The American Idol winner is…

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American Idol winner announcement

Country crooner Scotty McCreedy, 17, was named the American Idol last night to conclude the show’s tenth season. Lauren Alaina, 16, was the runner up. Both teens were country singers from the south. There was a lot of drama ahead of the finale when Alaina lost her voice temporarily, but she pulled through and was able to compete, ultimately coming in second.

Doesn’t it seem like we just welcomed Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler to the American Idol judges table? That Randy Jackson just said that Jacob Lusk gave one of the best-ever performances on the Idol stage? That they just saved Casey Abrams from Top 11 obscurity? That J.Lo just wept over Pia Toscano?

But heading into Wednesday’s Idol finale, the only opinion that mattered belonged to “America,” which was tasked with choosing between Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery, both cutie-pie teens with country roots and aw-shucks charm.

We can’t speak for the passage of time, but we can say that a record 122.4 million votes were cast last night in favor of…

Scotty McCreery, 17, became the fourth fellow in a row to win American Idol. Upon hearing the news, the teen from Garner, N.C., burst into an ear-to-ear grin that wouldn’t quit and was immediately enveloped in a bear hug from his runner-up. (And did they share a quick smooch on the mouth? Cute!)

“It’s been a year since Lauren and I tried out,” Scotty said in disbelief. “We’ve been together since day one and we’re going to stay together. Never in my wildest dreams…I’ve got to thank the Lord first, he got me here.”

That, and millions of fans who were probably won over by his booming voice and baby face from the get-go.

[From E! Online]

I’ve only watched about three episodes of American Idol this season, and I’ve found Scotty really cheesy. He’s got a great voice but he lays on the charm so thick and he’s always curling up his lip. I’ve heard that he’s curbed that sneer since the beginning, though. Lauren was a more versatile singer by far, but I guess people liked what Scotty was selling, and boy did he sell it.

There were plenty of performances last night. Beyonce, Bono, Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Judas Priest and Gladys Knight were among the acts, and many of them were accompanied by this season’s contestants. You can see the videos of the performances here, with a song from Scotty and Lauren each below.

We also have some pictures from the finale. Check out J.Lo’s ridiculous jumpsuit. There are also photos of this year’s contestants Naima Adedapo, James Durbin, Jacob Lusk, Pia Toscana, Paul McDonald and Haley Reinhart. Past contestants Sanjaya Malakar, Jason Castro, David Archuleta, Carrie Underwood and Adam Lambert are also shown. Adam and his boyfriend look like they’re auditioning for a stage version of Nightmare before Christmas.

Scotty McCreary – I Love You This Big

Lauren Alaina – Maybe it was Memphis

Photo credit: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures

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24 Responses to “The American Idol winner is…”

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  1. brin says:

    Yeah, I was bummed Scotty won. Lauren is from our neck of the woods and I really thought she was going to win. I agree she is much more versatile than Scotty and believe she will be very successful.

  2. Samigirl says:

    So, while watching Marc Anthony perform, I may have gotten a little…hot. I’ve never once in my life thought the man was attractive, but watching him do what he obviously LOVES doing, and seeing the look in his eyes while he watched J.Lo dance…I just…idk, I can’t explain it. I literally said…”omg, I think Marc Anthony is sexy…” and my bff threatened to lose her dinner. Anywho, that was o/t AND graphic. I’m happy the cutey pie won. He reminds me of Rick Astley. Big deep voice for a scrawny cute ginger 🙂

  3. Eve says:

    CAN. NOT. STAND. HIM.

    And that is only from seeing the commercials!!! I also spotted a brief moment showing Lady Caca as a guest which made him kiss the cross? WTF? I mean, I think she’s fake and unoriginal, but did he have to try that hard to show his fans he’s a “man of god”?

    I swear it made me want to punch him and break his teeth.

  4. MsCatra says:

    We were Haley fans in this house, but thought Scotty was an excellent singer if you shut your eyes, lol. The faces he makes and the way he “flutes” the mike were too much to handle. Lauren does have a great voice, but she needs a few years to mature. She doesn’t really emote well. She got a bit better at the end of the season, but watching her smile sweetly through an angry Melissa Etheridge song was painful.

  5. fabchick says:

    I wanted Lauren to win as well but I really liked both of these kids. With every act trying to be outrageously avant garde (gaga) and hyper sexual (rihanna) I found these kids innocence refreshing. I just hope the industry doesn’t taint them. Imo this was one of the best idol years ever.

  6. someone says:

    Hes a country version of Clay Aiken..country music is IN right now..I’ll hold back judgement for a while, and see how he does…hes very young.

  7. gabs says:

    I hate him for the whole kissing the cross thing after talking to gaga. What a dick. I mean who is anyone to judge others. He always does the “im just a country boy who loves god” thing too much. UGH. He bugs me

  8. the original bellaluna says:

    I don’t watch; I don’t care.

    I just want to see a good pic of J-Ho shaking her whatever while Skelator performs. It was something tight & fringey.

    And mercilessly discuss it, of course. 😉

  9. kiko says:

    he won??Lauren is so much better..

  10. tapioca says:

    Holy hell, Clay Aitken & Zac Efron made a baby!!

    I have no idea who these people are, but the girl should have won for those earrings alone, and isn’t winning AI like the kiss of death now? I read in the Inquirer that the last few winners have sold fewer albums combined than Kelly Clarkson’s supposed “flop” My December ever did. (The UK X-Factor winner is usually toast within a year too!)

  11. Hein says:

    He looks like that guy from MAD.

  12. malachais says:

    I like Scotty, but I think they BOTH will do well. I think the only thing I gathered from last night, beyond enjoying all of the performances, was that it seemed like Scotty and Lauren are dating.

  13. Blue says:

    I never watched the show I stop watching after I the auditions. But I didn’t watch this season at all. But from commercials and clips from tv shows. I don’t like this guy, he’s all kinds of cheesy.

  14. Eve says:

    He looks like that guy from MAD.

    Alfred E. Newman!!! You’re so totally right! Damn, I hate you now for calling it before I did — he reminded of someone but I just couldn’t figure out who was.

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3458/3196834036_80fed4c010.jpg

  15. irena NL says:

    record number of votes ever for scotty….that says alot

  16. gee says:

    I LOVED Scotty! I’m a country music fan, so I don’t think it’s cheese or trendy, that’s just the way country music is. I think he’ll have a pretty good career in country music. I loved Lauren too though, I hope she makes it.

  17. Sassy says:

    @Hein – yep, that’s what I said to my family. LOL!

    Can’t stand this kid and his cheesy faces – he’s almost as bad as John Mayer and his “o” face. Blech.

    I was a James fan and after he got the boot, I could care less.

  18. kelbear says:

    All along I seriously thought Haley was going to be the winner. Between the final 2 I wouldn’t have chosen either one.

  19. flutters says:

    Scotty’s fine as a winner but I really wish Karen and Pia had made it farther, I bet they would’ve grown and impressed. I liked James and Haley too. They had a lot of good talent this season.

    I really enjoyed the show last night, not gonna lie. Lots of good and entertaining performances and there were funny comedic parts too. Pia coming out in a “most shocking boot” sash and crown was priceless!

  20. skibunny says:

    Neither one of these should have been in the top two. But I guess Hillbilly music is very popular in the states.
    I thought it should have been Haley or Casey. They were the most versatile and talented. IMHO

  21. karen says:

    O-M-G! i was sooo happy when scotty won! i love them both, but i wanted scotty to win! 🙂

  22. Maritza says:

    I voted for Lauren, I thought she was more versatile too. Scotty is a nice kid but it the way he held the mike bugged me too. I agree with the others… he totally looks like the cartoon from Mad. Marc Anthony was the best performance of the night!!

  23. Dany says:

    So the Bible Belt Babies are the new American Idols… well that speaks for itself. 🙂

  24. phaksi says:

    Americans got it wrong again. It should have been Casey and James in the finale. Jlo did look horrible