American Idol Finale

In possibly one of the greatest season finale we have had on American Idol, the fans all came together to witness history in the making. Two talented finalists, Kris Allen & Adam Lambert, stepped up to the plate to put on a star-dozen performance & await to hear who will become the next American Idol? The finale had many special appearances {Queen Latifah, Carlos Santana, & Kiss} to the award cermonies {Nick Mitchell, Tatiana Del Tora, & "Bikini Girl} this would be a finale no one would ever forget.

Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer and actor from Los Angles, California. Lambert auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California. After passing through his initial audition, Lambert was voted into the Top 13, joining fellow Group 2 performers Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen. Lambert & Allen became roommates in the Idol mansion, with Allen stating it was due to their neatness. During Michael Jackson week, his performance lead to praise from all four judges, with Paula Abdul predicting he would go on to the finals. The following week, Lambert's next performance received praise from Randy Jackson, Dioguardi, & Abdul. Though Simon Cowell called it "indulgent rubbish." On Motown night, Lambert distanced himself from his rocker persona, singing a slowed down, acoustic version of his song. The judges all liked it, and Smoky Robinson, the week's mentor & the original singer-songwriter, gave Adam a standing ocation. For his Top 8 performance, because the show had exceeded its time slot, only Cowell gave a critique on his performance. For his second Top 7 performance, it delivered what DioGuardi described as his "most memorable performance," while Cowell described his vocals as "immaculate." Abdul was reduced to tears, with host Ryan Seacrest joking that Lambert had melted her into a "pool of Abdul." In his Top 4, Lambert was the first to perform. Cowell commented, "that was one of my most favourite performances... nobody can top that now," while abdul, punning on the song's title, described Lambert's performance as "a whole lotta perfect."

Season 7 American Idol winner David Cook stated that Lambert and Allen are his favorites of Season 8. Country music singer and actress Reba McEntire has echoed the same opinions, also adding Iraheta to her list of favorites. Photos of Lambert kissing a man were shown and discussed by conservative commentators on "The O'Reily Factor," they agreed that the images would likely have no impact on the competition because the focus remains on the singers' talent. Lambert confirmed that the photos were of him, stating he had nothing to hide and has always been open about his life. For his top three show, Lambert chose to sing at his alma mater, Mt. Carmel High School. While there, he performed two best-selling songs by Michael Jackson and Tears for Fears. After his performance, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declared May 8 "Adam Lambert Day." Lambert would later perform a medley with rock band Kiss during the final episode.

Kristopher Neil Allen, known as Kris Allen, is an American singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas. Prior to Idol, he self-released a 2007 album entitled "Brand New Shoes." Allen audtioned for the eighth season of American Idol in Louisville, Kentucky with his brother Daniel, who didn't make it to Hollywood. He peformed a song by The Jackson 5, during Hollywood week as part of a group named White Chocolate, which included fellow finalist and semi-finals roomate Matt Giruad.

Allen was voted into the finals along with Lambert & Allison Iraheta on February 26, 2009. He has received many compliments throughout the competition for his folk-inspired interpretations of modern pop songs, and has played several instruments during his performances, including the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar, the keyboard, and the piano. Randy Jackson has compared him to Jason Mraz. His performance as part of the Top 11 earned praise from the judges, with Simon Cowell commenting "I am genuinely beginning to think you have a shot of doing well in this competition." On the Top 9 show, he performed his own arrangement on a keyboard, with a few musicians on state, which earned praise from the judges. Cowell lauded it his "best performance so far." On the first Top 7 night, he chose to sing an Oscar-winning song from an indie film. While Jackson described it as "pitchy from note one," Kara DioGuari declared it "one of your best moments ever." Due to time constraints, Paula Abdul and Cowell did not comment. But on the following night's results show, Cowell stated "Kris, you were brilliant." On the second Top 7 show, Allen brought back the guitar for the fourth time and performed an original, acoustic song, complete with bongo drums and the band on stage. This earned praise from all four judges, with Abdul remarking "'There aren't many men who are willing to shop in the women's department. You shopped and found a perfect fit." For his second Top 3 performance, Allen impressed the judges with another accoustic arrangment of Kanye West's song, prompting Jackson to state that he prefeered the original cover version. Simon Cowell agreed & said, "I had written you out of the competition but that has changed after that performance."

After being voted into the Top 3 Finalists, Kris Allen returned home to Arkansas and his hometown to film the material for the next 2 American Idol episodes. Allen was greeted by a crowd estimated to be greater than 20,000. Allen performed concerts in Little Rock and Conway, playing many of his popular songs during the competition at his venues; he even performed at the local Fox News studio. He performed all of his songs with the guitar.

When it came down as to who will be the next American Idol, America has spoken. The winner of American Idol 2009 is.......... KRIS ALLEN!!! Kris Allen has always been the underdog, knowing he could never match up to Adam Lambert's vocals & talents. But in the end, the Underdog rose above the ranks & crowned the new American Idol. Though Lambert was announced the runner-up, he has proven that he deserves to release record-albums & perform in big concerts. Big things are happening for these two & we can expect to see great things from them during the Summer Tour. So for the final time of American Idol, I have one last thing to say for both Kris Allen & Adam Lambert: no matter what roads lie ahead, break a leg!