Did this really happen at American Idol?

I'm not at all an American Idol fan and in fact I tried to ignore the show as much as I could (which was difficult in our household). But I watched the finale and was preparing for some champaign popping - Elke celebrating Adam Lambert's win and me being happy that this is all over for at almost a year.

It came different. Now I'm not a big fan of Adam Lambert, but he's a true performer with extraordinary talent - guys (and usually girls as well - where were they this season?) like him drive American pop culture and as far as I can judge, there never has been a true "Idol" emerged so early before the final competition. Compared to him, Kris Allen looked like a nice boy at a karaoke competition, dragged to the stage by his friends and then himself surprised that he has actually some genuine talent.

Kris Allen's win gave me a tiny little bit taste of the feeling that would have overcome the country if McCain won the election last November. Bewilderment that that there are forces at work somewhere in this country that decide against the seemingly obvious. Now, Idol is not the Presidential Election and who wins has next to no bearing on the performer's later success. The Kris 'n' Keith performance last night gave a glimpse of what we can expect from him. Adam Lambert, however, may be able to open an completely new chapter in pop music.

For my part, I'll probably continue to ignore both of them.