seen as the dark horse of the TV singing show, had been tipped by Cowell to win before Tuesday's final performances in front of 7 000 fans.
Cowell wants a kiss
But the bluesy singer and guitarist, who a year ago was working in a Chicago paint store, seemed to have lost some of the confidence that saw him overshadow Bowersox last week.
"I would expect a lot more passion and excitement. That was a kiss on the cheek, when I want a kiss on the lips," Cowell said of DeWyze's first effort, The Boxer.
The night didn't improve for DeWyze. Kara DioGuardi felt he "got swallowed up a bit" by U2's smash hit Beautiful Day.
DeWyze later brushed off doubts about his confidence. "I think looking confident and being confident are two different things. Because for me, if I wasn't confident I wouldn't be able to do this," he told reporters after the show.
Asked whether she thought early front-runner Bowersox was better on all three songs on Tuesday, DioGuardi told reporters backstage: "They didn't start at the same place. She stayed steady and he grew, and for a moment he almost outshined her."
Covers up
In a first for American Idol, the new song unveiled in the finale as the winner's first release was replaced this year by two different cover versions of existing songs - Beautiful Day for DeWyze and Up to the Mountain for Bowersox.
Bowersox and DeWyze are the last two standing from about 100 000 aspiring pop stars who auditioned last summer around the nation for the Fox TV singing contest.
The first place finisher will get a guaranteed recording contract and the chance to launch a career like those of previous Idol winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
Now in its 9th season, American Idol is still America's most-watched TV show, but has seen audiences slip by about 9% this year to an average 23.9 million viewers per episode.
Wednesday's two-hour finale is expected to include an emotional send-off for Cowell, who announced in January that he was leaving to launch his own talent show The X-Factor on Fox. No replacement for Cowell has been announced yet.