Puke alert.There are already posts on American Idol saying A US proved it is still "Christian"

[saracat]

and a "godly nation" by defeating Adam. Those rat bastards actually took down an innocent talent who "deserved" to win. Kris Allens first words were "Adam deserved to win!".

I just wish the LGBT Community and the Progressive community would band together to protect their own.All over DU there were posts fromLGBT saying," I am voting for Kris, he is cute" and progressives saying "eew, American idol" ! Why doesn't anyone get the power of popular culture? Now the fundies have a basis to their claim the US doesn't approve of LGBTS!

Adam will be fine. He is a superstar. But the opportunity to send a pro gay message was coopted and it bothers me that few get it or care.

Thank you to all who voted in support of his tremendous talent and his courage.

[cboy4]

1. Adam will be fine, but the results are disturbing to say the least.

Adam is the star, gay or not.

His personality, appearance and stage presence are so much more captivating than Kris.

Kris is a very good singer, but he doesn't have the whole package.

Obviously he agrees.

[bluestateguy]

2. Is Kris Allen really so bad?

It seems to me like he's a worthy winner.

It's the rabid supporters of Kris that have shamelessly politicized the show and made the whole contest about their own homophobia.

[saracat]

3. Nothing wrong with Kris but he pales in comparison to Adam and knows it.

none of this was about Kris. The Bible belt and the Gokey voters are crowing about their victory. Gokey's pastor is jubilent! America has been "saved".

[cboy4]

6. Well when you have the winner saying he shouldn't have won,

what does that tell you?

He's not so bad at all. No.

But if I'm a talent agent, I say Kris is a vanilla bland performer who is a dime a dozen.

Adam, on the other hand, is being compared to Freddie Mercury and Elvis ..

[MrModerate]

4. I actually think it was the tweenies and the online VOIP that skewed the vote.

Sort of how the 'Licans used to whack dems in elections using a combination of their fervent base and superior technology.

Also, last I heard Lambert was still being coy about his sexuality (which is his right, after all), so it's not as if he was a made-to-order cause celebre.

The godnuts can't be constrained by reality. Don't let it drive you crazy.

And let's talk about the *real* injustice: all of us being robbed of the one legitimate excuse we had to wallow in the guilty pleasure of a (bleh) reality show!

And the real breakthrough: a startling new talent discovered by the mass audience. Who knows how far Lambert can go now? Sure as shootin' a lot further than he could have a few months ago.

And Allen? Ho-hum.

[imdjh]

7. Coy? He's all over the net in drag. nt

[cboy4]

9. Excuse me?

[imdjh]

14. It's hard to imagine him being "coy" about his sexuality

.... when there are pics of him all over the place in drag, kissing some guy, etc...

Don't pay attention to the commentary on this website, it's just the first one that comes up when you google "adam lambert kissing guy"

http://ready2beat.com/entertainment/music/adam-lambert-gay-kiss-photos

[MrModerate]

28. I was in the theatre for years and wore dresses a lot . . .

I also kissed men. I happen to be heterosexual. It happens.

But I was never asked and never told what my orientation was. Admittedly, society being what it is, you don't actually have to out yourself as a heterosexual. But still . . .

[imdjh]

31. OK. But in this case, he's actually pretty well known if you look around the net.

And he's not kissing men on stage in those pics, he's french kissing the same guy in three different settings, one of which is Burning Man.

[MrModerate]

33. True. Nevertheless, he did maintain an air of "plausible deniability . . ." n/t

[imdjh]

35. lol!

[imdjh]

63. OK, I saw what you were referring to. Still not sure I would call it coy.

In the interview with EW, he was asked if he would settle something like this: "the question of your sexuality hanging over your head".

He said, "It's not hanging over my head, perhaps it's hanging over your head."

The reporter pressed on about "ending the speculation". Lambert said that speculation keeps things interesting.

So I see coy applying, but I'm not sure that he was actually being coy. I think he was making a point, one which could have been better made. I'm thinking of something along the lines of, "I really wasn't aware that there was a question. There certainly didn't appear to be one in the religious campaign against me."

I think we can assume that all this stuff is scripted. He said what he was told to say.

[imdjh]

5. What was the final score?

[cboy4]

16. s

[imdjh]

17. What is your problem?

I asked a simple question- what was the final score, to get an idea of how close the vote was.

[cboy4]

19. I know. I'm sorry. That's why I deleted what I wrote because

I thought you were being sarcastic as in, oh yea, what was the final score? Quit bitching people.

I apologize.

[imdjh]

21. No problem. Thank you.

[NYC_SKP]

8. Well, of Danny Gokey's fans all went to Kris, and if they rallied their fundie friends...

The result was freeped by a mass response by haters.

And either way, it's disgusting that the better vocalist did not win and that homophobia had a part.

I get a little bit of comfort in knowing that Adam will have a wonderful career in the end.

I don't think that the "winner" will have nearly so much success.

[babylonsister]

10. Has CA seen the results yet, or don't you care? nt

[cboy4]

13. Yea, we saw the results 22 minutes ago at 10pm pacific

[babylonsister]

23. Thanks. And it doesn't matter to me.

You probably don't care, but I can't wait to buy Adam's first CD. He has been awesome for so many weeks, and I was surprised at the result.

[cboy4]

27. Why wouldn't I care? I'm happy you plan on supporting him.

:)

[babylonsister]

29. Are you kidding? I've "ADORED" him!

Still do, will do, I hope he reaches a comfort point where he gets to perform and make a lot of money.

Tonight, he performed with some legends. That must have been amazing!

[imdjh]

22. how thoughtful. I confess I hadn't considered that when I posted my complaints elsewhere. nt

[boobooday]

11. Monumentally lame

Nobody will fall for that line of BS.

[ocd liberal]

12. That same thought crossed my mind too

as soon as the winner was announced I figured Freeperville would be victorious & we would be crushed. I thought it was really surprising that Adam didn't win and reeks of wingnuts who just learned how to text.

[bitchkitty]

15. I knew it. I'm ashamed to live here.

I used to watch only the auditions of that stupid-ass show, because they were pretty amusing in a gong show kind of way. This season, I kept watching it because of Adam, and I cannot believe that the majority chose the other guy. Kris was talented enough, I suppose, if you like the Billy Joel type. But I guess I mistaken - I thought it was a competition for the best talent, not the safest.

Adam personifies talent. Not only that, he is FINE, and has the personality of a prince. He was miles above anyone else in that competition. Kris certainly wasn't better than Adam, or Allison and Danny for that matter, but he had that smooth little all-American frat boy face.

What was I expecting? This is the show that made that pukefest Lee Whoever song, "Proud to Be an American" their theme song.

Fuck middle America. Their taste is up their ASS. Adam is much better off NOT having won - who would want to appeal to such a lot of dollards?

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. You know I hate the fact that this became an issue in American Idol

but I don't watch it. I don't participate in it, I don't vote in it. I don't care for it. PERIOD!

So I don't do much American popular culture, guilty as charged. My closest contact to it is Comicon, every year... and in that it is purely secondary.

Don't sneer it, but I simply don't watch it.

This said, the battle for human rights is well beyond a stooopid TV program, and yes that is what American Idol is, a distraction from real issues. And I assume the kid's good... so if there is karma (no there isn't, we make it ourselves} he will be fine.

But reality is, folks round these parts have many a taste... and they range from the opera... which I don't like, to classical music, to comics, to science fiction... all across the rainbow, So excoriating people for simply not making time in their lives for this program due to a controversy I just learned about ain't gonna help.

Now let me get my asbestos suit.

I expect a full blown flame...

[imdjh]

20. I'd like to see a more traditional talent show.

I'd like to see a talent show that runs weekly and give a lot of people some exposure- but then you probably wouldn't be able to generate the huge cobranding revenues. Americans appear to like these things to be huge and winner take all.

I'd also like to see someone win the lottery every week - draw until someone wins, instead of letting it pile up until one person wins huge. I think winning a million would be a big deal for most people. But I'm willing to bet that the lotto accountants can prove that the lottery makes more money the way it's done at present.

I've always liked Showtime at the Apollo, even though the meanness factor in both the audience and the producers doesn't appeal to me.

[babylonsister]

24. If you don't watch it, what are you worried about? Go to bed. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Daily show's up

and I commented on the OPs tone. Pointed out that not everybody watches the same crap.. and yes DS is crap too.

[Prism]

25. No one "took down" Adam Lambert. We need some serious perspective

A few points:

- As a veteran viewer of Idol, I think it needs pointing out that there have been many, many WTF moments on the show over the years. Very rarely does the most talented or unique person take home the trophy. It is usually a bland, forgettable singer of decentish looks who we generally forget about the instant the next season begins. Outside of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, the other idols who went on to respectable success often weren't the winners. I trust it will be the same here.

- Say it with me: Taylor Hicks. Doesn't that say everything?

- Lambert is something of a niche performer (granted, a pretty popular niche). Do you like garish costumes, over the top performances, and intentional channeling of Freddie Mercury? He may just be for you. However, millions of people don't go for that. It's something of an acquired taste. Lambert was virtually tied with Kris last week. When Goyker was eliminated, where did his voters go? Goyker's style and voice were far more in line with the eventual winner's than Lambert's. That the majority of Goyker voters would displace to Kris need not be an insidious plot - it's a fairly logical reading of the voters' expressed tastes.

- The evangelicals who made Idol their "cause" are naturally distasteful. But, how is that much different from the people who supported Lambert by virtue of the fact he's gay? Or merely to poke evangelicals in the eye? Or to stand up for progressive values, or whatever? Not much different. People decided to play politics with a reality television show. Kris might have had the evangelical vote, but it stands to reason that must've been balanced to some degree by the number of gays, progressives, etc. who similarly decided to vote based on solidarity rather than musical preference. Was that enough to tip the vote radically in Kris' direction? Probably not.

- All of this isn't to say there were some major league bigots out there trying to use Idol for their own ideological ends. They were out there, I witnessed them, I'm sure many of them voted. But to say they "took Lambert down" not only ignores the numbers and expressed tastes of the voters throughout the season, it also ignores pretty much the entire history of the show, and it projects massive quantities of homophobia into an arena that is predominated by pre-teen girls.

Let's be honest here. If you're looking for a show where good musical taste and talent will prevail over the lowest common denominator, American Idol is not for you. It never has been. Why cry foul now? Because he's gay and some evangelicals had some nasty things to say?

I dunno. If I got worked up into a lather over inconsequential television every time a religious bigot was being an asshole, I'd have time for nothing else. The Christians didn't "win" this. The blandest, least edgy, least unique contestant won it.

Just like every other year.

[MrModerate]

32. I've watched Idol for a few years, so I knew what I was getting into . . .

But for me the heartbreaking thing was that this year seemed different. For once they had their usual group of reasonably talented wanabees, and Lambert. He was so far ahead of the other contestants that there was no real comparison.

Strategically I thought Lambert avoided the niche problem pretty well, bringing a lot of variety to his performances -- much more variety and fresh imaginings than anyone else. I also think he made the tactical choice to focus in as an Elvisian rocker in the last few weeks in hopes that would consolidate his fan base.

Smart choice but it didn't work. The real power behind the throne -- tweenies -- fell in love with Allen and their moms approved of Gokey. When the rump Gokey vote shifted to Allen the die was cast.

Homophobia probably had little to do with it. More like the difference between Wonder Bread and something that's worth eating.

[babylonsister]

34. !!

YES~~!

:hug: Adam was so damned good! The bread thing, worth eating? OK.

[Prism]

37. That is well stated

I simply think Lambert hit an inevitable plateau. He could get pretty far with his style and voice, but in a competition with a wide-ranging audience, he was going to be pigeon-holed. He just didn't break free of it in time.

[cboy4]

40. I disagree. Homophobia probably had a good deal to do with

it .. especially since I would imagine most of his votes came from the red state South.

This is what I imagine was said in many households in the South:

"Look at that queer with his make-up on," etc., etc.

Adam has been taking a lot of abuse throughout the show .. all you have to do is read the AI-related message boards.

[MrModerate]

42. Robo-text from Arkansas . . .

They might want to do something about that, next time around.

I haven't done a statistically significant study, but I saw a low proportion of pure homophobia and a lot of "ewwww, drama." Lambert may be an acquired taste. Of course that would distinguish him from Allen, who is flavorless.

[saracat]

44. First of all, your demographics aren't current. Idol is now predominated

by older female voters( who Adam led with BTW).There is little to interest the niche group of tween girls and Adam had more than a share of those. Adam had a clear substantial lead till the Gokey voters made a clear and organized attack based on Adam's orientation. Gokey's Minister personally reached out to Danny fans and advised them to vote against Adam as an "unbeliever". Danny himself advised his fans to vote for Kris as recently as the day before.And both Danny and another contestant yesterday referred to Adam's orientation publicly as "ungodly' on camera. I can't say that any of this has ever occurred before on Idol. The Gokey Fans admitted it and this voting block and their reasons for voting"against" Adam was publicly discussed even with Idol itself, as well as major news outlets. It was a vengeance vote based on the fact that God's Anointed was eliminated. They merged with Kris's collegiate and Home state vote to do the damage. And a little damage was done by Vote for the Worst. Very few gays voted at all and I don't think many voted on orientation!

Adam was no more of a niche singer than any other contestant. I was amazed at the scope of his fan base! And this wasn't an inconsequential TV show because of its viewership. It is the most popular show on television and millions watch it. Many more watch than vote. And most of those thought Adam would win. Instead they got a clear message that LGBT will NOT be tolerated and do not "represent America" !This was an opportunity and Adam took as much advantage of it as he feasibly could but the intellectual snobs on the left refuse to get the power of television. This is the same group that thought RW talk radio in 2000 and on didn't matter because they didn't listen to it!

The Fundies are laughing today because though AI let Adam sing, in fact chose "A Change is going to Come" and they feel they sent the message that that change is NOT coming.

It is, in fact, a "Mad World", when we do not protest this kind of action. This is a real slap in the face to all those kids that Adam reached out to that he told could be different.Now they know that even if they are the "best" and might be successful, they can't represent America! I would have liked Adam to 'win" for their sakes alone and not only for LGBT kids , but for "different' kids of all kinds everywhere.

[beachlover]

52. Why can't it be that Adam lost just because a lot of people don't like that sytle of singing???

You hit the nail on the head! Some bigots voted because of the "Christian" and "Gay" factor for and against both finalists.

Personally, as a big idol fan, I voted for Kris. Not because Adam is gay and not because of any perception of Christian values on the part of Kris. I don't care for Adam's style of singing - to me all he did was scream the majority of his songs, and that is not my taste. I also didn't like the fact that the judges essentially "annointed" Adam the winner about 8 weeks ago and basically left the rest of the contestants feeling like why did they even bother to show up. People do love the underdog factor no matter who it is.

I didn't want Adam to win because he is gay and I didn't want Adam to lose because he is gay. I wanted him to lose because I personally like Kris better and wanted Kris to WIN! plain and simple - no bigotry involved!

[dbonds]

56. That is valid and a real reason to vote for Kris.

But everyone is complaining about that significant block of anti-gay bigots that voted only for reason of hate. This was enough alter the outcome of the vote. May the haters rot in hell.

[bluedawg12]

66. Because his talent became secondary to his "person" for many.

Cooke might also have been baffled to see his song covered by Lambert, a 27-year-old white guy from San Diego, on Fox last week. But the producers of “American Idol” knew what they were doing. With his dyed black hair, eyeliner and black nail polish — and an Internet photographic trail of same-sex canoodling — Lambert was “widely assumed to be gay” (Entertainment Weekly), “seemingly gay” (The Times) and “flam-bam-boyantly queeny” (Rolling Stone). Another civil rights movement was in the house even if Lambert himself stopped just short of coming out (as of my deadline, anyway) in the ritualistic Ellen DeGeneres/Clay Aiken show-biz manner.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/opinion/24rich.html?_r=2

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-david/adam-lambert-loses-homoph_b_206154.html
Jim DavidPosted: May 21, 2009
Adam Lambert Loses, Homophobia Wins

If the contestants had zero backstory, Lambert would have decimated the competition. Instead, Allen's Christianity, church roots and corn-fed wife were exploited, as were Lambert's musical theatre roots (i.e. his 'theatre fag' history). He didn't say a word about his sexuality, but didn't need to. For that we had the Internet, zapping anyone's private photo library to the world, so photos of Lambert swapping saliva with a guy went viral, as well as a lot of his very strange yet riveting LA cabaret performances, turning off the homophobic majority.

Yes, a majority of the country is homophobic. If it weren't, gays would have had their rights back in the 90s when the Europeans got them. We wouldn't have a majority of states with a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. We wouldn't be fighting for even rudimentary domestic partnership laws in some cities and states. We wouldn't have anti-gay imbeciles like Maggie Gallagher, Peter LaBarbera, Matt Barber or the "God Hates Fags" morons getting publicity. Yep, if American weren't homophobic, Lambert would be waving to the crowds from a convertible.

I am not stating that there aren't any true AI fans who voted despite the social issues that were introduced into a talent contest for young performers.

I am stating that social issues were wrongly introduced by the RRW who smelled a vulnerability in Lambert that had nothing to do with merit or talent and they went for blood and the media was complicit and all of that over shadowed the talent aspect of this contest on many levels, so much so, that Adam's persona was used as bait for the show in some of the intro's, and that this was ultimately cast as another "wedge issue" another "family values matter," and it tainted the proceedings.

So much so, that it became a topic in the LATimes, the NY Times, the HuffPo and numerous blogs.

If it hadn't there would be no need for the RRW to crow about this as a "moral victory."

saracat (1000+ posts) Thu May-21-09 05:03 AM
Original message
Puke alert.There are already posts on American Idol saying A US proved it is still "Christian"

[imdjh]

26. A question for the group: would Barbra Streisand win Idol?

She's one of those people who grows on you. I never really got her, at least not like the instant "got" of Bette Midler. I still don't think much of her as an actress, but I have seen everything she has ever done. I can't even say that about Liz Taylor, and I love her.

I'm thinking that Streisand would not win Idol in her youth. For that matter, Elvis Presley probably wouldn't make it out of the first round. This is a pretty tough show for all the cheese they pour on it.

I can't say that the third runner up, that I even got why he was in the running. But as a rule, the final two are always pretty versatile and talented singers. Which is funny in and of itself, because Simon often accuses the most versatile contestants of being "karaoke stars" or "suitable for Broadway."

[FreeState]

36. AT&T says about 38 million American Idol votes came from Arkansas last night.

http://mjsbigblog.com/finale-news-roundup-38-million-votes-came-from-arkansas-last-night.htm

o, check this out. The state of Arkansas was representin’ in Idol votes last night. I’m guessing the lions share of these were mostly for winner Kris Allen.

AT&T says about 38 million American Idol votes came from Arkansas last night. Chances are, most of those came from Kris’ home town of Conway. Hundreds turned out to watch Idol finale and the town seemed to erupt in cheers when Ryan Seacrest announced that Kris was the winner.

Ryan says there were nearly 100 million votes last night. So do the math. Seriously. Regional voting at it’s fiercest!

----


So basically who ever wins its because there fans know how to rig the system. I wish both Kriss and Adam well. Ill be being Adams first album - I cant wait to see what his life brings to him next.

[cboy4]

39. I think hometown ballot box stuffing is par for the course in

just about anything...

Take Major League Baseball and the all-star game.

Doesn't matter whether a player is having a great year or a mediocre year .. hometown fans will vote for their guy. Not always does the best player end up winning.

What I have a problem with, if this is the case, is the churches/fundies doing a get-out-the-vote campaign .. not so much to make sure the hometown guys wins, but to make sure the sinful homo loses.

I think there are indications that there was some sort of effort in that regard .. at the least, informally.

[wundermaus]

38. His future is bright.

He doesn't need AI.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i297/thebashhh/?action=view¤t=77335c1b.flv

Adam, is a superb Talent and a good sport. In the best of all possible outcomes, he really won by not being first at AI. Being second frees him to express his genius. AI gave him international exposure and thus gave the world a panoramic view of his future. He is now in the company of Stars!

[Q3JR4]

41. Um....

I don't watch american idol, won't ever do so, and am not really all that interested in what happens to the people who are part of that particular show.

Second, contrary to popular belief it's not always about your sexuality. Maybe the viewers didn't like the person you wanted to win and voted accordingly. I think it's interesting that there are so many people in the gay community who take every little thing as a personal attack. That's not a good way to live one's life.

Q3JR4
Openly gay man who would rather bathe in boiling acid while chewing glass and pushing rusty nails into his spleen before he'd ever watch american idol (or reply to another post like this one) ever again.

[saracat]

43. Excuse me? I am not even a member of the gay Community and I

take that comment about "every little thing isn't about your sexuality" And everyone in the gay community 'who take every little thing as a personal attack" as an exterely offensive commnet. Nor do I believe what you are saying is true.

In this instance hundreds of newspaper articlesdealing with the question of Adam's sexuality ( See cover of entertainment Weekly) lend credence to the idea Adam lost because of it as well as the detailed twitters from the pastor of Danny Gokey and the church sermons in various churches as well as the call centers in churches with instructions to vote for Kris because he was a "believer' and Adam had a sinful "lifestyle".This was never about merely"liking" anyone.
I appreciate that you don't watch Idol. neither do I normally but dismissing the popular appeal was just like ignoring the impact of RW talk radio, which i also don't listen to, or the impact of FOX NEWS.

[cboy4]

45. You must live an awfully sheltered life to be so ignorant and

naive.

I just love the old, tired right wing meme about how so many gay people take everything as a personal attack.

Time to wake up Q3JR4

[MrModerate]

48. Don't be such a frakkin' snob . . .

Frankly if you so adamantly object to even casting your eyes over American Idol, then you condemn yourself to never understanding a slice of American culture that has echoes in all walks of life.

You don't have to like it, but to pretend that watching it will cost you something precious (What? Credibility, cool, snark factor, superciliousness?) just marks you as a pretentious twit.

I happen to think that Lambert's (presumed) sexuality had a significant affect on the outcome of what was a very interesting contest (from a sociological point of view) -- maybe not definitive, but significant. And that issue is worthy of discussion.

[bitchkitty]

57. Well, considering that you didn't watch the show,

and have no idea of the scope of Adam Lambert's talent, then you can't say one way or the other. So if you can't be bothered to watch the show, why automatically assume that it's "so many people in the gay community" who are wrong?

I watched the show. I saw and heard Adam and Kris. The fact that Kris won is an insult and injustice to artists everywhere, not just gay artists.

And as far as living one's life in a good way, I guess if you were gay, you'd be in the closet, would just sit down and shut up and take your medicine like a good little homosexual? That's absurd.

I'm not gay, but I take Adam's losing as a personal attack on beauty and talent. Because that's what it is, a personal attack.

[shaniqua6392]

46. Is America ready for a gay Idol???

NO. I will not be watching next season. I will not watch until they only allow one call or text per phone. Idol loves to say how many millions of calls/texts that they get. They leave out the fact that there are programs out there that can make multiple calls/texts. They lead people to believe that one-third of the country is voting for the next American Idol. Simply not true. The deserving and most talented singers usually DON'T win on this show. Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken and others have made successful careers after losing on this show. I never watch Idol on the last day. I have learned my lesson after Taylor Hicks was crowned the winner. LOL!! Where the hell is that guy Ruben Studdard who won over Clay Aiken???

[OneBlueSky]

47. Adam got hosed, but it's not all bad . . .

when Arkansas can come up with 38 million votes (as is being reported), something is certainly rotten in LaLaLand . . . still and all, coming in second may be a real blessing for Adam for a number of reasons . . .

- he won't have to sing that atrocious Boundaries song ever again . . .

- he won't be a slave to Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment for the next three years, meaning he can make his own choices about what to record and where to perform (rather than having them dictated by someone else) . . .

- when Brian May (was he actually salivating when Adam was singing with the band?) calls and asks him to replace Paul Rodgers as the front man for Queen, he'll have the option of signing on . . . could bring a whole new energy to the group and help them thrive for another five or ten years . . .

- in a similar vein, seems that Gene Simmons was blown away by Adam's performance with Kiss and is eager to have him perform with the band . . . they certainly need some fresh blood (no pun intended) . . .

- finally, recall that the track record of many non-winners is far better than the that of AI winners, only three of whom have actually achieved any degree of "stardom" (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Chris Daughtry) . . .

Adam's vocal range and style are perfectly suited to fronting a major rock band, and there are probably any number who will be calling . . . (hell, Led Zep has been threatening to tour without Robert Plant, and Adam could certainly hit the notes) . . . or he could form his own band and do his own thing . . . with the exposure he's received, and with no slavery contract to hold him back, the world is his oyster . . . all in all, I'd say it's the best thing that could have happened to him . . .

that having been said, it's still a travesty that he lost to Kris Allen, who's a nice enough kid with some talent who I have nothing against . . . but he simply is not in Adam's league . . . Lambert is one of the two or three best contestants (maybe THE best) to ever grace the AI stage, and that he didn't win is certainly the biggest upset in the history of the show . . . and it will no doubt be discussed as such ad nauseum in the coming days and weeks . . . and as a gay man, if an organized homophobic campaign contributed to Adam's loss, it's infuriating and sad at the same time, but probably a pretty accurate reflection of where "middle America" (the show's audience) is at . . .

but congrats to both of them . . . they seem like really nice, talented kids who will both do well as they embark on their careers . . . but when it comes to actually achieving success in the music biz, Adam is going to blow Kris right out of the water . . .

disclaimer: I'm not really an AI fan, but when I happened to see Adam interpret Smokey Robinson's Tracks Of My Tears, and when Smokey gave him a standing ovation, I was blown away and began watching each week just to see what Adam would come up with next . . . some of his performances were better than others, but I was never disappointed . . .

[saracat]

49. Unfortunately, Adam is also stuck under contract to AI. Both winner and runner up are!

So, there is little advantage to losing except not having to sing kara's lousey song anymore.

[OneBlueSky]

60. that I did not know . . . if that's the case . . .

then the most significant advantage I saw in coming in second doesn't exist . . . bummer . . .

[moose65]

53. One little quibble...

Daughtry did NOT win AI when he was on the show. That was the year that Taylor Hicks won. So, Daughtry actually supports the idea that many non-winners do better than the winners! The only two winners who have had major success are Clarkson and Underwood. David Cook may join that group too, but he is still "too new" I think!

[OneBlueSky]

59. oops . . . you're right, of course . . . my bad . . . n/t

[Rhythm]

54. Disagreeing with one of your observations...

- in a similar vein, seems that Gene Simmons was blown away by Adam's performance with Kiss and is eager to have him perform with the band . . . they certainly need some fresh blood (no pun intended) . . .

Except i found this in an article on CNN's entertainment page:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/21/american.idol.scenes/index.html

KISS co-founder Gene Simmons was asked whether Lambert would be invited to join the band on the road this fall. "No," said Simmons. "He'd be better off joining Queen."

Gene Simmons is such a douchebag... wonder if he's so snarky and bitter because he's finally losing his voice? He sounded like crap last night.

[OneBlueSky]

61. okay . . . I read elsewhere that he'd said something different . . .

but you know how the media is . . . either way, I think Adam will have a great future fronting some band or other . . . his style and voice are perfectly suited to that sort of gig, imo . . .

[Wabbajack_]

50. Both are really good singers

Personally I like Kris better, I'm glad he won. (I didn't vote)

I'm disgusted at people that voted against Adam because he's gay.

[stray cat]

51. There are alot of posts by alot of idiots on every forum that should not be taken seriously

as a statement representative of America. Also, some people just like different styles of music. I loved Adam when he sang things like mad world but I don't like heavy rock when I hear screeching more than words.

[Left Is Write]

55. I saw a post on Facebook...

reveling in "Simon's humiliation" and stating that the results prove that "Hollywood does not direct or influence traditional mainstream middle America..."

:puke:

[kerry-is-my-prez]

58. Most people are really pissed at the fundies and red state America.

I think this will create a big backlash. Maybe this will get a few apathetic people to get off the couch and vote in a REAL election against the haters next time. There's a lot of people there saying that this is the same group that brought us Bush.

[JI7]

62. this might be embarrassing for the guy who ended up winning

when the guy who lost to him ends up being a bigger success with album and ticket sales. but the fundies don't really care about him either.

i would love to see the guy who beat Adam campaign for gay rights. what would the fundies do then ?

[Seen the light]

64. I saw that post too

It was pretty disgusting. I think they removed that thread from the site.

[gaspee]

65. What pisses me off so much

Is the posts, and yes, even from so-called progressives, that say they don't like his so-called style. They aren't even aware of their own bias. They don't like his flamboyance which is basically code for gay -- as is when people use the nice and vague, but very handy word theatrical to describe him.

I have heard so many dog-whistles when people explain how he's just not their "style." As for screeching -- when all the experts say he's a rare-counter tenor with perfect pitch and control... it just reminds me how stupid people are. It's one thing for someone to prefer easy-listening music to rock or country or rap. ThaT'S fine. But to insist you're not homophobic, then go off about how his "style" and "theatrics" turn you off -- well, you kind of look like an idiot. When you say you're turned off by his shrieking (implied like a woman) you really sound like a freaking moron.

No one has ever accused Americans of being self-aware, that's for sure.

The US hates us gays, that's for damn sure. (And not just the US, but that's where I live, so that's what I comment about.) Anyone who can't see or refuses to recognize the blatant homophobia in this result is a FUCKING MORON.

Adam's going to have a HUGE world-wide career and that's a fact. He could sell out huge venues all around the world, right now. My friend who is in Japan for the next year said the reaction to him is indescribable. Picture the Beatles, Princess Diana and Elvis all rolled into one and that's the reaction to him in Japan. Which makes sense since he looks a little like an anime character and there is an entire androgyny sub-culture that is huge. I have no doubt he's going to be huge world-wide and that makes me really happy for him. He's worked his ass off for years to get where he is.

One thing I really hate, though, is that I like Kris, a lot. I voted for him the week Gokey left (I voted for Adam more though.) I have never voted on American Idol before and barely caught one episode a season in the past. They both seem like great guys and it kind of sucks that Kris's win is tainted by the bigots, but it's not his fault.


(I'm using the general you, not the specific you in this post.)

[Chovexani]

69. This, this, THIS.

Thank you for calling out the dog whistles. I've seen this code a thousand times and I know what it means. I know it when I hear it and boy have I heard it about Adam. All the cracks about "manliner" and "flamboyant" and all this other shit.

They did everything but call that man the f-word. And more than a few have said it behind closed doors I'd bet.

The beat goes on...

[Metric System]

70. I've seen fellow gays call Adam "prissy" on another message board. Ugh. There's a segment of the gay

community that is very self-loathing and that lashes out at anyone who isn't "straight-acting."

[PeteytehMawnstar]

67. I put these Chrisitan comments in the same vein as homophobia is what did him in.

I've watched a total of five episodes of idol around 2 years ago, i stay away from reality tv because it reminds me of Stephen King's the running man, and i don't want america to turn into that, but it probably will. Read the book, it's kind of creepy, the new "1984" in my eyes or it should be.

But anyways, i think the memo that fundies rigged/overwhelmed the voting is a bit retarded. I don't see fundies watching this in droves, but i see little girls voting for the stud that is attainable, if that makes sense.

I think a lot of stretching is going on here, on both sides, but i doubt the fundie commentary is or will be as loud as the homopobia cry. It's a stupid show with a stupid voting process. ANd the winner saying the other person should have won is quite common, it's a show of respect. I may be thinking of something else, but to play devil's asshole here, didn't Idol boot someone off for having sexy photos/videos on the internet some time back.

[IndianaGreen]

68. Kris is Assembly of God fundie, while Adam is Jewish

There was organized fundie voting against the Jewish kid.