I am truly feeling sad and disappointed about the result... buduh pya american!!!
(05-20) 17:11 PDT , (AP) --
A look at the winners of Fox's "American Idol" and what they've been up to since taking home the prize:
_ Kelly Clarkson: The 27-year-old singer has released four albums since winning the first "Idol." Her name was immortalized in 2005 when Steve Carell screamed it out after getting his chest waxed in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Clarkson currently has two singles, "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "I Do Not Hook Up," on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
_ Ruben Studdard: The 30-year-old crooner has also released four albums since winning the second season, including the 2004 gospel record "I Need an Angel." He is currently starring as Fats Waller in a national tour of "Ain't Misbehavin'." Studdard's most recent album, "Love IS," dropped Tuesday and features a mix of romance-themed covers and original tunes.
_ Fantasia Barrino: The 24-year-old singer has released two albums, "Free Yourself" and "Fantasia." Barrino played herself in a 2006 Lifetime TV film based on her autobiography, "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale." She starred as Celie in the Broadway musical version of "The Color Purple" in 2007 and will reprise her role in a national tour later this year.
_ Carrie Underwood: The 26-year-old country crooner is arguably the singing competition's most successful winner, becoming a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum selling recording artist with her two albums, "Some Hearts" and "Carnival Rides." Underwood captured the entertainer of the year award at last month's Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.
_ Taylor Hicks: The 32-year-old Soul Patrol leader's first, self-titled album went platinum but never generated the acclaim or hype of winners like Clarkson or Underwood. He later went on to play Teen Angel in the Broadway and national touring casts of "Grease." Hicks released a second album in March under his own label after leaving Arista Records.
_ Jordan Sparks: The 19-year-old singer's self-titled first album debuted at No. 10 on Billboard. After winning the sixth season, Sparks performed the national anthem at Super Bowl XLII and defended the Jonas Brothers at last year's MTV Video Music Awards when host Russell Brand joked about their purity rings. She will release her second album in July.
_ David Cook: The 26-year-old rocker released his self-titled debut album in November and is currently touring the country. He dueted with Underwood on Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" at the opening of an "Idol" attraction at Disney World. Cook's older brother, who famously cheered for him in the "Idol" audience, died from brain cancer earlier this month.
Kris Allen
The 23-year-old from Conway, Arkansas, was a dark horse when the top 13 contestants were announced earlier this year.
From the beginning, the judges of the popular US television show had been most impressed by musical theater actor Adam Lambert, 27, who up till yesterday had been considered one of the front runners and a favorite to win the title.
However, over the weeks, the recently-married Allen had shown his musical versatility while also coming across as a likeable "guy next door" type.
08:12 PM PT, May 20 2009
Kris Allen, the ultimate underdog, has made one of the biggest comebacks in television history! After 620 million votes, 19 weeks, 100,000 auditions, an extra judge and a bikini girl, Kris Allen is your new American Idol. The All-American, married boy next-door defeated the glammed-out, leather-clad rocker and is now the eighth champ in the "Idol" kingdom. Although Adam was an early favorite with his huge vocals and in-your-face style and confidence, Kris Allen never gave up and came from obscurity in the early rounds to win it all. I am shocked but think America made the right choice!
Before the results were given, both Adam and Kris highlighted their polar-opposite stylings in perfect fashion. Kris paired up with Keith Urban and gave us a radio-worthy version of "Kiss A Girl." I think this performance is exactly why he is the American Idol. Even with Keith Urban on the stage with him, the song sounded like it should be on his album.
Adam gave us a bigger-than-life collaboration with Kiss, platform boots and space shoulder pads and all. It was everything you want from Adam.
As one last gift to the "Idol" fans, both guys joined together for what we have been waiting for all season -- Adam singing with Queen, "We Are the Champions." And surprisingly, Kris holding his own!
As always, the three minutes it took to give us the results were crammed at the end of a two-hour celebrity binge of self-promotion, an opportunity I wouldn't pass up but is admittedly annoying. Highlights included Kara DioGuardi showing up Bikini Girl in a vocal duel and then adding salt to the wounds by stripping down to a bikini as an inside joke/charity bet among the judges and Ryan. The Top 13 had lots of face time with each Idol getting at least one feature spot -- something my season did not get. Oh well.
Norman Gentle and Tatiana made encore appearances accepting their Golden Idols. Weren't we to believe that they were supposedly legit contenders? Well Norman Gentle's return did make me smile!
Tomorrow the real work begins for Kris and the rest of the crew. They are joining the real world of the music industry and will start doing everything they can to parlay this amazing experience of "American Idol" into a huge life-long career. But I hope each of them savors tonight as a very special moment in their lives. I want to give my congratulations to Kris and all his fans. He is a worthy Idol and I am truly excited for his CD. Adam and his fans should also be very proud. He is a superstar in his own right and we will be seeing lots from him.
And don’t forget to check out my new album, "Into the Light" on Aug. 25. Peace out and be blessed!
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Dengan penuh perasaan :}
