The Rushfield Review: Kris Allen gives 'American Idol' back its heart

Some brief thoughts after an emotional night.  More post-mortem to follow tomorrow.

Tonight, American Idol found its heart.

In all the talk and punditry about this season, there was often a sense that what was missing wasn’t a clear problem with the judges or the rules or the format or the contestants --  even something almost ineffable, beyond the grasp of producers to help it.

By the time the top 13 emerged, few argued about the pure talent of the group -- many said they might be the most talented finalists ever.  But still something was missing. Perhaps it was their very talent that made it seem too practiced, too careful, too easy.  In past seasons, you could count on one or two catastrophic belly flops per episode.  This year we barely had a handful in the whole season.  We were spared the pain, but lost some of the pathos.  And with it the show somehow felt just a bit too slick and polished.

And at the center of the well-scrubbed service sat the phenomenon of the season, Adam Lambert.  If the rest made competing look easy, Lambert had the prodigy’s ability to make it look as though blowing the lid off all conceivable expectations was something he was born knowing how to do.

But while the public gaped in awe at Lambert’s virtuosity, one quiet young man, week after week kept delivering performances that were a quiet way solid at worst, and often intensely beautiful.  We never saw his audition video.  We never saw his Green Mile sing-off.  Nothing cued us to expect anything of Kris Allen.  Indeed, every week he seemed almost to expect to be eliminated.  But he stayed and little by little, while others' virtuosity flowered,   Kris Allen slowly came to embody the "American Idol" dream – the idea that a kid from the outskirts of nowhere could line up to sing a song, a few months later, if he stays true to who he is and where he came from – a world beyond his wildest dreams could be his.

That was never Adam’s story.  One always had the slight sense that Adam understood that Idol was just a step in his career. That while others thought they had reached the pinnacle of the known universe, Adam understood there were in fact, higher peaks waiting ahead for him.  An understandable sentiment from anyone with a bit of exposure to the entertainment business, but not one that brought tears to people’s eyes when they thought of his journey.

I first talked to Kris at the party after the Top 13 announcement. I found him standing alone while other contestants were being mobbed, and I asked him if he was prepared for his life to change completely.  He seemed taken aback by the question, focused on how thrilled he was just to be there that week, and it seemed, with little expectation of anything more being handed to him – let alone his “life being changed.”

Two months later, I talked with him again on the night of his best friend Matt Giraud’s save and he seemed as nice, decent, grounded and unaffected as ever – quite a feat to maintain while at the center of the Idol bubble.

None of this is not to say that Adam Lambert is not every inch as nice a guy and decent a soul as Kris; to all appearances he is and his family are heartwarmingly loving and supportive- his father incredibly touchingly donning black nail polish to support his son.  But Adam in his unbelievable prowess seemed bigger than the traditional "Idol" narrative, while Kris in his quiet, powerful and unaffected way embodied it like a tailor made glove.

Adam is going to do fine, and for those who are swearing tonight they will never watch again, they have "American Idol" to thank for the great career that lies before Adam Lambert.  One of the things "American Idol" does is introduce the nation to a regular stream of supernaturally virtuoso performers.   These tend not to win "American Idol" but to go on remarkable careers.  Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson obviously come to mind.

But choosing a winner is not just about mathematically choosing a performer; a TV show choosing a winner is about telling a story. Kris Allen, more than any winner since Carrie Underwood, brought the show back to its original promise, its central narrative; that all this could be given to someone truly plucked from the masses, and that they could take it all, live the fantasy, while remaining true to themselves.  Kris. in the quiet power of his performance, and his humble, unmistakable personal goodness, gave the show back its heart and a story that will bring tears to the eyes of all who behold it for ages to come.

NOTE:  Please join us tomorrow, noon PT/3 pm ET for our last post-game chat at latimes.com/Idoltracker.

-- Richard Rushfield

Comments

[astrogal]

awesome review!! It is cool to read articles by reporters who actually know what they are talking about.

[Colette]

Beautiful wrap-up, Mr. R. I think you captured the essence of Kris Allen's victory, rising above the sturm and drang of Adam's fans who seem unwilling to admit that there were more reasons for Allen to win than bigotry or boy-next-door appeal.
Allen brought a freshness, a sincerity and a soulfulness to the competition, and to his music. The sheer joy of making music lit him up every time he performed. He has a gift for communicating the essence of a song, and a very hip sense of musicianship.
Adam Lambert was blazingly gifted, but I agree that he was already the consummate pro who understood exactly how to work the American Idol to his advantage. That does nothing to diminish his vocal prowess and charisma, and his grace under fire.
But Kris was the shy guy who never really knew how good he was. Simon was wrong that humility hurt him. It helped him stay true to his own musical taste and vision, and it helped him connect in an honest way with the many people who defied every attempt the show made to minimize his talents.

[rica]

Nice article! :)

What people fail to realize, as what you mentioned, that choosing a winner is about telling a story; and for this season, it was Kris Allen's which was told. Kudos to this guy! He deserved the win. I'm so happy for him Much congratulations to Adam Lambert as well. He was every inch of a great performer, too!

[Chris]

Sorry Richard, but I'm not buying this explanation of the night's events, and I don't think a lot of Adam Lambert fans will. It was heartening to see how gracious and upbeat Adam was on the post-game Idol Extra interview, but I've got to believe he is hurting inside tonight. Maybe he never expected to get this far, but just once, it would be nice to see merit and talent rewarded properly, rather than winners being decided based on other factors that really shouldn't matter in the 21st century, but unfortunately still do. Let's face it, homophobia that still exists in this country was a major factor in the voting, as was religion.

As a gay person myself, I have felt very keenly at times the alienation and sadness that I think Adam channeled in some of his more powerful performances (Mad World certainly comes to mind, also his youtube clip of Dust in the Wind). It would have been awesome to see an all but openly gay person win it all, but instead the status quo reigns. I hold nothing against Kris, he seems like a very nice person, and he seemed to develop a genuine friendship with Adam, but even Kris knows he shouldn't have won. Almost the first thing out of his mouth was "Adam deserves this". Unfortunately, Kris served as a handy destination for a significant chunk of the voting public who were going to vote against Adam no matter who his opponent was (even, God help us, if Danny had made the final). I know that some of those folks just didn't care for Adam's admittedly polarizing style, but I think more people voted against who they perceived Adam to be than would care to admit it.

Life goes on, and I feel sure that Adam will indeed be fine, and have a major music career, but I think its appropriate tonight for Lambert fans to be sad over what might have been. As for watching Idol again in the future, I think we could be waiting for a long time (probably longer than the show will remain on the air) before we see another person as talented as Adam Lambert appear on the Idol radar screen.

[Janie]

No, Idol didn't get its heart back ... it lost/discarded the most talented vocalist to ever grace its stage ... So according to your article, Adam gets punished for being too good ... well, that's a slammer for everyone who's out there working to develop their craft :(

[gina]

One of the worst endings of a finale ever. Such a boring choice America. No personality, okay singer, Adam so far ahead of him. Kris will be a has been in a couple of years. Adam will be a star.

[wuew]

I think the " tears in the eyes of all who behold it for ages to come" will not be for Kris, but for the one that almost had it and should have won it - Adam. I'm certain his smile betrays how he's really feeling inside.

[KCQuest]

In a sense, AI lost it's credibility through the years not plainly because of the judges, the results or the twists they did but because they never found any winner who came from a common group much like Kelly or Carrie was. Kris is definitely an addition to the two who proved true talent surpasses background, experience, exposure and (sorry for the word) pimping from media.Truly an inspirational winner.

PS The winning song still doesnt sit well with him. He can make better songs than that. Neither it does with Adam. They should give that to Danny.

I agree that this is probably the best Idol season in years.

[Sue]

Well said.

[carolb75]

The only thing that brings tears to my eyes is your gibberish about Adam Lambert. Adam was also plucked from obscurity through his audition for American Idol. He is a great guy who is also very humble and gracious and unselfish when it comes to supporting his fellow contestants. American Idol was taken to new heights this season thanks to Adam Lambert and his powerful talent, not thanks to Kris Allen's heart.

[Patti]

ADAM LAMBERT IS MY AMERICAN IDOL!! Arkansas can have Kris Allen. He is a nice little lounge singer and that is it! Kris didn't win because of his talent. He won because of all the bigots and haters. If I were Kris I would be ashamed to wear the title knowing that is how I beat a SUPERSTAR. Adam is an International Superstar and Kris Allen is another Taylor Hicks. I will not watch American Idol next year. It is a joke and is not a singing contest. If it waa, then Adam Lamber would have won without question.

[Deanna]

I agree completely. So happy that someone so genuine, that is not just a great singer and performer, but a well rounded musician has won. I will definitely by the album - despite the poorly written Victory song.

[LuluQ]

The fact that Adam was plucked from obscurity toiling away in the chorus also is a compelling, central narrative. We don't all have to be plucked from Arkansas to make a story with heart.

[Tina]

I actually liked both Kris and Adam, and I feel like Adam was more talented in many ways, but you're absolutely right. I was hoping that Adam would win but it's is kind of obvious that he didn't necessarily need this win. So looking at it in this new light, I'm actually really happy. Hopefully they'll both go on to great things, but Adam is obviously a seasoned performer who is just naturally a star.

I didn't even like Kris very much at first and then I slowly grew to love him. You're right, Kris is, exactly as you said, a "true American Idol", the way it should be.

[sasha stone]

You're drinking the kool-aid. It was a cowardly choice in every possible way. Kris Allen may be a nice guy but his winning IS what is wrong with the show. Ideally they find the best singer, as Simon always says. They did not choose the best singer. They chose the cutest singer, the least "offensive." Kris isn't bad - he's good. He's perfectly fine. Great, though? It was a very weak season overall and Adam was the best of the lot.

[Weezie]

Insightful article, but what a jolt to see "quite a feet." (Try "feat.") Looks like the LA Times.com needs at least one more copy editor.

[Olivia]

Fantastic article! The story IS inspiring, even if it is shocking. Both Adam and Kris deserved a shot, and Kris got it. Well done, dude!

[Gary Shih]

Kris is spelled wrong in the third last paragraph.

[Jim]

This was a triumph of popularity over talent. Just a little more information on how we as a people will go for what we want things to be,as opposed to how things are.

The greatest example was the final song each was to sing. Kris got lost, forgot lyrics and made a mess of his last performance. The reaction was: It must have been a "Bad Song", what a trooper wading through.
Adam belts out the song like a pro, the reaction: well, it was more in his range (roughly twice that of Kris). This is unfair to Kris.
Even Kris in an honest moment said "this belongs to Adam".
The contest was to see who looked most like US, and try to close your eyes just enough to filter out the real performance, e.g. no-one asked if Kris could stop singing through his nose, not once.
Adam may already have a platinum record with Mad World...I will wait to see if Kris can do the same with the "Victory Song".

[mary]

Totally agree, Adam was too polished and in the buisiness already, but I think David Cook from last year was a great pick too.

[chickc]

Conspiracy Theory (and America's homophobic attitude is what may have helped Kris Allen win)

Its fairly easy to understand why Adam Lambert did not win last night.

Remember the movie "Quiz Show", where it tells the true story of the "Twenty One" quiz show game fixing scandal of the 1950s? Sounds very similar here.

Rupert Murdoch's Fox Network pushes a very "right-wing" point of view including extreme Christian values. American Idol is on the Fox Network and to have a "possibly" gay eye-lining rocker represent the "values" of America probobly pushed Christian corporate executives at Fox over the edge.

Kris Allen has been working with the worship ministry at his home church, New Life Church in Arkansas, on both the Conway and Little Rock campuses since 2007. He is also involved with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries at the University of Central Arkansas. Danny Gokey is a Christian Music Teacher and a praise and worship leader at both Faith Builders International Ministry locations, in Beloit, WI.

Adam Lambert is Jewish (before "American Idol" he was a rising star on the Jewish stage) and of course the controversy surrounding his lifestyle outside AI was certainly not considered mainstream Americana.

A sudden "buzz" started a few days ago asking if people thought the gay vs. Christian thing would be an issue and it hit all the conservative radio and TV. Fox News right wing news nut, Bill O'Reilly, did a whole segment on it, saying he had never seen the show or either performer and wondered if such things should matter. His "expert" warned that Middle America hadn't paid a whole lot of attention but that the last show would draw people to whom it would matter and Christians would band together because of what kind of man Lambert represents. And vote they did, with Gokey and Allen's Christian fan base leading the charge.

Its been reported that AT&T says about 38 million (of the 100 million) American Idol votes came from Arkansas last night. Supposedly, most of those came from Kris’ home town of Conway, (but I find it hard to believe that all those votes could come from a town with a total population of 50,000). The interesting part is that the news was leaked from local news (FOX16).

Who knows? And better yet, who cares I suppose.

But it certainly felt like Adam was the clear talent winner of this competition.

[Mike]

Mr. finger nail polish seemed more fad than idol. The right guy won.

[Martin Bustios]

I am convinced that the results are rigged. Adam Lambert's career was guaranteed to take off regardless of winning the "Idol" title, while Kris's would likely not take-off given his low key demeanor. This is a repeat of last season "Idol". The producers just got greedy, and wanted to get a double profit on their investment. They will get their profits from Adam. thanks to his excellent skills as a performer, and get their profits from Kris, thanks to the "idol" winner title bestowed on him (rigged is true, but the dumb american public, and the sellout media will ensure to bury any hint of scandal). Having said this, I do like Kris's atttitude very much, he seems like a very decent and honest guy (heck even he himself blurted out something to the effect that the real winner was Adam,.... this is why his reaction was very subdued). He knows the truth, but will just have to play along with the circumstances. Not saying that Kris was not very good too, only that it was clear that Lambert was the absolutely clear winner, and it is disappointing to see how the results are so easily manipulated, and the media plays along with the line about the "american public" vote.

[Kimberly]

uhh. i don't agree with you.

[katelyn]

Kris did not bring back heart to the show which never had heart in the first place. It's a reality tv show to find a singing star and Kris is not a star. His career will reflect that. America voted against Adam because of bigotry and spite. How can you say America has heart when it showed homophobic bigotry and hate for Adam by methodically voting against him. Kris won for all the wrong reasons not because America has heart.