Minnesota Prairie Roots

WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT Lee Dwyze, and not Crystal Bowersox, won American Idol last night?

If you don’t care, raise your hand.

I’ll admit that I am a fan of this show, although not a faithful fan. I’ve strayed the past two weeks and missed the last singing competitions.

But Wednesday night, with my ironing board set up in front of the television, I watched while I ironed vintage tablecloths for a party I’m hosting this weekend. This multi-tasking redeemed me from the guilt I felt for wasting two hours of a beautiful spring evening indoors and for not helping my husband clean the garage.

In retrospect, I could have tuned in for the first 15 minutes or so of the show and the final five and not missed much. I would have heard the Idol contestants, and Alice Cooper, belt out School’s Out, one of those oldie songs that I’ve always loved. I thought Cooper looked a bit freakish, though, with his teased hair, heavy eye make-up and tight leather pants. There’s something about an old rocker dressing like he’s 20 that seems simply ridiculous.

If I had turned off the television following that performance and then tuned in at around 9 p.m., I would have seen everything that really interested me.

Much of the two-hour time slot was filled with tributes to judge Simon Cowell, who is leaving the show. The tributes were pure overkill given the focus should have been on final contestants Dwyze and Bowersox.

That brings me to those two and to the final five minutes. Did the right singer win? Up until yesterday, and in recent weeks, I figured Dwyze would grab the title. And then, just before Ryan Seacrest announced the winner, I said, “It’ll be Crystal.” I, of course, was wrong.

My husband, who had just finished cleaning the garage that I should have been helping him clean, wasn’t surprised. “It’s mostly women who vote,” he said.

So there you go, if you care.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling