Lee DeWyze Fans Gaining Momentum on Facebook Over Crystal Bowersox by 2 to 1

Lee DeWyze fans are working overtime on Facebook to make sure their boy beats early favorite, Crystal Bowersox, in the "American Idol" Season 9 finale. Crystal is still getting talked about more across the internet as a whole, but more fans of the shy boy from Mt. Prospect, Illinois are "liking" Lee on Facebook.

Lee is leading over Crystal by almost two to one, not only in "Likes" but in comments. Is Crystal in trouble as some have predicted that Casey James fans will now defect and vote for Lee (a sad, but sometimes true, commentary on the fickle nature of teenage fans)?

Many are trying to analyze this season's turn of events:

How did singers they thought were better get sent home while Casey James was sent to the Top 3?

When the hell did Lee DeWyze become so popular?

Why are the judges selling Lee like he's better than a raspberry lemon ice on a hot August day?

Why does every article about Lee and Crystal have a picture of Casey James on it?

Okay, I'm probably the only one wondering about that last one, but I really have seen a lot of that!

When you review the season up to now, setting aside your own particular prejudices, one thing you may notice is that each contestant was given total praise at one point or another from all of the judges at one time.

For Crystal, one high point was in Inspirational Songs Week with the Impressions' People Get Ready. All the judges gave her big props. Randy gave her a standing ovation. Kara said they call her Mama Sox because she just schooled all the other contestants. Simon said she was in a class of her own.

Lee was highly praised for his rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's The Boxer. He had soul, depth, it was his best performance, it was his "moment," sincere, emotional, inspirational and absolutely brilliant -- just heaps of superlatives for that one. I was like, man, he didn't even sing the best part::

"Asking only workman's wages I come lookin' for a job,
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue.
I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome,
I took some comfort there.."

I guess he couldn't because then the audience would be wondering if he had to make any trips to the health clinic. But it was really Paul Simon who wrote these lyrics and revealed in a 1984 Playboy interview that he was "The Boxer." He was getting the shaft from critics at the time. " ... everybody's beating me up, and I'm telling you now I'm going to go away if you don't stop. ... For the first few years, it was just pure praise." This might be happening to Lee DeWyze a lot sooner than it did to Simon and Garfunkel. Their first big hit was "Sounds of Silence."

I am not as down on Lee as everybody seems to think, though. I did give him props especially on "Treat Her Like a Lady." I just did not like it when his flaws were often overlooked while the judges wouldn't give some of the other contestants an honest review or a sip of Gator Ade if they were lying half-dead in the desert.

It is really only Lee who was able to run with the judges' blessings and make the most of improving and choosing songs that would bring him that same high praise. That is because he was not criticized for staying true to his own style.

Crystal Bowersox is a free spirit and has often given the impression that she doesn't give a rat's butt what the judges say, although she did say in her hometown interview that it wasn't like that. She was just trying to open up a discussion because the judges are people just like her.

In a post-elimination interview, Casey James has said he did have another song in mind rather than OK I'm All Right, but it didn't pan out so he played the hand he was dealt. There are no sour grapes on his part, because he felt everything happens for a reason, and he's happy with how things turned out. (Also check out "Castoff" Casey James' appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show.)

The other two contestants who made the Top 5, Michael Lynche and Aaron Kelly, were also criticized for trying to sing in the style they were really good at.

I have already been hearing rumors that Crystal and her boyfriend are going to get married, which may have something to do with what she was talking about that time she wanted her boyfriend to "man up." But it may also be the advice she's getting: "Time to take care of that little detail, Mama, if you want to be accepted as a mainstream artist," to which I would add: "Get a prenup, Crystal, and get married in Texas. You'll thank me later."

So, when you take a good look at the Top 5, Lee DeWyze is the natural choice for the judges to want to win. He's single, he has no kids, he's cooperative and receptive. And they can also undoubtedly already envision him on Broadway at some future point. Colm Wilkinson may disagree, but even I think Lee has that Jean Valjean look about him. "Simple Man," "24601." It's all in the natural course of an "American Idol" journey.

Note: I did try to find a Casey James picture to go with this article, but no luck.

Source:
Beatweek: Like this? Lee DeWyze Surpasses Crystal Bowersox in Facebook Popularity