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It was an American Idol finale for the record books: Steven Tyler sang "Dream On," Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony shared a dance and a kiss on stage, country legends Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood wowed, James Durbin got his happy metal ending with Judas Priest, Tom Jones showed the men of the top 13 how it's done and Haley Reinhart even sang a snazzy version of "Steppin' Out with My Baby" with Tony Bennett.

But the night belonged to Scotty McCreery, who took home the Idol crown.

"It was just a moment I will never forget," said McCreery, 17, of his win. "This was all about me being able to accomplish my dreams. I'm an American Idol. That was a huge dream. It's time for me to start my career. The real work begins."

Runner-up Lauren Alaina, who says she knew McCreery was going to win, had nothing but kind words for her fellow finalist. "It was God's plan for Scotty to get first," said Alaina, 16. "No matter what, that was the way it is supposed to be."

Though her voice was giving her trouble on the night of her final performances, the singer says it didn't affect the votes. "My voice had nothing to do with it. Things happen for a reason."

And what was the reason behind the smooch the two shared on stage?

"She stays true to her word," McCreery said with a chuckle. "She told me she was going to do that. It's all fun and games."

Though McCreery says they two aren't dating, he couldn't stop boasting about Alaina. "She's a sweetheart," he said. "She's just so amazing. It's a special relationship we have."

The season 10 finalists even plan to duet. "We've talked about it for a while," McCreery said. "I think we sound great together so I think that would be a wise choice."

Next, McCreery plans to get in the studio and record a great country album as soon as he can. "It's my duty," he said. "I owe it my fans."

On tonight’s ‘American Idol,’ the contestants had to perform three songs, starting with their own personal choices. For her first number, Lauren Alaina decided to take on Faith Hill‘s 1993 hit ‘Wild One.’
With pop icon Beyonce mentoring the final three contestants, Alaina had a lot of star power in her corner. “I cannot believe I’m meeting you right now,” she told Beyonce when she introduced herself.
“I’ve seen her in the past and I enjoy her when she sings something fun because I feel like it loosens her up,” said Beyonce, who admitted to Lauren that even she gets nervous before she performs.
Lauren wore a flowing red shirt with white trim and big floral earrings, as she gave a peppy, yet confident performance of Hill’s No. 1 country track. She looked very comfortable onstage, even walking over to put her arm around the guitarist at one point.
Jennifer Lopez started off the judges’ comments, telling Alaina, “You gotta attack it like that every single time,” before adding, “That was very good.”
“I love the advice Beyonce was giving to you about how to psych yourself up before you come out,” said Randy Jackson. “I love seeing you have fun. That fearlessness is the kind of thing you gotta have. I think that was a nice song choice for you.”
“You were singing like you owned the song,” remarked Steven Tyler. “You’re ready for America to just be all over you.”
After a commercial break, Alaina offered her backstage comments. “One song down, two to go,” she said. “The first song went really well. Hopefully the other two go like that one.”

 Attorneys for country music star Tim McGraw have filed a countersuit against Curb Records, seeking a ruling that would release him from his 20-year contract with Mike Curb.
The countersuit comes 10 days after Curb sued McGraw for breach of contract over the unreleased album “Emotional Traffic.” McGraw says he turned it in last fall.
The label claims he did so outside the provisions of his contract and has missed a deadline, meaning he should be on the hook for two more albums now for Curb rather than one.
McGraw is seeking his freedom from the contract with Curb as of July 23 and monetary damages for breach of contract and for interfering with McGraw’s business relationships by withholding “Emotional Traffic.”

Ryan Seacrest brings back Joe Repka, the would-be radio announcer, who takes us through a series of the season's worst auditions.
After that, Marc Anthony, who has played a big behind-the-scenes role all season, gets his moment on the stage. That's Sheila E playing percussion with him. And that's Jennifer Lopez in the white fringe-y outfit dancing around and trying to distract him while he's singing.
Next, we get wrestler-style rants from Casey Abrams and James Durbin about whose elimination was the more shocking. Pia Toscano helps them settle that argument.
While the girls got a Beyonce medley, the guys get one consisting of Tom Jones: Kiss, She's a Lady. And, of course, we've all wanted to hear James Durbin sing What's New, Pussycat? It's a hot mess, but not as messy as Scotty McCreery's rendition of Green, Green Grass of Home. Jacob Lusk raises the entertainment factor with Love Me Tonight, complete with mariachi horns, and Casey Abrams mugs his way through Delilah, then introduces Jones for It's Not Unusual.