An open letter to Adam Lambert fans

*** Guest blogger alert ***

Dear Adam Lambert Fans:

I know the "American Idol" finale must have been hard for you.

Many of you invested a great deal in Adam Lambert winning the prize this season. You loved his powerhouse vocals, his dramatic flair, his fearless showmanship. In addition to his obvious talent, he came to symbolize something for a lot of people -- an openness and tolerance for difference that this country really is overdue in embracing whole-heartedly.

Adam gave it his all, and will doubtlessly be rewarded with many golden career opportunities. The guy has a deluxe ticket to the top, and he seems smart and grounded enough to take advantage of it. (He also doesn't have to perform that godawful winner's tune, "No Boundaries.")

But Adam didn't win. Kris Allen did. And I hope you won't take your disappointment out on another promising young musical artist, who gave everything to the contest he had and came out on top honorably.

There's been a lot of charges, from posters on blogs like this one, that if Allen wins it's got to be because of homophobia. Though Lambert never announced to the world that he's gay, there are so many obvious clues -- and I'm not talking about the "guyliner" or black nail polish here, but Lambert's history of performing in gay cabarets, certain videos that have popped up on youtube, etc.

It's hard to deny that some Idol watchers may have indeed cast their vote in a bigoted fashion. But it's also unfair to assume that Kris didn't garner most of his votes by his own efforts.

Kris represented a quieter, less showy but also vibrant vein of American pop music that many people simply enjoy more and prefer. His attractive voice is exactly right for his own style. And his creativity, freshness, sincerity are all a fine tonic to some of us, a refreshing breather from the more bombastic and cluttered and techno-tuned sounds that have dominated the pop industry for too long.

If that's not your bag, then you won't be buying Allen's records. And it's understandable you'll be disgruntled that your horse didn't win the derby.

But if there's one thing we all might want to emulate it is the graciousness of both Allen and Lambert, who seemed utterly at ease with and supportive of one another throughout the competition. Their mutual respect, and their agreement that both had won the contest no matter who got the top prize, is inspiring in a country so riven with divisions and antagonisms. Let's take that away from this year's "American Idol," as a lesson learned from both of these talented and graceful young men.

-- Misha Berson, Times arts critic