Kris Allen beats Adam Lambert

Minutes before Kris Allen was announced as the new American Idol, he and Adam Lambert sang "We Are the Champions," the 1977 smash by the rock band Queen. As the pyrotechnics sizzled and a large choir (including this year's other "Idol" finalists) backed them up, those two unlikely partners in bringing back heat to the long-running series had one last laugh together.

It was Lambert's moment. It felt like his victory. Ever since he auditioned with an a cappella version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," fans of the fiery-voiced Southland native had been clamoring for him to sing a Queen song. And here he was doing it, leaning on guitarist Brian May's shoulder, fitting right into the spot originally occupied by Freddie Mercury -- one of the most sensationally gifted frontmen in rock history. Allen seemed delighted to be his wing man. And then, in a surprise that really wasn't a surprise at all, he grabbed away the spotlight.

Well, sort of. When Ryan Seacrest announced Allen's victory Wednesday night at the Nokia Theatre, the sweet- natured troubadour actually seemed a bit distressed. "It feels good, man, but Adam deserves this," he said.

''Kris Allen'' The American Idol Top 3

Kris Allen made to the American Idol Top 3, even after a lackluster performance during "Rock Week" that was sure to put him in the bottom three (but didn't). He has been the dark horse rising throughout the competition and, with the
Kris Allen, American Idol Dark Horse, is This Year's Big Surprise
Date: May 12, 2009
Hollywood, CA
United States of America
exception of last week's weak "Come Together," a song written and made famous by the Beatles, he has shown strong musical skills, excellent song choice savvy, an amazing ability to uniquely arrange familiar songs so that they sound fresh, and proven that he can sing just about anything. So there is really no mystery how Kris Allen made it to the Top 3.

But no one would have chosen him to make the Top 3 when the Lucky 13 started their run nine weeks ago...