As a loyal viewer of the Fox competition since day one, I stand by that statement. Lee has some talent but no stage presence, no real of selling out stadiums like Carrie Underwood or even doing Broadway like Taylor Hicks. Tellingly, he’s the third unassuming guitar guy in a row to win the Idol title after Kris Allen and David Cook. This is because being an average brown-haired dude with a good voice and Everyman appeal offers an edge over other more interesting contestants who are more wild cards than safe bets; everyone agreed that Adam Lambert was a better performer than Kris Allen, but Kris Allen had mainstream voters locked down (even though slinky, sparkly Adam Lambert had viewers on the edge of their seats to see just what he’d do next).

Since American Idol is more of a popularity contest than a singing competition, of course Lee DeWyze emerged victorious: He’s someone viewers want to grab a beer with, someone they might have known in high school or in the house next door to where they grew up. His gender helped him, too. Idol voters are largely female, and there’s no doubt that millions wanted to get with Lee. (Rule of Reality TV: Cute bland boys become cuter each week as they become more familiar to viewers).

Crystal Bowersox, who lost out to Lee on Wednesday’s bittersweet finale, is an Adam Lambert. She’s also a Clay Aiken, a Chris Daughtry and a Jennifer Hudson. As an student of Idol history can attest, runners-up and als0-rans stand to surpass the commercial and critical success of the show’s big winners if they make all the right moves. While several of the show’s past champs– David, Kris, Taylor, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino – have seen their careers plateau, if not plummet, a handful of nonwinners like Chris and Jennifer have gone on to dominate the charts, win Oscars and establish credibility on both the radio and in the music industry. And that’s all they can ask for — that’s the endgame of American Idol.

Unless you’re Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, sometimes it’s better NOT to win American Idol. If you’re Lee DeWyze — otherwise known as Lee DeWHYze — the pressure is on. Lee has one bag of tricks (the boring singer-songwriter Nickelback thing), and without the TV show to fall back on, he’ll lose momentum as fans lose interest in his celebrity as well as his music.

Crystal, however, is the real deal: She is an artist with a lot of soul and an appealing earthy sensibility, not unlike Bonnie Raitt. She will have a long-lasting music career because there is a need for someone like her who’s a bit more adult contemporary than Top 40: She’s got more life experience than Taylor Swift and less slick pop-production than Lady Gaga. She lacks Adam’s gift for controversy, but stirring up drama is not her thing: All she needs is a hit song shows off her warm, bluesy voice, a “Something To Talk About” or “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” She’s better off than Lee because, frankly, she’s better than him. She just is.

Back to Lee: How will he make fans continue to love him? What can he do, if anything, to milk his big win and deliver on his promise?

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In fact, I’d rather watch Wednesday night’s castoff Tim Urban make his inevitable small-screen debut on Wizards of Waverly Place than see Lee DeWyze in concert.And yes, if I heard Lee’s gravelly emo-whine  on the radio, I would switch the dial. Anyone with me?

So why, oh why, does Simon Cowell and company keep endorsing this doughy, furry, fratty guy over Tim (better looking), Casey James (even better looking than Tim) and Michael Lynche (more talented)? Over Siobhan Magnus, the most interesting hopeful in an otherwise tame, nonthreatening contestant lineup? (I mean, seriously, Ryan Seacrest should not be counted on to stir up drama all by his lonesome. We saw how that worked! Not good.)

Here’s why Lee is judges’ pet: He is the only contestant this season who truly stands a chance of competing against Crystal Bowersox in the upcoming season-nine finale, just weeks away. Make no mistake, Crystal WILL win, but Lee is a good foil to fool us into thinking that he just might pull a dramatic upset over the Mama Bowersox. Yes, the odds are significantly stacked in favor of Crystal, but when the emotional stakes are high, the Idol title becomes a toss-up (see: Adam Lambert vs. Kris Allen, Ruben Studdard vs. Clay Aiken, David Cook vs. David Archuleta, Taylor Hicks vs. Katherine McPhee).

And Simon’s favoritism toward Lee suggests that producers believe the 24-year-old suburban Chicago native to be an equal opponent to Crystal, who they love to pimp out as much as possible (good lighting, that end-of-show money slot!). The judges know the drill: pushing certain contestants who producers like increases said contestants’ chances of making it to the finals. And annoyingly, they are pushing Lee hardcore (ostensibly, for the runner-up prize).

The show’s producers value Lee because America does. Lee is a man — mildly attractive, like a David Cook – and Idol viewers skew female; as such, they are more likely to vote for a cute guy of mediocre talent (achem, David Cook, achem) over a cute girl who can sing really well (see: season seven’s Carly Smithson). Lee is a better singer and performer than Casey; but if the sexy Texan loved by Kara DioGuardi were matched up against Crystal in the final two, then viewers would tune out assuming Crystal’s victory. Casey might be hot, but looks alone don’t drive ratings. Lack of suspense equals BO-RING!!! And Michael, the sweet-natured hybrid rock-soul singer recently rescued by the judges’ save, cannot swing as many lady votes as Lee, who for some odd reason, appeals to mainstream American viewers and moms (including mine). Siobhan will be ruled out by Crystal, since there’s only room for one woman in the finals — and that woman is Crystal, who is also wildly popular with the female Idol viewership (and my mom). Unlike season-seven powerhouse Carly, who was controversial for her failed pre-Idol recording career, Crystal has a likability that wins over both sexes. This is key, denoting mass appeal. DeWyze has the same thing going on, and I hate it!

Idol is all about voting blocs and who scores a bigger piece of the pie. And while Simon might secretly prefer a dynamic singer like Siobhan over a commercial-corporate rock Joe Average like Lee, he knows that Idol’s ratings — which are being eclipsed by ABC’s Dancing With the Stars – depend first and foremost on giving viewers what they want. So he will endorse Lee for the greater Idol good — because this bland season demands a suspenseful finale. And a Siobhan-Crystal competition won’t hack it, especially after the Nielsen ratings report is delivered the next morning.

Infuriatingly, America wants more Lee DeWyze. This is why he’ll be the last man standing on May 26.

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Will you be tuning in?

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Sadly, no. But wow: Ellen Degeneres actually jumped up from her perch on the judges’ panel to hug contestant Tim Urban for doing an impressive job on that old Idol standard “Hallelujah.” And Kara Dioguardi let her steely guard down, sobbing uncontrollably over new dad Michael Lynche’s R&B stylings.

What is going on?! Tim’s cute and all — and Michael seems like a really nice guy – but they did not exactly blow the roof off the joint. Crystal Bowersox can do that with no effort at all. As Simon Cowell says, it’s hers to win; but where’s the love, hugs and tears for the girls?

Let’s be honest here: This season’s male singers lack the frontman charisma of an Adam Lambert, a  Chris Daughtry, or even, dare say it, a David Archuleta.

Michael’s smooth, emotional performance brought Kara to tears because she was reminded of his powerful Idol-ready backstory — that of a devoted family man whose maturity touches her deeply. OK, so maybe he exudes a teensy bit of charisma. As for Tim, who should be filed under Most Improved, Ellen all but knighted him a future top-tier contestant with a simple hug: This kid is a shoo-in, partly because Ellen approves and partly because he looks like Zac Efron’s cousin. Still, one might imagine him as the leader of an acapella group or a principal on Glee – not creating buzz and singles as a frontman cog in the wheel of the Idol-industrial complex.

Still, where is this season’s Adam Lambert? Why are the guys so BLAH? Is there anyone from the past — cough Adam cough — that you wish would return and make you wanna dial his number 5,000 times?

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Tomorrow night, CBS airs the People’s Choice Awards. Once again, the show will be hosted by the lovely Queen Latifah and should be a fun show, just in general. The show airs at 9:00 pm ET, so be sure to watch or record it! Here’s a promo clip of Queen Latifah telling us about this year’s show:

Here are the reality TV shows that have been nominated for People’s Choice Awards this year. Both Dancing With the Stars & So You Think You Can Dance are among the nominees:

Favorite MALE ARTIST

• Eminem
• Jason Mraz
• John Mayer
• Keith Urban
• Tim McGraw

Favorite FEMALE ARTIST

• Beyonce
• Britney Spears
• Carrie Underwood
• P!NK
• Taylor Swift

Favorite BREAKOUT MUSIC ARTIST

• Adam Lambert
• Demi Lovato
• Kris Allen
• Lady Gaga
• Susan Boyle

Favorite ROCK BAND

• Daughtry
• Green Day
• Kings of Leon
• Muse
• Paramore

Favorite MUSIC COLLABORATION

• Good Girls Go Bad
• I’m On a Boat
• Live Your Life
• Lucky
• Run This Town

Favorite R&B ARTIST

• Alicia Keys
• Beyonce
• Jennifer Hudson
• Mariah Carey
• Usher

Favorite POP ARTIST

• The Black Eyed Peas
• Britney Spears
• Katy Perry
• Lady Gaga
• Taylor Swift

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The nominations for this year’s People’s Choice Awards were announced today and there were no super huge surprises at the list of the nominations. There are a lot of great artists in the nominations, so be sure to go make your votes!! Here’s the entire list of nominations in the music & web categories:

Favorite Male Artist

• Eminem
• Jason Mraz
• John Mayer
• Keith Urban
• Tim McGraw

Favorite Female Artist

• Beyoncé
• Britney Spears
• Carrie Underwood
• Pink
• Taylor Swift

Favorite Breakout Music Artist

• Adam Lambert
• Demi Lovato
• Kris Allen
• Lady Gaga
• Susan Boyle

Favorite Hip-Hop Artist

• Eminem
• Flo Rida
• Jay-Z
• Lil’ Wayne
• T.I.

Favorite Rock Band

• Daughtry
• Green Day
• Kings of Leon
• Muse
• Paramore

Favorite Music Collaboration

• Good Girls Go Bad – Cobra Starship & Leighton Meester
• Lucky – Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
• Run This Town – Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West
• Life Your Live – T.I. & Rihanna
• I’m On a Boat – The Lonely Island & T-Pain

Favorite R&B Artist

• Alicia Keys
• Beyoncé
• Jennifer Hudson
• Mariah Carey
• Usher

Favorite Pop Artist

• Britney Spears
• Katy Perry
• Lady Gaga
• Taylor Swift
• The Black Eyed Peas

Favorite Web Celeb

• Andy Samberg
• Ashton Kutcher
• Miley Cyrus
• P. Diddy
• Will Ferrell

But we all still need to go vote. Here’s where you need to go vote and be sure to go make your choices before voting ends on December 8th!!

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[Photo by Jasper Jazlo/BuzzFoto.com]

(click on “Read More” for another shot of Chris)

[Photo by Jasper Jazlo/BuzzFoto.com]

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_{mtv, vma, Video Music Awards, Chris Daughtry}

_{Photos from WireImage.com}

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