May 20th, 2009-
"For the last time this season, dim the lights, please," Ryan Seacrest said. With the illumination lowered to a faded shadow, he proceeded to call on a man holding an envelope....
Behind them stood Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, arms around each other's shoulders, patiently awaiting their fates. Both had come so far...from near nobodies to stars. But tonight, none of that mattered. A nation had spoken. A nation had decided. Now, what hung heavy in the minds of the American people was who would go on...and who would, for the final time of year 2009, be sent home.
Adam Lambert, an ex-Broadway star with an impressive range and remarkable theatrics, took American Idol's stage by storm with his unique performances and characteristic shrieks. The judges' pet performer and popular among many of the Idol viewers, almost everyone remained certain he would win. One of his turn-offs , however, was his feminine qualities, painted clearly with black fingernail polish, layers of eye-makeup, and several large rings (due to the fact that I do not know the full age range or maturity of my readers, I refuse to go into any more detail about Lambert, but let's just say his lifestyle violated a very strong Christian belief).
Kris Allen, on the other hand, was a nice, southern hometown boy who sang for his church before airing on Idol. For most of the competition, no one seemed to be able to apprehend how far Kris would go. But, week after week, he slipped up another place, eventually surpassing expected winner Danny Gokey inot the finals. The problem was, he was clearly not the judges favorite and his soft, country voice not exactly what a show that thrives on producing America's next big thing had envisioned.
Ryan took the envelope from the man and turned to the contestants. I grabbed the armrests of my chair, my heart thundering in my chest.
"Here we go," I said to my family, who was also anxiously awaiting the results of our vigorous voting for Kris the night before.
Talking to the contestants, Ryan spoke of things I can't quite remember (but probably had to do with this is it, America has decided, blahblahblah) because I was so nervous. If you've ever watched American Idol, you understand the cycle of choosing sides, rallying behind your favorite artists on Tuesday night only to wait breathlessly as they pass through the prolonged yet suspensefully artistic elimination process on Wednesday. And, when it's down to the wire, it can be even worse.
"...and the American Idol of the year 2009 is...." A long pause interrupted Ryan's speech, suspending in mid-sentence.
C'mon, this was torture!
"Poor Kris, he knows it," Mom said, observing the way he looked straight at Ryan, a resigned look in his eyes. He knew what America had decided. Adam could have the title...it was all right with him....
But that look quickly changed to surprised joy at the next words.
"...Kris..." Oh...my...gosh "...Allen!"
Dad shouted "Yes!" and lunged to his feet. Mom and I quickly jumped to ours as well and started screaming really loud (seriously, our throats were sore for like six hours afterwards). We hugged and high-fived...it was unbelievable! Adam was the for sure favorite, and even amid his tears Kris was heard to say, "Adam deserves this!" Nevertheless, Kris, the so-that underdog of the competition, had championed, bringing his fellow Christians to their feet...rejoicing that God had paved the way for another Christ-like role model to grace this fallen world.
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