Crystal Bowersox

From MTV, "Crystal Bowersox's 'Give Me One Reason' Dominates 'American Idol'":

If her straight-outta-the-hospital performance on last week's "American Idol" established Crystal Bowersox as the unlikely front-runner, well, her Tuesday night (March 9) performance definitely put some distance between her and the rest of the field. Miles of it.

Bowersox roared though a version of Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason," armed with an electric guitar and a newfound sense of confidence — perhaps influenced by "Idol" judge Simon Cowell's praise of her during an appearance on Monday night's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." She positively blew away the competition, earned a much-deserved standing ovation and absolutely wowed the judges.

"I need a new adjective for you; I'm sick and tired of saying you're amazing," Ellen DeGeneres enthused. "It was the best performance of the night."

"Now I'm starting to see what the record is you're making," Kara DioGuardi said, praising Bowersox's selection of the song. "And that's when I get really excited."

Not surprisingly, however, the biggest praise came from Cowell, who complimented her brand-new swagger and all but gave her the season-nine crown.

"You are 1 million, billion percent going to be in the top 12 next week," he said. "What you've got now is confidence, and I can see that, and you're starting to believe in yourself. Right now, you are the one everyone has to beat, I'm telling you. It's yours to lose."