Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, & AI : Should we care?

I'm a fan of Kris Allen. Downloaded everything he sang on American Idol to my ipod along with the works from Adam, Gokey, and Matt. A couple Allison's, two from Anoop-dog and two from Lil Rounds. Total playlist? Fabulous. Who makes me smile the most? Kris.

So do I care who won? No. Should you? I have no idea, but here are my thoughts.

Adam Lambert is undeniably the dominant performer with the "whole package." He's the Elvis, the Robert Plant, the Freddie Mercury, the Steve Tyler of NOW and as Paula is wont to say: "You're the icon, you're iconic, icon, iconical, you, take it in, this is your moment...." And she's right. If he wants it, he'll have it because the music industry needs someone like him. Rock and Roll needs him too, to shake things up, to make it all fun again.

Does Adam Lambert NEED American Idol? He hasn't needed AI from about half-way through the competition, and it's to his great credit that he's taken the whole thing seriously.

Kris Allen is "winning" in all senses of the word. He's got a winning personality, charming and disarming; he's got that face, that lopsided mouth, those clean-cut good looks; and he's got the talent, a voice with shading and variation if not the amazing range of Adam (most don't). Kris is relatable. Kara commented on it, that he makes you feel as if he's singing to YOU. And then there is the artistry thing. Not to take anything away from Adam because he has artistry too, but Kris possesses a passion for the nuance, the rhythm, the emotion of the songs he sings and that relates people of all ages.

Does Kris Allen NEED American Idol? From the moment Jamie Foxx said if Idol doesn't work out they could do something together, Kris's future in the industry has seemed assured. He works hard, he respects the music and the music listener, he has passion, he's "winning."

It doesn't matter who wins because it really IS about the journey, the contestants working their way through AI boot camp up on all those 52-inch screens across America. And to us, the watchers, rooting for our favorites, hoping they give us one more great performance, seeing how passion makes a difference in the little moments and how nerves play out and that there is both justice and injustice on AI and in life, and it's how one handles both that makes the difference.

These guys, Adam and Kris, they're class acts.