Operation “Top Kill” begins.   BP started pumping heavy mud into the leaking Gulf of Mexico well Wednesday and said everything was going as planned in the company’s boldest attempt yet to plug the gusher that has spewed millions of gallons of oil over the last five weeks.

BP hoped the mud could overpower the steady stream of oil, but chief executive Tony Hayward said it would be at least 24 hours before officials know whether the attempt has been successful. The company wants to eventually inject cement into the well to permanently seal it.

“I’m sure many of you have been watching the plume,” Hayward said from Houston. “All I can say is it is unlikely to give us any real indication of what is going on. Either increases or decreases are not an indicator of either success or failure at this time.”  (Read More).

Lee cried and Crystal got robbed! American Idol has a new champ.  Lee DeWyze, the bashful paint sales clerk championed early by the biting British judge on the Fox singing contest, was crowned “Idol” on Wednesday over single mother Crystal Bowersox. His victory was based on votes cast after Tuesday’s performances, which drew more acclaim from the judges for Bowersox, though DeWyze was Cowell’s favorite from the outset.

DeWyze knew it, too. Back during Hollywood Week, the show’s rapid-fire post-audition phase, he took note of Cowell tapping along as he crooned The Fray’s “You Found Me.” It became clearer after his rendition of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” during the first round of the semifinals that Cowell was pushing for the throaty underdog from Mount Prospect, Ill.  (Read More).

Apple now bigger than Microsoft.  Apple Inc shot past Microsoft Corp as the world’s biggest tech company based on market value on Wednesday, the latest milestone in the resurgence of the maker of the iPhone, which nearly went out of business in the 1990s.

Apple’s shares rose as much 2.8 percent on Nasdaq on Wednesday, as Microsoft shares floundered, briefly pushing its market value above $229 billion, ahead of its longtime rival.

Both stocks ended down after a late-day sell-off, but Apple emerged ahead with a market value of about $222 billion, compared with Microsoft’s $219 billion, according to Reuters data.  (Read More).