Arkansas student Kris Allen wins 'American Idol 2009'

Reuters | LOS ANGELES- Arkansas student Kris Allen won the eighth season of "American Idol" on Wednesday, dealing an unexpected defeat to singing rival Adam Lambert on the most popular US television show.
Allen, 23, who won over audiences with his all-American good looks and by putting his personal spin on popular tunes, appeared shocked as Lambert, a 27-year-old musical theater actor, embraced him after host Ryan Seacrest's announcement.
"It feels good, but Adam deserves this," Allen said to Seacrest. "I don't even know what to feel right now, this is crazy."
A record high of nearly 100 million votes were cast in the finale. Allen's "Idol" win guarantees him a recording contract.
Of the two finalists, Allen was more clean-cut. A devout Christian from Arkansas, he was a newly married college student before landing on "American Idol."
Allen often performed at the acoustic guitar or on piano, winning praise for rearranging well-known tunes, among them Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" and "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers.
As recently as last week, Allen was considered a long shot heading into the battle for the top two "Idol" spots, but he wowed the show's judges with his rendition of Kanye West's "Heartless," ousting early favorite Danny Gokey.
On Tuesday night's final performance show, "Idol" judge Simon Cowell admitted that he had doubted whether Allen belonged in the finale.
"When your name was announced last week I wasn't sure whether America had made the right choice," Cowell told Allen. "But I absolutely take all that back now."
The Lambert-Allen matchup marked the third time in "American Idol" history and the second year in a row that the show's finale has come down to two male contestants.
"American Idol" began as a cheesy summer talent show in 2002but quickly became a cultural phenomenon that attracts tens of millions of viewers a week to News Corp's Fox network. Ratings have sagged about 7percent this season, but it remains the nation's top-rated TV show with some 26 million viewers.
The show has produced bona fide music stars from among its winners and losers, including country singer Carrie Underwood, Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson, rocker Chris Daughtry and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson.