Pajiba

The many excellent bands (85 Flood, the Greens, the Love-Me-Knots, FOX Japan, Moon, Karma To Burn, One Foot in the Gravy etc.) just in my little college town that write their OWN fucking material and sing their OWN fucking songs and scrape up a few dollars when they can to put out their OWN fucking CDs are having a good night if 50 people show up at their gigs.

And this douche is going to sell 2 million records to idiots off a fucking karaoke contest.

Makes me wanna puke.

You didn't watch the show and you assume he didn't win because he's gay? Wow. Nice analysis, Dustin.

Oh, what's this? Dustin just e-mailed me a list!

RE: Why did they lose?
McCain: gay
Hillary Clinton -- gay (you may be onto something there)
Miss California -- gay
Arizona Cardinals -- gay, the lot of 'em
Star Trek in its 2nd week -- gay
PS3 -- gay
Saturn -- big gay planet
The sandwich I didn't pick in lieu of the soup -- that sandwich was fucking gay

And just so you know, Adam Lambert made my fucking eyes bleed when he sang. THAT'S why he lost.

I am proud of the fact that I have absolutely no idea what or who you people are talking about. I intend to keep it that way in perpetuity.

Word, tcfkab. Word.

Homophobia was the deciding factor in this, no question. I take solace in the fact that the participating American Idol viewership is not an accurate representation of the country as a whole, but it's a damn shame that the promise-ring wearing tweens and middle-American housewives who vote on this sort of thing remain so staunchly dug-in in their hatred of gays. Any time commentators (or the judges) would refer to him as "theatrical" or "broadway", it was obviously just a thinly veiled euphemism for "faggy".

People have the prerogative to vote for anybody they like, obviously, but by any objective standard, Lambert and Allen do not belong on the same planet from a vocal quality standpoint. It was really embarrassing to watch Kris strain his way through his final song, going flat on every high note, as has become his trademark. Lambert has a truly special instrument- straight, gay, or whatever, the guy melts faces. Anybody who calls what he does "screaming" has absolutely no concept of vocal production or of the history of rock singing (Zeppelin, AC/DC, Aerosmith, etc. etc.)

I only hope that this fuels the gay-rights movement to work even harder. It's been a great 2009 for progress thus far, and this should just serve to remind us of the work that needs to be done.

I don't know, he did make it to the finale, gayness and all.

A better test would be to look at how Clay Aiken's record sales compare before and after his finally coming out of the closet (he did come out, didn't he?).

Bottom line, though, is that , is absolutely right. Does it really matter which glorified karaokeist won?

Well. Here's the deal...

They're both immensely talented. Kris Allen really IS, honestly, quite talented enough to genuinely deserve to have won.

EXCEPT for the fact that Adam Lambert BLEW HIM AWAY every single night.

There is NO other explanation for this than that hundreds of thousands of pseudo-Christians voted multiple times AGAINST the GAY GUY... or, maybe, MAYBE... that Lambert's flamboyant style was simply a massive turn-off to thousands of people who simply preferred the vanilla stylings of the Jack Johnsonesque Kris Allen.

And that's a vastly unfair characterisation, really. Allen isn't remotely Johnsonesque, except when compared to Lambert. As I said, Allen is beautifully talented. And deserving. But the nagging feeling that this win turned on the homophobic vote is inescapable.

The only true consolation in this entire sad affair is the fact thatLambert has a faaabulous, superstar career ahead of him, regardless. In fact, he's probably better off without the American Idol title.

And Allen definitely needed the title more. Whilst Lambert would have soared no matter what, Allen might not have; watching Simon Cowell's shocked and even sullen and slightly angry response to the results last night, I got the feeling that the Brit, feeling snubbed by the American public's repudiation of his confident season-long prediction, will likely make it his life's work to ensure Adam Lambert's stardom. On the other hand, had Lambert won, Kris Allen's stardom would not have been an absolute sure thing.

So. There it is. If things go the way I think they will, and both these young men receive the proper guidance and get some good songwriting help (and that's never a guarantee), we'll probably be seeing them both for a long time. They're both terrific singers, that's inarguable.

But Lambert deserved to win the "Idol" title, and I guess the voting public once again did not fail to do its job and be as predictable as ever in its banality. Vote for George W. Bush twice in 8 years... send Britney Spears to the top of the charts over and over and over... giver Ruben Studdard and that salt and pepper haired clown guy the title?

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people..."

Or their taste.

I think Simon Cowell is overjoyed that Lambert lost. Now he can take him under his wing and make him an international superstar instead of having him knuckle under the obligatory Idol-winner song-and-dance. I think he lost because glam rock is not as big in the U.S. as alt-Christian pop. And Allen did get all those Gokey votes (I was going to pull an Elvis and take a shotgun to my tv if they didn't get that guy off of there, no matter how cute and dead his wife was, the dude COULD NOT SING. His Aerosmith made me want to cry).

Point is, Lambert and Cowell are off to make pots of money now, thanks.

What happened to the yodeling cat? He didn't make the finals?

I caught Adam Lambert singing around 20 seconds of U2's "One" and that 20 seconds was enough to make me not ever want to see or hear him sing again.

And your "mid-western housewives against gays" theory is full of shit. My mom is midwestern, is as conservative as they come and voted 50 time for Adam Lambert to win. When he didn't she seriously looked like she wanted to kill the TV.

The real question should be why, whenever something unexpected happens in our country, the natural response of some is to assume that it's because people are racist and/or homophobic?

Adam Lambert and his black nail polish/Pete Wentz hair stylings are as fake as Carrie Prejean's tits. That's why he lost.

Approximately 100 million votes were cast. 38 million votes were phoned from Arkansas, acc. to AT & T.

it's a good thing the "gay" guy lost!
The losers on this show generally are more successful anyway so actually he WON!!

"Maryscott O'Connor": Well said.

"some Guy": Your mom is the exception that proves the rule. I tip my cap to her for having good taste. But these statistics are not secret, and a disproportionate plurality of American Idol votes come from the conservative middle aged woman, teenaged girl and evangelical christian demographics. If we were putting together a roster of "People who hate homosexuals in America", the only group that would be missing from the aforementioned would be Nascar Dads and high school football players. This is not an instance of impulsively crying prejudice. A lot of people saw this coming a mile away.

"Jen": Oh, you're a singer, eh? Me too. You ought to be able to understand, then, that just because his style (rock tenor) is not your cup of tea, and may not be something you personally would choose to listen to, does not mean that he's any less outstanding of a vocalist. This is supposed to be a SINGING competition.

If you've ever stood on a stage or in a recording booth, and you're not absolutely stunned by the level of natural ability, control, showmanship and polish that Lambert displays, I don't know what to say.

Maryscott said it earlier: Kris Allen is not a terrible performer. He's sweet in his own way, and he'll make a fine addition to the Disney Channel lineup. But I think the incredulity we're seeing from a lot of people, myself included, is due to the fact that the talent gap between the final two singers was the widest that has ever been seen on that show.

The outrage isn't over Gay rights. It's over the viewership's inability to get over it's petty prejudices in recognizing excellence with some shred of objectivity.

It's over the viewership's inability to get over it's petty prejudices in recognizing excellence with some shred of objectivity.

You're seriously asking for objectivity in a contest decided by viewer preference? Do you not understand what "vote for the one you like" means?

To Vermillion; other people who are judging Lambert (or anything for that matter) based on The Soup:

If you havn't heard the guy sing, other than an out-of-context clip on a basic cable time-waster, you are not entitled to an opinion.

You could take a 5 second clip of Steven Tyler, Chris Cornell, Robert Plant or Luciano Fuckin' Pavarotti in mid high-note, and it would sound hilariously stupid.

I'm not saying you have to love the guy- but do him (and us) the courtesy of listening to a full performance before rendering an opinion.

To those of you expressing the opinion that Adam Lambert was merely screeching...

Aside from the fact that you sound like my blue haired grandmother talking about ELVIS, for the love of god...

I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to defer to the people here who know their ass form a hole in the ground about actual singing ability. There are actual FACTS in play here. He may not be to your taste, but Adam Lambert consistently displayed a stunning range, control and natural talent. He was NOT screeching. He was NOT merely LOUD.

So you didn't like it? Yeah. I hate "Rush," too. Doesn't mean I think Geddy Lee isn't enormously talented. I'm not going to sit there and say he sucks. I just turn the radio station when "Tom Sawyer" comes on. Not my cuppa. On the other hand, if I were judging a talent contest that came down to Geddy Lee and Kris Allen, no matter how much more pleasant I find the latter -- and I DO, believe me -- I would HAVE to give the award to the former. It would be fucking UNETHICAL not to.

Anyhoo.

meaux: I ought to have emphasized "supposed".

Obviously it is not, and rarely has been, a singing competition- you're quite right. I'm not an enormous fan of the show, but Lambert's talent sucked me in this year. I stupidly assumed it might be different this year. He's far and away the best singer (from a purely vocal standpoint) to have ever appeared on the show.

And i'm also not surprised, Jen, at the lack of objectivity. Just disappointed, and, due to the shocking clarity of which singer was superior, outraged.

Maryscott: Well stated, once again. "Oooh he's just SCREACHING! I'm going to vote for that nice christian boy. I'll bet he's sweet to his grandmother."

Ugh, hate to admit it, but this was the first time I watched AI whole season through. I too was disappointed by Adam Lambert (known as Glamberace on DListed) not winning. He's immensely talented and here's hoping he goes far.

As for Kris Allen...I freaking hated that stroke victim face he made when he was trying to get his weak voice to hit any strenuous note.

God. I need to go watch something to reclaim my lost street cred.

I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to defer to the people here who know their ass form a hole in the ground about actual singing ability.

I never watch the show and therefore have no idea over who is the more talented singer/entertainer. However, the overwhelming bulk of the voting audience has never stood on a stage or in a recording booth nor are they probably that musically-inclined themselves. So should we really be that shocked if people choose what some consider to be the less talented singer?

Personally, I would never use American Idol as an accurate social barometer.

I don't know, I think there may be some prejudice against the punk image here, even if manufactured, rather than sexuality. The other immensely talented contestant, Allison, was eliminated in 4th place. I think had the final been between her and Adam, it would have truly been a talent competition, but she never got the attention she deserved from fans throughout the season. So it was more about who can put on a more generic and unoffensive show than who is actually good.

It's amazing to me that anyone can say, "I wouldn't prefer to listen to Adam Lambert, but I'd certainly vote for him since he's the technically superior singer." That's...not at all the point of American Idol. The point is the majority of viewers prefer to listen to Kris Allen. The end. Let's not add layers of meaning where there clearly are none.

Poor bastard. Besides one good college (Hendrix) and one mediocre one (UCA), that place is a pit, a crummy freeway town between Little Rock and Fayetteville (I think my sister lives in Conway now, in fact).

amen and amen.
You know that last night Kris was making every promise he could to his preferred Deity, maybe even to other ones, in hopes he would win and be able to get the fuck out of Conway and Arkansas for good....and to never, ever have to work as a "worship leader" again.
I guess Kris's God likes him more the Adam.

I have to go wash my hands now for commenting on an American Idol thread. That crap is a blight on our culture.

Speaking of this nation's idiotic anti-gay sentiment, the word is that the California Supreme Court passed on announcing their ruling upholding Prop 8 today because it's the anniversary of the White Night Riots.

I don't think that the people who saw that "Ring of Fire" clip on The Soup are wrong. I caught the performance "in context." The only episode of AI I caught this year happened to be that episode, and I saw that particular performance. And I was absolutely horrified. The Soup merely enhanced the unbelievable caterwauling that Lambert did as he destroyed a classic song.

I also caught Lambert's KISS performance from last night, and I thought he kicked ass. But then again, he didn't rearrange their songs into a mess like "Ring of Fire." He just strikes me as someone who'd thrive in a dramatic Broadway setting as opposed to being a packaged pop star. And that has nothing to with his sexual preference, whatever that may be!

Saying that people who prefer a less technically gifted singer don't understand music is hilariously condescending. Celine Dion and Mariah Carey are technically superior singers, but they also make me want to rip my skin off like a bottomed-out junkie. I would vote for a half-dead howling dog over them because I do not like it when the sound waves from their voices hit my ear drums.

And AI is a complete popularity contest, folks. Since when has the most popular anything been the most talented/intelligent/qualified/whatever (I give you Nic Cage's inexplicable box office pull as exhibit #1)? Again, and I don't think I'm alone here, it's not because Adam is too gay, or too glamorous, or too loud, or too screechy, or too talented for most people to understand. It's because he's annoying as fuck! I mean, I recognize the skills and wish him good luck with his career, but please allow people to *gasp!* prefer someone over him without basically calling them morons.

I seriously don't think Adam lost because he's gay. That's like Miss California arguing she lost because she's against gay marriage. Does *everything* have to come down to sexuality? Sometimes things are not so furtive.

My husband put it very well: Adam doesn't have a great voice but really knows how to sing. Most of what he did was falsetto or squealing, and while he'd be great for a glam rock band (maybe leading the "new" Queen?) he's not a pop music star, whereas Kris Allen is (I think the Jack Johnson reference above was spot on). Kris Allen *should* produce a CD and tour a bit. Adam *should* star on Broadway or in a Vegas review. I don't think I would ever buy his CD, and I'm a huge Bowie fan. I might buy Kris Allen's, because I also enjoy low-key folky pop.

One other thing -- Adam TRIED to break into the business before. He couldn't. Idol was like a last resort for him. Make of *that* what you will.

(Should I be depressed I actually care this much about AI?)

If you don't like to watch dudes who wear "guy-liner" and other makeup, rhinestones, sequins, tight shiny clothes, and who caterwaul, does that make you homophobic? Is that how all of "the gays" look and act?

I received my first real bj on the Hendrix campus.

Wait a second...how'd Vincent Chase's diminutive friend/manager/drinking/entourage buddy win AI?

"Any time commentators (or the judges) would refer to him as "theatrical" or "broadway", it was obviously just a thinly veiled euphemism for "faggy"."

Or maybe Americans consider "theatrical" or "broadway" slightly synonymous with "fucking annoying."

Die, AI.

I think, sexuality aside, Lambert just scared the voting demographic a little too much. Talent gap was there, but IMAGE gap was frigging astronomical. I only started following this show when Allen got into the final, because I graduated from Hendrix in 2006, work and play with several people who know him etc...I saw the announcement of the winner. Jesus, Adam Lambert looked to be a foot taller than Kris - maybe it was the shoes.
I really don't like either of their voices, but I think Lambert is far more talented. I like what someone up higher said - he doesn't have a pretty voice, but his range and control are incredible. Allen has a pretty voice, but struggles with some of the technical aspects of singing.

For anyone that was wondering, Conway is indeed a shithole. Building a Chili's and a Best Buy didn't fix that fact.

Kballs: I sure did. I'm from Little Rock, and live here now, and though I don't like it much more than Conway, I barely paused long enough to loot my Conway apartment of its more valuable electronics on my way back down here.

And did we tell you the name of the game, boy?

One other thing -- Adam TRIED to break into the business before. He couldn't. Idol was like a last resort for him. Make of *that* what you will.

Ariel, I would expect such a big Idol fan as yourself to get your facts straight. He had nothing to break into. He has been very successful in musical theater for years in regional productions and had to turn down an audition for the upcoming Spiderman musical on Broadway because of Idol's contracts. You might not see that as being in the industry, but claiming he's a failure and was desperate is ridiculous.

also, have you ever noticed how inredibly adorable kris and his wife are? i want them to adopt me

Robert, actually most of what I go by is rumor, gossip, and conjecture. I *had* heard somewhere that he had been successful in musical theatre (which makes sense) but hadn't hit it big as a commercial musical artist for whatever reason, and thus went on Idol to tap that aspect of the industry (I'm not sure regional theatre counts as "industry," though it's totally important in its own right and often leads to bigger and better things). So yeah, maybe the grapevine is about as reliable as Wikipedia, but the Spiderman audition shouldn't count toward your evidence if it came after his success on Idol (which is what I gathered from the fact that he had to turn it down due to his Idol contract).

*My last post on this topic*

Regarding Adam's past success- the guy was actually EXTREMELY successful. I know a lot of people who have worked with him in west coast theatre, and aside from being a stand-up guy, the man worked consistently in first-class productions his entire career, including originating the male lead in Wicked (LA cast) and costarring with Val Kilmer in a pre-broadway production of a new musical. He went as far as one can possibly go in musical theatre without relocating to New York.

He never tried to "break in" to pop or rock until now, and i'd say it's been a fairly successful venture thus far.

To try to portray him as some desperate clinger who's tried and failed at this before is as stupid as it is slanderous. Lambert has succeeded on every level he's attempted and looks like he'll continue to do so for a long time.

The gay dude kinda sucked (and I'm not just talking about cock). The right guy won, straightness and all.

Bottom line, Adam slaughtered everyone else on that stage week after week, including finale night. I'm talking vocal ability, stage presence, entertainment factor, the works.

We can speculate on why he lost (and there are a number of possible theories), but what's important is that we all agree that his loss was epically fucked up. It was like watching a guy get kicked in the dick on stage in front of millions of people while everyone stared on in confusion and clapped half-heartedly.

First of all, I must say that was one of the toughiest American Idol's season finale. Both guys were differently great and I honestly think that difference in the number of votes between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert wasn't that large.

As a vocal teatcher, I have to say that it's undeniable the fact that Lambert sang better than Allen. I mean, his high notes and his voice control were just breathtaking, specially for a guy. High notes aren't usually a guy's "thing". On the other hand, Allen had a more beautiful voice. He had a really soft and pure voice tone. To be honest, I didn't like Lambert's voice tone, though, as I said, his technique was impeccable.

I don't see Adam Lambert's homosexuality as the reason why he's lost. If you carefully see, Allen's voice as well as the music style he's probably going to sing tends to please a larger number of people and that's what made him the winner. After all, isn't it American Idol's all about?

About Kris Allen's reaction at the end of the show, I think he was excited at his manner. You can see through the entire season he's always been shy and, in that moment, with all the screaming and the hands clapping he didn't know what to do. But if you see, at the very end, he realized what he had achieved and started to cry hugged with the beautiful blond lady.

Despite who's won or lost, they both did good jobs. Congratulations to them.