For the past 2 weeks or so, I’ve been gobbling up any footage related to American Idol, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. I’ve just been entranced by these 2 musicians, by their talent and strong sense of self, as well as their friendship and their very apparent giving and loving personalities. I’ve really been digging my teeth into everything that might tell me anything about what has shaped their approach to their work and to the people around them.

Kris Allen (on Larry King Live) and Adam Lambert (in post-finale interviews) have repeatedly expressed how they feel the theme of this season (Kris) and what they’ve hoped to stand for (Adam) is the possibility of unity amidst diversity, how friendship transcends differences and how incredibly different individuals can find a place of commonality, can not only get along but love one another. Adam even stated that he and Kris had sought to bring their fans together, rather than divide them. I find that so inspiring and so moving, and cheesy as it may sound, I believe both of them are fast becoming celebrity role models - a species that may have been endangered in recent times, but may arguably be on the rise with figures like Obama coming to prominence.

I know there will be some out there who will scoff my “flimsy”, “fangirl-esque” regard for these entertainment figures, since they are supposedly bankrupt “products” of the commercial machinery of American Idol and the entertainment industry. While I recognise the hand that American Idol has had in their rise to prominence and their development as artistes, they strike me as figures that, thanks to the very premise of the show, are real, everyday people I can genuinely relate to (much more than the likes of other drug-abusing, drink-driving, glitz-fed celebrities out there). Anyone who would come off their high culture horses can see that they embody this down-to-earth, open heart, open mind, humble and thankful attitude to everyone and everything that I’d be proud of being known for some day.