From RealityTVmagaizne.com: American Idol Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery’s new single “I Love You This Big” hit the airways and the charts after his big win last week.

“We knew the fans loved Scotty and it’s showing as his debut has made history on the country music charts, which has come in debuting at No. 32,” writes Lisa Princ.

According to Billboard, the debut marks the highest for a brand new artist’s first single since the chart converted to BDS data the week of Jan. 20, 1990. Lauren Alaina also debuted on the charts at No. 49 with “Like My Mother Does”.

James Durbin breaks into a smile after finishing "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" during Week 9 of the finals.

James Durbin gave us the best song of the best season of American Idol. Durbin finishes atop Idol Nation’s Season 10 Top 10 chart.

Durbin, the fourth-place finisher, gave us the haunting “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” in Week 9 of the finals, a performance I thought — at the time — might propel him to the championship. Well, not quite. But the song at least earned Durbin this honor.

FINAL SEASON 10 TOP 10 CHART

1. James Durbin (“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”), *MOMENT* Week 9 of finals
2. Paul McDonald (“Maggie May”), *MOMENT* Week 1 of finals
3. Haley Reinhart (“What Is And What Should Never Be”), *MOMENT* Week 12 of finals
4. Haley Reinhart (“House Of The Rising Sun”), *MOMENT* Week 10 of finals
5. Haley Reinhart (“I Who Have Nothing”), *MOMENT* Week 11 of finals
6. James Durbin (“Uprising”), *MOMENT* Week 8 of finals
7. Pia Toscano (“I’ll Stand By You”), *MOMENT* Week 1 of finals
8. Haley Reinhart (“Rolling in the Deep”) *MOMENT* Week 8 of finals
9. Haley Reinhart (“Piece of My Heart”), *MOMENT* Week 6 of finals
10. Scotty McCreery (“I Love You This Big”), *MOMENT* Week 13 of finals

Scotty McCreery

And so it ends.

Scotty McCreery is the new American Idol, and he should wear the crown well. I have to agree with executive producer Nygel Lythgoe when he said Scotty’s career will eventually rival that of Carrie Underwood’s.

Scotty is the special kid from a special season, one that drew 122.4 million votes for Tuesday’s final round of competition. Wednesday’s two-hour results show was a feel-good ending to a feel-good season. This was a year when the Idol ship righted itself — thanks Steven Tyler, thanks J-Lo — and cemented its position as the No. 1 show of all-time. The numbers don’t lie. America loves this cheesy program, and it’s because of stories like Scotty and Lauren, two teenagers who a few months ago were unknowns outside their southern hometowns. Now they are both worldwide phenomenons.

What many have considered the finest-ever season of American Idol, a four-month journey that began in the dead of winter, ended on a spring night in late May. I’m going to miss Idol. I always do. But I’m especially going to miss this season. So many of the contestants were impossible not to like and become involved with on a week-to-week basis.

This is always a bittersweet time, too. As exciting as it is to finally find out who the newest Idol is, it also marks the conclusion of this wonderful event that brings us together on “Idol Nation” two, three, four or more times a week. Our “family” has grown almost 400 percent this year, and for that I say “thank you!”

The memories were many this season, the talent oh-so-entertaining, and in the end, America got it right.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PERFORMANCE GRADES

Here was the best of the performances from this year’s Idol spectacular:

Lauren Alaina

1. Bono, The Edge and Reeve Carney: They gave us “Rise Above” from “Spiderman.” Great song, even greater performance.

2. Steven Tyler: We waited all season to hear him sing “Dream On.” He didn’t disappoint.

3. Tim McGraw and Scotty McCreery: Tim’s tribute to his late dad, ex-MLB pitcher “Tug,” always brings a tear to my eye. This was a perfect duet. Just perfect.

4. Lady Gaga: She debuted her latest song, “The Edge of Glory,” with the expected theatrics and wild costuming.

5. Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez: I didn’t understand a word he sang, but it didn’t matter with  his wife dancing all over the place. Viva La J-Lo.

6. James Durbin with Judas Priest: Durbin’s performance was great with these veteran metalheads, but it would have been even better if some of the Judas Priest guys were about 15 years younger. It almost had the feel of Durbin and an AARP tour.

7. TLC: The two remaining members revived “Waterfalls,” which was great to hear again after all of these years.

8. Tom Jones and the Idol guys of 2011: Tom Jones is still relevant. Tony Bennett is not. The Idol guys took turns singing Jones’ hits before he appeared to “It’s Not Unusual”. Sweet.

9. Beyonce: I think she had all 7,000-plus people in the Nokia Theater perspiring by the time she was finished.

10. Carrie Underwood and Lauren Alaina: They tag-teamed “Before He Cheats.” Long live Carrie Underwood.

Honorable mention

– Haley Reinhart and Tony Bennett: This is going to come out wrong regardless how I phrase it, but … why “waste” Haley with Tony Bennett? Producers should have allowed her to showcase more of her contemporary talents.

– Casey Abrams and Jack Black: Sure, their “Fat Bottom Girls” was not Grammy worthy, but it was great fun to watch.

– Beyonce with the Idol girls of 2011: A lot of hair flippin’ and prancin’. It was nice, though, to hear Pia and Naima again.

– Jacob Lusk and Kirk Franklin, Gladys Knight: This is where Jacob belongs — and will be. He is most comfortable in the Gospel genre. Jacob started to fade in this year’s competition when he stopped taking us to church. He took us back there Wednesday night.

James Durbin

SEASON 10 AWARDS

Here’s my picks for the best of the best, and in a few cases the worst of the worst:

Song of the Year: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” by James Durbin. He showed us his tender side on this time-tested classic, much more so than when he performed “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

Performance of the Year: “Maggie May,” by Paul McDonald. It was the first week of the finals and McDonald’s rousing tribute to Rod Stewart — right down to the hand gestures — established him as an early fan favorite.

Judge of the Year: Jennifer Lopez. She was overshadowed early by Steven Tyler, who would have won this award hands down if he had not opted to quit critiquing and do nothing but fawn over each and every contestant. Tyler was still a tremendous breath of fresh air, but lost some of his credibility around midseason. Lopez, however, seemed to gain momentum as the weeks progressed.

Haley Reinhart

Jimmy Iovine

Most improved finalist: Haley Reinhart, hands down. She graduated from annoying to contender about a month into the finals. (Wouldn’t a Haley-Durbin championship have been exciting?)

Most disappointing finalist: Jacob Lusk. He actually peaked in Hollywood Week with “God Bless the Child” was never quite recovered that level of the magic.

Most shocking eliminations: 1. Pia Toscano in ninth. 2. James Durbin in fourth. 3. James McDonald in eighth.

Most valuable mentor/contributor: Jimmy Iovine, the producer/mentor who was the one voice on the show you could always count on for honest criticism. I wouldn’t be overly surprised if his role is expanded for Season 11. As far as the guest mentors, the nod probably has to go to Lady Gaga, who despite being one of the oddest performers of our or any other generation, had sound advice for each of the Idols and took her “job” seriously. She’s just so strange, though..

Needs to change for 2012: The judges need more than one save. What’s the worst that could happen? Two contestants getting voted off the ensuing week? That’s twice the excitement. Times change, so should rules.

Needs to change for 2012, part deux: The judges need to play a role in the weekly elimination ballot. America voting is part of the appeal of the show, but after 10 years, allowing the judges play a part — like other programs — would only make a great product even greater.

Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery.

We were almost witness to American Idol history Tuesday night when finalist Lauren Alaina was close to withdrawing because of a problem with her voice. If that had happened, Haley Reinhart was on stand-by to substitute. That would have been the first time an Idol contestant who had been eliminated would have had the chance to win the title.

Fortunately, with some medical assistance, Lauren was able to perform. We were told she had basically blown out one of her vocal chords during rehearsal, but through the miracle of modern medicine they got her in shape to perform. It was obvious Lauren’s voice was not what we had heard much of the season. You have to give the kid serious props for forging on, but even if she had been 100 percent physically this was a mismatch from the outset.

This was Scotty’s Idol to lose, and he never came close to doing that. The Garner, N.C., teenager cemented the championship — in my mind, anyway — with his take on George Strait’s classic “Check Yes or No”. And then he erased any possible doubt with “I Love You This Big.”

WHERE WERE THE JUDGES?

What was the deal with no comments from the judges until after the second round? Why change a format that had been employed the entire season on the night of the finals? It seemed Tuesday’s show had an unusually hurried pace to it, jamming six songs into an hour format. Normally, that’s at least a 90-minute Idol. Since when was Fox ever worried about time restraints for the mother ship?

Bad, bad decisions for limiting the show to 60 minutes and limiting the judges’ comments. Love them or hate them, the judges are as much a part of American Idol as the performers.

Idol powers-to-be have made a multitude of tremendous decisions before and during this season, but on Tuesday night they dropped the ball big time.

JUDGES FAVOR LAUREN FOR TITLE

Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson gave the nod to Lauren to win the title and Jennifer Lopez did not make a choice, simply saying, “America has its work cut out for it.” Sorry to disagree, but I think it’s Scotty by a landslide.

SPECIAL NOTICE

An unsung hero of Season 10 has been “super producer” Jimmy Iovine, whose influence showed again Tuesday with his selections for Scotty and Lauren’s final songs. Iovine has also contributed more honest criticism than Randy, J-Lo and Steven Tyler combined. I hope he’s back next season in an even bigger role.

TUESDAY NIGHT PERFORMANCE GRADES

1. Scotty McCreery
Song 1: “Gone”
Song 2: “Check Yes or No” (chosen by George Strait) *MOMENT*
Song 3: “I Love You This Big” *MOMENT*
Randy Jackson: “Your reprisal of ‘Gone’ was brilliant.”
Jennifer Lopez: “You did a really amazing job with ‘I Love You This Big’ … You are a storyteller.”
Steven Tyler: “You’ve come a long way … you nailed it again.”
My comment: “I Love You This Big” will be Scotty’s debut single if he wins — to be released Thursday — and it legitimately has a shot be a big hit (no pun intended), which is highly unusual. Usually, the first songs Idol has the finalists release are cheesy at best, but this effort is actually pretty sweet. Scotty was spot on from in all three songs. He is your next American Idol.

2. Lauren Alaina
Song 1: “Flat on the Floor”
Song 2: “Maybe it Was Memphis”  (chosen by Carrie Underwood)
Song 3: “Like My Mother Does.”
Randy Jackson: “‘Like My Mother Does’ was the summation of your journey. America, Lauren Alaina has arrived.”
Jennifer Lopez: “You just attacked ‘Flat on the Floor.’”
Steven Tyler: “You are (the American Idol) in my eyes.”
My comment: OK, I admit it. I had some tears in my eyes when Lauren was singing that final song to her mom. But I have to be honest, none of her three numbers were showstoppers, due in part to her voice problems. I just can’t see an upset happening here. I have loved Lauren from day one back in January, but Scotty deserves to be the next American Idol.

FROM AROUND THE IDOL NATION

From Zap2It.com: Some thoughts from American Idol executive producer Nygel Lythgoe:

• “If Scotty (McCreery) wins, I believe he could be the biggest American Idol selling artist of all time,” Lythgoe said.
• “I don’t know who James’ votes will go to,” Lythgoe says of James Durbin, who was eliminated two weeks ago. “I don’t know who a rocker votes for in who’s left. I truly don’t know. You’ve got two country [singers] there.”
• Lythgoe does remain impressed by Haley Reinhart, who made it to the final three. “I don’t know what Haley’s genre was,” he says. “She doesn’t have a genre. She’s slightly old-fashioned, slightly jazzy, but if you take her individual tracks off of iTunes, she sounds very much like Adele.”

Scotty McCreery -- your next American Idol.

Sure, the Tuesday night American Idol performance show will be entertaining. Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina will both do well. Scotty will wow us with that deep baritone of his and Lauren will wear those blasted cowboy boots — again.

Sure, the Wednesday results program will be spectacular, although it will probably not compare to the 2009 show that featured Adam Lambert and KISS, but it will certainly be worth watching.

But does either night really matter in the overall scheme of this year’s outcome?

No.

This will be a slam dunk for Scotty the Body, possibly even  the biggest rout since Fantasia crushed Diana DeGarmo in Season 3.

Scotty is carrying such a wide voting base that it will impossible for Lauren to overcome. The south is the heaviest voting region for Idol (that’s a fact, not something I dreamed up), which bodes well for both Scotty and and Lauren. But where Scotty has a huge advantage is with the teenage girls and moms. They will carry young Mr. McCreery to the championship.

If Scotty wins, that will be the fourth straight for the guys and give them a 6-4 all-time advantage. The last girl to win was Jordin Sparks in 2007.

MY RECORD

I am 6-2 in my finals picks. I did not watch Idol in its first season.

My misses were picking Clay Aiken over Rubben Studdard in Season 2 and Crystal Bowersox over Lee DeWyze in Season 9. I hit six in a row until DeWyze’s upset of Bowersox. (The most grateful person that DeWyze won last year’s competition is Taylor Hicks, the 2006 champ, who finally is not considered the worst Idol ever. DeWyze will wear that crown for quite awhile.)

James Durbin

There’s just one week of American Idol competition remaining in Season 10. Can James Durbin hang on and claim the No. 1 position on the Season 10 Top 10 chart? Realistically, either Scotty McCreery or Lauren Alaina are going to have to blow the doors of a song to unseat Durbin, who gave us the No. 1 “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” in week 9 of the finals.

Ironically, neither Scotty or Lauren have a song in our top 10, but third-place finisher Haley Reinhart has five.

IDOL NATION “SEASON 10 TOP 10″ HEADING INTO THE MAY 25 PERFORMANCE SHOW

1. James Durbin (“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”), *MOMENT* Week 9 of finals
2. Paul McDonald (“Maggie May”), *MOMENT* Week 1 of finals
3. Haley Reinhart (“What Is And What Should Never Be”), *MOMENT* Week 12 of finals
4. Haley Reinhart (“House Of The Rising Sun”), *MOMENT* Week 10 of finals
5. Haley Reinhart (“I Who Have Nothing”), *MOMENT* Week 11 of finals
6. James Durbin (“Uprising”), *MOMENT* Week 8 of finals
7. Pia Toscano (“I’ll Stand By You”), *MOMENT* Week 1 of finals
8. Haley Reinhart (“Rolling in the Deep”) *MOMENT* Week 8 of finals
9. Haley Reinhart (“Piece of My Heart”), *MOMENT* Week 6 of finals
10. Jacob Lusk (“God Bless the Child”), *MOMENT* Hollywood Week

Scotty McCreery

Scotty McCreery vs. Lauren Alaina.

I think that’s the matchup most of the nation was hoping for in the finals of American Idol, and that’s what we have following Thursday’s results show, on which it was revealed by Ryan Seacrest that Wednesday’s performance program drew a record 95 million votes.

I’ll get this out of the way quickly — I think Haley Reinhart deserved to be in the title round, but I also think she probably turned off “just enough” voters with her sometimes cocky, almost condescending attitude. She came an incredible way and showed as much improvement as we’ve ever seen in a full season of Idol, but there was no way she was knocking out either of the 16-year-old wunderkinds.

So what are we left with in the finals?

We can expect a lot of country music, since both Scotty and Lauren are cut from that genre. This will mark the first time in Idol history we have two country performers in the championship. It also marks the sixth time in 10 years we have a boy-girl matchup. In three of the previous five boy vs. girl finals it is the female who won.

The finals should also be entertaining from the standpoint these two seem to legitimately like one another. I don’t get the sense one would like to stick a knife in the other’s back if the opportunity presented itself.  They’ve even been linked as boyfriend-girlfriend, but both deny it in their best high school-esque fashion.

MEMORABLE PIECES

I thoroughly enjoyed the back-home pieces spotlighting Scotty and Lauren. The incredible crowds that greeted Scotty — and brought him to tears more than once — were amazing. The most memorable part of Lauren’s feature was her reaction to the devastation of the tornadoes that recently ripped through her southern homeland. That had to tug at your heart.

Lauren Alaina

DON’T FORGET

For some reason, Idol is switching broadcast days next week. The performance show will be Tuesday and the results program Wednesday. Why would you change from the Wednesday/Thursday format in the last — and most important — week of the season? I’d say it was stupid, but anything Idol touches seems to turn to gold, so who am I to say?

WHO WILL WIN?

Sorry, you’ll have to wait for my pick until next week.

AMERICAN IDOL CHAMPIONS 2002-2010

2010: Lee DeWyze def. Crystal Bowersox: This was one of the two biggest upsets in Idol finals history. Crystal had charmed the judges and fans alike in a memorable run through the finals, only to fall victim to a late gain in popularity by Lee. Crystal’s post-Idol success has proven who should have won, but it is Lee who will have his name forever etched in Idol records as the 2010 champion.
2009: Kris Allen def. Adam Lambert: This was the other big upset during the first nine years of Idol. Many considered it a given that Kris — a.k.a. “The Guy Next Door” — would finish runner-up to the more flamboyant Adam. But the consensus was that Middle America rallied around “The Guy Next Door” and delivered the shocking outcome. I’ll never forget the look on the face of Kris when Ryan Seacrest announced that he was the next American Idol.
2008: David Cook def. David Archuleta: Cook became the odds-on favorite about halfway through the finals of what was an entertaining season. From the moment he gave the world his take on Lionel Richie’s “Hello,” Cook was America’s choice. Archuleta remains one of the most popular runners-up and will always be remembered for his interpretation of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
2007: Jordin Sparks def. Blake Lewis: Blake’s take on “Time of the Season” by the Zombies was the one true highlight of this season.
2006: Taylor Hicks def. Kat McPhee: Yawn …
2005: Carrie Underwood def. Bo Bice: This was, as they say, no contest. Idol powers-to-be would later reveal Carrie led the voting every week of the finals. Her coronation that year was inevitable. I think it would be safe to say she’s lived up to expectations.
2004: Fantasia def. Diana DeGarmo: This was another slam dunk. Fantasia’s “summertime” all but awarded her the title relatively early in the competition.
2003: Ruben Studdard def. Clay Aiken: What still remains as the unofficial closest vote in Idol history, the Ruben vs. Clay matchup was the championship that put Idol on the map. The show went from phenomenon to destination TV, thanks to these two guys.
2002: Kelly Clarkson def. Justin Guarini: Too bad Kelly could not have come along about five years into the show’s history. “Only” about 10 million people watched the finals that first season.

Haley Reinhart

Even before we reached Wednesday night’s semifinal performance show, American Idol was making headlines. Consider the following items that have come to light:

– American Idol won’t be the only big audience draw Fox has planned for the start of Season 11, slated for Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. The Idol premiere is scheduled to follow the NFL’s NFC Championship game  — a contest that drew 50 million viewers this year. Which means Idol could open next year with some truly astronomical numbers. After that season-starting episode, Idol will slide into its regular Wednesday and Thursday slot.

– Fox wants to make it as easy as possible for American Idol fans to transition to X Factor in the fall. Simon Cowell’s new talent competition will take the same Wednesday/Thursday slot in the network’s programming schedule that that Idol currently has, also according to USA Today. Still no exact premier date for the new show.

THE HALEY FACTOR

With Beyonce serving as a mentor, The final three each sang three numbers, a song of their own choice, one from producer Jimmy Iovine and one a choice of the judges. So who will emerge? Well, before we critique the performances, let me remind that we are at the stage of the competition where it’s all about fans and voting bases. Scotty’s fans could care less if he is a little off key, they’re not changing their votes at this stage of the game. Same with Lauren, same with Haley.

Ah yes, Haley. The real wild card in the mix who has come from the brink of elimination numerous times this season to find herself among the final three. And how is that possible? I am still asking myself that, even though I think she has improved immensely as the season has progressed. RealtyTVMagazine.com has an interesting theory:

“We do know that Casey Abrams admitted to rallying folks to vote for Haley, and we think he has a ‘thing’ for her despite him denying it – but is it possible that past Idols have influenced voters?” writer Lisa Princ asked.

Scotty McCreery

“Adam Lambert, who most people associate as sounding like James Durbin, openly admitted on his Twitter page that he was behind Haley and in another public interview, Season 8 winner Kris Allen also told reporters that he was rooting for Haley to take it all.

“Among others that we know of were Season 6′s Blake Lewis, who also posted that he was voting for Haley, while Kelly Clarkson did not admit it, she commended a few of Haley’s performances,” Princ said.

I’m not sure how much of am impact those endorsements have had, but they could not have hurt.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PERFORMANCE GRADES

1. Haley Reinhart
Song 1: “What Is and What Should Never Be,” by Led Zeppelin. *MOMENT*
Song 2: “Rhiannon,” by Fleetwood Mac, featuring Stevie Nicks
Song 3: “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette.
Steven Tyler: “Amazing. I don’t know what to say.”
Jennifer Lopez: “It’s all about who is going to create moments, and you could feel it (with Haley).”
Randy Jackson: “In this moment when you need to be great, you slayed it. Crazy, crazy.”
My comment: Haley’s take on that Led Zeppelin song was unreal. She even overcame tripping on stage — no one cared, all they wanted to do was go crazy for Goldilocks. Folks, we may be watching the birth of a superstar. What she showed Wednesday night more than anything else was her versatility. Haley definitely won the night, but will she have enough votes to unseat one of the other two? She’ll probably have to beat out Lauren, because I still think Scotty is a lock for the title round.

2. Scotty McCreery
Song 1: “Amazed,” by Lonestar.
Song 2: “(Are You Gonna) Kiss Me or Not,” by Thompson Square.
Song 3: “She Believes In Me” by Kenny Rogers.
Steven Tyler: “Your true character is showing through.”
Jennifer Lopez: “It’s great to think about how much you have grown during the season. you have grown so much as a performer.”
Randy Jackson: “You’re picking smart (songs). You know where your lane is. Scotty’s got money!”
My comment: No contestant has grown as much as a performer this season as Scotty. He now owns the camera, and he may own the title of Season 10 American Idol by next week. He was extremely solid on his first two selections, but the Kenny Rogers song came up short. There was a little too much screaming.

3. Lauren Alaina
Song 1: “Wild One” by Faith Hill.
Song 2: “If I Die Young” by the Band Perry.
Song 3: “I Hope You Dance,” by Lee Ann Womack.
Steven Tyler: “You walked out here like you owned the Grand Ole Opry.”
Jennifer Lopez: “Every time you come out at this point you have to create a moment.”
Randy Jackson: “When you let yourself go is when you are at your best.”
My comment: I have loved Lauren since the Nashville auditions, but she simply does not deserve to be in the finals. She is just not in the same league right now as either Scotty or Haley. Her top effort of the night was her take on “I Hope You Dance,” but it was still not star quality.