Of course, tonight's "American Idol" result was flat-out wrong.
Adam Lambert is simply on a different plain than any other "Idol" contestant, past or present. He proved that tonight when he fit in perfectly with Queen and Kiss. This guy is a rock star, with the voice, the showmanship and the smarts.
Still, we can't hold anything against Kris Allen. It's remarkable how this likable kid, almost invisible in the early weeks, kept getting bigger and better. His quiet calm -- like Adam's flash and flair -- almost concealed the presence of great talent.
So I won't grumble too much -- especially since I know Adam will keep dazzling us, in the best Elvis-Mick-Bowie tradition of big-deal stars. Here are a few of my comments; please add yours:
1) The theme tonight was "kiss." Kris sang (with Keith Urban) "Kiss a Girl." Kiss sang. Also, I'm pretty sure I wanted to kiss Fergie. And Megan Joy. And Allison Iraheta. And ...
2) You do realize that "kiss" is a euphenism here, don't you?
3) How come Keith Urban sings about kissing a girl and people just shrug? Katy Perry does the same and it's a big deal.
4) The bad news? Alexis Grace has lost that red swirl in her hair that made her stand out. The good news? Megan Joy looks better than ever.
5) It would be even better if Megan could also sing. And that Steve Martin tune was one of the few detours in an otherwise terrific night.
6) Those special awards? Well, Tatiana is still a basket case, but I think Nick Mitchell (also known as Norman Gentle) is a gifted comic-performance-artist with a decent-enough voice. As for Katrina Darnell, the plastic surgeons did fine work on what was already an appealing palette. I might want to kiss her, too.
7) That thing over Kris' lip is now coming dangerously close to being a mustache. Somebody stop him while it's still possible.
8) There were few bad moments tonight and several great ones. One of the best had people singing "Black Magic Woman" with Santana.
9) The first vocalist on that was Matt Giraud. A half-year ago, he was singing at a Kalamazoo dueling-piano bar; now he's alongside Carlos Santana. That's the glory of "American Idol."
10) And yes, Adam Lambert sounded like he belongs in the turf of Santana (and Queen and Kiss and more). I may have mentioned it already, but this guy is a star.
Maybe the outcome isn't all that surprising. I think it's possible to admire Adam's talents without actually liking the style all that much. Thing is, I think this is a win-win. Adam probably didn't need the boost of being the "winner", and probably would have chaffed at the middle-of-the-road baggage being the winner would bring. Kris Allen really is an everyman, and being annointed the People's Choice is only going to help his visibility in the future. I really think that if the results were reversed, both careers suffer. Besides, unlike most reality shows, there really isn't a tangible prize for winning AI, so it's not as though Adam was deprived of a million-dollar check or something.
We've chatted with 10 or 12 people in the past few weeks and every one of them was astounded and enamored by Adam's interpretation and presentation of each song he touched. Don't understand this outcome. Don't think Kris did either. :-))) And I don't think Simon was too happy - you can see him stone faced amongst the clapping, screaming audience at the end. Fun season - almost as fun to watch as season 5.