OMG!

Kris Allen, for me, is the biggest surprise on American Idol Season 8. I never saw him getting so far on the show -- definitely not on the Finale! Not that I don't really like him. It's just that he doesn't have as big of a voice as the others and the range of his vocals is not really that wide. Besides, he seems kinda meek so I didn't think he was the type to stand out.

I always thought that the outcome of the show was predictable from the start: Adam and Danny to the finish line. Even my other two favorites, Mat G and Allison, made it to the Top 5. Who would ever think Kris would ever take such a huge leap forward? Even the judges were clearly shocked at the results -- no offense to Kris, I'm sure.

Well, between Danny and Kris, Danny definitely has the better vocals. Another strength of his is that he's VERY likable. But when it comes to originality, Kris is way ahead. Kris is just as original or even more original than Adam, and I think that this is what makes him stand out. He's still not among my top favorites,(probably because he seems to lack personality for me), but I definitely loved his renditions, especially of She Works Hard for the Money and Heartless. Who would ever think those songs could be sung the way Kris did? Simply brilliant! And definitely memorable! Plus -- I think I've said this before -- Kris can play the keyboards and the guitar, which makes him a true musician.

Contrary to what Simon said earlier in the season about how introducing his wife might hurt Kris' standing in the competition, I think that the fans have embraced the wife as well (she is with Kris everywhere!) and of course, I would commend Kris for being very humble.

So there... even though I would have been rooting for Danny, I guess it makes more sense and is more justified that Kris is in the finale. Right now, I don't even think that Adam's a sure win anymore. With just a million votes separating Adam and Kris in this week's elimination, it seems that Kris really has a lot of fans. Hmm.. I'm guessing that the fans of the eliminated Idols will base their votes not on personal favorites, but on the actual performance.

Of course, I'm still rooting for Adam. I do hope he doesn't rest on his laurels and neither do his fans. Well, good luck to both in the finale.. and to Danny, too.. I'm sure he'll have a great career ahead of him!