By Rachel Leigh
SUNRISE, FL (WFLX) – The finalists from Season 8 of American Idol gathered in at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise Wednesday night. Before they went on stage, however, we put Matt Giraud, Kris Allen and Danny Gokey in the spotlight.
Kris Allen took us by surprise the night America crowned him as our Idol.
Rachel asked, “What was the percentage that you thought you were going to win?”
Kris Allen replied, “I really thought it was going to be 50-50.”
It was a big night for Allen as he performed with the group Queen, whose lead guitarist gave Allen some interesting advice. “And I asked Brian May for his autograph. And he wrote, ‘Kris,’ and he signed his name, and he wrote, ‘kill’. And that was it, just kill, and I was like, ‘Ok, I will kill for Brian May.’”
Refreshing after taking brutal remarks from Simon Cowell night after night who, Matt Giraud says, isn’t so horrible. “He’d give us like pep talks. He’d come back and say, ‘Just in case, we say something we don’t like, you can argue with us. It’s fine.”
Matt made Idol history when the judges saved him from elimination. “It was a cool moment to be a part of. Everyone in the room was so loud saying, ‘Save him!’ — even the security guards. I didn’t know people felt like that, and it was an honor.”
It was also a season filled with inspiration, especially after Danny Gokey’s story. Gokey lost his wife to a heart condition a month before trying out.
Rachel asked, “Do you think being on American Idol was therapeutic?”
Danny Gokey said, “Absolutely, being on American Idol, it wasn’t the easiest time. It was better than the alternative, and I feel like it really brought healing to me.”
Proving American Idol isn’t just about the music.
via: http://www.wflx.com/Global/story.asp?s=10818203
