2009 Lookback | Kris Allen signs with Jive and does Idol-related appearances and tour rehearsals, June 2009

So much to cover in this post! In June 2009, Kris signed with his first record label and continued his press and appearances as the newly crowned Season 8 winner. This post will have the highlights, and for those of you who have never watched some of these, maybe some new things! Included: an appearance with Smokey Robinson at the big 2009 Walmart shareholders meeting, the NBA Finals anthem, the Huckabee show and the 5-part Idolatry interview. Lots of videos and some mp3s for the completists! Read on after the break...

Idol | Kris Allen wins American Idol Season 8 on May 20, 2009!

Our look back at 2009 has reached a big anniversary! On May 20, 2009, Kris Allen won American Idol Season 8. If you've been reading the Season 8 lookback posts (linked at the bottom of this post if you would like to), you might agree with me that this wasn't as much of an upset as Idol and the media like to portray it as being. While Adam Lambert certainly was a talented and extremely memorable contestant, Kris put together a solid and consistent run of great song choices and exceptional performances, coupled with an ability to straddle genres.

Future posts about 2009 and Kris will cover the post-Idol frenzy of media, the Season 8 Idol tour, and the making and release of KATA, but in this post, we'll fondly recall the last two Idol episodes of 2009. Onward for lots of videos, photos, mp3s and memories!