Allow Me to Present...

The newest American Idol...

KRIS ALLEN!

So I didn't pick Kris from the beginning (indeed, I'm pretty sure they didn't even show his audition the first time around, though I could be wrong), but toward the start of the top 13 I could tell he was a genuine talent and a sincere guy. I was proud to have been able to watch a two-plus hour finale in under an hour (honestly, this show makes me more grateful than ever for DVR), and even though Julie was sure Kris would pull the upset, I was just worried that Adam had way too many fans. Turns out she was right! My jaw literally dropped open, I was just that amazed. The finale itself was overlong and vexing in its drama, but I guess it could have been worse. There was an impressive collection of musical guests, even though I skipped past most of them. Kris and Adam have both recorded the new single and both versions are already available on iTunes, and even though I think it's a lame song (nice work, Kara), Kris cleans up really nicely on a studio recording. I've always felt Adam was really talented, I really loved his audition and his path to the top 13 actually, but I've been over his gimmick for several weeks now (Keep that tongue in your mouth, man! And enough with the dramatics already!), and thought he was hardly the kind of guy we want to put up in front of our kids as the American Idol. I'm quite certain Adam will still have a successful music career, but it's nice when at least for the structure of the show, someone upstanding and wholesome wins the title. The kid is so unassuming and unaffected, he was just happy to be there. Plus, word on the street is he's about to be a dad.

Incidentally, my prediction was thankfully way off, but my wishlist wasn't actually too far from what happened! Just a random misplacement of Adam.

I guess I'm just really surprised that America has now voted for the right man for two whole seasons in a row. Ever since the Ruben and Taylor fiascos, I've just been paranoid I guess. Yay, all my shows are over until the fall. It's always kind of nice to have the break.