The underdog is the new “American Idol.”
Clean-cut country boy Kris Allen knocked glam god Adam Lambert off his pedestal last night, becoming the series’ eighth title winner.
It might be the most surprising upset in the show’s history since the judges – including tough guy Simon Cowell – often favored Lambert’s wild performances.
Even though the flamboyant Lambert appeared to be the favorite, it was never a foregone conclusion he would win the final vote, which host Ryan Seacrest revealed to be “just under 100 million” – beating last year’s tally of 97.5 million.
The expulsion of Danny Gokey two weeks ago may have given Allen, 23, a boost since both are more conventional and down-to-earth than Lambert, 27.
Lambert’s sexuality was also a wild card – with a singing and fashion style reminsicent of gay icons from Queen singer Freddie Mercury to k.d. lang.
Over the past few months, pictures have surfaced of Lambert kissing other men, while Allen has often talked about his wife and his church attendance.
And simple geography may have been on Allen’s side.
Five past Idol winners have been from southern states, and he hails from Conway, Ark., about as deep in the South as you can get.
Allen didn’t challenge the top-rated show’s core values. On stage, he exuded all the edginess of a modest Bible student who just happened to look like a teen idol.
By contrast, Lambert positioned himself as a revolutionary with his eyeliner, nail polish and jet-black dye job – and aligned himself with two left-of-mainstream genres, glam-rock and goth.
His over-the-top style, complete with a patented shriek, impressed some but turned off others.
Tensions were high as Lambert and Allen went into the final round of competition on Tuesday.
Lambert revived his celebrated take on Tears For Fears’ “Mad World,” and performed a rocking version of Sam Cooke’s “Change Gonna Come” plus a song co-written by new judge Kara DioGuardi.
Allen offered up his versions of Bill Withers‘ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On,” along with his own take on the DioGuardi song.
Adam is a superstar. He will rule the airwave, screens and consciousness around the globe for years to come. Kris will make nice records for heartland america (because let me tell you that boring shit doesn’t really play here in Oz).
Adam goes toe to toe with Rock Gods and Kris gets made to look like a kid in a jam session by Keith Urban – yes American this is your Idol…
Adam Lambert is my American Idol.
Nuff said.
waaaaa……
The only thing I can do to deal with the disappointment is to blog…hate blogging but right now need to vent:
HE DIDN’T NEED TO WIN…HE HAD ALREADY CONQUERED
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
To say that I am devastated is a huge understatement. I have the urge to either hop a plane to LA and smack the producers of Idol with a big hammer, or go to the fridge and down a half gallon of double chocolate mocha…..very tough decision right now.
Another season and America has ended and once again disappointed me. In what was probably the most exciting season of all(and I have watched all of them, never missing a show in 8 season…I know sad aren’t I). America chose Kris Allen over Adam Lambert to be this years new Idol…Once again America has disappointed me. Idol is supposed to be about discovering talent and finding the next big ’star’, finally after 8 long seasons of failure and near misses, they finally found not just a ’star’ but Super Nova named Adam Lambert. Adam took the stage and with his first note he breathed new life into a stagnant and predictable franchise. Idol saw $$ in Adam and used him to gain new viewers and new sponsors. Adam benefited as well, gaining exposure and face time in front of his biggest ever audience …. America’s living room.
If anyone cares to read the rest:
http://artiselemental-piecesofmymind.blogspot.com/2009/05/he-didnt-need-to-winhe-had-already.html
Kris won because of the perfect storm effect. People got tired of the ridiculously preferential treatment that Adam got. The fact that he was a professional also turned people off. Basically, when the votes were announced last week, and only 11 million more votes were added, you knew Lambert was toast. The Gokey votes were going to Allen or nobody. Add the VFTW element, and you got Allen winning 60-40.
I am in shock. Look at the downloads and google searches for Adam V Kris. Adam clearly had more fans. I think it was fewer people voting but doing it numerous times for Kris. Well, all I can say is bye bye AI. After 8 years this did it for me. I cannot take this show seriously. They have lost all credibility. If the singers were closer in ability, I’d accept it. But there was a chasm between Kris and Adam. Even Simon looked very displeased. How on earth are they going to market Kris? I don’t think Kris will even come close to filling a concert room’ ever. Really very troubling and beyond shocking. The show needs to fold. We have enough good christian Taylor Hicks types.
America got it wrong.
^^^^^
wow, I really don’t care to.
Kris needed this in order to make the killer album he’s proved he can produce all along. I can’t wait to buy it come Thanksgiving or so.
CONGRATS KRIS!
No need to be ’snippy’.
My blog entry is not about Kris, nothing negative said about Kris as a person. Kris is a decent guy and talented. I am sure he worked hard and wanted to win, why else would he have been in the competition.
Adam worked hard as well and wanted to win. As a supporter I am naturally disappointed and chose express that disappointment.
I could posted my entire opinion on this page. I chose to put the bulk of my post behind a link. I was being polite!
It’s ok mdb123. Your blog is an excellent expression of your feelings and I’m, for one, glad you posted the link.
Best,
BB
Kris won because he had nobody against him. Neither the anti-eyeliner vote or the anti-evangelical vote were motivated to vote like crazy for the other guy. And both guys are really good. Adam showed Kiss how to rock and roll and Keith Urban sounded like he was playing back up for Kris. I’ll probably buy both their albums.
RUSE, RUSE, RUSE. Rigged. ADAM ROBBED. Having been at finale performances and heard the bizzare judges comments that were not consistent with performances something really seemed amuck. Kris sang the coronation song horribly and Randy says “this song was more for you than Adam”, huh? Simon not giving Adam any real recognition after fabulous performances? And saying “your back in the game” after he was never out of it. Slaming Adam for a coat, fog/theatrics, and then having fog in the finale. The producers/judges had it all planned days ahead.
I dont believe for a minute Adam had fewer votes.
Why did Kris win? All a set up. $$$$$$. If Adam won Kris would disapear in no time. If Kris won he’s good for a few years with his big fan base, and Idol has Adam too. $$ from both.
Simon and clan you should be ashamed of yourself…I certainly am.
THIS IS A SHAM OF A SHOW. Adam is too good for you.
I think Kris’s forte is country music. Cetainly, he outsang Keith Urban in the Duet.
i will never watch american idol again
i will follow adam’s bad-ass career & love it!
You are completely right. Beautifully written and 100% accurate.
This is amazing. I just realized that this country is full of a bunch of narrow minded homophobic morons.
Ok, have had a while to sleep(or not sleep) on this whole ‘thing’ and have to say I don’t feel any better about it.
Not taking anything away from Kris….he’s probably more suitable to be the Idol anyway…based on all the previous Idols.
Kris was ’shocked’ to hear Ryan say his name, and said Adam should have won…he knows who is the bigger star. Idol will now set about turning Kris into the kind of performer they want him to be. He will have to sing what they want him to sing, dress how they want him to dress, and say what they tell him to say…his contract give Idol total contract of Kris until they decide they’ve found the next big thing.(Next season if there is one). I wish Kris well, good luck Kris. There will be the chance to do your ‘own thing’ when your Idol contract is over.
Adam will have a contract also(this was stated the day before the finale…the label had already decided to sign them both. Adam will not be subject to the same restrictions though, and Idol will very likely play on Adam’s uniqueness to market him to the more edgy and alternative music buyers. This allows for more artistic freedom as well.
Idol has a win-win situation on their hands right now. They will have both mainstream and alternative – rock markets covered, and Adam will also sell internationally in a big way. Idol never does anything without a plan…this may have been their strategy all along.
They’ve gotten two Idols for the price of one…
Forgot to say this…and I may get some flack for it, but here it is. I think the whole Kiss things was a big mistake…sorry. I know Kiss is legendary, and they are lots of fun..but again, they are also considered ‘campy’ and very much a ‘niche’ band. Again, it makes people associate Adam with this form of music. I know he had fun up there…and darned he looks better in glitter and eyeliner than anyone I’ve ever seen, but that will be the last thing the audience will remember of Adam for the show and I don’t like that.
Adam is an artist and he’s much more than costumes and glitter, it’s too bad Idol was not the platform to really showcase all that he can be.
Done now. Time to back to work and real life. Ho..Hummm..
“Five past Idol winners have been from southern states, and he hails from Conway, Ark., about as deep in the South as you can get.”
Trust me there are much ‘deeper south’ cities than Conway.
Also, if Adam had not screamed every song, maybe the country would have not grown tired of it.
MMMM Big set up as I see it. I have checked out countless surveys, read blogs, checked out gambling sights all over and every one of them had Adam for their fav. I, as an Adam fan would sign a petition for a recount, and let them show me the numbers! I think it is odd Ryan did not even say what the percent was this year. BUT i am glad now that Adam will have a choice to be who he is! Not some hometime boy with all the little kids screaming for him. Yeah like they will buy his album. They will forget about him just like they did with the “SoulTrain” I see Adam in a movie, MAN he would make a great vampire. mm any casting calls left for Twilite? I also see Adam heading a Broadway Musical could you see him as the Phantom? Ohh shivers up and down my spine!!! Adam will be the rock that hurls into space and blasts into many different stars and Kris will be the rock that sinks, dead weight, just one of the many rocks we pitch in because we can.
I agree that winning Idol is what Kris needed so he woudl not fade into obscurity. Otherwise, forget it–he’d be making babies with is wife in Conway. Adam is already a real star with a mega following. With Adam’s obvious popularity–it makes you really wonder how Kris could win. He was clearly shocked and felt undeserved. He almost looked guilty. Adam has more fans, Adam has more downloads and is googled up to 5 x more per day. Adam should have won. So, what happened? Is this a two for the price of one for 19E??? Certainly has that feel. Poor Kris.
Yep–this win will hurt Kris more than Adam. His win will be deemed inauthentic and Adam will get the attention as the one who shoudl have won. Not only will I refuse to go to the concert (EBay will be auctioning my tix soon)–this is the first Idol concert I have ever missed. And guess what? My great seat tix in NYC are selling on EBay today at face value–doubt anyone else wants to see Adam be KRis’ warm-up! That speaks volumes.
Kris wins, Adam wins (even he doesn’t win “the title”) b/c he finally gets the platform he deserves, and thanks to America getting it wrong (IMO), Idol loses a great deal of its viewership next season. And I don’t think it was TPTB, this time, I think it was America. And Kara’s crapfest of a song. I hope she is gone by the time the tour starts. Time to start all over or say goodbye, Idol.
Let’s see…Adam has world-wide appeal, and Kris has Arkansas appeal. Way to go, America! lol!
Exactly what I expected the reaction to be today if Kris won. How sad. The attention is all on Adam, as it has been all season. It’s not “Congrats Kris!” It’s “Poor Adam”. Or even moreso, “Poor Me!”. It is ridiculous. Kris is mega-talented, as is Adam…but you can’t compare the 2. I understand the hard feelings, the “I’m never gonna watch again” that is said every year, blah, blah, blah…I expected that. But it is completely unfair to such a talented, sweet, humble young man like Kris. He worked his ass off, he more than showed that he deserved to be where he was at….
“Poor Adam” is not “Poor Adam” at all. Do you really think he cares if he won??? Honestly? It’s already been said that both would be signed. Adam has nothing to worry about. Most of you would have maybe never even known who Adam Lambert was if it wasn’t for Idol…it was an incredible platform for him, that he needed. Idol was a GREAT thing for him, whether or not you want to cry about it, or scream that it was rigged, or that Idol needed Adam more…
BUT Do you think he is feeling sorry for himself today? Um, no. The contestants showed SO MUCH class and grace, it’s a shame the fans can’t do the same.
Oh, and as for the whole teeny-bopper thing, the whole “country bumpkin” thing…whatever the hell else names that Kris fans have been called…it is a bunch of BS. I was a fan of both, but preferred Kris. I am neither a teeny-bopper or a “country bumpkin” FAR from both. I get so tired of everyone being labeled.
I understand some people’s argument about Adam’s sexuality hindering him in this competition…and that is a huge, huge shame. It’s very unfortunate that he was judged by some. But in all fairness, Kris has been judged on his faith too, which he himself has asked to not be judged on, and I respect that. The casual AI viewer would probably not even know he is a worship leader, or a Christian…
And by the way, all this is coming from someone who does not attend church, and I would fight to the very end for gay rights….
umm..like it is really that hard to outsing keith urban, lol! yes, country might be the way for kris to go before he enters obscurity.
All external indicators (the ones not controlled by the “idol powers that be”)pointed to Adam as the winner. Something smells rotten in the state of Denmark….
E19 / Idol, they always have a strategy and this year they got two Idols for the price of 1. Kris will bring them lots of $$ from the USA, Adam will bring in both US @ International $. Idol is a business they don’t do this for free…they managed to pull this on out of their butt! Idol is all about the $$$…it’s not about the ‘artistry’, no matter how many times Kara & Paula reminded us about artistry.
Simon said ‘on public television’ after Season 1…Idol is about finding the next big thing, promoting the heck out of ‘it’, making a lot of $$, then moving on to the next big thing. The ‘public’ has a short attention span. Idol is not about the long term. (You can research this comments online).
They did not expect Kelly Clarkson to stick around so long on top of the charts, they expected 1-2 years max. They assumed their next Idol would take her place. Ruben was the next, and that did not work out so well. In all 8 seasons they’ve only had 2 ‘winners’ that really made it to the top and stayed there(Kelly & Carrie), David Cook has done a great job,hope he keeps going strong. there have been more non-winners that have done well than winners.(Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, David A, Clay Aiken, etc.) Guess time will tell who was luckier this time Kris or Adam.
Uh, yeah I don’t think so. You can’t outsing Keith Urban singing his OWN song…sorry…
I dislike comments like: ” Adam didn’t need to win.”, “Adam will sell more records”, etc. Adam went on this show to, hopefully, win. He certainly didn’t join the ranks to come in 2nd. If he didn’t need to win why was he in the competition in the first place? Adam will sell more records? So, why didn’t he just skip the show & sell records? You see, Adam needed American Idol. If it wasn’t for AI who would know him? Kris had a great likeability factor, Adam has scored a zero in this. Adam’s arrogance was a turn off for non-Adam fans. Adam’s voice is an acquired taste. You either hated it or loved it, no one could be on the fence with Adam. He was too over the top. His performances were too singular. They involved him and not the audience.
I am still reeling from shock, that America can vote a sweet nice and pleasant looking guy with a sweet slightly above average nice voice to win over a megatalented superstar, who has more stage presence that I have ever seen before on tv.