May 20, 2009 (Los Angeles)- America voted and gave budding superstar Adam Lambert a major Kiss-off, while the laid-back crooner Kris Allen was crowned as the newest American Idol.
More many, including Allen, the result was jarring.
“It feels good, but Adam deserves this,’’ Allen said sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know what to feel right now. This is crazy.”
Lambert shared the stage with Kiss and held his own, while Allen sang with Keith Urban.
Lambert took the loss in stride.
“For me it’s not really about what happened tonight, it’s about tomorrow,” he said.
Lambert can take solace in the huge success of former Idol “losers” like Jennifer Hudson.
For his part, judge Simon Cowell made no secret of his preference for Lambert.
“Over the entire season you have been one of the best, most original contestants we’ve ever had on the show,” Cowell told Lambert. “And the whole idea of doing a show like this is that you hope that you can find a worldwide star. I genuinely believe with all my heart that we have found that with you, congratulations.”