As predicted, Mt. Prospect, Illinois paint salesman Lee DeWyze emerged victorious at the Nokia theater in Hollywood, thus capping the unusual 9th season of American Idol. An incredibly emotional Lee somehow managed to pull it together enough to reprise his coronation song "Beautiful Day", which can now be purchased in the iTunes store.
The other big story of the night was the departure of everyone's favorite Brit, Simon Cowell. Tributes for the acerbic judge rolled in from Ricky Gervais, Dane Cook, 7 out of 8 former Idol winners (where were you, David Cook?), and last but not least, a fantastic looking, clear-eyed Paula Abdul. Seeing Simon and Paula reunited was surprisingly emotional, and although Mr. Cowell noted that the show will go on, the whole thing actually made it feel like the show itself was coming to an end.