AMERICAN IDOL RECAP: CRYSTAL VS. LEE

After months of intense competition, Crystal Bowersox or Lee DeWyze will be crowned the ninth American Idol tonight, and the show's standout judge Simon Cowell will say his final goodbyes to the hit television show.

ROUND 1: FAVORITE FROM THE SEASON

Lee DeWyze - "The Boxer": Originally performed during 'Inspirational' week, DeWyze delivered another solid take on the song, but he failed to blow us or the judges away like he did when he originally performed the track.

Simon Cowell didn't feel there was enough passion or excitement, and dubbed the performance as "a kiss on the cheek when I wanted a kiss on the lips".

Crystal Bowersox - "Me and Bobby McGee": Reprising her take on the Janis Joplin classic, Bowersox started off extremely shaky, but around the halfway mark, she really kicked it into overdrive by delivering some great moments.

As a whole, the performance was far from great, but as the old saying goes 'where you end up is what counts' and Bowersox ended on a good note.

All of the judges loved her performance with Kara telling her "you have fire in your belly tonight" and Simon saying that it reminded him of why they originally fell in love with her and her voice. Round one goes to Crystal.

ROUND 2: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER'S CHOICE

Lee DeWyze - "Everybody Hurts": While I normally object to the notion of anyone other than the contestants having a choice in the selection of the songs, the producers picked a brilliant song for Lee with the REM classic. It showcased that raspy and slightly soulful tone in his voice, and all in all, he did a good job.

Ellen thought he held back when he was on the right path and Simon could feel his nerves, while Kara loved how "emotionally accessible" he was.

Crystal Bowersox - "Black Velvet": The producers picked another stunning choice with the Alannah Myles hit "Black Velvet", that easily match the composition of Crystal's voice. Still, like Lee in the previous song, she struggled by dishing out flat notes and attempting to scream the rest of the song.

Randy Jackson chanted "Mamasox is in it to win it", Ellen called it "fantastic" and Simon thought she "absolutely nailed it". The judges would undeniably declare Crystal the winner of round two, but we're thinking Lee.

ROUND 3: UPCOMING FIRST SINGLES

Lee DeWyze - "Beautiful Day": A cover of the U2 smash, DeWyze delivered some great moments and some moment that were on the other end of the spectrum. Ellen loved the he took the moment in and Kara thought he got "swallowed up", while Simon thought he "made an effort".

Crystal Bowersox - "Up to the Mountain": Obviously, the better song choice and more importantly, it actually made the performance before hand seem like nothing more than a karaoke performance.

Randy Jackson rightfully dubbed it 'incredible', Kara loved that she finally let the world inside and Simon labeled it the performance of the night.

CELEBRITY BUG'S CHOICE TO WIN

In the end, it comes to down to how America chooses to vote and whether they strictly look at last night's performances or the competition of as a whole.

My problem with Crystal is that she fails to possess a single connective thread to the current music industry and being different, which she is, is not always a great thing (see: Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks and his non-existent career).

One might argue, Lady GaGa, but her connective thread is the actual music, which is really just an extension of what Britney Spears and Madonna had already done in the past. Bowersox is lacking in this capacity.

On the other hand, Lee has a great voice, a thread that connects him to the current landscape of industry and most importantly, you can already see him fronting a group of guys in the lane of past rocker Chris Daughtry.

Therefore, we endorse Lee DeWyze as our choice to win the ninth season.