Idols past offer their ideas for 'Idol's' future
Much of the talk during and after this week's finale wasn't just about looking back on the season, but forging ahead to a new, hopefully improved "Idol" in the years to come. From the recent survey conducted on americanidol.com , which probed viewer satisfaction by asking how much (or how little, depending on your POV) judges Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres would be missed, should one get the ax, to the imminent Simon Cowell replacement question, it's...

'American Idol' In 60 Seconds: Lee Wins The 'Season Of The Girl'
On Wednesday night Lee Dewyze became the ninth winner of "American Idol," capping its evolution from talent competition to makeover show. At the beginning of the Season Mr. Dewyze was fidgety and reserved, a coiled singer who could unleash the occasional furious note but not without seeming slightly embarrassed about it afterward. Crystal Bowersox, this Season's runner-up, was a demure, rigorously unflashy singer whom Simon Cowell once likened to a Subway-station busker. For weeks...

Article: 'American Idol' Crowns A Winner, Simon Cowell Says Goodbye
Los Angeles, Calif. -- Dozens of superstar celebrities and almost all of the former “American Idols” were on hand on Wednesday night as the FOX Reality show crowned its Season 9 winner and judge Simon Cowell said goodbye to the show he launched and helped make a hit. Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino and last season’s winner, Kris Allen, were among the “American Idol” winners who saw Lee Dewyze beat out...

David Cook NOT On American Idol 2010 Finale: WHY?
Previous American Idol winners were joined by fellow contestants to sing " Together We Are One " in an emotional tribute ( watch video here ) to judge Simon Cowell , who finally leaves the show after nine years to pursue his own adventure ("The X-Factor"). Who Won American Idol? Find Out HERE . READ American Idol Season 9 Finale Recap HERE Kelly Clarkson , Ruben Studdard , Fantasia , Carrie Underwood , Jordin Sparks , Taylor Hicks and Kris Allen were all there with the...

America Has A New Idol
The ninth Season of American Idol came to a sensational conclusion tonight as Lee Dewyze was crowned the winner during the live two-hour Season Finale on FOX. Lee, 24, from Mt. Prospect, IL, emerged as America's choice in a competition that began with more than 100,000 hopefuls who auditioned in Atlanta , Boston , Chicago , Dallas , Denver , Los Angeles and Orlando . Lee capped his coronation on Wednesday's Finale by singing " Beautiful Day ," which is available for download...

Idol Talk: Finally, the Finale
Lee's in, Simon's out, and the future of " American Idol " is about as uncertain as the fate of a Top 24 contestant. The season 9 finale brings up plenty of meta questions: How will Lee Dewyze fare in the marketplace? Will Simon Cowell fans migrate to "X-Factor"? Can "Idol" reject Ian Bernando get a permanent gig hijacking the mike from Dane Cook ? Time will answer those questions. As for the other questions and standout impressions that popped up in Yahoo! Search, those can be handled...

Lee DeWyze wins as 'American Idol' implodes
Lee Dewyze, the last "American Idol." (Image by Getty Images North America via @daylife.)

American Idol: And The Winner Is...
I am exhausted after watching last night's American Idol Finale. Get ready, this will be a video heavy recap! We start with a teaser rumor that Bret Michaels might take stage and the announcement that only a 2% margin separated Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze for the top spot. The first performance of the night is Alice Cooper and the Top 12 doing "School's Out." Kris Allen showed up after being crowned last season's winner. He performed "The Truth" as Ryan Seacrest's ...

American Idol Alumni: 2010 Status Update (PHOTOS)
The past few days here in LA have been filled with Idols …both old and new!

Quick 'n' Dirty Music News: 05.28.10
What's up my little hellions? Fucking Memorial Day is coming and you know what that means

American Idol: Chicago Showdown
It all comes down to this. After 7 audition cities, 100,000 auditions, 14 weeks of live performances, 500 million votes and 18 cuts, it's down to the final two contestants. But who will take the title of this year's American Idol- Lee Dewyze or Crystal Bowersox? Here's how tonight's two-hour spectacular went down: 8:01- This is "American Idol!" 8:02- Jordin Sparks sighting! 8:02:30- Ryan Seacrest tells us the two finalists' vote counts only differed by 2 percent! 8:03- Oh no,...

"American Idol" said farewell to charismatic judge Simon Cowell
“American Idol” said farewell to charismatic judge Simon Cowell during Wednesday night’s star-studded Season Finale, which included an array of special guests from the show’s past — including former judge Paula Abdul. The proceedings weren’t enough to stop the reality hit’s annual Ratings slide, however, with the ninth-season closer ranking as the show’s lowest-rated Finale yet. The two-hour “Idol” which saw Lee Dewyze crowned as the...

American Idol 2010: Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen return! (VIDEO)
May 27th, 2010 by Lisa McGarry. Tags: American Idol 2010 , Carrie Underwood , Fantasia Barrino , Jordin Sparks , Kelly Clarkson , Kris Allen , Ruben Studdard , Taylor Hicks Seven out of the eight American Idol winners returned to the Idol stage last night and performed a tribute to outgoing judge Simon Cowell. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks and Kris Allen, joined by a gaggle of past contestants gathered on stage to sing...

Tony Kusian Dumped Crystal Bowersox Before Idol Finale (PHOTOS, Video)
American Idol season 9 runner-up Crystal Bowersox has revealed that she and her boyfriend, Tony Kusian , who publicly supported her during the live shows, broke up right before the final performances on Tuesday morning (May 25). READ American Idol Season 9 Finale Recap HERE "[My boyfriend] Tony, he went home. He wasn't cool with the lifestyle," the Elliston, Ohio, native revealed Thursday morning on Ryan Seacrest's 102.7 KIIS-FM radio show. (watch video below) "We're both...

Bowersox, DeWyze secure recording contracts; Crystal goes with 19, Jive
It hasn't even been 24 hours since Lee Dewyze was crowned this year's "American Idol," but already he and his runner-up, Crystal Bowersox, have signed their record deals. Dewyze is signed to 19 Recordings Limited and RCA Records, while Bowersox is signed to 19 Recordings Limited and Jive Records, Billboard.com reported early Friday. Dewyze joins Daughtry and Adam Lambert at RCA, while Bowersox can now count past "Idol" winners Jordin Sparks and Kris Allen, and 2009 finalist Allison Iraheta, as...

Fantasia Peforms "Together As One" on American Idol
American Idol bids farewell to judge Simon Cowell with a performance of the song "Together As One". Kelly Clarkson leads the performance singing with fellow winners Ruben Studdard, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, Taylor Hicks, Kris Allen, and Jordan Sparks. Contestants from previous seasons join them in the tribute, and Simon himself comes on stage graciously thanking everyone for the experience while judging on American Idol.

Lee DeWyze: Worst Idol ever?
"Idol" winner Lee Dewyze, making Chicago proud? Image by Getty Images North America via @daylife

'American Idol': Crystal steals the show, alumni pack the Nokia, and Simon sorta rescues a swaybot on the scene for Top 2 performance night
Image Credit: Michael Becker/PictureGroup So let’s just call this thing: Crystal killed it, and Lee kinda choked. Having discussed last night’s American Idol finale performance night with EW.com’s preeminent Idol oonie Michael Slezak, I know that was also his assessment of the evening from the vantage point of his living room couch. From my seat inside the Idol DeathStar — a.k.a. the Nokia Theater LA Live — the difference between Crystal’s often effortless...

That Grape Juice Interviews Alexandra Burke
That Grape Juice sat down with Pop phenom Alexandra Burke last week at her label HQ here in London. The ever-bubbly 21 year old opened up to us about a number of topics including her rise to stardom, the darker side to fame, the status of her much talked about collaboration with Beyonce, her thoughts on whether Rihanna could win The X Factor, US plans, and much more. As ever, we as the questions other interviewers won’t!...

Lee DeWyze Wins 'American Idol'
In a surprising outcome Lee beat out Cyrstal for this years “American Idol.”

LEE DeWYZE PARTIES AT SKYBAR AFTER 'AMERICAN IDOL' WIN
Lee Dewyze PARTIES AT SKYBAR AFTER 'American Idol' WIN Lee Dewyze PARTIES AT SKYBAR AFTER 'American Idol' WIN Submitted by INF on Thu, 2010-05-27 11:12. Lee Dewyze won the ninth season of American Idol last night. The voting was incredibly close - just a two percent difference between him and the judges' favorite, Crystal Bowersox. Dewyze got compliments from the judges for his continued improvement throughout the season. His vocals weren't as strong as Crystal's, even in...

Star-Studded American Idol Finale
The American Idol season 9 finale was such a star-studded event with music icons performing alongside contestants that I don't even know where to start. Granted, the celebrities they had come out with the aspiring singers were has-beens but it was star-studded nonetheless. The show kicked off with Orianthi and Alice Cooper performing with the Top 12. Siobhan and Aaron then sang with the Bee Gees. Big Mike was joined on stage by Michael McDonald. The top 6 girls sang a couple of Christina...

Lee DeWyze triumphs over Crystal Bowersox in ninth season of 'American Idol'
Los Angeles - 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 on Wednesday’s finale that the 24 -year-old Dewyze of Mount Prospect, Ill., edged Bowersox, also 24 , of Toledo, Ohio, in viewer votes cast after Tuesday’s performance show. Although Bowersox drew higher marks from the judges for her performance this week, the...

'Idol' Finale Is Lowest Rated in Show's Nine Season History
Simon Cowell's May 27 farewell to American Idol , a show he has been integral on for nine seasons, sank to its lowest rated finale yet. The two-hour show, which crowned Lee Dewyze, and featured a raft of stars (including erstwhile judge Paula Abdul), was watched by 24.2 million viewers, garnering an 8.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Ratings. The show dominated every half hour from 8-10 p.m., but it did not reverse a season-long slide for the top-rated...

'American Idol' finale ratings lowest since Season 1
May 27, 2010, 3:02 PM EST Zap2it.com The crowning of this season's " American Idol " was seen by fewer people than any finale since the show's first season. Wednesday's (May 26) finale, which crowned Lee Dewyze as this year's winner, scored 24.2 million viewers and an 8.2 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic. (That's up slightly from the fast nationals, which didn't take into account the portion that aired after 10 p.m.) The adults 18-49 rating is the finale's lowest ever by a good...