Kris Allen is new American Idol

Kris Allen is new American Idol
Nearly 100 million votes cast for finale

Kris Allen's smooth vocals and boy-next-door image propelled him to American Idol victory Wednesday over rival Adam Lambert in a finale contest that garnered 100 million votes.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know what to feel right now. This is crazy," said a stunned Allen, 23, of Conway, Ark.

As host Ryan Seacrest said in announcing the result of the viewer vote, "The underdog, the dark horse, comes back and wins the nation over."

Lambert's commanding vocal range and stage presence — and the judges' adoration of him — at times turned Idol into the Adam Lambert Show, with the other contestants mere guests.

But it turned out that Idol viewers could embrace a gifted performer like Lambert, one who sported black nail polish and bold self-assurance, only to a point.

Simon Cowell tipped his hat to both contestants Wednesday. "To both of you, and I don't normally mean this, I thought you were both brilliant.…The future's all yours," the judge said.

Before the results were announced, Lambert and Allen had a moment of musical camaraderie: They joined together with Queen on the rock anthem We Are the Champions.

"Adam did win. So did Kris. Nobody lost tonight. These are two champions," Paul Stanley from the band Kiss said backstage.

The outcome echoed last year's contest, when Cowell all but crowned David Archuleta after the performance finale — but the victory went to David Cook.

Lambert's triumph was never inevitable. When Allen and Lambert were declared the finalists last week, just one million viewer votes separated the pair out of 88 million cast.

Allen bloomed during the season, gaining more assurance onstage and winning viewers over with his smooth, heartfelt vocals, modest demeanour and well-scrubbed good looks.

There was also the Danny Gokey factor. Gokey made it to the top three before he fell out of the contest, leaving his supporters up for grabs.

"After the third one leaves, you wonder where do the votes go from that third contestant," judge Paula Abdul said backstage after Tuesday's singing showdown.

Allen seemed the likely candidate for those viewers' affections, for on- and offstage reasons. Allen and Gokey, 29, of Milwaukee, were downright conservative when compared to Lambert's elaborate staging and wardrobe choices.

Allen is a married college student and has worked as a church worship leader. Gokey, a widower, is a church music director.

Lambert, 27, of Los Angeles, brought measured rock flashiness — daring, not freaky — with songs including Whole Lotta Love, the first-ever Led Zeppelin tune on Idol. He's largely kept his personal life under wraps, saying "I know who I am" when asked about it.

The finale included the usual bag of tricks for extending the show to two hours and delaying the result until the final minutes.

Celebrity performances included: Keith Urban, Kiss, Fergie, the Black Eyed Peas, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie and Rod Stewart.

Excerpt - Canadian Press
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ABOUT KRISS ALLEN -

Singer. Born Kristopher Neil Allen on June 21, 1985, to parents Kim and Neil Allen in Jacksonville, Arkansas. He now lives in Conway, Arkansas.

Allen had an early interest in music; he started playing the viola while in elementary school, and taught himself to play the guitar at the age of 13. He can also play the piano and ukulele. While in high school, he ranked All-State in music performance and received offers to play in college orchestras.

Allen enrolled in the University of Central Arkansas for college, where he majored in business. Faith plays a large part in Allen's life, and led the aspiring musician to become a worship leader for New Life Church in Arkansas at both the Conway and Greater Little Rock campuses, and on campus at University of Central Arkansas with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. He has also completed missionary work in Morocco, Spain, Mozambique, South Africa, Thailand, and Burma.

Music also remained an important part in his life, and in 2007 he produced his own album entitled Brand New Shoes.

The next year, on September 26, 2008, he married his high school sweetheart, Katy O'Connell, who was also a former homecoming queen at the University of Arkansas.

Allen stepped into the spotlight in 2009, when he became a finalist on the eighth season of the reality competition American Idol. He, along with fellow performers Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert, have avoided the bottom three positions on the show, which often lead to elimination.

On the final episode of the season, Allen faced off against rocker Adam Lambert, who was favored to win the vote. At the end of the night, however, Allen took the title as the next American Idol. He also became the first married contestant to win the competition.