Congratulations to Kris for winning! He's not my cup of tea, but he's OK enough. Adam's not my cup of tea, either, but if there was a Broadway show CD that he was in, that I liked, I would get it.
Regarding contracts of the winners, I think the final 5 are all under contract to 19E in some way (part of the reason for the save, maybe). But I think that the 2 through 5 people get more artistic freedom. Look at the way Daughtry was free to make records in his style, while Hicks from the same season was forced into a Michael McDonald mold that he wasn't very well suited for. Not that Hicks would have been any more successful as a second rate white blues singer, but still, he nev er had the chance to try, either.
Interesting facts coming to light: most of the country favored Adam (the margin was not reported), but 38 million votes were cast from Arkansas, Kris' home state. Adding in the probability that Gokey fans went over to Kris, the margin was reportedly not even close; Kris won by a fairly wide margin (the actual number has not yet been reported).
Although I'm sure there was some anti-gay vote, I have to discount it. I think that anyone who would be anti gay would also prefer Kris, and not like Adam's music regardless. Not meaning the reverse is true... liking one over the other doesn't mean someone would be anti-gay. But it would be odd to imagine someone thinking, "I hate gays, but man that "Ring of Fire" was AWESOME!"
My favorite moment of the night was Allison Iraheta and Cindy Lauper singing "Time After Time". First, I have always loved that song, it is so sweet and gracefully understated. Second, Lauper has always been underestimated as a performer and songwriter; she allowed herself to be characaturized early in her career, and it did not serve her well. Third, they sounded great together, and the accompaniment was beautiful. It transcended the rest of the show, IMO.