'IDOL' WATCH: The Final 2

It's down to two. Soon, American will know who will be the season nine "American Idol." Each contestant performed three times tonight: a song of their choice, a song chosen by "Idol" producer Simon Fuller, and the song each would release as a single if they were to be crowned th winner tomorrow night. Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox are both fantastic singers. Either one could win. So, tonight's performance have the potential to make a huge impact on who the audience votes for to win tomorrow night.

Lee Dewyze began the night singing a song from Inspirational Week, The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel. I actually preferred tonight's version of the song to the one DeWyze did earlier in the season. I thought he was spot on and, though he probably could have a bit more energy as the judges said, I thought he gave a very solid showing. The judges each seemed a bit disappointed with the performance, but it seemed to me they were more disappointed with the song choice than they were with the actual performance. To me, however, the song choice makes perfect sense. DeWyze will succeed as a recording artist with this type of song, so he's smart to show America what to expect.

Crystal Bowesrsox chose a song from Billboard Number 1 Hits, Me and Bobby McGee by Roger Miller. This was the perfect choice from Bowersox, as this is exactly the type of sound she will likely go with as an artist. Those who enjoy this type of music will be quick to vote for her and, in turn, go out and buy her album, so it was a calculated and intelligent choice from Bowersox. The judges thought the performance was excellent. Kara said it "told us so much about you as an artist," a great point on a night where artistry definitely matters.

Round One: Crystal Bowersox

DeWyze's second performance, as chosen by "Idol" producer Simon Fuller, was R.E.M.'s Everybody Hurts. The song choice, for me, would have been perfect, had it not been preceded by a very similar song. Why DeWyze performed two songs that are so similar in style, tempo, and feel I do not know. This performance was much more accessible than was his first performance, likely due to the song itself. I did, however, think it was a great choice bringing out the choir to give the song a different feel and change it up a bit. The judges again seemed to feel the DeWyze's performance was somewhat lackluster, with Simon attributing it to nerves. As successful as he has been throughout the competition, you'd hate to see DeWyze fall behind simply because he was nervous on his final night of performances.

For her second song, Fuller chose the Alannah Myles' hit Black Velvet for Crystal Bowersox. The song was a very different choice for Bowersox, as we are not typically used to her as a rocker. But, the song fit very well in her voice and she did a great job with it. I'm glad we saw her without her guitar for one song tonight; I wasn't sure if she would choose to take a risk and go without it and I think it worked out for her. Ellen gave Bowersox a standing ovation and Simon said, "You took that song and you absolutely nailed it." Another great performance from Bowersox.

Round Two: Crystal Bowersox

Finally, we were offered up the song each contestant would record if they were to win the competition. DeWyze was up first, singing U2's Beautiful Day. DeWyze also went without the guitar on this performance, a good choice to show he is willing to take risks, as well. I was actually quite underwhelmed with performance; it was both pitchy and lacking in passion and energy. I would have expected a much more rock song for DeWyze. Additionally, I'm not sure why they would choose such a recently produced song. U2, and specifically Bono, is one of the most seasoned rockers of all time. Why would the producers choose to release a song written less than 10 years ago for an emerging artist? DeWyze was put in a tough position with the song he was given and I think that has huge chance to impact his ability to win tomorrow night.

Finishing the night, Crystal Bowersox sang the song she would release if she wins: Up to the Mountain by Patty Griffin. The song was exactly the right style for her, matching her soulful voice with her musical ability. Ellen made an excellent point: there really isn't an artist like Bowersox out there and she is so different and able to adapt to different types of songs. Each of the judges praised her performance, with Simon calling it the best performance of the night and, simply, "outstanding." Bowersox absolutely hit it out of the park with this one.

Round Three: Crystal Bowersox

Coming into tonight, I would have said Lee Dewyze would easily walk away with the competition. After seeing each performance and hearing the songs they would release as singles, it's much more up in the air and I would even go so far as to say Crytal Bowersox is the fairly clear frontrunner. Nerves seemed to play a huge part in DeWyze's lacking performances tonight; he was never really able to hit his groove. Additionally, Bowersox was given the clearly superior song to release as a single. With as much emphasis as the show had on a female contestant winning from the start of the season, I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a bit of an agenda behind these two song choices. Don't get me wrong, if Bowersox wins, it will be deservedly. It just seems DeWyze was given a song that puts him completely out of his element that wouldn't play nearly as well as Bowersox's as a single.

However, don't count him up just yet. As good as Bowersox is, DeWyze seems to be the much more marketable contestant. He fits more in the pop genre and would likely be able appeal to a wider audience than would Bowersox. Either way, both contestants will have excellent and far reaching careers, and I expect to hear from both of them in the future.

Tomorrow night will mark the season nine finale, as well as Simon Cowell's last appearance on "Idol" after nine years. Ryan told us tonight that there are surprises in store for Simon and the audience on tomorrow night's results show, so expect it to be a good one. (I've heard rumors that Paula Abdul may be making an appearance?) Tomorrow night's results show will air at 8:00pm EST for a special, two hour season finale.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo (Hairspray, Hair), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages), and Ace Young (Hair).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST.

Photo Credit: AmericanIdol.com