Show Stoppers: At American Idol 2009 - A Twist Just in Time

It was like a great KRIS-mas morning on last night’s American Idol finale. The hundred million votes cast resulted in Kris Allen from Conway, Arkansas being crowned our 2009 American Idol winner. I guess sometimes your votes really do count.

But let’s back track a little.

Last evening’s 2-hour finale was a feast for the senses. Just when you thought they couldn’t pull another rabbit out of that top idol hat, the surprises kept coming. Playing, rocking, rapping, singing and dancing on the Idol stage, celebrity after music celebrity appeared. Apparently it was the place to be last night in Hollywood. Everyone from Rod Stewart, to Queen Latifah, to Fergie and the Black-eyed Peas, to Santana, to KISS, to Cyndi Lauper and current Idol David Cook all paid tribute to this television phenomenon by showing up and performing with the Top 13 candidates of the season.

Even if they all couldn’t win the top prize, they really are all winners in the end. At 17, if she never does another thing in her life, Alison Iraheta could say she sat mere inches from Cyndi Lauper and they sang a duet. Lil Rounds can tell her kids that she was on stage with the one and only Queen Latifah, Adam can say he rocked out in full KISS regalia with the legendary band. Kris can say he and country superstar Keith Urban jammed together and Danny will never forget his stint on stage with musical icon Lionel Richie. To support Lionel Richie, newly sane daughter, Nicole was in the audience, along with her babydaddy and Good Charlotte singer, Joel Madden.

As for my personal favorite of the performances, well I love dance, so when the top ladies hit up the stage with Fergie, followed by her performance with her band mates from the Blacke-eyed Peas, I was in heaven.

And what would Idol be without a bit of comedy? The laughs came via the faux Idol awards for outstanding male, female, worst attitude, etc. This allowed us to see the more memorable of the reject Idols who left their impression in one of several ways. Needless to say that among the faux winners of the faux contest was the exhausting Tatiana Del Toro, the vocally gifted, but poorly presented Nick Mitchell (a.k.a Norman Gentle) and the delusional and newly boob-enhanced Bikini Girl, Katrina Darrell, who was surprised by singing judge, Kara DioGuardi who proceeded to rip open her own dress at song’s end revealing her equally admirable abs to all of the Idol viewing planet. It was for charity folks, so no snickering! The faux winners took the Idol stage with their personas on HIGH gear. Bikini Girl seems to have an amazing skill, aside from the obvious ability to expand her bust size and visit a tanning salon: she can also make Ryan Seacrest stutter and sweat. All gave the show a lighthearted, entertaining spin before the revelation of the new idol. Between fast-paced performances and giant surprises, the fledgling Ford Company presented the Top 2 with a 2010 hybrid vehicle. All in all, the night was a nonstop crowd-pleasing production.




And now, back to our story…

Far from a sure thing, the adorably unassuming Kris Allen had been called the Dark Horse and the Underdog quite a few episodes back and by quite a few people. The admittedly shy, yet multi-skilled musician and singer beat out the larger-than-life judges’ favorite Adam Lambert.

Such was the shock of Kris Allen when his name was said, that he even went as far as to say no, Adam was supposed to win this. Dude, seriously, win gracefully!

Perez Hilton calls Adam Lambert, a San Diego native, The Glambert in an attempt to emphasize the theatrical manner in which Adam presents himself. Every time he hit the Idol stage this season, he brought the glamorous life, front and center. Hair, make-up, fashion and style were never left to chance with The Glambert. And though I did not vote for, nor want him to win, I know for sure that he is one hell of a superstar. He will be just fine once this is over. Hey, even his trademark scream will probably be getting some shout-outs on late night TV. He will get a deal with some label, somewhere very soon. Adam Lambert is, from this day forward, part of the American experience.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Idol stage, little, quiet Kris Allen slipped by unnoticed, under the radar, week after week. His performances were making believers out of doubters. His charm was sneaking into the core of a focused fan base. Suddenly, he was in the Top 3 and then, in the first surprising outcome of the season, in the Top 2, beating out popular Danny Gokey, the sentimental favorite. A lot of the fans of Danny Gokey were said to have moved to the Kris Allen camp as soon as Danny was eliminated. The similarities between the two aren’t visual ones, as much as they are character ones. The two are the all-American boy types, while Adam Lambert resides in this otherworldly orbit all by himself, juggling all of the moons that surround him.

Whatever votes Adam had already garnered remained. Yet these votes could not, in the end, compete with the coming together of Gokey and Allen votes for Kris. Whatever this outcome left us with – life is forever changed for the Top 13 and the definitely for the Top 4. The chalice of fame and fortune from which they all sipped is much too intoxicating to abandon now.

The group with the memorable faces of Anoop “Dawg” Desai, Michael Sarver, Lil Rounds, Jorge Nuñez, Scott MacIntyre, Alexis Grace, Matt Giraud and the rest, will come together to tour the country. When it is all over, they will part ways. Then each one will do whatever it takes to remain somehow relevant. Just like Carly Smithson and Mikayla Gordon doing hosting duties from the Top 2 guys’ hometowns. And just like first season’s Justin Guarini, who was seen haunting the Idol audience last night, along with a bountiful harvest of famous faces. All of the remaining Top 13 will seek ways to chase the spotlight and stand in its warmth once again. Some will find enough success to satisfy their needs and others will hit the bricks in devastating ways, down a dark road like Idol-turned-drug abuse-train-wreck, Jessica Sierra. For this moment in time, what the future holds for them is truly an unknown.

As for today, the suspended disbelief when Ryan Seacrest rolled his well-oiled tongue around the name Kris Allen is now over. Kris himself has had many hours to take it all in, to get used to the idea, to accept it all with ease and look out toward the horizon of his tomorrows. Hopefully, there is much greatness. The world is in his hands right now. He just has to learn how to show grace under fire. He just has to make his fans proud. He has to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

And so another season of American Idol concludes.
So long! Until next year!