<p>I agree completely with JHS comments in posts 2295 and 2337. I don’t usually follow AI early on because I don’t enjoy the early mediocre performances and find them uncomfortable, but in switching channels trying to catch our local AI, Danny Gokey, I heard Adam and he absolutely compelled me. He and Danny were my early favorites and I liked them both a lot; I had no problem switching my “favorite” from Danny to Adam. They were both different artists but unique in their own ways. Like JHS said I couldn’t distinguish Kris from a few others during the competition until all the rest were voted off. They were all the same to me but with different names. That said, I do think Kris has a very nice voice, just nothing special to me.</p>
<p>I did read recently that this AI finale was tied for the lowest ratings ever. I found that really surprising with all the buzz around Adam.</p>
<p>I, for one, will not be back for Idol next year. This is the first year I’ve really paid attention to this show, thanks to Adam. Like him or not, Adam was clearly miles ahead of the rest of the group, not only in singing, but all the qualities that make someone a star. If he couldn’t win this thing, then what is the point?</p>
<p>Add to that Alison being voted off the same week that Danny butchers Dream On, seriously? When I saw that the state of Arkansas put out roughly 40% of the total votes, I finally understood that there is no logic to this, and I hate illogical things. </p>
<p>I am happy to have seen the beginnings of Adam making it big, so I thank Idol for that. But Idol will never find another Adam, and even if they did, America will find some fault with him/her, and once again smugly vote for a mediocre person who doesn’t dare them think outside their zone of safety.</p>
<p>I agree, blankmind. I feel the show has pretty much been hi-jacked by young-teen girls, who will turn out in droves to support their “fave.” Which is not to say that Kris had no talent; he simply wasn’t in the same ballpark, league, or universe as Adam in terms of brilliance and what makes someone truly “interesting.” He seems like a nice kid and a good musician with a cute smile, but he didn’t have the “it” factor as far as I’m concerned.</p>
<p>I was just watching several of the Adam Lambert videos on YouTube, and he is even more amazing and multi talented than I thought! Especially the clips of him from Wicked, and his cabaret performance of Dust in the Wind. He really is a star, he can act as well as he can sing. There was even video of him surfing, and he is super good at that too! I would love to see him make it not only as a pop singer and rock star, but as an actor as well.</p>
<p>They released the studio version of Kris’s performance of Kara’s song. Listening to him sing it live and the studio version, it’s amazing how much touching up they did. Not that that’s really Kris’s fault… that song was not made for him to sing.</p>
<p>The producers definitely “cast” the show to drum up interest - they love a gimmick - struggling girls with young children at home, cute blond but with a tattoo sleeve or abandoned by parents at a young age, any type of disability, ambiguous sexuality, blue collar workers harboring the dream, geeky types that need makeovers, someone whose youth they can marvel at every week. Danny was a twofer - recent death of a spouse and a geeky type. Any of those circumstances will garner the needed face time from the beginning. With all the people who audition, there are no doubt hundreds just as talented than the ones who are promoted but they lack an interesting back story. The interesting thing about Kris is that he was really the dark horse in that he was not promoted by the producers; the viewers, whether from Arkansas or not, brought him along. There was no other gimmick.</p>
<p>Edited to add - it is a disconnect though that the teens vote but the music and the guest stars are largely aimed at the senior citizens like us.</p>
<p>^ a disconnect that is a successful marketing strategy. My mother (87), my daughter (14), and myself (not tellin’ ;)) watched together every week, each enjoying a different aspect of the show. </p>
<p>I wonder if the voting rules will change next year as a result of this year’s outcome.</p>
<p>what bugs me about AI is that the original premise of the show was to find an unknown person who could sing. No earlier contracts. no show biz connections…a pure diamond-in-the-rough.
It needs to go back to that type of show.</p>
<p>We were out of town, so I didn’t vote. I did watch the last 15 minutes of the show to find out the winner. I thought Adam was amazing, but I had problems with his strong professional background. I also felt that everyone on the show was pushing for him to win. I really don’t think that anyone should get the feeling that any one contestant is favored over any other contestant. I would have voted for Kris on that basis alone. </p>
<p>Of course, this could be what the powers that be wanted all along. I don’t know. I have only watched the past 3 seasons. I felt that David Cook was the appropriate winner last year. I do think that there are several from this season who could have won. Adam won’t starve. From what friends tell me, Kris is probably better than several of the previous winners, so whatever happens, the show will go on next year, AND there will always be a controversy over who wins.</p>
<p>Billy, there have been contestants in EVERY season who have had “earlier contracts and show biz connections”. It’s never truly been a search for a “pure diamond in the rough”. Even in season 1. It’s a myth that they want to find a total unknown who has never performed before. And Clay should know this.</p>
<p>Blankmind- Your last paragraph is a very accurate statement.<br>
I read the full post of Aiken and he has the nerve to blast Idol while admitting he did not watch this season other than a few moments of “Ring of Fire”. He never saw Kris and only thinks he knows how much Adam was promoted based on the media reports. Next time he should watch the show before he critiques it. I think he is a little jealous that Adam had the nerve to play dress up each week and he did not.<br>
Adam never had a recording contract and we never would have seen him if not for Idol. He would have remained plugging away at musical theater and underground LA rock shows in order to make a living and the world would have missed out on a great talent. I agree that Idol should not be a venue for people who had record deals that did not pan out. But Adam was not in this category.</p>
<p>I was a little surprised at how surly Clay was about Adam and the show. Sour grapes most likely as Adam has a voice and stage presence that Clay can only dream of.</p>
<p>I read somewhere that Clay showed up at the show unannounced wanting to meet with Adam, and was unceremoniously turned away by the show. I guess that would explain his strange rant.</p>
<p>Clay is bitter, jealous and ill informed. Heck, both Ruben Studdard and Kelly Clarkson were working as professional singers before they went on the show. Professional is not the same thing as famous. American Idol is what made them famous. Adam Lambert and Kris Allen admitted in recent interviews that they each had “about the same” amount of prior stage experience. So I don’t know where Clay got off thinking that only Adam had ever sung professionally. Adam was still an unknown, and would still be an unknown, if he hadn’t gone on that show. </p>
<p>Furthermore, Clay said in his blog that he had only watched one song from Adam, and none from Kris all season long. So how is it that Clay suddenly felt qualified to slam an entire season of performances and judges comments that he never even saw? And who is he to complain about Adam, it’s not like Adam won the title. Clay should know how it is to come in 2nd, and for him to come in now and try to kick sand in Adam’s face shows that he has no class whatsoever. </p>
<p>It is very telling that nearly all of the past Idols were in the audience for the Finale. But not Clay. He was “too busy” attending a North Carolina high school musical theatre awards banquet where he didn’t even sing. He no longer has a recording contract, and most of his fans have given up on him. Yeah, he’s jealous of Adam Lambert all right, many of Clay’s former fans are now Adam Lambert fans instead</p>
<p>Egads, UCLA! Aiken’s silly “Claymates” may be gravitating toward Adam now? Ewwwwwwwwww! If that’s the case, I must rethink my beloved Mr. Lambert. :)</p>
<p>I caught a bit of Larry King Live a few nights ago and I was struck by how well all the final contestants got along. They seemed to all like each other and seem supportive of each other.</p>