As predicted, Kris Allen emerged victorious last night at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, capping off what was otherwise the most unpredictable season in American Idol history.  At no point during the year was Kris considered the obvious frontrunner, but week after week the dark horse continued to accumulate standout performances that seemed to evolve in quality, peaking with last week's nearly-flawless version of Kanye West's Heartless.  Although the final tally must have been fairly close, what most likely put Kris over the top was the combination of support from his fans along with votes from people who simply wanted "not Adam."  Lambert handled the loss exactly the way you'd expect: with grace and style.  The blow of defeat was surely softened by Kris's admission that Adam should have won, a belief that seemed to be shared by a no-standing-ovation-for-the-winner Simon Cowell.

Adam's disappointed fans will take great consolation and pride from the fact that he's already the bigger seller.  As of today, Lambert's "Mad World" is the #4 single in the iTunes store, while Allen's highest ranking song is "Heartless" at #7.  This seems to support the theory that I outlined here yesterday: Adam's passionate fans are the more likely record buyers.  Personally, I feel that the outcome of the season supports each of these singer's story arcs rather nicely.  Kris, as the come-from-behind underdog who slew the giant, will hopefully enter the contemporary marketplace with a newfound confidence that would have been missing if he had finished in second place.  Adam, whose belief in himself probably hasn't been diminished one iota, is now the new underdog, which will undoubtedly inspire his outraged fans to a whole new level of support.  It will be exciting to witness how this story continues to play out!  And now, on to a very important part of my last blog posting of the year...the thank-you's:

The exciting, unpredictable Season 8 of American Idol had some much-needed new life breathed into it this year by one supremely talented, highly controversial contestant  who emerged as the only bright, shining star of the pack.  That singer is Adam Lambert, and in all likelihood, he will not be crowned the winner.

As predicted, Milwaukee native Danny Gokey was sent packing last night as Kris Allen and Adam Lambert prepared to face off in next week's finale.  My theory is that Danny suffered from a lack of support from the screaming teenaged girls who populated the homecomings of Adam and Kris.  Not surprisingly, the soulful crooner handled his elimination with dignity and grace and delivered his swan song like a pro.

If you're assuming that the eventual winner already has it in the bag, think again.  Ryan informed us that less than a million votes (out of 88 million cast) separated Kris and Adam this week.  I suppose the outcome could end up being determined by which contestant sings the better version of the winning song, which inevitably will be titled something along the lines of This Is My Moment Inside Your Proud Wings.  Here are a few other random thoughts and observations:

As expected, 17 year-old Allison Iraheta was eliminated last night, leaving the very first all-male Final Three in American Idol history.  Although I predicted Allison's departure, I've never been more disappointed to be right...her season-long evolution has been the one I've most enjoyed witnessing and I personally hope she finds success after the show. And if it's any consolation to the Los Angeles native, homecoming episodes that take place in L.A. are a bit of a letdown.  Right, Katharine McPhee?

Our Boys' Club of a Top 3 is now preparing for next week's assignment of performing two songs each: one selection of their own, and another of the judges' choosing.  Let's have some fun and make fantasy selections:

Under the helpful guidance of guest mentor Slash, the final four contestants amped up the tempo and turned the volume up to eleven, but ultimately put on a show that was oddly lacking in excitement.  If you would have told me a month ago that an evening of standards would outshine Rock Night, I wouldn't have believed you...and yet that was case for three of the singers, leaving Adam as the sole performer to improve upon last week.  If Lambert ends up in the Bottom 2 again tonight, something is very, very wrong in Idol World.  So, let's get to the grades:

As predicted, Michigan native Matt Giraud was sent home last night, but not before a couple of surprise revelations.  Just as the press had begun to whisper that it looked like Idol might be headed for a Kris vs. Adam finale, America's votes landed those two singers in the Bottom 3, leaving Allison Iraheta and Danny Gokey as the top vote-getters of the week.  In fact, Danny is now the only contestant to have avoided the Bottom 3 for the entire run of the show.  This leads me to a very debatable theory, and I look forward to your feedback.

On a night where we witnessed the return of Taylor Hicks (who looked great, right?), I began to wonder: Are we about to do a repeat of Season 5?  That was the year that the likable Hicks outlasted the less personality-driven Chris Daughtry, who landed in a maddening fourth place.  To me, Daughtry was easily the most talented singer and seemed a shoo-in for the win, but upon his exit there were friends of mine who weren't the least bit surprised, bothered by his "too sullen" demeanor and alarmed by his "scary-looking facial hair."  These memories have triggered me to question, once again,  if Danny Gokey is this season's Taylor Hicks.  And more importantly, is Adam Lambert this year's Chris Daughtry?  I've already seen many comments from viewers that recognize that Adam is obviously the most gifted vocalist, but find his hair, clothes, makeup, and other aspects of his life too upsetting to embrace.  Is Adam too controversial to win?  Is the more conservative and huggable Danny easier to support, with this emotional backstory and cute little hearts that he makes with his fingers?  Or do his fans just honestly feel that he is the superior singer?

Embracing the style and swagger of the period, the remaining five contestants delivered electrifying performances of some of the most popular standards of the "Rat Pack" era.  To be honest, I initially wasn't even the least bit excited about this week's theme, as I've never really felt a connection with most songs that are over 60 years old.  But by the time the evening had come to a close, I realized that last night ranked among the season's very strongest.  Mentor Jamie Foxx, although a real stretch for the theme, actually ended up giving the singers some of the best guidance of year and certainly was far more entertaining than the show's typical guest.  And thanks to Jamie, we now know that Danny Gokey has fresh breath.

Most impressive part of the evening?  None of the singers offered up anything less than a "B", and two of them scored season-best performances.  So let's get to the reviews: