Kris Allen Takes Adam Lambert's Crown on AI Finale

In a star-studded American Idol season finale like no other, Kris Allen (the dark horse) won the Season 8 title.No one could look more shocked. Simon Cowell did not stand up. Obviously the Danny Gokey fans took to the folksy sounds of Kris Allen, or just voted for him. There was a lot of 'non-love' verging on hate for Adam Lambert.

As the message boards and chat rooms go crazy, this was undoubtedly the biggest upset since this year's Kentucky Derby. Adam Lambert had 9:2 odds (off shore betting) this morning. Kris Allen was 8:1, the clear underdog.

So what cost Adam Lambert the American Idol title? Too much theater, too much flamboyance, too much self confidence. The combination seems to have proved too much for the AI fans. The positive side is that Adam Lambert will be a super star. He will likely still be under the Idol contracts for many years.

Kris Allen is a good singer, and hopefully song writer. He did a fantastic job during Season 8 of rearranging some old tunes, and even one new tune. I just do not see a pop star in Kris Allen. Adult contemporary, yes, but not a pop star. We will discount that his first single is required to be the worst championship song in Idol history, "No Boundaries".

The real fun of the night turned out to be some of the surprise guest stars. Included in the random mix: Cyndi Lauper, Carlos Santana, Lionel Ritchie and Queen Latifah all sounded fantastic. They looked great too. American Idol does need to invest in a better sound system. There is no excuse for all the sound problems tonight.

Rod Stewart wins for "the performance that should have never been". I have never felt so bad for a star. Or for myself and the fans having to watch this terrible version of "Maggie Mae".

The performances of the night go to KISS and Queen. When I saw Adam Lambert's extreme leather outfit and heard the opening notes of "Beth", I almost fell out of my chair. Sure enough, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons were fronting again in full garb. Both rockers sounded good. We should have known Gene Simmons would find a way to get in on the Idol bonanza.

The finale had Adam Lambert and Kris Allen team up for "We are the Champions", joined by Queen. Now this was a show stopper. An obvious choice for Adam Lambert, the lead guitarist milked his vocals for all they are worth. It all just seemed like such a lock, I forgot Kris Allen was on the stage.

One thing this should prove once and for all. The AI producers do not 'fix' the vote. The obvious money machine is Adam Lambert. He still will be, in second place, but ask any runner-up... there is something about that trophy. The sad part is, Adam Lambert earned the title over the course of the season. Then again, so did Chris Daughtry.

For the live blogging for tonight's AI finale, check out my blog at: TV Review.