Top 3 Results Show Wrap Up and Predictions

What happens on Tuesday night will determine who will win.
So may the best man triumph.

And once again, THANK YOU AMERICA!

I can’t wait for Tuesday.

ETA: As usual, I agree with ya MJ.
And I love that photo. Love those 2 kick-ass guys. Okay, done gushing.

Of course we’ll hold you to it! With the utmost love and affection.

Adam for the Win~! I agree Adam has the edge and he should. Talent should determine the winner. We will see 2 talented performers on Tuesday at very different levels. I concur and predict that Adam will win. I think he has an amazing vocal technique and has worked his butt off in the industry to make it. He has entertained us all season long and has had 1 memorable performance after another. He has earned the Idol Crown.

Nice one MJ.

I completely agree with you. I want Adam to win, but I won’t be crying if Kris does.

I think this is one of the best final 2 ever. It’s going to be an awesome show! Can’t wait!

There was lots of Kradam love for a reason this season! I would have preferred an Adam-Allison final 2, but I am happy with Kris being there.

MJ, I’m curious as to why you think that TPTB might not want Adam to win? Do you think this is a recent development, or did they always intend him to come in second (but, before this, it was to Danny, not Kris)? Is it because they feel that Adam is already a star and doesn’t need to win but Kris could be very successful if he gets the exposure that actually winning Idol would bring, or is it something else?

I hope Adam wins–love Kris, but Adam deserves it.

ADAM FTMFW!!

The above picture is all sorts of cute, but I still dont want Kris to win.

Good luck to both guys. I personally would like Kris to win, but I’m happy for them both.

MsAdamEve, I’m here too:

I completely agree with you. I want Adam to win, but I wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be crying if Kris does.

While I’d love for Adam to win, and he’s my favorite, I’m not going to be crushed if Kris wins. They are both very talented, hope they put on a great show!!

Well, you can hold me to it. Adam FTW.

Very nice MJ!
And, ditto, to Thank You America for this final 2.

Mj, you summed up my feelings about Danny perfectly. After hearing some of his recent comments, it has struck me just how in over his head he was.

I too want Adam to win and am perhaps more invested in him than you. To me, since day one, he has been in a proverbial league of his own. I’m not sure I will enjoy the show as much as others since I’ll probably be too nervous, but I know for those who have a more casual interest in the contestants this year, it will be fantastic!

Great wrap up, MJ. YOu & Michael Slezak & Ricky have made this a swell season — though one where I wasted about 2,358 hours reading Idol web posts and watching Idol videos.

I think you’re being fair and even-handed. And I really do love that the great mob of voters out there, in my mind, sorta got it right. I would have vastly preferred Allison in the top 3, but Danny did reach people in some way — and not just evangelicals, methinks.

I also saw the vulnerable griever in those interviews, and all season we saw little flashes of the anger that naturally comes with losing someone so precious at such a young age. There must have been part of Danny that periodically, during all the nonstop, exhausting work & tinsel that is Idol just thought, “WTF? Who cares about this b.s. when my wife just died!”

That said, he was nowhere near the musician that Kris and Adam, in their own ways, are. And it was right that he is not in the Top 2.

And despite all the passionate, sometimes scary partisanship going on here, I love that these two (West Coast and Southern) guys are friends, their (Jewish & Christian) mothers are pals, and the Red and Blue state/gay-straight crapola is banished in a swipe of purple nail polish that two young men can now wear as a sign of friendship, without worrying that it’s not butch enough or whatever for America. It says a lot of good things about their generation.

And on with the show! I’m pulling for Kris, because I unfortunately like the idea of Adam better than Adam’s music. But I love the spectacle of both of them.

Both of them are winners!

Nice job on this crazy season, mj

Great commentary, MJ.

It is true that Kris has gotten some props from the judges…he hasn’t been criticized every week by any means. Simon did say after To Make You Feel My Love that he has a shot “of doing really well in this competition”. The reason why Kris fans have been frustrated is not because he has been given no compliments, but that his compliments usually seem restrained.

For example, there have been many occasions when a judge has said “this is probably one of your best performances”, but I can’t remember a single time when they said “this is the best performance of the night”. This despite the fact that, according to WhatNotToSing, Kris has had the best performance of the night (based on their wide sampling of Idol commentary) on three occasions. Also, I can’t think of a single time when it was suggested by any of the judges that Kris could make it to the finale…other than last week when there were only three people (and at that point it was pretty obvious that he could, even if it was not likely, in their mind). Even Matt and Lil (I think) were told they could make the finale at some point.

When you take into account the fact that Kris has been a fan favorite all season (only landing in the bottom 3 as many times as Adam), and that the online commentators have called him best of the night on many occasions, why is the commentary from the official judges at such odds with what the rest of America thinks?

That’s the frustrating part. Not that he received no positive feedback, but that it always seemed tempered by the implicit “…but you are still cannon fodder”. It always seemed to be followed by some kind of “…but…”. Do the judges just not get what Kris does? If that’s the case, and if the rest of America does get it (which it obvious does, since Kris is in the finale), maybe we need judges whose musical taste is broad enough to imagine someone like Kris going all the way.

Excellent write-up, MJ.

I would love to replace Kara or Randy with you on the judge’s panel for next season. Even better — how about you replace Randy, and Michael Slezak can replace Kara? Perfect!

This is going to be an exciting finale. Can’t wait!

LOVE this final two, I wish they could both win, haha. I seriously don’t even care who wins…despite what some on the interwebs seem to keep implying, they BOTH deserve to win because they’ve both worked their asses off.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s better for the show that Adam didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sail into the finals. And better for Adam.

I agree with this statement 100%.

I think Tuesday will come down to the coronation song. Since Adam and Kris are singing the exact same song back to back, it will be very easy to compare their vocals. I’m really curious to see what Kara came up with if she did write the song.

I predicted after Adam sang Satisfaction that he would win. I say this because Adam is new, unique and fresh. I think its time for something new on the radio and performing on these music shows. Its been so long since I’ve actually listened to the radio. Its the same stuff over and over and over again. Yes Kris would “blend” in, but it would be nice to have someone who sticks out. Something different and new. The music scene is due for this.

Besides, I just cannot imagine Adam Lambert being the warm up act for Kris Allen on the Idol tour. Adam HAS to win. LOL

I do like the fact that they seem like friends though. The media is still trying to do their (Good vs Evil), but with these 2 I don’t think that theme will stick. And I’m happy about that.

Great analysis, MJ. I agree about Danny. Bless his heart. I’m just not sure that I’d separate him from the people who surround him.

As for Kris, I agree that he’s gotten his share of props from the judges. I’m not sure that he wasn’t a stealth chosen one, with Danny being the foil. Meanwhile, the real bus ran over Allison Iraheta, so as not to upset the evil plans of TPTB.

:dunce_tb:

I’m rooting for Adam (and I’ll be voting my fingers to Tuesday night) but I certainly won’t be devastated if Kris wins.

I’m glad we’ve got two totally entertaining guys to watch Tue night. After expecting a Adam/Danny finale the past, well, forever, this is a welcome relief.

Go Adam! Go Kris!

this thread, I love. Kradam now, Kradam forever.

I have two predictions:

1) the reason Kris could win. Kris has been consistent in his vocals throughout the season. He has had good comments from the judges, although many times less than best when I thought the likes of “Come Together” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” deserved better. Ain’t No Sunshine, IMO, (as well as others, Falling Slowly, She Works Hard…) could have easily had been declared the best of the the night. If he would have gone last on top 3, I think “Heartless” would have been. Kris has had good comments, like I said, but no pimping at all. Instead he snuck up on the the pimped TCO’s and made it to top 2! Yay Kris, my quiet storm (tm Ricky Minor) you have done well!

2) The reason Adam will win. He is PC and IC (Idol correct). Idol is obsessed with the ‘big’ vocals. Nary a season has passed where a big vocal has not won. This is the AI way. It will stand.

I’m fine with either win, but would be lying if I didn’t say I prefer Kris and his style and phrasing more.

Gokey really was an important part of S8. He was the most polarizing contestant and I think his sing out was the most compelling in AI history.
I think Kris would be one of the weakest AI winners ever and it would be a shame if he won over a superior singer.

So I’m rooting for Adam and not just because I have 30 pts. on him and not just because I don’t want to read hundreds of stale posts about the voters’ “homophobia.” It would just seem “wrong” if he lost. Of course, in the end, it matters very little who wins this thing. Second place works out fine if you’ve got the goods.

I predict there will be hugging and slaps on the back.

Great post mj. I agree that there is no way to lose this year, they are both so good in their own way. This is really going to be exciting. If Adam wins, it crowns the first gay idol and rewards one of the more interesting and exciting performers ever. If Kris wins, that is the ultimate kiss off to the most heavy-handedly producer manipulated season. Plus he’s doesn’t have a showy voice, a first for idol. So who wins… the glory belter or the ultimate rise-from-obscurity story? Gotta love it.

Good analysis MJ.
All I have to say is may the best SINGER win, ergo Adam FTW! LOL
okay seriously I will just enjoy all the performances, they will both succeed I think and I really like that they are friends they are setting a really good example.
Here’s to the voters for letting Adam get this far. :drunk_tb:

Yes, I’m totally going to love this finale! I love Kris but I would still be super happy if Adam wins. I think they’ll both have good careers ahead of them since it’s best to be top 2 (or a shock elimination) to have a career. I think they have both made this season very interesting and to me, either one of them was always the best of the night.

I’m really hoping that they can both tweak the coronation song, especially since Kara keeps harping on artistry. I don’t think it benefits either of them to sing it straight. Even though Adam has the bigger range, I don’t think he would want to sing a pop ballad when he’s trying to be a rocker and I’d want for Kris to be able to put his own touch to it. Also, it’s curious to see what kind of song Kara wrote only because I think she was only writing thinking that it will be Adam and Danny in the finale.

First time poster here, MJ. Thank you for all your excellent posts throughout this season and prior seasons.

I’ve hesitated reading too much into the contestants’ personal situations. I care not a whit about political affiliation, sexual orientation or what colour their nail polish is. I have preferred to judge them based on their performances week to week, and based on that Adam and Kris have consistently vied for spots 1 and 2, with Adam in a slight lead.

As for Danny, he increasingly was giving me the heebie-jeebies, because of exactly what you’ve identified: his so-obvious need to work through his own grief through the vehicle of a reality TV show, and those around him–who should have loved him better and advised him otherwise–not only allowing him to do that, but crassly promoting that agenda and whatever their own personal stake in it is.

You have provided the most insightful and accurate analysis of the Danny situation I’ve read thus far this year. No hate, no bashing … but you are spot on.

Thanks for all your hard work for Idoleers everywhere.

MJ, very insightful post. It’s gonna’ be a great show. Kris and Adam are very different, but yet, can still be respectful of, and yes, even like each other.

Chris Sligh made friends with Danny Gokey, and I have a feeling he could see some of these things that have come forth in Danny’s interviews. If the AI exposure gives his foundation in memory of his wife a higher profile and more success, then good for him.

Less than 72 hours from now, the next American Idol will be crowned. As an Arkansan (and go Arkansas, your voting kept Kris in the running while the rest of the country had a chance to find out who he was!) and a lover of the way he can twist and turn a song to suit his style, I’m Kris Allen all the way. But if he ends up #2, it’s all good, as he will have a wonderful career, made possible by his exposure on this show we love.

Thanks, MJ for helping make this season even more interesting!

Excellent, excellent write-up, MJ. I really enjoyed reading this.

I definitely agree that the exit interviews have revealed even more of what I suspected: that there is Danny the AI Contestant (the person the producers wanted us to know) and Danny the Person. I never was a Danny supporter, but certainly cringed at *some* of the things that were said about him. I was also as pissed as Slezak when his Scream On kept him in the competition while Allison was booted. I hope that Danny finds peace with the upheaval his life has gone through in the last year. I’d suggest regular counseling sessions to begin with.

What I hope for Tuesday – six solid performances, with one or two show-stoppers (I’m realistic here), and the friendly affection Kris and Adam have for each other on full display. I am giddy over the lack of culture-clash and pray that the producers are not stupid enough to try to conjour something up in this vein.

What I hope for Wednesday – the most unbelievable Kris-shock face we’ve seen, as Ryan tries to keep him from falling over, and the audience of thousands massively freak-out for the underdog.

If Kris wins, that is the ultimate kiss off to the most heavy-handedly producer manipulated season.

I’m not convinced that’s true. I’d bet money they wanted Kris over Danny, and they played the game well.

Either way, I like both guys. I hope Adam wins, though.

If you think about season 6, it was the creative guy vs the voice. Well, the voice won. Now we have a voice who happens to be creative, and a singer/songwriter who is also creative.

Blake wasn’t allowed to re-arrange the coronation song. I hope that isn’t the case this year, because that’s just not right.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m really hoping that they can both tweak the coronation song, especially since Kara keeps harping on artistry. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think it benefits either of them to sing it straight.

Yes, please.

Also, I think it is WAY more interesting to hear two different versions rather than the exact same thing again. Anybody remember the Season 1 finale when Justin and Kelly sang “Before Your Love” and “A Moment Like This” with the same arrangement and then they switched songs and then they sang them again on the finale night and then Kelly sang “A Moment Like This” after she won and we all wanted to shoot whoever wrote those songs or the tv or both? Just me? Okay then.

Nice write up. And Agree with your prediction. I personally prefer kris. I think a post above summed up my feeling for Adam. The idea of adam is better than the music he makes for me. But that is just a personal preference. I think he is the vocalist this season. But personally that doesn’t make him the best singer. Kris makes me listen to the story of the song. But again, i think at this point this two deserves to win so whoever wins will be good for me.

I think both of them singing the same song might go either way unlike some people are saying that it would benefit Adam more. Since it is a coronation song, it would be cheesy most probably. On one scenario, Adam would totally outsing kris which is the bigger possibility, but another possibility would be Kris connecting more to the song than Adam does. Having a moment with the song could be a the difference.

Excellent post mj, and I agree with your analysis. I agree Danny was in way over his head, and I hope he gets some help sorting out his grief before he has to go out on tour.

I’m still just tickled pink about the final 2. Both are excellent in their own ways, and I won’t be crushed either way, but I’m voting all 4 hours Tuesday night! Adam ftw!

I am giddy over the lack of culture-clash and pray that the producers are not stupid enough to try to conjour something up in this vein.

THIS. Hey TPTB, remember that horrendously stupid david and goliath boxing metaphor last season? NO! Don’t even think about doing something that stupid again. But I won’t hold my breath.

What happens on Tuesday night will determine who will win.
So may the best man triumph.

And once again, THANK YOU AMERICA!

I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait for Tuesday.

Hear, hear, jz!

Great analysis, MJ. I agree about Danny. Bless his heart. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just not sure that Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d separate him from the people who surround him.

That’s basically where I stand right now as well. I fear he may end up like Jason. A good person surrounded by some real famewhores. There’s not a lot you can do when it’s your close family, but what happens when Danny reaches a stage where he wants to remarry and his first wife’s family is still hanging on him?

Great wrap up. You summed up Danny’s dilemma perfectly. A fish out of water or maybe the water was just too deep. Either way, I’m glad he left with his pride and his spirit intact.
Adam has mesmerised me all season, like no other. Still does.
Kris is so sweet, so low key, and for all his quietness displays a very independent, tenacious quality that has served him well in getting his music and his style appreciated. One of my friends made a very crass analogy: like a strong, silent fart, don’t know he’s in the room till he overwhelms your senses.
I truly admire and respect him and his music.
But, I am so glad to see wild, funky, and talented Adam. My love affair began with ROF and has only grown hotter and more passionate with every performance.
For me, it’s like young love. Do I take the wild, bad boy my parents don’t approve of, Adam; or do I take the squeeky clean good boy that they love, Kris?
Bad boys get me every time.

You know what, regardless of who wins, WE are the winners! Got two contestants whom almost everyone can relate too (even one guy’s fans are ok with the other), and enjoy the music of.

After the win, they’d take a big map of the US of A, then divide the states up and say “More of your listeners in this state, so this one for you, and that one for me…”. First the US, next the world!

Bring it on, Kradam! We Krave your music, tho’ some may Kriticise it, but (A)damn, you guys are good!

I wonder if we are going to get a new set of Guitar Hero commercials from Adam and Kris. Loved those last year and completely unexpected.

Although I have no dog in this hunt, I will be voting for Adam cause Sarah my chat boo asked me to.

ETA….that pic up top says a lot.

ETA x2…I am a rhyming fool tonight.

edit: NO LECTURES ABOUT VOTING. Keep that stuff on your fansites

This is the first season I’ve been invested in AI, even though I’ve watched each season. I missed the show in which the second group of 12 performed during Top 36, so the first chance I had to see Adam perform was Top 13. To paraphrase Renee Zellweger, he had me at hello. His vocals, charisma and stage presence made me an immediate fan! I want him to win because of his talent, and *I* think that he’s earned this crown. Nothing against Kris, just all FOR Adam. I didn’t cast any votes in last year’s finale and not even sure if I watched it, but this year, I’m voting for 4 hours for Adam.

Good luck to Adam and Kris in the finale. I hope they each have strong performances and feel that they did their best!

MJ, I’m curious as to why you think that TPTB might not want Adam to win?

It’s not that that I think they don’t want him to win. It’s more that they’d be OK if he didn’t…

rbidol, very well said. I agree with you completely. Kris got a few good comments from Simon, but he never really got his due. He deserved so much more. While he had the best performance of the night SEVERAL times, including with Heartless last week, Simon simply told Kris last week that he had put himself back in the competition with his “second song.” However, Simon told a Fox reporter after the show that Kris’s “second song was the best song of the whole competition.” That’s right…the whole competition. What I want to know is WHY Simon could not say that to Kris ON THE SHOW!!!

For any doubters, here’s the link…Simon’s words are at 1.40 or so.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9a98m_gdla-top2_music

“But Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll maintain heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s gotten his share of props from the judges.” Sorry, MJ, you missed it on that one.

Oh man. this thread is a nice break from the craziness going on in the headlines thread. i knew i could still finds some KRADAM happytimes somewhere.

i LOVE adam (capital L) but i also love Kris (lowercase l).

but i think im loving their friendship almost as much… could the fingernail story be any cuter?

this is probably just rumor but i thought the “story” was worth sharing (from Gossip Candy):

“This story was shared by a friend of the Allen Family who attended the rehearsals this week in LA!

Did you notice Kris had his thumbnail repainted? Can you guess who painted it? Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s right! Adam Lambert! Kris performed during Rock week with a painted thumbnail, and his homecoming footage captured the chipped polish. Tuesday night, however, Kris performed one of the best performances of the night (and the season, might I add) with a freshly painted thumbnail.

According to Megan Malone, Adam painted Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s thumbnail after the homecoming visits and removed the polish from one of his own nails, stating à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“If you can carry around a piece of me, man; I can do the same for you.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Malone said, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Allens believe Kris wears the black fingernail polish in support of Adam because he wanted Adam in the finale. Also, Kris wanted to dispel any rumors claiming the two werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t great friends.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Kris and Adam were roommates in the Idol Mansion throughout their stay.”

yeah, for the first time ever, i dont have any ill feelings (wow, i take this show too seriously) towards one of the finalists. they both have it all …..personality, looks, talent, marketability, etc, and the biggest bromance since matt damon and ben affleck.

the only person/thing that can ruin my dream finale: TPTB…….crossing fingers simon fuller is current and RELEVANT w. his song selection. im already accepting kara’s coronation song might suck, so anything above a fail will impress me. im easy to please :tongue1_tb:

I, personally, believe that Adam DESERVES it more and has the best musical CHOPS in this competition, but at the same time, I don’t think he will be able to do what he really wants to do if he won. I think he’d be held back and toned down and that’s not why I fell in love with Adam Lambert.

I think Kris is an amazing performer and, of course, he deserves it as well. American Idol will keep their “innocent” image and Kris will do amazingly no matter what.

I’ll be happy both ways.

All I know is that both of them will have careers that they will be proud of; no matter who wins.

I love the Kris/Adam friendship so so very much. ONTD has an awesome graphic that someone made that uses the picture above – it says “They have matching nailpolish, your argument is invalid” lol.

Honestly, I want Kris to win, but I think Adam will win. He’s got the most passionate fanbase and while the praise has been OTT (for me!) at times, he has still earned it most of the time (unlike Danny, IMO) Adam just doesn’t touch my cold black heart when he sings, though I will not deny that he is good at it. I totally want to be his best friend and have him hook me up with a painted thumb or his hairdresser, though. I love him as a person, I really do. I can totally know his whole personality by the combined fifteen minutes I’ve seen him actually be a person that isn’t “I’m singing right now” on the show, obviously. Him with that kid in his homecoming package? Now that made all that is dead in me warm up a little.

Kris makes me take a step back, and actually look at the subtle beauty he brings to his covers. He’s not flashy, but he really interprets a song with mad skills. He’s more exciting for me, even though he isn’t outwardly exciting…if that makes any sense. He’s not hitting me in the face with it (which I am not opposed to at all, I am a Bert McCracken fan, after all), but it’s exciting to actually listen to what he does with the melody and I think he’s got a gorgeous tone. I mean, he’s not Imogen Heap or anything, but given non-shitty material, he could be so, so amazing for me. Of course, he totally will be given the shitty stuff, so I don’t know why I even brought it up.

Of course, this is just a karaoke show (that I happen to love!), so really none of these kids are going to be the face of AI that changes music forever. I hope they make really great albums and stay friends forever (because OMG SO CUTE). If Adam makes a Muse or Mars Volta-like album, I will totally buy it. If he makes poppy dancy stuff, I probably won’t. Same with bb Kris…if he makes good stuff, that doesn’t make me want to die in a fire like Jason Mraz, I will buy it. If he does it a little quirkier with the arrangements like Aqualung or the Cary Brothers or Bloc Party, maybe. I’m tired of buying idol music because I want them to get another album out that might not suck as much as the first one. It’s cluttering up my iTunes. I’m looking at you all but two songs from Elliott Yamin and all but two songs from David Cook. I’m assuming they are both getting record deals, and I’m happy for both of them.

I also feel like at this point, I can choreograph the fan wars as they all pull out the same arguments every year and it never ceases to amaze me how many delusional people watch this show. I think I could seriously write the script now. I find myself wandering over to IDF like it’s a jumbo jet that just fell out of the sky. The ~predicting of the future~ is my favorite part! It gets nasty, but in a totally point and laugh way.

Every time I comment, it ends up being tl;dr and full of references to obscure bands that no one likes, and it’s about ~*feelings*~. I’ll just go ahead and eyeroll at myself —> *eyerolls at self*

dmr Not sure if you’re talking about Simon’s comment during performance or results night. If performance night, prolly the judges were still waiting to see what Adam would come up with, to see if Adam had “the best performance”. If results night, Simon was probably still reeling from the shock of Kris’ being in the Finale, and the script the judges received didn’t include that provision. :ponder_tb: :shock_tb: :jittery_tb:

ETA:But I do agree that Kris was shortchanged in the effusive compliments area, and *Pow-ker-pow* in the “let’s have at him” department, which only adds to Kris’ appeal. In looking back at what some have said about each contestant portrayed with a certain persona, it’s possible that Kris was the character “The Guy that comes out from Behind”, or he decided to rearrange the “script” around to suit his style, since that’s what he’s really good at.

I just want to say to fans of either, neither, or both performers. HAVE FUN!

Sit down in your favourite chair. Heckle Ryan. Roll your eyes the eighth time Randy says “Dawg”. Chair dance like Paula. Take your dress cues from Simon and wear whatever is comfortable. Second guess the contestants. Mock the swaybots. If you like, write opinionated comments on MJs (or other blog of your choice). Vote like a fiend, like a lame-o, not at all, or for everybody as you so desire. Vote because you want to and use whatever criteria you like.

They both have contracts. They both get Fords. There are pros and cons to winning and being the runner-up. There are no alternative universes, so we will never know which would have worked out best for our favourite Idol. The Idols will earn the money, we won’t. All we get is the entertainment value, so have fun.

And feel free to ignore my suggestions because I’m just another opinionated moron on the internet.

I’m looking forward to some great performances on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Kirsten, you got it:) Cheers!
When all this craziness is over I’ll be leaving this blog and looking for the Britain’s Got Talent blogs. But it has been fun. Have never felt passionately about AI before and am so glad I found this blog.
A great escape while recuperating. No harm intended.

steve – guess they will say that was Adam’s “screaming” in rehearsals. LOL
Actually, he have had 3 back to back: a 5.0, 2.5 and 3.1.

I hope you’re right about Adam winning. But I think there will be too much anti-judges’ pimping backlash and that Kris will end up on top. That wouldn’t be so awful, because Adam is going to be awesome anyway, but Adam would, in my opinion, still be robbed.

steve – guess they will say that was Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“screamingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in rehearsals. LOL
Actually, he have had 3 back to back: a 5.0, 2.5 and 3.1.

Man, I didn’t feel a thing. I wonder where the epicenter was?

This is currently on the homepage of KAnation’s fansite:

Also, a friendly reminder to KAnation to keep being respectful towards Adam both on and off the site. Operation Ding Dong is supposed to be intense but lighthearted too, so don’t let things get ugly. And remember we’re not voting against Adam here, we’re just voting (a LOT) for Kris!

Kuddos to Kris’s fans for this one. I’m an Adam voter but I also really like and respect Kris and his fans.

brilliant, Kirsten! for me, for you, dawg… best comment of the thread. *punches fists into the sky a la kara* you’re a commenter gawd!

here’s a sweet kradam hug to warm our cold cynical commenter hearts:

http://gossipcandy.com/2009/05/the-best-hug-ever-now-with-motion/

(you can ignore the rest of the site… a little gossipgirl for my tastes but they do provide some awesome kradam clips

Let’s just hope that the claws (complete with black/blue nail polish) don’t appear after the Finale, regardless of who wins.

I’m cynical, I know, but hey, I’m also old and cranky. :smoke_tb:

I wonder if we are going to get a new set of Guitar Hero commercials from Adam and Kris. Loved those last year and completely unexpected.

I’d fogotten all about those. If so, we just dodged the bullet. Imagine Danny Gokey in his tightie whities rocking out….

Naw, never mind. :wacko_tb:

LMAO danny anoop and matt said they didnt feel it but they felt the pain of putting on a show this big.Its work and thats why idol helps them in the long run.I guess they thought they bring them in for a week to party.

What a reality check, eh, TKat? With all the Danny bashing it was all about voting against Danny “Go Gokey”. I fear a lot of us (me) lost sight that we are indeed not voting against one but for the other. Glad you posted that. I love a clean fight.

I am purposely going to split my vote. I enjoy them both, and don’t care who wins. I just want them to have whatever bragging rights, and, possibly, negotiating power, that high vote totals and iTunes sales might give them. If too many Kradam fans decide not to vote, it could end up that Top 3 night had the biggest vote of the year, 88 million. Why not let them have 49.5 and 50.5 million votes between them? But, I also agree with Kirsten’s wise words- it’s a free country, vote for who you want!

I would love to replace Kara or Randy with you on the judgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s panel for next season. Even better à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  how about you replace Randy, and Michael Slezak can replace Kara? Perfect!

And let’s replace Paula and Simon with Rickey and Jim Cantiello. Now that would be the perfect judges panel!

I only feel bad about Adam’s fans because I see a lot who would think it an absolute travesty if Kris won over him or those who speak of Adam as if everyone should love him. They make me feel sad, so I’ll probably try to avoid the media if Adam wins, it’ll just make me depressed for a while. Please, Adam and Kris fans, do not rub it in if your favorite wins! Vote for your favorite, and hope the best for the other one! I’m voting my fingers off on as many lines as possible (4 max) for Kris!

Great summary, MJ. Balanced, level-headed, a great sum-up.

Both Adam and Kris are going to have great futures. And I do admit, a Kris win would be a GREAT way to give the TPTB the finger and teach them a powerful lesson, but that’s not why I’m voting for Kris. I really think the TPTB (or is it just TPTB, since The TPTB is kinda redundant) should read some of the comments on these blogs or even the summary that MJ posted. Nobody wants ill will. Also, I kinda agree with the comments here about Kris’s praise in that he deserves more. Nobody is objectively better than another person. It’s not a fact that Adam is better than Kris. It’s an opinion, and people should treat it as such.

I really think Season 7 and Season 8 will have the best finales ever. Kris and Adam are so different, yet they have true role model qualities in them, and they really seem like good friends. I really hope the nail polish story by Megan Malone is true, it’s cheesy but cool. My only worry is that the overpraise of Adam and underpraise of Kris will cause them to treat Adam like a God and dismiss him when he falters or shoot down Kris when he does something extremely good. I’m confident that they won’t, and maybe the two will even help each other out, they seem like good friends.

But what I really can’t wait for is if Kris and Adam have a duet. Their musical stylings are so different, this could be a very interesting one.

I also have to say, I feel completely gay for being a straight guy who likes male-male finales over female-female or female-male. Something about them is so much more interesting. Oh, and I just saw the cheesy Adam/Kris hug animation. Full of awesome. I love those guys.

Be forewarned, I might blow up if Adam wins, but I truly don’t mean anything bad! I actually predicted this finale during Top Downloads week, and I’ve been for Kris and Adam since then (Though after Allison’s Top 5 and Top 4 performances, I preferred her over Adam. Oh well, she has a career).

I agree with those that say that…more so perhaps than in previous years…this year the winner will be determined by what happens on Tuesday.

Kris has amazing momentum after Heartless. If you look at Youtube, it is still one of the most viewed videos of the day, five days after it happened. And it isn’t even a video, its just audio with a picture! And Heartless has the most rankings on iTunes for the week. This simply suggests that Kris is coming off something huge, he has a lot of people talking, and that’s a good place to be in the week leading up to the finale.

Adam, of course, has been considered the front runner all season long. The media coverage he has received is completely unprecedented (have major magazines ever before done a cover story on a single Idol contestant in the middle of the competition?). You can’t buy this kind of attention. Plus, it goes without saying that he is immensely talented with a voice that is custom made for the finale.

Both have weaknesses. Kris could seem dwarfed by the magnitude of the event (I think of Katherine McPhee doing Black Horse and a Cherry Tree sitting on the stage season five and Simon saying, “This event is bigger than that performance”). He also needs to seem completely confident and in control; if he feeds the ‘lack-of-confidence’ story-line, it’s trouble. Adam could break the camel’s back by going over the top one too many times…too much of that falsetto could alienate people. There can be too much of an impressive thing, especially since that rock scream is not exactly melodious. He needs to try not to loose the melody, which has been a problem for him at times.

All this to say, I can easily see it going either way, and I think both men could merit the win depending on how they perform. Which means Tuesday is going to be AWESOME!

Kris is my sentimental fave. I’m happy and thankful he made it to Finale, that he’ll now be a household name thanks to being part of that very, very elite group of Top 2 Idols over the years, and that more than likely he can pursue his dream of living off his music from now on if he chooses to do so (star or not, and I concede his personality, style and genre don’t lend themselves to huge celebrity or sold!out!arenas!)

But I understand that the way the show is built and the buzz and fanbase are in Adam’s favor. He’s really talented and seems like a good guy so I will be ok if he wins. I only hope the show won’t give me too many reasons to throw my remote at the screen on Tuesday

I wish both guys luck and (inspired by the Davids fans coming together and celebrating their Manila concert this weekend) look forward to next season, Adam and Kris fans banding together to talk about how much better S8 was than S9

I don’t think they want Adam to win, they definitely want Adam in the finale so that there could be more drama and ratings. but after that, either Adam wins or not would all bring them benefit. All they want to do now is to make up more gossips. Bill O’Reilly tried to attack Adam once but failed and now prepare for another attack on Monday. And, oh, this is also Fox! I really don’t think they have any preference, all they want is just attention, and who wins or who get hurt? that is the least thing they will consider.

I love both of the top2 and just want to enjoy the show, but why the media spread out all those conspiracy (like they would treat one contestant better than the other), religious or even political things to an entertaining reality show? I really can’t get that.

Just hope the best win.

I have really enjoyed this season A LOT, especially because of talents like Adam and Allison. I have nothing against Kris, he just does nothing for me. But, I do wish him well.

This year was a solid group. I am really excited about this finale, but Im a little concerned. My favorite has never won idol, the furthest was a 4th place finish. I dont take credit for Kelly since I only became a fan of hers afterwards and not during her idol run. So Adam, please break my jinxing ways.

Well as if we need any more proof that our Kradam rules the world, here’s the winner of the Eurovision Song Competition in Russia. He’s from Norway and gay, but plays the fiddle looks vaguely like Kris. This has lead some of his fans to call him Kradam. Ha!

It just made me appreciate just how good most AI contestants are!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8JRtGMBUz0

I love both of the top2 and just want to enjoy the show, but why the media spread out all those conspiracy (like they would treat one contestant better than the other), religious or even political things to an entertaining reality show? I really canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get that.

Bottomline? It sells.

We criticise such cheap tactics, decry the invasion of their privacy and right to live their lives as they wish, but for many, there’s a sneaky feeling of delicious guilt in prodding into their lives, either based on envy, curiosity, voyeurism, empathy, or as a ‘civilised’ way of being a prejudiced meglomaniac, knowing we can influence a person’s career.

Harsh? Well…such articles are but a reflection of the writers and readers, else why would we notice the black dot on a sheet of white paper first?

And the Winner of American Idol Season 8 is…

AMERICA!

Seriously though, this has to be the best final 2 the show has ever had. Completely different styles from two very talented artists who are both amazing people. You really could not ask for a better finale.

The winner is really hard to predict at this point. If neither comes out of Tuesday as the clear winner of the night, I think the crown will go to Kris. His fan base has grown exponentially with Heartless and with Danny’s elimination. Plus, the underdog story is going to help immensely.

The performances could get the swing voters to go one way or the other. Like you said, the coronation song is going to be huge. Will each contestant be allowed to do different versions of it? If they have to sing it the same, Kris will be at a huge disadvantage.

And for any Kris doubters, he has just as much potential as Adam to be the best of the night. Ain’t No Sunshine, Falling Slowly, She Works Hard for the Money, and Heartless were all moments for Kris and were all considered by many people to be the performance of the night.

To recap, my money is on Kris, but I would be crazy to bet anymore then pocket change. This one is a toss-up.

You know what would be a great Kradam moment? I really hope on Tuesday (or, at least, on Wednesday), both contestants wear the Rickey.org t-shirt of the opposing contestant. So Kris wearing the “Glambert” shirt and Adam wearing the “Sexy Face” shirt. Wouldn’t that be funny!?

rbidol:To really take the ball you threw and run way off with it….
Let’s just exchange their wardrobes. Think Kris would look really sexy with Adam’s wardrobe (sort of like Twilight, or Brad Pitt in “Interview with a Vampire”), and we saw Adam in Kris’ clothing during “One” last week.

ETA: On 2nd thought, scratch the idea. People really wouldn’t know who they’re watching on the screen – “Wait a minute! I thought I was voting for Kris? Why am I getting the message for Adam?!?!?”

Well as if we need any more proof that our Kradam rules the world, hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the winner of the Eurovision Song Competition in Russia. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s from Norway and gay, but plays the fiddle looks vaguely like Kris. This has lead some of his fans to call him Kradam. Ha!

It just made me appreciate just how good most AI contestants are!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8JRtGMBUz0

He looks nothing like Kris. He looks like Zac Efron. I thought that was brilliant. But, I’m mostly Norwegian. LOL.

I will not be crushed if Kris wins. I like him a lot. If it weren’t for Adam, he’d be getting all my support. But, I am going to predict an Adam win for several reasons, 1) I think the big Nokia theatre might be intimidating to Kris but not Adam. 2) If they have to reprise a song, then Adam has more “moments” to choose from. Several from the beginning of Top 10, so it wouldn’t be like doing “Heartless” from last week. 3) He can sing anything and will do better with the coronation song. 4) I truly think that there were Adam fans voting for Kris, last week, because a no Danny final was so important to them. This week, Adam’s fans will most likely be voting only for Adam. 5) Last but not least, I will be at the Finale and I want to get all verklempt for Adam.

I want Adam to go straight to Broadway.
I want Kris to make an album.

oddobserver, HA! I couldn’t agree more. That was enough of “Adam in a denim shirt” for me for a long, long time. I prefer the black leather and glam looks.

On a totally unrelated topic. In his homecoming TV interview Adam said that his fans would love his song choice and I guess he was right. I was on the AI site, and thought that I misread the comment count on the Crying performance – it already had 8,965 comments. For comparison WLL has 9,182, and Feeling Good has 10,031 (the most comments of any performance video this year).

For comparison the other performances from last week have far fewer comments:
Apologize 251 comments
Heartless 788 comments
One 1,689 comments

But the most amazing thing is that I looked through several pages of comments on each of last weeks 4 Kris/Adam performance and and there were almost no “fan war” comments.

…1) I think the big Nokia theatre might be intimidating to Kris but not Adam….

ITA, it’s very possible that Bandzilla (with a capital B), and even the audience, might end up drowning Kris’ voice/guitar playing, or Kris raises his voice, ending up sounding strained/pitchy . I haven’t watched the finale every season, but those that I’ve watched have been really huge productions, with bombastic band playing/bgv, OTT audience reaction, and major dazzling stage sets. In the midst of it all, Kris might become ‘forgotten’, since it’s really Adam’s element here. But I wouldn’t dismiss Kris out-of-hand yet, since Kris has come so far.

Oddly enough, the only time I noticed the audience being really quiet was during Danny’s sing-out. So if Kris could command that sort of audience reaction during his songs, I won’t be surprised if Kris gets the edge, ‘cos it’ll be seen as the audience was absolutely wowed by Kris’ singing.

But I’d love for ADAM to win! :clap_tb: :king_tb:

Kirsten, thank you for the smile

does nail polish thingy mean that kris COMPLETES adam……and what all does that entail.

does nail polish thingy mean that kris COMPLETES adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and what all does that entail.

LOL Looked to me like they were comparing thumb sizes and you know what that means.

Since I don’t care who wins at this point, there is no need to vote! I can just Relaaaaaxxx. If you split your votes evenly between two people, your votes just cancel each other out!

does nail polish thingy mean that kris COMPLETES adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and what all does that entail………….

Sex tape, 2 years from now

Totally agree with the write-up. Tuesday night’s performances will determine the winner; one isn’t so far ahead of the other that the outcome is inevitable.

I’d prefer Kris to win because 1) I don’t like Adam’s voice and 2) the pimping has been a real turn off. I was talking to my friend the other day about Adam and we both agreed that he’s probably an incredible guy to hang out with, but right now in Idol world, it’s like this: nothing personal, but I hate you. lol

At first, I was on the “Anybody But Adam” train but his rendition of “Heartless” made me a fan. His performance on Tuesday will determine whether or not I actually vote.

There is no doubting Adam’s vocal abilities; but I don’t care for the flamboyant, OTT performances that come with it. It is too Liberace for me. Just sing the song, children.

Wow, one shared thumbnail idea, that’s all it takes….I just hope Kris doesn’t start mourning over a chipped nail next. Smeared by association, oh you poor Kris!

No one will be talking about Kris a couple years from now.

I know that sounds harsh. But the fact is, there has been a ton of guys just like Kris on AI over the years. On the other hand, with whom do you compare Adam? Yes, Kris is good, and he has had his “moments.” Well, there has been tons of “moments” on AI over the years. In my opinion, none of Kris’s stand out in particular.

Kris has not once “moved” me. Not once. Obviously others feel differently. It’s not his song choice. For example, after Kris sang “Falling Slowly” I was not impressed, however, I wondered what the original sounded like. I was blown away, I absolutely loved it. It really demonstrated to me what Kris lacked. His voice is just not special enough. Kris is a competent singer, that’s it. When he sings I am just bored and I start to daydream. There are a million singers out just like him.

I had never been more than a casual AI fan before this year. I noticed Adam early on and I was hooked for the long haul. I was compelled to vote for the first time in my Idol watching years. For the very first time, I am a fan of an AI contestant, it feels weird even. But this Adam guy makes my heart flutter, because I am in love with his voice. And to anyone who thinks he cannot sell albums or be on the radio-you obviously have not heard his iTunes studio versions. The Broadway stuff is ridiculous. If singers such as Adam are “relegated” to Broadway, what does that say?? A singer comes along with a gifted voice, and we don’t want him making records?! I guess we should have ragged on Plant, Mercury, and so on also? It really says something when people actually want mediocrity.

I adore Pocket Idol as a person, and he is competent as a singer. Lots seem to like his style. But I want the guy who makes my heart skip a beat to win. I’m sorry, but elevator music can’t do that for me.

2 things I do look forward to tuesday nite…..where will adam wail and at what point will kris make that OVERbite face thing…I must admit that the adam wail looks better in HD–and I do hope that adam wears the beetlejuice pants again HOT real hot

Just want to say thank you for your insightful posts and huge efforts, mj.
I’ve enjoyed reading the posts here as well as watching the show.
Well, I wish Danny the best of luck in his future career. As a Gokey fan, his pastor thing gives me pure headache.
Looking forward to watching this week’s shows. After that I guess I am gonna miss this crazy and hilarious time :wink_wp:

Wrap up:

As we followed the pathos and emotional journey of American Idol Season 8 – the recession did not go away. The pension funds did not grow. The expenses did not vanish. The mortgages did not get written off. Our lives are still the same , the only difference was that for the past 10 weeks we were entertained. And for brief moments , we had some kind of power à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ the power to decide how we want to be entertained by choosing which contestant to stay or to send home.

I am glad that collectively America made the best decision – on having Adam and Kris as the remaining contenders à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’

But who should be considered as the person who made the difference in Season 8. Who has made Season 8 the most entertaining, the most memorable ? Whose vocals and song choice and interpretation has stuck to our minds, constantly haunting us ?

For me it should be Adam . Not only for talent and consistency week to week à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ but for blazing the ground- that the only limit you can set in your performance is the one you set yourself. Because of this, we were treated to a most fabulous and entertaining season 8.

But this is a reality show whose purpose is subject to our own personal interpretation.

As Adam and Kris perform for the last time on Tuesday their friendship will be a liberating force . And we will be in for the most fabulous and memorable finale.

So on Wednesday, the collective mind will be tallied. I hope America shares my view that Adam truly deserves the recognition but if not, then I can always buy Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s CD or DVD and enjoy his music in the privacy of my home – while the recession continue to rage outside my door.

will kris make that OVERbite face thingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

I call it the American Werewolf in London face LOL

Adam will wail in each song, I predict. That is what I cannot stand. You know it’s coming.

First I have to say to mj that you have given me a whole new insight into Danny. I never thought of the relentless pushing and pimping of his family. I didn’t start watching until the top 13, so I might have missed a lot of what went on before with him. I never thought about how incredibly selfish that really was, to have him go ahead with this competition even though he was still in a state of grief and shock. He really was in no condition emotionally to do something like this. I mean, it could have waited. I know that he said he wanted to do it in honor of his wife, because that’s what she wanted for him. But it was way too soon. He has not even begun to deal with the grief, just delayed it. He needs some down time to recover and just mourn his loss.

For myself, I never saw Adam as the frontrunner or inevitable winner. I have watched this show too long. I know better. He is way outside of the typical AI mold. I always felt he was more of a long shot or dark horse himself. I am really happy and thrilled that he actually made it to the finale. I know that some may talk about the pimping from the judges, but I never trust anything they do. They pimped Archie last season and then pretty much threw him under the bus. Simon was gushing to high heaven over his performances on finale night and then took it back the next day. This from the man who had been saying all along that he wanted David Cook to win. So who knows what goes on in his mind.

The judges may very well have set up Danny as the fall guy. But they did look genuinely shocked when Kris got through to the finale. There is so much manipulation going on with this show, it’s just unbelievable. Adam has gotten the media buzz and the attention because of his outstanding, fearless performances. He has been consistently great every single week. Somehow he has managed to stay true to himself artistically, yet get enough of a fanbase to get into the finale. It’s nothing short of amazing.

I know that I will be voting until my fingers fall off and ALL my votes will be going to Adam. He has earned it as far as I am concerned. I hope that there will be a minimum of hatespeak online, but if there is then I will be sure to stay far away from it. I want to enjoy what should be a magnificent finale. I don’t want to analyze how it will play out. These two guys are close friends and they deserve better than the usual trash talk that happens leading up the finale.

I know that Adam wants to win this. I could see it on his face when they said he was through to the finale. He practically broke down right there on the stage. He has toiled in obscurity for years, working hard to get better and better and now he finally has his moment in the spotlight.

I think we have the two best guys in the finale and Isimply can’t ask for more than that.

I asked my hubby who he thought was going to win.
He said whomever TPTB want to win, that’s who.
I think I agree.

That was enough of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Adam in a denim shirtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  for me for a long, long time

But he looked hot in that denim shirt

I like Adam and Kris. All throughout the season, when asked to pick a favorite, I could never choose between the two because I thought I loved them both equally. But now that the finale is approaching, I realize that I want Kris to win. From his performances on the show, I have a pretty good idea of what type of music heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll release, and I like what Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been hearing so far. The problem with Adam for me is that I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know what kind of artist he really is. Even after 10 weeks in competition.

That said, I would be not be that disappointed if Adam wins. Maybe Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be crushed initially, but I know Kris will go on to make a great albumà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be first in line to buy that album.

Kris has not once à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“movedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  me. Not once. Obviously others feel differently. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not his song choice.

Same here.obviously just varying mileage and all that, cos he somehow made it to the finale on that bland stuff he delivers every week…..which is why i hope Adam wins, over the season he’s been more memorable, the other dude not so much

Having said that, I think Kris will win, not because he should, but there are other factors at play here

MJ, Thanks for all your hard work this season. I relied on you to have all the videos when I missed a show or bits of the show.

I want Adam to win because he’s entertained me all season. Kris never entertained me but I do like some of his arrangements. He would be a killer entertainer if he had Jason’s quirky personality.

However, Simon told a Fox reporter after the show that Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“second song was the best song of the whole competition.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦the whole competition.

That’s because he wanted to erase all mention of the Slow Ride duet as being the best song of the whole season? We all have our conspiracy theories and our best songs. I’m going to miss an Allison/Adam finale.

The question of which one deserves to win keeps raising it’s ugly head. I’ve given it some thought. Both deserve to win. IMO, should Kris win, he will sell a lot more albums than if he comes in 2nd. I think Adam will sell more albums if he comes in 2nd, because his base will have a point to prove. I think it’s a win-win for 19 and I guess a win-win for both contestants.

MJ,

Like so many others, I just wanted to say thank you for your blog.

I’m glad you wrote what you did about Danny. I was pretty grumpy that Danny took what I think was Allison spot and TPTB pimping was just so much. But when I saw his interviews, I had a similar reaction that you did.

I just watched the new Idolatry, a show I usually love, but boy, I wish they had had a more of a bigger heart after seeing those interviews. I’m glad as a thought leader, you wrote what you did. It is just a cheesey reality show, but it does not mean we need to be heartless.

Very excited about the final two, I actually think Kris will win, I think he will get more of Danny’s votes and we know the vote count was close last week.

That said. Go Adam!

I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a win-win for 19 and I guess a win-win for both contestants.

I really hope that’s true.

As evidence by just this post, there are people who are going to be voting for Kris just because “A Vote for Kris is a Vote against Adam.”

I don’t think there is anyone is going to be voting for Adam just to vote against Kris.

And although I have no doubts a this point Kris has a huge fanbase(they got him this far!) , it’s harder to get a read on the people who will be voting for him Tuesday night. How many of those people will be fans? and how many of those people just hate Adam/Judges/TPTB?

The question of which one deserves to win keeps raising ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s ugly head. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve given it some thought. Both deserve to win. IMO, should Kris win, he will sell a lot more albums than if he comes in 2nd. I think Adam will sell more albums if he comes in 2nd, because his base will have a point to prove. I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a win-win for 19 and I guess a win-win for both contestants

Aah, so who should win should be based on what placement serves them best to sell more albums post idol?..and by some stretch Kris would sell more if he came first and Adam would better if he came 2nd..Righhht I gotchya!

They may both fail post idol, it will all come down to the material they get to put out.I dont see either as sure bet successes just yet…nothing’s a given. What i see is a tv reality show that lasted 10plus weeks, and overall the contestant who should win should be based on who brought it the most in all totality, and made it worth watching and somewhat exciting, so I’m going Adam. I’ll let tomorrow and lady goodluck take care of their post idol careers

I can only wish the final performances will be judged fairly by Simon et al (i.e. no bussing, or is that wishful thinking). I want either man to win based on their own merits. Like it or not, Simon’s comments influence viewers to vote or not to vote.

I sooooooo hope you’re right MJ.
I’m a nervous wreck and need all positive reinforcement for an Adam win I can get.

Here’s hoping he burns down the house on tuesday.

I can’t believe how ridiculous I’ve become over this boy. I am now officially acting like a tween!!!!! Please let this show be over, I’m too old for this spectacle.

Adam will win. He’s been pimped and primed to take the crown since the beginning.

For me, there has been one contestant that I tuned in for every week. Towards the end, I started liking a second one as well but the draw for me this season was Adam and then Adam and Allison. I feel for Adam as the kid who never fit in and making it to the finale is so awesome for him. His talent is undeniable whether you like his style or not. He is a compelling performer and each week, I couldn’t wait to see what he would do next. His smile makes me smile. He is the only one that thanked the band and said the other contestants were great. For some reason, that means something to me.

Kris is a really nice guy but his singing voice is pretty average to me and he was basically on the same level as Danny and Matt. Pretty good but not great. Plus the faces he makes while singing… well, I don’t like them along with the singing out of one side of his mouth. Yet, I like him because he is so decent that you can’t help but like him. But he isn’t compelling for me. I don’t see him as a star. More like an opening act for someone else.

Adam deserves my votes because he put it out there every single week and should be rewarded for it. I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t win but I’ll be ok with it because Kris is so nice.

Adam will win. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been pimped and primed to take the crown since the beginning.

I really felt that way about Danny not Adam. He sure wasn’t pimped when he sang ring of fire.

Adam will win. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been pimped and primed to take the crown since the beginning.

I dunno, I think most of Allison’s and Danny’s votes will go to Kris.

my feeling is most of Allison’s votes will be going to Adam. Danny’s, probably to Kris, but I am hoping many of them will not be voting at all…

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d fogotten all about those. If so, we just dodged the bullet. Imagine Danny Gokey in his tightie whities rocking outà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

LOL That would have been amusing.

Kris makes me listen to the story of the song.

Exactly. This is the reason that I love Kris, too. No, he isn’t an over the top “in your face” type of singer. He’s got a tender, understated vocal and a way of emphasizing what the song is saying rather than simply putting on a show.

One of my friends made a very crass analogy: like a strong, silent fart, donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s in the room till he overwhelms your senses.

LOL!

—

I think it should be an awesome show on Tuesday. I wish both Kris and Adam good luck and can’t wait to see what they’re going to be doing. I’m sure both of them are going to dazzle us in their own way.

I’ll be voting for Kris once the show ends, however. Not because I don’t like Adam or anything like that. I simply prefer Kris to Adam. Had it been an Allison/Adam finale, then all of my votes would have gone to Allison (she was my overall favorite). But since she’s no longer in the competition, my votes go to my second favorite (Kris). It has nothing to do with “voting against Adam”. It kinda saddens me that if, by some miracle, Kris actually wins this thing (which I am not expecting to happen), some people are going to claim that he only won because of people voting against Adam. That’s not really fair to Kris.

I’ve already resigned myself to an Adam win. Just because, like someone said earlier in the thread, Adam is the typical Idol belter who will have the “moment” that Simon always looks for during the finale. Like last year when DC chose to do “The World I Know” and Simon said he should have done one of his “moment” songs like ‘Billie Jean.’ I just imagine Adam doing his rocking out thing and Simon (as usual) eating it up. Then Kris coming out and doing his tender thing and Simon brushing it off as not being “a moment.”

But as many have already said, I think both guys seem like genuinely nice guys and they are so different from each other musically that there is room for both of them. And just like last year, I might even end up getting both of their albums. Unless, of course, Adam does the Katy Perry-esque stuff. I really don’t like her stuff…so if he does that, then I’ll probably avoid his album. lol

Anyway, I wish them both luck.

P.S. I can’t wait until Wednesday to see my Allison!

Aw, MJ, I like when I agree with every thing you say!

I would love to replace Kara or Randy with you on the judgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s panel for next season.

Oh my goodness, I love this idea! I think the fourth judge coming from the fan contingent is an incredible idea! Are you listening, AI????!!!!

It has nothing to do with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“voting against Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . It kinda saddens me that if, by some miracle, Kris actually wins this thing (which I am not expecting to happen), some people are going to claim that he only won because of people voting against Adam. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not really fair to Kris.

————————————————————————

Well said. Some of us are in fact voting for Kris because he is the artist whose album we most want. He has held steady with Adam in radio spins and in itunes sales… the one glimmer of those we peeked at. I get the brilliance of Adam. I do. But Kris is more my style of music. I am not saying there won’t be those who vote against Adam. There will I’m sure. But there have been many other dogs in the fight so far and Kris has overcome them all. He has gotten props here and there from the judges. But he has also taken more crap and depimping than anyone else other than Anoop and Allison. Kris has earned this spot more than any other contestant in recent memory and yet has to live with the …oh people just vote against Adam.I do think Adam will win. I will buy his album too. But Kris has not made it this far with not a lot of show help because of being the Anti Adam. Kris is a marketable artist in his own right. But still, I still liked your take on it mj.

Besides, I just cannot imagine Adam Lambert being the warm up act for Kris Allen on the Idol tour. Adam HAS to win.

I SO agree with this!!!!! I have never been to and Idol concert before, and I am basically going just to see Adam, and the thought of him coming out and being well Adam, and then he has to leave the stage to let Kris on and strum his guitar to “Heartless” kinda makes me ill. It’s like being in a race car going 120 miles per hour, and then all of a sudden you stop and they say get out and get in that Yugo, the Yugo will be so boring after the race car.

Adam FTW. Vote Adam fans. VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want to say to fans of either, neither, or both performers. HAVE FUN!

Sit down in your favourite chair. Heckle Ryan. Roll your eyes the eighth time Randy says à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Dawgà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . Chair dance like Paula. Take your dress cues from Simon and wear whatever is comfortable. Second guess the contestants. Mock the swaybots. If you like, write opinionated comments on MJs (or other blog of your choice). Vote like a fiend, like a lame-o, not at all, or for everybody as you so desire. Vote because you want to and use whatever criteria you like.

They both have contracts. They both get Fords. There are pros and cons to winning and being the runner-up. There are no alternative universes, so we will never know which would have worked out best for our favourite Idol. The Idols will earn the money, we wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t. All we get is the entertainment value, so have fun.

And feel free to ignore my suggestions because Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just another opinionated moron on the internet.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m looking forward to some great performances on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Great comment.
p.s. I’m looking forward to the post-Idol press, the Adam-Kris show!
And THEN I’m looking forward to the Tour!

I dunno, I think most of Allisonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s votes will go to Kris.

I really don’t think that this is true. As a fervent Allison fan, I certainly was very pissed off that Danny made it to the top 3 over our girl. And I’d actually be rather upset if Kris beat out Adam in the finals, only because I believe he is nowhere near as talented as Adam or Allison and got to the top purely because of a strong fanbase that is largely composed of tween girls. I would much rather see talent prevail in this competition over looks and popularity. It might restore my faith in this silly show.

Even Danny’s tweets annoy me. While Anoops’ are funny with funny pics of rehearsals etc., Dannys’ are all about me me me. Last week I think he was the best performer (but those songs-YUCK) with the best voice, but something about that dude just grates on me. He is so phoney and self-absorbed.

-Sorry,-OT -I would not be surprised to see Anoop cast as an actor somewhere, somehow. He has an advantage being a nice looking, bright kid, and many shows look for ethnic talent.

Kris is a nice kid and a nice typical AI singer. I would never vote against him, but I hope all of us Adam fans are able to pull things off. Vote vote vote.

MJ, maybe we can have a poll. It’s my contention that once someones idol has been voted off, they don’t vote anymore. At least power vote.

I enjoy the show, but I don’t enjoy the voting. Let’s face it, Voting is a real pain. Voting against someone for FOUR hours will be an even bigger pain.

Who continues to vote enthusiastically for someone else once their favorite has been voted off?

Adam’s been my idol since day one and I’ve voted for him a few time, but come the finale I’ll be texting the full 4 hours and Skyping after that if I can.

I am unreservedly, wholeheartedly, unequivocally for Adam all the way. Based on his complete body of work over the season, based on charisma, based on humility, based on vocal ability, based on that stir of excitement I feel when it is his turn- based on everything.

I would caution TPTB to not even attempt any sort of ridiculous boxing or related theme, because you just know Adam could do something daring with any sort of costuming they could dream up. I have no bloomin’ idea how anyone could camp up boxing gloves and a robe, but there’s no doubt in my mind Adam could.
It’s post voting and he may not be quite able to help himself :devil_tb:

Exactly. This is the reason that I love Kris, too. No, he isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t an over the top à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“in your faceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  type of singer. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got a tender, understated vocal and a way of emphasizing what the song is saying rather than simply putting on a show.

…..?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJYyqzUr6jU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbiHtH3kUpM}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyyESHqT9a4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xxA81F278Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7OVHBc8ZA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI4rUZhSPD0

Okay, call me crazy but was the Davids finale a slam dunk? I thought that was considered a nail biter at least to those who didn’t follow Dial Idol closely.
Ditto for Bo/Carrie. At least for me at the time.

Why do people need their faith restored in this show? I thought Cook’s win over Archie changed the landscape of the show with artistry and originality triumphant over a tween favorite. Gee that kind of sounds like this year.
I always found that kind of thinking annoying becase it was too simplistic. This year seems even more OTT because now it’s not just the show’s dynamic but all of America that will be affected.

Oh well, this is the point when the fans go into hyperdrive. And I guess winning Idol is a big thing (for a year anyway) so I don’t want to stop anyone from getting their thumbs and fingers ready for the power voting and text messaging ahead. Remember 100 is chump change these days. Put down at least 1,000 votes for your guy or he’s toast.

mj, I think you got the spirit of the finale down perfectly.

I think it really does come down to the six performances they give on Tuesday. Both contestants have had intriguing journeys, and either one could win.

Adam is most deserving, for his entire run, but Kris has come on strong and could take it. Who knows? It will be one for the record books, no doubt.

I am so excited!

God, the anxiety is eating me up. I wish I’d never seen Adam’s audition because I could have gone on with my life in happy ignorance. Now I’ll be up till the wee hours voting for a reality show contestant. Madness.

I agree that Adam deserves the win. Kris is lovely and talented, but he’s nothing special. Adam has a specialness that I haven’t witnessed since Mercury ruled the charts. Yes, I’m that old.

Plus, I bought tickets to the concert (first time evah!) and if Adam’s not closing the show, I’ll be so ticked.

I think Kris is a nice talented guy. I have his stuff on my ipod and expect to in the future. Funny thing is I don’t listen to it…..

I listen to Adam, Allison, and Anoop…..therefore my vote is going to Adam. He’s just it for me. He ticks every box for me. He’s exciting. I think that while he was pimped unlike Danny he actually did some stuff on that stage that was totally deserving of praise. He has been almost pitch perfect. He’s made some great musical choices. He’s had those water cooler moments, he has the great big idol voice. He also has this drive and desire that while it is quite evident it isn’t desperate or cloying. He has gravitas, and that is the diff for me. Lambert FTMFW!

Glad Danny is gone, hopefully he will be able to grieve for his wife at some point, and find some perspective from his idol journey. I hope his foundation is a success only if it is totally separate from his church as I think that any link to it will be it’s downfall. Those places tend to be rife with graft and misappropriation of funds. If he is going to walk the walk, maybe he should walk away and find a place more suitable for the mission he claims to be on. I wish him godspeed as it must be horrendous to face life without his wife.

I would caution TPTB to not even attempt any sort of ridiculous boxing or related theme, because you just know Adam could do something daring with any sort of costuming they could dream up.

Like he’ll sabotage what he’s been working up to for the past months?

Kath77, I agree. I have watched idol since Season 4, but never voted. Not once. No one captured my attention enough for me to dial for them. Then this year, I skipped the auditions portion of the show because I got tired of watching poor singers sing badly for 2 minutes of TV time.

I started watching the show again during the Semi-final rounds, when it gets more interesting.

When Adam sang, my breath practically caught in my throat.
It was like discovering that the rock I use to prop open my back door turned out to be a large uncut diamond.

Form then on I was hooked. Every song he sang, he captured my imagination. I am a Lambot. Can’t help it.

I have been poisoned by Adam’s Juju.

I’m so excited for the finale! I wasn’t that in to this year’s show until Kris sang “Ain’t No Sunshine” but from that moment on he had me. He put out top performances one after another from that point on. Someone once wrote a review of Amos Lee’s work and said “he recognizes the power of simplicity, distilling an emotional essence that cuts across categories” which I think sums up the reason I and so many connect with Kris.

While I’m a die-hard Kris fan, I think Adam is wildly talented and seems like a genuinely good guy. I love that he and Kris are such good friends….makes for a really good story. I’m the opposite of MJ, I’d like to see Kris win but would be completely okay with Adam winning. I think they both are going to have great success after the show.

Glad Danny is gone, hopefully he will be able to grieve for his wife at some point, and find some perspective from his idol journey.

Yeah, he won’t be able to truly grieve until the beginning on next season, since he is bound to be Idol’s bitch for the year. If he was smart, he would poor all of his sadness into an album, and make one of the most heart-wrenching and god awful albums of the year.

It will be Danny singing three words for one hourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ ”I Am Sad” over the sound of thirty Foundation kids scraping forks over sandpaper.

Norwegiano, This.

When Adam sang, my breath practically caught in my throat.
It was like discovering that the rock I use to prop open my back door turned out to be a large uncut diamond.

As a music lover and avid consumer of all kinds of music, I shied away from AI because they, imVHo, produced bland safe artists who don’t push the boundaries or offer anything different. Even Clarkson is a vanilla version of Xtina and some of the other more exciting female pop stars.

But Adam is the first AI contestant that seems like a true RL global artist. This kid has a bright future, and it’ll be AI’s loss if he doesn’t win the title and the winner is once again a safe, boring vanilla singer who will fade away after a year or so.

Adam Lambert doesn’t need AI. AI needs Adam Lambert.

Agree with SparklesATL– I don’t think people power-vote against contestants once their vavourite is gone. At least, I would consider it a bit of a deranged behaviour that would deserve the classical “get a life!” comment :devil_tb:

As for the finale, I definitely am on the Adam train, for all the reasons everyone mentioned above.
I cannot be completely on his train like I was last year for DC, only because some of the stuff he put out, and that apparently he likes and would put on his record, is not my cup of tea at all (that techno-pop-dance garbage Kate Perry or Lady Gaga style… So I’m a bit worried about that. If he comes out and rocks it out…then he could quickly become not just one of my favourite Idols, but one of my favourite artists- period.

Look forward to a great show!

En Memorium

Allison Iraheta
Matt Giraud
Scott McIntyre
Anoop Desai
Megan Joy
Lil Rounds
Jesse Langseth (she deserved more)

These were the ones I liked.

I reserve a “special” place for those I don’t.

I would caution TPTB to not even attempt any sort of ridiculous boxing or related theme, because you just know Adam could do something daring with any sort of costuming they could dream up. I have no bloominà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ idea how anyone could camp up boxing gloves and a robe, but thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s no doubt in my mind Adam could.

Heheehee… Imagine how much fun would Adam have in playing dress up!!!

Even if they try to cast him as a devil (based on the devil vs angel article) he would come across as a sexy devil who seduce the glamberts to hell!!

Like heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll sabotage what heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been working up to for the past months?

It’s the finale- all the votes are in, Ryan’s little cards are in his pocket and all the pent up self expression of the season is free to fly.
I’m just sayin’- it would not surprise me if a little more Zodiac came to the party.

I cannot be completely on his train like I was last year for DC, only because some of the stuff he put out, and that apparently he likes and would put on his record, is not my cup of tea at all (that techno-pop-dance garbage Kate Perry or Lady Gaga styleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

My guess is that those are people who influence him, but since he is a man, it will not sound anything like them. It will be more Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters (an amalgam of glam, classic and neo-disco). But with better vocals and less Elton John influence.

I am already loving it.

some people are going to claim that he only won because of people voting against Adam. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not really fair to Kris.

Really. I preferred Kris all season, but maybe he shouldn’t win. Adam’s got the buzz. I think of the backlash if he’s denied. Still I think his career will not be as a recording artist, Kris’s may very well be.

My guess is that those are people who influence him, but since he is a man, it will not sound anything like them. It will be more Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters (an amalgam of glam, classic and neo-disco). But with better vocals and less Elton John influence.

I am already loving it.

Norwegiano. You are making me very excited. However the fact that I would have to wait for it (for quite some time) makes me feel a bit depressed. Looking forward to his interviews. I love listening to his songs and watching him perform. However it is his personality that makes me a bit obsessive : )

Hoping i would return to normal after next wed!!

>>The problem is, a grief stricken guy is in no position to make sound decisions. A karaoke reality show is really a shitty vehicle for working out grief, and is hardly a substitute for, say grief counseling.>>

yep yep yep. I dont think he has even begin the grief process yet. I wish him well with that. He’s an awkward individual who, when he tries to be “funny”, always fails. I still didnt like the whole religion thing he kept bringing up in not so subtle ways but I think I understand the reasons why he does it better. His faith is what is keeping him together at this point. But I laughed out loud when I read where he told the press he wants to start a movement with his music. See? he’s socially naive. Good for him though.

For the first time in a while I am excited about the finale and it will be a kicker, one for the Idol books. I want Adam for the win but I realize that if he doesnt win for a variety of reasons, thats all people will be talking about and thats a good thing for him. He will be just fine Im thinkin’.

Finally, every week I keep sayin to myself that this is the week Adam chokes or that he messes up in some way or that he begins to doubt himself and every week he gets stronger and seems more self assured than ever. That kind of confidence is something your born with. You cant buy it, you cant learn it, that kind of confidence is innate and the word fearless gets tossed around alot but its the one word that describes Adam. Fearless. He struts out on that stage with so much confidence and certitude and absolutely no doubt as to his ability. He skeers me and I think he should win. Plus, he’s sexy as hell.

I like both competitors.

ditto.
They are both completely different and very talented and both seem like nice people, too hard for me to choose between them. I enjoy listening to them and i’d buy music from them both.
It’s going to be an excellent final for a show that started out so crappy, i’m looking forward to tomorrow.

This article only makes me more excited for the finale. I have a pretty good feeling that it will be a good battle with no real set winner until the voting has been cast. For the finale, my fingers are going to be raw for 4 full hours of mad texting with two phones DialIdol speed dialing. Hopefully all the rest of the Adam fans do the same. Text once, then constant resends for 4 full hours. This will make the difference in an Adam win. Here’s hoping for a good finale!

Adam will keep things pretty tameà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ at first.

He will get through his contract with 19 and play the game well…getting some big hits along the way. He won’t want to shock the world too much at first.

He will ease the public into his more outrageous self through carefully controlled situations, like talk shows and one-off concerts, promoting the good but safe album he will make, but with a little flare.

He will make sure he remains tabloid fodder, because that is how you measure your celebrity, unfortunately. BUT…

his second album is going to be off-the-charts wild, hard rock, and above all, sexually charged. Trent Reznor is gonna hate this guy. LOL.

I enjoy the show, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t enjoy the voting. Letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s face it, Voting is a real pain. Voting against someone for FOUR hours will be an even bigger pain.

Who continues to vote enthusiastically for someone else once their favorite has been voted off?

Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been my idol since day one and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve voted for him a few time, but come the finale Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be texting the full 4 hours

It will be my first time voting for 4 hours, but I’m going to DO IT!
Just voting last week for 2 hours was like going into combat.
I’m wondering the same thing Sparkles. Who would vote against
someone for 4 hours??? I can’t get behind that 7th grade mentality. Adam deserves this win!!! I’m ready to do my part.

The problem is, a grief stricken guy is in no position to make sound decisions. A karaoke reality show is really a shitty vehicle for working out grief, and is hardly a substitute for, say grief counseling

thedingoateyobaby May 18th, 2009 at 9:01 am

>>The problem is, a grief stricken guy is in no position to make sound decisions. A karaoke reality show is really a shitty vehicle for working out grief, and is hardly a substitute for, say grief counseling.>>

yep yep yep. I dont think he has even begin the grief process yet. I wish him well with that. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an awkward individual who, when he tries to be à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“funnyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , always fails. I still didnt like the whole religion thing he kept bringing up in not so subtle ways but I think I understand the reasons why he does it better. His faith is what is keeping him together at this point. But I laughed out loud when I read where he told the press he wants to start a movement with his music. See? heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s socially naive. Good for him though.

Right on. I have always maintained that TPTB took the low road with him. Think about all the sunshine and “You can do it”s! they had to blow up his ass in order to get him to continue being their golden boy? I mean, how much damage have they done to the poor guy by giving him equal overdoses of exploitation and repression?

“People cling to their guns and religion” in times of great strife, so the religious aspects of Danny don’t surprise me.

If Adam does not win it will have nothing to do with his sexuality. It will be because there is a large group of people who hate musical theatre, who never liked groups like Queen and can never imagine enjoying Lady GaGa.
If Kris does not win it will be because there is a large group of people who consider only big notes and perfect pitch to be great singing.
What they have in common is they both are very comfortable with who they are as men. They both ooze confidence on stage. They both have artistic talent. It will be the battle of styles, not the battle of sexuality or religion.

It will be the battle of styles, not the battle of sexuality or religion.

I hope so.

MJ, maybe we can have a poll. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s my contention that once someones idol has been voted off, they donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote anymore. At least power vote.

Well, if they do fall away, it seems somebody else takes their place. Voting always tends to increase over the season. I don’t recall any big fall off in voters when a contestant is voted off. If it is true that people just stop voting, wouldn’t we have seen 1/5th-1/6th of the votes drop off when Matt left and 1/4-1/5th when Allison left? The voting window is expanded for Top 2, so any drop-off would be swallowed by that.

Now, I’ve often contended that rabid fans are great, but that the casual vote is more powerful. All those little old ladies who vote their 10 times. The guys who decide, what the hell, they’ll vote a couple of times for whatever reason. The tweens who would spend all night voting for whomever just because OMG it’s fun to be part of a movement. And so on. I see no reason why any of these people would stop voting.

Thanks JKL for those links…I think that many people forget the softer side of Adam. I hope that at least one of the songs he sings tomorrow reminds people that he can “emphasize what the song is saying rather than simply putting on a show”. I think he can do it all and I hope the three songs show that versatility.

Having said that, I’d be OK with Kris winning too. I agree with MJ — either choice is a good one.

I think both guys definitely deserve it – Adam deserves it for being consistently amazing week after week, and Kris deserves it for fighting his way from complete obscurity to the top with solid performances and a quiet confidence. Either way, they both have a lot to be proud of and are the right finale. (wow…the right finale two years in a row…I’m slightly impressed with the general public…)
I want Kris to win, because he’s the more the artist who I actually would listen to, but I think this is probably going to be Adam’s victory, just because I have a feeling the coronation song is going to lean in his favor, and he’s more likely to impress with his huge vocals and get the judges comment “This IS a SINGING competition and YOU are the BEST SINGER.” Which they insist on telling someone every year.
Either way…both these guys are in a position to do amazing things. I really feel like the Davids have done a great job of stomping on the idea that only one winner/runner-up per season can be successful. They are a great example of two very different artists who both have huge fan followings and have put out great music and are enjoying successful careers. I wish all of that for Kris and Adam as well.

Michael Slezak can replace Kara? Perfect!

Would LOVE to see Slezak as a judge and ESPECIALLY if he replaced Kara. I share his opinion of her—that even when I agree with her I want to smack her in the face.

If Adam does not win it will have nothing to do with his sexuality. It will be because there is a large group of people who hate musical theatre, who never liked groups like Queen and can never imagine enjoying Lady GaGa.
If Kris does not win it will be because there is a large group of people who consider only big notes and perfect pitch to be great singing.

The same thing can be said if they win….there will still be a contingent who don’t like musical theater, and that think Kris voice is inadequate for an idol winner.

My guess is that those are people who influence him, but since he is a man, it will not sound anything like them. It will be more Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters (an amalgam of glam, classic and neo-disco). But with better vocals and less Elton John influence.

Norwegiano: from your keyboard to Adam’s ears! I’d be first in a long line waiting to buy that record.

as grief-stricken and desperate to make sense of her tragic death. The problem is, a grief stricken guy is in no position to make sound decisions. A karaoke reality show is really a shitty vehicle for working out grief, and is hardly a substitute for, say grief counseling…..Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m blaming the people around himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’his sisterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s photo flashing family who sought the camera rather than talk him out of a colossally terrible idea, his rolex-loving pastor egging Danny on to further his own agenda, and Idol producers who used Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s grief to pimp for votes and ratings.

Wow. I believe where I come from MJ we call that “Nail-Head.”

I was made incredibly uncomfortable by Danny Gokey from the getgo. That first bizarre breakdown during the semis over the death of his wife…it was just so….off. Up until now, I had pegged that uncomfortability as my secular atheist’s reaction to what was obviously someone’s decision to put Danny’s evangelical beliefs front-and-center. Throughout this whole process, every week, watching Danny has been watching someone who was, well, not quite right. He obviously had an agenda–no one in their right mind goes on a show like Idol and behaves like that unless they’ve got something serious their trying to sell. And the producer encouraged culture war overtones gave us an explanation for what it was Danny was trying to sell.

It never occurred to me until I just read your piece that I was overlooking the obvious: Danny might not actually have been in his right mind.

I too am thankful we have had our producer-pushed culture war finale averted.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“People cling to their guns and religionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in times of great strife, so the religious aspects of Danny donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t surprise me.

I cling to my faith, which is a relationship to me, as it is to Danny, at all times, good and bad, because God to me is like my best friend, with whom I’m constantly in contact with. Also, because I know I can do nothing without Him. I find it amazing that someone with little exposure to secular music can do so well. His ability comes from the fact that he has his foundation in his faith. Those who walk with God experience His blessings, which includes getting Rolexes, or being able to buy them. In the Old Testament, the richest people were devout God-worshipers. Their wealth was shown in the much cattle that they had. If it was wrong for them to have a lot of cattle and servants, surely God would have told that to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and even Joseph of Arimathea, who gave his tomb for Jesus to be buried in. So I see nothing wrong with Danny’s pastor having a Rolex. It may have been given to him, like the Mercedes my pastor was given years ago. Many don’t know the world of the miraculous. I know a minister who was blessed with speaking Spanish, without learning it, so he can be a missionary to Central and South America. So for Danny to be able to do what he has done is no surprise to me, when I have seen and heard of amazing things people have done who no one expected to be able to do those things. On Idol Extra, Danny said that the audition before Randy, Paula, and Simon was some time after the death of his wife. There is a time period that passes between the first audition and several others you go through, to then eventually the one with the 3 judges. So his grieving was not that recent then. But I do not condemn him for having shown it, just like I don’t condemn all the others whose stories were featured. Otherwise, Idol should just not run anyone’s story. And I do hope that Danny impacts more than “just” his world, because he would then follow in the footsteps of the One he believes in, Who did the same.

If Adam does not win it will have nothing to do with his sexuality. It will be because there is a large group of people who hate musical theatre, who never liked groups like Queen and can never imagine enjoying Lady GaGa.
If Kris does not win it will be because there is a large group of people who consider only big notes and perfect pitch to be great singing.

PLEASE DONT LADY GAGA has a long way to go before we put that with QUEEN.

Adam has been showcasing his BIG notes because he is the only one who can do them on the show. It sets him apart from the others.

However, “Track Of My Tears” was as soft and folksy as anything Kris has done all season, and IMHO did it much better. He can be soft and lyrical with the best of them and could easily make an album with stuff like that.

Adam is smart. He had to separate hismself from the pack, and show that he has what the others don’t, and that is unbelievable RANGE. By choosing power songs, it’s like he was daring his fellow contestants to rise to the challenge, knowing full well they couldn’t. He tempted them to be bigger than him.

Pretty much every one of them took the bait, except Kris. THIS is why he is in the final two. I swear that Kris and Adam had strategy meetings every night in the mansion and planned this whole thing.

It is too perfect.

Just a curiosity question…how many parents allow their kids to stay up until 1:00 AM?

Pretty much every one of them took the bait, except Kris. THIS is why he is in the final two. I swear that Kris and Adam had strategy meetings every night in the mansion and planned this whole thing.

I wouldn’t surprise me! :smile_wp:

jpfan

I think Kris would be one of the weakest AI winners ever and it would be a shame if he won over a superior singer. So Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m rooting for Adam and not just because I have 30 pts. on him and not just because I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to read hundreds of stale posts about the votersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“homophobia.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  It would just seem à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“wrongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  if he lost. Of course, in the end, it matters very little who wins this thing. Second place works out fine if youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got the goods.

My comment: unless of course you are Adam..(.and he WANTS to win this thing)

AC

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m really hoping that they can both tweak the coronation song, especially since Kara keeps harping on artistry. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think it benefits either of them to sing it straight. Even though Adam has the bigger range, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think he would want to sing a pop ballad when heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s trying to be a rocker and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d want for Kris to be able to put his own touch to it. Also, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s curious to see what kind of song Kara wrote only because I think she was only writing thinking that it will be Adam and Danny in the finale

My comment: I’m sure she has tweaked it, now that she knows Kris will be there.

drea

What I hope for Wednesday – the most unbelievable Kris-shock face weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen, as Ryan tries to keep him from falling over, and the audience of thousands massively freak-out for the underdog.

My comment: IMO Adam is really the underdog, as he has had to fight through a lot of negative media by using his undeniable talent week after week. Just because he has been so successful in doing that doesn’t make him any less of an underdog. I like Kris, but really, all he has had to do is show up and sing nice.

Michelle

But I understand that the way the show is built and the buzz and fanbase are in Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s favor. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s really talented and seems like a good guy so I will be ok if he wins.

My comment: Actually the buzz has created an environment ripe for Adam’s demise. Too much overt pimping…..but I think this is all calculated, as I don’t think AI really wants him there….there would be a lot of fall-out in certain communities nationwide….the producers would be held accountable for Adam’s perceived “bad” lifestyle…and it would be too distracting to their money-making machine. They just used him to try to increase ratings…

they NEEDED him IN the final….they don’t NEED him to WIN.

Overboard

The winner is really hard to predict at this point. If neither comes out of Tuesday as the clear winner of the night, I think the crown will go to Kris. His fan base has grown exponentially with Heartless and with Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s elimination. Plus, the underdog story is going to help immensely.

My comment: … and based on the two unsolicited mass-mailed emails I’ve received on behalf of his mega-church….his affiliations have/will help him greatly as far as votes

The performances could get the swing voters to go one way or the other. Like you said, the coronation song is going to be huge. Will each contestant be allowed to do different versions of it? If they have to sing it the same, Kris will be at a huge disadvantage.

My comment: Why, because Adam is the more versatile singer????

Nativenewyorker

For myself, I never saw Adam as the frontrunner or inevitable winner. I have watched this show too long. I know better. He is way outside of the typical AI mold. I always felt he was more of a long shot or dark horse himself. I am really happy and thrilled that he actually made it to the finale. I know that some may talk about the pimping from the judges, but I never trust anything they do.

My comment: WORD!!

Adam has gotten the media buzz and the attention because of his outstanding, fearless performances. He has been consistently great every single week. Somehow he has managed to stay true to himself artistically, yet get enough of a fanbase to get into the finale. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s nothing short of amazing.

My comment: Yet for some reason, BECAUSE he has been consistently good, and received consistently good praise, it’s “not fair” or “not deserved”…..

I know that Adam wants to win this. I could see it on his face when they said he was through to the finale. He practically broke down right there on the stage. He has toiled in obscurity for years, working hard to get better and better and now he finally has his moment in the spotlight.

My comment: People tend to forget that he has been working for YEARS trying to get to this place. There is no “now I know what I was meant to do with my life” Adam has always known…and has always worked hard. For that reason alone, he deserves my votes.

JenG

……………, there are people who are going to be voting for Kris just because à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A Vote for Kris is a Vote against Adam.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think there is anyone is going to be voting for Adam just to vote against Kris.

And although I have no doubts a this point Kris has a huge fanbase(they got him this far!) , ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s harder to get a read on the people who will be voting for him Tuesday night. How many of those people will be fans? and how many of those people just hate Adam/Judges/TPTB?

My comment: Probably one of the most insightful statements on any forum.

Chipmunk

What i see is a tv reality show that lasted 10plus weeks, and overall the contestant who should win should be based on who brought it the most in all totality, and made it worth watching and somewhat exciting, so Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m going Adam. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll let tomorrow and lady goodluck take care of their post idol careers

My comment: I agree, the whole Adam controversy…the pimping….the unbelievable talent this young man has…..that is what has brought an entire new fanbase to the show…..and sadly, if Adam doesn’t win, that fanbase will be leaving the show…not to return next year…as we have become very jaded by the manipulations. I for one, will not be back next year, no matter who wins, as it is obvious that it’s not a competition between contestants…it’s a competition between contestants fans and organized groups with hidden agendas…both within the show and without.

I got out of organized religion because it started telling me how to think and feel….I got out and embraced my own spirituality…and I’m a MUCH better person for it. The fact that all of that is apparently infiltrating what should be a nice contest showcasing many many talented young people…..makes me queezy. I’m here for the long haul this season because of my commitment to a young man who has faced adversity, yet continues to carry on………….once the season is over, I’m outta here.

Buderschnookie

I am unreservedly, wholeheartedly, unequivocally for Adam all the way. Based on his complete body of work over the season, based on charisma, based on humility, based on vocal ability, based on that stir of excitement I feel when it is his turn- based on everything.

My comment: WORD!!

abbysee

I think Kris is a nice talented guy. I have his stuff on my ipod and expect to in the future. Funny thing is I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t listen to ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦..

I listen to Adam, Allison, and Anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦..therefore my vote is going to Adam. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just it for me. He ticks every box for me. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s exciting. I think that while he was pimped unlike Danny he actually did some stuff on that stage that was totally deserving of praise. He has been almost pitch perfect. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s made some great musical choices. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s had those water cooler moments, he has the great big idol voice. He also has this drive and desire that while it is quite evident it isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t desperate or cloying. He has gravitas, and that is the diff for me. Lambert FTMFW!

My comment: I think you feel the way a lot of us do. Nicely said.

It never occurred to me until I just read your piece that I was overlooking the obvious: Danny might not actually have been in his right mind.

He auditioned because his wife had encouraged him to. No one expected her to die from an operation, as I understand it, to install a pacemaker, so she could have children. Her heart problems made it impossible to do so. But Danny went through with the audition to honor her wishes, and also because he could not wait to audition later. He is now 29, so this was the last and only chance he had. I see nothing wrong with his mind, unlike many others who have auditioned and to me did seem to not have much sense. I applaud him for trying out, otherwise I would not have known of him. Having a faith has helped him, as it helps me every day.

“For any doubters, hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the linkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Simonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s words are at 1.40 or so.”

Of course I can’t be sure unless I ask Simon, but I saw this interview too and I still think he MAY have meant that it was Kris’ best song of the season and not THE best song of the season. Considering he gave Adam a standing ovation for “Mad World”–something I’ve never seen him do–I’d be hard pressed to believe he thought “Heartless” was better–not to take anything away from “Heartless”–it was awesome, as were several of Kris’ other performances.

yep yep yep. I dont think he has even begin the grief process yet.

I lost a spouse in August of 1980- I was 26 years old. I clearly remember the following March (7 months past) was the first time I laughed and enjoyed myself, and not until November of ’81 (15 months in) did I consider myself as beginning to get over it. And we hadn’t been together nearly as long as Danny and his wife.

Clearly everyone grieves in a different manner. But no matter how you slice it, it is a catastrophic and life altering event that takes an enormous amount of work to get past. Putting it off in no way changes or decreases the severity of the impact and I would wager that it makes it worse. IMO his cycles won’t really begin to kick in until after the tour- whenever he is placed back into his pre-Idol life. That’s when the hurt is going to really sink in.

Thanks, MJ, for all your insight and hard work. I have no idea how you do all this and do it so well. This is by far my favorite place to come to feed my new addiction.

Adam has continually blown me away week after week. He oozes natural talent, and it’s evident he has worked his butt off to become the amazing artist he is today. I have no doubt he will continue to grow and change enough to keep his fans excited for years. He has been my personal favorite since the beginning and is the reason I’m excited about attending my first Idol concert.

The Adam and Kris friendship is inspiring. Kris is a sweet and talented young man who is appealing to a tremendous amount of people including me.

I’m looking forward to all the fantastic performances on Tuesday from both Kris and Adam. This is going to be a nail-biter. My stomach is already churning, and I think I was grinding my teeth last night. For me it’s Adam FTW!

@ CFIdolsfan

I certainly respect people of faith, and I understand the source of comfort it can be in times of difficulty. This is my point. Had Danny’s wife had NOT died, his “packaged” persona from Idol would not have been as “faith” focused. They highlighted it in order to garner ratings, and make him a polarizing figure.

It makes perfect sense, in his grief, that God would play a major part in his personal narrative.

However, it’s a little off-putting (and disgusting) that one’s personal relationship with his/her maker is used to define an “Idol” contestant and create intentional controversy…for the sake of ratings.

All at the detriment of Danny Gokey. The Hollywood monster wins again.

adam is just amazing, and if he were voted off earlier, i would not have just voted for someone else. i was hooked from hollywood week, totally looking for that guy with the awesome voice. he is unbelievably talented, i dont know where i have heard such amazing vocals. he has never let us down and this season would have been horrible without him. he deserves to win.

This will be a great final between two great constestances who I love to listen to. I have all of Adam’s and most of Kris’ downloads and I will be happy who ever wins. I am just overjoyed to be able to get 3 more permanaces out of them. Go Kris! Go Adam! and thank you for the ride!

If Adam does not win it will have nothing to do with his sexuality. It will be because there is a large group of people who hate musical theatre, who never liked groups like Queen and can never imagine enjoying Lady GaGa.
If Kris does not win it will be because there is a large group of people who consider only big notes and perfect pitch to be great singing.

You can love musical theatre but not enjoy a theatrical performance in idol and therefore not like Adam. You can also not think that only big notes and perfect pitch is the only great singing without thinking Kris is all that. I actually liked groups like Queen and the Eagles when they were big. I’ve also liked singers who had interesting but not particularly strong voices. It still doesn’t draw me to either Adam or Kris. I do think Adam probably should win over Kris although the overpimping all season does bug me. I’m trying to keep an open mind about Kris because a lot of people do see talent in him but have trouble seeing him as a winner of idol. Still not voting.

One million votes separated Adam and Kris on Final 3 night. Most Gokey voters will throw their votes at Kris. Kris FTW.

Even Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s tweets annoy me. While Anoopsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ are funny with funny pics of rehearsals etc., Dannysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ are all about me me me. Last week I think he was the best performer (but those songs-YUCK) with the best voice, but something about that dude just grates on me. He is so phoney and self-absorbed.
-Sorry,-OT -I would not be surprised to see Anoop cast as an actor somewhere, somehow. He has an advantage being a nice looking, bright kid, and many shows look for ethnic talent.

Anoop is my favorite, but I like Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Tweets the best. I think that he is very sweet to his fans and is informative. I love the way he talks to his fans. He answers some of their questions, he gives them shoutouts to his fan group and some specifically by name. He wishes his fans well, and he talks about rehearsals and has mentioned the Idols as a whole in some of his Tweets.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see him as being self absorbed. And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see anything wrong with him talking about himself on Twitter, because I believe thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s one of the biggest reasons Twitter was created. To connect with other people and share things about yourself with them. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m fairly new to it, but from what I have seen everyone over there talks about themselves, Danny doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seem any more self absorb than anyone that posts over there IMHO.

I agree that Anoop is a good-looking man. I think that he is very intelligent and well-spoken. I could see having options to pursue a variety of careers, including singer, actor, and/or some type of television host.

Also, in regards to the final two performances this week, I am not excited about them. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really care for either of the final two. I did really like Adam, earlier on, but not so much anymore. I think that he is talented and I think that he would make a deserving winner, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t care for him(as a singer) as much as I used to. And I have never cared about Kris as singer.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll watch because I am an Idol fan in general, but I will not be voting for either one of those guys. And I definitely look forward to the finale results show on Wednesday because my favorite contestants, from this season (Anoop, Danny, Matt) will be on and I look forward to watching them perform and hopefully seeing all of them get duets. Since Scott is getting a duet, so should Anoop, IMHO, especially since Anoop finished 6th and Scott finished 8th.

I think that either Kris or Adam have a good chance of winning. I think that the show has set it up for Adam to win, but that ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not impossible for Kris to win. It just depends on how both of them perform tomorrow night. I think that the casual voters are going to make the difference this year and be the deciding factor in who wins this season.

The Adam and Kris friendship is inspiring. Kris is a sweet and talented young man who is appealing to a tremendous amount of people including me.

Yes it is inspiring and there are a lot of people in this world who could learn from their example.

I refuse to make any comment on Danny since I have not walked in his shoes. Everyone grieves in their own way, in their own time and it is not for anyone else to judge.

Cher, Madonna and M. Jackson, all big influences for Adam (as he has mentioned). But perhaps people are getting the impression that he is influenced by their MUSIC.

I am going to take the less obvious approach and say it is their career longevity that inspire Adam more.

All have stayed on top by setting trends, not following them. They have defied expectations and also have chameleon-like abilities to work multiple genres through music, fashion and every media known to man. They make no apologies for who they are and what they do. They are “Iconic”.

I believe THIS is what Adam intends to do. Defy expectations and stay one step ahead of the competition in the music biz. He is not going to copy their music or anyone’s style, or stick to one genre or another.

From here on out, we will never see the same Adam twice.

CFIdolsfan, Jesus also said that is is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is a rich man to get into heaven. Mosaic code told kings that they should not multiply wives or horses (a sign of wealth) because those things would actually take them away from God. Solomon, the man touted as one of the wisest men in the entire bible displeased God when he did exactly that and allowed his wives to build a shrine to false gods.

I believe that is why people are leery when pastors wear rolexes. I wonder if there are any starving people in his church, certainly that money could be better spent. It does not sit well with me this religion of prosperity. I always thought it was about service to God, to ones community, and to the community at large, not getting large.

Truthfully it wasn’t mraculous Danny being able to advance so far on idol., given his obvious limitations. It was not like turning water into wine, or parting the Red Sea, those are miracles, Danny’s journey was simply reality teevee.

I love the non-investment I have in this season. I’m looking forward to what the two do tomorrow night. I think they are both great guys (bromances FTW!). I don’t even know if I’ll vote. If I do, I’ll more likely vote for Kris because I prefer his voice and his style. The only way that I’d vote like an invested fan, however, is if there’s bus throwing akin to last year’s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJYyqzUr6jU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbiHtH3kUpM}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyyESHqT9a4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xxA81F278Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7OVHBc8ZA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI4rUZhSPD0

ETA: Oops The ‘}’ character at the end of the 2nd link should be removed.

Regarding the top 5 results show when Adam was in the bottom two, I still think this was a scam. I can’t speak about past years other than last year, but they didn’t do a bottom 3 then. They brought the first 3 constestants out one by one and sent them to safety individually (Jason, Archie, then Cook). Then they brought the 2 girls out together (Syesha and Brooke) and Brooke was then sent home. Since Syesha eventually won out over Jason, Syesha probably could have been sent to safety when Jason was and still call Jason & Brooke the bottom two.

As far as I’m concerned, just because they put Adam on the other side of the stage and “called” it the bottom 3, and then sent Kris to safey and “called” it the bottom 2, Adam could have just as easily been put on the other side of the stage from the get go–since he turned out to be safe anyway.

Ryan never said that Adam had less votes than the others–they don’t tell us how many votes any of them got. He just labeled the groups as “top” & “bottom” and arranged them the way they wanted to.

Just once, I’d love to be a fly on the wall of the producers conference rooms when they cook up these order ‘schemes’.

On the other hand, maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about–wouldn’t be the first time!

As far as Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m concerned, just because they put Adam on the other side of the stage and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“calledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  it the bottom 3, and then sent Kris to safey and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“calledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  it the bottom 2, Adam could have just as easily been put on the other side of the stage from the get goà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’since he turned out to be safe anyway.

It is widely believed that Ryan does not lie. If he says that somebody is in the B3 or B2, they are. It’s when he doesn’t say anything about B2 and B3 that the knoll goes wild. Ryan never identified Syesha and Brooke as the B2. Last season, Ryan didn’t explicitly state that there was a B2/B3 from Top 5 on. The question is why?

I don’t think it really matters if Adam was in the B2. Fantasia and Ruben also hit the B2 and won. Voters can get complacent. The finale is an entirely different kettle of fish. Voters are fierce! (and so, typically, is the pimping). Like the Amazing Race, the only time you have to come in first is the last leg.

It is widely believed that Ryan does not lie. If he says that somebody is in the B3 or B2, they are. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s when he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t say anything about B2 and B3 that the knoll goes wild. Ryan never identified Syesha and Brooke as the B2. Last season, Ryan didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t explicitly state that there was a B2/B3 from Top 5 on.

I’m not saying Ryan lies–Ryan reads from cards provided by the producers. I’m also not saying anyone “lies”. I’m saying they do some creative juggling and yes, perhaps some misleading.

ETA: Let’s just say, to illustrate my point, that on that night Adam and Kris got the exact same number of votes. Either one could have been sent to safety and if Adam had been instead of Kris, they can still call Matt & Kris the bottom 2.

What I’m saying, is that they can “label” the groups whatever they want–it doesn’t necc. reflect the number of votes received.

ETA2: To further illustrate my point, both contestants “labeled” top 2 (Danny & Allison) that night, are no longer there at all.

I believe THIS is what Adam intends to do. Defy expectations and stay one step ahead of the competition in the music biz. He is not going to copy their music or anyoneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s style, or stick to one genre or another.

Absolutely! I think the real question is who is going to be making successful records in 10-20 years? That takes adaptability, versatility, and fearlessness. I love Kelly C, but will she really make it another 8 years? definitely Carrie will, in her genre.

Adam could have tried to go the cute boy Jonas Brothers route (and suppress his background and artistry), but he chose to pursue his musical ambitions. I’m still in shock that he pulled off Led Zeppelin. I am also kind of in shock that he got people’s votes. A testament to his talent and personality. You can be popular, sell lots of records and still be controversial. Look at Madonna. I’m hoping that Adam doesn’t compromise this vision.

I see the guy who tried out for Idol 4 weeks after he buried his wife not as an opportunist, but as grief-stricken and desperate to make sense of her tragic death. The problem is, a grief stricken guy is in no position to make sound decisions. A karaoke reality show is really a shitty vehicle for working out grief, and is hardly a substitute for, say grief counseling. But Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not blaming the folks who criticized him either. Folks who tune into reality TV to escape, you know, reality were bound to recoil at having a contestantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s raw grief flung in their faces. For votes no less.

Word, mj.

Kris has grown on me. I actually think Kris has momentum on his side. I sense some Adam backlash, and while he has been one of my favorites all season, I won’t be surprised, nor completely heartbroken, if the sensitive-underdog-singer-songwriter beats the best vocalist and performer in the show’s history. I wish fabulous, and very different, things for both.

Like many, I’m not calling it until I see it (the show, that is). But I do agree, it will be very close.

I don’t care really who wins so much, but I prefer Kris. I think Kris may take it, possibly by a significant amount, adding the bulk of Danny’s votes.

I think it will come down to the performances themselves, and many voters will vote whose performance they like the best.
So if TPTB try to manipulate in Adam’s favor, that may backfire in Kris’s favor.
Or they don’t care so much knowing their chosen one, Adam, has gotten as far as he needs to.

I’m not sure either one of the two will sell a record amount of their music, though Kris may surprise us, as he has this season. You never know what he can do.
If Adam sings in the wailing rockish fashion, I don’t think so.
He can do so much with that voice, I heard him sing the song “The Prayer”, how awesome that was. Why can’t he sing like that w/o the screaming, the weird tone he uses at times, and the OTT broadway style he ends up into constantly? Its a waste.

Kris is the one who deserves an A for effort. He seems to have worked harder and more diligently than the others. He is like the little train that thinks he can… that thinks he can…

He gets better and better and has grown.
So I think he has more of a shot at getting some hit records if he can come up with some pleasing to the ear catchy songs, like the current ones that are hits.
He definitely has more substance in his singing.

So with that said, I predict Kris, the underdog for the win.

And Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not blaming Danny who appeared naive, socially awkward and vulnerable. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m blaming the people around himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’his sisterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s photo flashing family who sought the camera rather than talk him out of a colossally terrible idea, his rolex-loving pastor egging Danny on to further his own agenda, and Idol producers who used Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s grief to pimp for votes and ratings. The whole deal was a bad one from the get go.

I realize that I may be the only Danny fan left here, the others seem to have gone, but I don’t see it this way at all.
How things are perceived on the camera usually don’t end up to be the case.
Danny in his exit interviews, probably at this time, was letting loose all the built up tension,not overwhelmed.

We have to remember how isolated the idols are, and such a long time to be in that bubble.
I think alot of it was not being able to talk about it or defending himself.
He was stifled and I think all the bad talk about him was messing with his head.

When he was on idol and performing, he did a splendid job consistantly every week.

He did what he needed and was the biggest vote getter. TPTB wouldn’t have been on his side otherwise, they knew he was popular.
They pimped him because he was THAT good, and used his backstory because it was relevant to who Danny is. They don’t pimp mediocre talent.

And there was a majority of americans that voted for Danny because they know a great singer when they see one. Those who say he is not, just don’t like him for one reason or another, or don’t like his type of singing.

He was not falling apart or coming across overwhelmed.
He was solid every week and just holding on to his faith.

It was not until he did “Dream On”, that was a mistake and it did him in.
I believe if he had not had such a performance as that, he would have been in the top 2.

But I do not believe or agree that it was a bad idea for him to go on idol.
I’m of the belief that it was the best therapy to go on the show and to have a purpose to go on and pursue his goals.

This was a wonderful opportunity for him to take with the talent he has, and I believe wholeheartedly, a God thing!

AND he made it to a well deserved third spot!

It was a success for him! Also those of his MANY fans that have now heard of him and love his voice, can look forward to his music.

He has a more defined goal now to work for with his singing career, and for his wife’s foundation.

It WAS a good idea, it was good therapy for him, and as he knows, the will of God for him.

The pastor I am willing to believe was looking out for Danny’s best interest and not in increasing his own wealth.
Big churches don’t necessarily mean a money hungry business. There are some that are real doing the works of God.
The people around him I very much disagree that any of them were using him or trying to pimp votes.

Those around the other idols are ALSO doing what they can to drum up votes, they are supporting them, so they are working to get their idol to win.
That is what you do. It is not deceitful. It’s a contest to compete to win.

I don’t think we can read too much into everything.
This is just a reality show.
But these are real people taking an opportunity to better their careers.

I have always thought there was a great level of tolerance for homosexuality in theatre, dance, fashion, music and literature. ( And very little in male sports, politics and highschool.) From Liberace back in the day to Elton John in my day to NeYo currently their talent has been appreciated. I do not think Adam’s sexual orientation will hurt him in this competition. The majority of people seem to be able to deal with alternate lifestyles in artists.

After reading through the comments since last night, one of the “talking-points”–so to speak–of Adam fans seems to be: “Kris is a nice guy, but nothing special.” I read that many times.

Then there is a second argument that Kris doesn’t have a big enough voice for the finale…he doesn’t fit in the American Idol mold…in a sense, he is too ‘special’.

I personally think that it would be incredibly good for the show if Kris can break the “big voice…must sing LOUD” mold of the show. Kris has captured hearts by drawing them into the melody, presenting something subtle. He doesn’t get your attention by simply getting louder as the song progresses, but he makes expert changes to the notes to draw out different words and emotions. He is a craftsman, a true artist.

How is this nothing special? On American Idol, it is positively unique. Most years the American Idol is a big-voiced belter who approaches song interpretation with a sledgehammer. For some of these Idols, the last half of a song is a time when you just run up and down the scale, completely losing track of both the melody and the meaning of the song. Lots of people can run up and down the scale…we see it every year. Few have the maturity and subtlety to interpret a song.

Kris is among the elite group of American Idol finalists to make it to the top because he made music, not just sang good (I also include David Cook). He is, for American Idol, extremely unique…but in the world of real music, he has a proud lineage that will be remembered for years after big voiced divas are forgotten.

Kris should absolutely win American Idol for being so incredibly special.

Kirsten, I heart your post at the tippity top :thumbup_tb:
Looking forward to Tuesday and Wednesday!!!

delurking here……

I am a huge Adam fan and I will feel crushed if he does not win.

I like Kris, but his music bores me. I downloaded one of his songs but I never listen to it. But, I listen to Adam’s all day every day. he has inspired me to listen to music again. He vocals are unmatched and he is such a performer. His concerts will be amazing; but I can picture falling asleep at Kris’s, not that I would go. Kris’s music just does not MOVE me, whereas Adam’s does. I sing and dance when Adam’s music is playing.

Adam is the WHOLE package: vocally superior, a great performer and sexy as all get out. He draws me in to his performances.

Like I said, I will feel CRUSHED if somehow Adam does not win.

FYI – I am 54 with 3 adult children and I have not bought music since Daughtry’s first CD, which I never listen to. My music preferences over the years went to new age, because there was just nothing in rock or pop that I could stand. I bought tickets to 2 Live Tour concerts this year, and I never even considered going in the past. Heck, I never even watch AI all the way through, until this year. Adam FTW!!!!

I’m calling it a tie…and we all live happily ever after…(or at least until next season!)

Every year at this time I relisten to all my favorite performances in preparation for the finale in an attempt to restore my Lost Objectivity. As usual it fails.

At this moment in time I believe that:

If you dropped Kris Allen and his guitar in the middle of a remote desert on the other side of the world, soon he would be surrounded by a little crowd of herdsmen and yaks looking lovingly at him and saying “I love his subtle phrasing!” (in Mongolian) while stealthily trying to touch his pure, white t-shirt.

If you shot Adam Lambert into space and he landed on an alien planet–with breathable air, so he could sing–and he started belting out Feeling Good, pretty soon HE would be surrounded by a horde of aliens waving their tentacles and screaming OMG OMG through their various orifices and talking about THE NOTE and how Adam was definitely going to change the face of Mxtpplnglly forever!

I already don’t care so much about the performance night, because of results night coming!

I am still in love with David Cook, and me and 30 million people have a date with him on Wednesday night. Also, we get to hear Allison sing again! And Matt and Anoop! Danny and Lil will no doubt have big numbers. And Blind Guy, Oil Rig Guy, Caw Caw Girl, and the couple of people I’ve forgotten already. And guest stars! Group numbers!

KRADAM duet.

I am not going to get ANYTHING done the next two nights.

LOL ^^ Love it maturin! Nice job~

Thanks for your thoughts MJ. Very insightful as usual~

I have to say that unfortunately for me Kris is somewhat bland. He may be able to write music and arrange it but if you can’t sell it, it doesn’t really much.

Adam delivers with every performance. You stop to see what he is doing and how he is doing it. He is a truly amazing artist.

Adam fans unfortunately Kris’ fans are strong and there are alot of little girls that will be voting with their little fingers. Unless Adam’s fans take this very seriously he won’t have a chance. I would hate to see what happened last year. David A. totally killed in the finals but he still lost by many millions. We unfortunately need to take all four hours and vote. Dial Idol, etc. I’d hate to see him as the non-winner as he clearly deserves to win.

Adam will be a superstar either way but I really want to see him with the win and the confetti, etc. We need to be out in forces.

I just got a revelation. Simon doesn’t want Adam to win. He wants to be able to sign him to his SONY/SYSCO/OMG label. He sees the star potential and Adam’s worldwide appeal. He knows that Adam has the “it” factor and is already an international sensation.

Case in point, last year a Welsh guy by the name of Rhydian was on X-Factor, almost the equivalent of Idol in the UK. Leona Lewis is also a winner on this show. Rhydian was an OTT performer and showy and artistic and a fantastic singer and the accolades Simon gave him were stupendous week after week and said the pimping that he would win. Well he didn’t – he lost to a Scottish guy. Simon immmediately signed Rhydian to a contract and Rhydian is now touring to phenomenal success after his CD came out to rave reviews. The other guy, a flash in the pan.

Simon knows a star and Adam is it. Simon Fuller doesn’t want Adam competing with Doughtery, too much money invested and Adam would be a definite threat. So Adam wouldn’t get artistic license to be a rock star. I know Adam wants to do a mulivaried album. Rhydian did that and is OTT successful. Simon allowed him to do his material and I have even watched a youtube video with Simon and Rhydian talking about why Rhydian chose the songs he chose. It all came down to Rhydians artistic expression and what he felt would work. Simon allowed that.

So I firmly believe, he would allow Adam artistic license. He keeps the pimping up and he knows how America acts – support the underdog. Simon is smart and he knows what’s good for his wallet. Adam is good for his wallet.

Look at the success of IL Divo, another group that gets artistic license from Simon.

I love Adam and I want what is best for him. Freemantle 19 may not be it. Simon Fuller I believe wants Kris, he’s mellow and middle of the road. I like Kris, but I prefer Adam music. So now I am caught in a dilemma. Adam wants it, but I don’t think Adam understands that signing with SONY/Sisco may be better for him. I weill be voting nonstop, but I have a feeling Kris is going get it, there is too much rallying of fans going on.

If Kris wins, he’ll break the record of having the lowest amount of pimp spots before the finale: 1 (currently 2, held by Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson).

Danny is a gifted singer and no I don’t think he was over his head. Most likely he didn’t anticipate getting so far in the competition as afterall he is a church music director from Milwaukee.

Thanks for looking doing some journalism on Danny’s motives for doing the competition. No I don’t think it was the best time to do so and it is probably best he didn’t win.

Danny will work through his grief no problem but he might have more of a problem working through the mean-spirited side of human nature displayed towards him.

After reading through the comments since last night, one of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“talking-pointsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’so to speakà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’of Adam fans seems to be: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Kris is a nice guy, but nothing special.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  I read that many times.

Then there is a second argument that Kris doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a big enough voice for the finaleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t fit in the American Idol moldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦in a sense, he is too à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢specialà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢.

I think Kris is a special singer in the context of AI, it’s true that understated vocalists have never gone to win the show (only Taylor didn’t have the bombast type of vocals), but can you blame TPTB to prefer those? The biggest success stories post AI are the biggest voices: Carrie, Kelly, Daughtry, Clay, JHud…

However, Kris fits the traditionnal mold of contestants who do well on AI: cute and humble men who comes from the South.
This is not a question of wheter or not he does have talent, it’s just that the whole underdog story doesn’t fit his profile.

Rbidol–

it would be incredibly good for the show if Kris can break the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“big voiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦must sing LOUDà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  mold of the show. Kris has captured hearts by drawing them into the melody, presenting something subtle. He doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get your attention by simply getting louder as the song progresses, but he makes expert changes to the notes to draw out different words and emotions. He is a craftsman, a true artist.

Well said; in fact, your entire post was well said!

it would be incredibly good for the show if Kris can break the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“big voiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦must sing LOUDà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  mold of the show. Kris has captured hearts by drawing them into the melody, presenting something subtle. He doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get your attention by simply getting louder as the song progresses, but he makes expert changes to the notes to draw out different words and emotions. He is a craftsman, a true artist.

Kris is no more than an artist than Adam is. THe beauty of Adam is that he is versitle. He can sing high and low, loud and soft. You can get both from him. It would be incredibly good for teh show if Adam wins because he would be the first versitile sing. PLUS, he would be the first winner with AMAZING stage presence. He’s the full package.

This is not a question of wheter or not he does have talent, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just that the whole underdog story doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t fit his profile.

Nope. It doesn’t. LOL

I just got a revelation. Simon doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want Adam to win. He wants to be able to sign him to his SONY/SYSCO/OMG label. He sees the star potential and Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s worldwide appeal. He knows that Adam has the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  factor and is already an international sensation.

*sigh* how many times do we have to say that 19 has first dibs on the contestants. Adam will get signed by 19. Even Daughtry got signed by 19.

Well summarized

weese
May 18th, 2009 at 9:20 am
If Adam does not win it will have nothing to do with his sexuality. It will be because there is a large group of people who hate musical theatre, who never liked groups like Queen and can never imagine enjoying Lady GaGa.
If Kris does not win it will be because there is a large group of people who consider only big notes and perfect pitch to be great singing.
What they have in common is they both are very comfortable with who they are as men. They both ooze confidence on stage. They both have artistic talent. It will be the battle of styles, not the battle of sexuality or religion.

That is it in a nutshell. It will be a battle royale of styles!

Adam competing with Daughtry? That’s rather funny actually.

The only AI contestant Adam might directly compete with is Jennifer Hudson if he has a hit Broadway play with a soundtrack release and wins a Tony and a Grammy and an Oscar all in one year.

He won’t be in the same music niche as any of the AI winners or successful finalists, if his original music is any indication.

Cook competing with Daughtry yes but I don’t think Daughty is concerned on that score either. Fans of a particular style of music tend to enjoy more than one artist in that style. That is why Daughtry opening for Nickelback was a genius move. Maybe Cook and band can hop on that Nickelback freight train next ride out.

Adam competing with Daughtry? Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rather funny actually.

The only AI contestant Adam might directly compete with is Jennifer Hudson if he has a hit Broadway play with a soundtrack release and wins a Tony and a Grammy and an Oscar all in one year.

I agree, Adam won’t be competing with Daughtry. Daughtry is a really good rock singer, guitarist and songwriter. But he is squarely in the Pop-Rock/Grunge Rock space. And even if Chris’ sales are impressive, he hasn’t beaten Carrie, Kelly or Clay. And David C. and both David C. will challenge him in record sales.

IMO both Kris and Adam have the potential to surpass Daughtry in sales because they can sell records to broader audiences. Kris – AC-Country-Pop-Alt-CHR and Adam – Rock-AC-Pop-Alt-CHR .

I don’t think that we have any idea what Adam is capable of once he is done with AI. His career role models include Bowie, Madonna and Michael Jackson — three performers who evolve and challenge established music categories. That is what Adam says he wants to do. And I believe he can.

I don’t know, or care, if Adam will win a Tony, Grammy and/or an Oscar. But I would pay a LOT of money to see his Broadway show. So show me that ticket line.

First off, let me say I’m a HUGE Adam fan. He has inspired me to get back to pursuing my left-behind dreams. His music makes me happy. I can’t stop listening to him, dancing to his music, and feeling alive. And I will be voting for him tomorrow night, no matter what he does.

That said, BOTH of these guys are tremendous artists. They are two of the three (Allison would be my third) who consistently, week after week, interpreted songs THEIR way – staying true to themselves and their own styles. Look at Adam’s “Ring of Fire” and Chris’s “She Works Hard for the Money”. Very different performances, for sure, but both very unique, original and ones that I want to listen to over and over again.

I think the voters will decide this one. Adam has been trying to succeed in music for years without pursuing anything else – even though it has been very difficult. In my opinion, he deserves the “Idol” crown. But Kris, without the pure ambitious drive of Adam, has continued to stick it out, week after week, with great, interesting performances. Is Kris as good of a “vocalist” as Adam? No. Is Kris as good of a performer as Adam? Depends on what kind of performance you like. Kris’s is certain more understated than Adam’s. Is Kris as good of an “artist” as Adam? I think so. Their artistic visions are very different, to be sure, but they are BOTH artists. They both can take an old song, reinterpret it, and make you listen to it differently. They are both a breath of fresh air. I love them both.

I think Kris will do very well in the U.S. and has a long career in front of him. I think Adam will do very well world-wide (look at all the posts from all over the world on his forum on AI), will be touring for a long time, and will also have tons of other opportunities – such as starring on Broadway (I, for one, would LOVE to see him in a reprise of Rocky Horror), Vegas, and movies (I’d love to see him with Johnny Depp – two guys with “guyliner” .

What, to me, is MOST satisfying about this final (and I’ve never watched AI before, so I have nothing to compare it to), is that the PUBLIC has told the judges who THEY want to see. The judges’ attempt to manipulate and control the public’s votes by dissing what, to me, is the greatest female performance of a Joplin song I have ever seen by anyone other than the great Janis herself, was reprehensible. Also, their clear preference for Danny Gokey’s horrendous performance of “Dream On” over Kris’s interesting reinterpretation of “Come Together” made me almost nauseous. I don’t think I’ll watch AI again because I don’t think I can stomach the biased, unfair judging.

But I WILL go to any concert I can to see Adam Lambert perform. I will also go see Kris. I wish them both long, satisfying, productive careers and look forward to hearing from them for many years to come.

I have to say, this season has turned into probably the most exciting season in recent memory. With the exception of Season 5, I think most people have probably had a good idea of who was going to go all the way. Additionally, I can’t wait to see what Allison and Kris can produce post-idol, and I’m sure it’ll be fun to watch Adam’s career develop into something huge whether he wins or not. Having said that, I agree with you MJ that Adam will more than likely win. Unless Kris can produce something buzzworthy like “Hearltess” again, I can’t imagine Adam losing. He’s got more momentum going to into the top 2 and will no doubt give a great performance. But if Kris delivers a showstopper, we might all be surprised.

Rick

The point of Idol is to produce long term stars, we know that. Even though it doesn’t always turn out that way, that’s the idea. Somebody earlier questioned Kelly Clarkson’s potential to last another 10 years, I remember that same concern being brought out when she won Idol 7 years ago. Was she going to make it more than one album? Here she is on her 4th. Season 2 had a much more suspenseful feel to it, and look where it got the top 2. Season 5 was the same (though we did get Daughtry out of that season, and Elliott). I think this finale will have to be ‘scripted’ differently than years past because of how different the two are. Last year, I feel as though Simon’s comments were a little out of date because it was a mixing of an old Idol finale (with Archie’s song choices and performances) with a new school (with Cook’s concert approach). This year, I feel as though both will try to bring out a concert feel as they are both artists. Adam certainly has the talent to flip the pop world on its back (I know he’s rock, but I just don’t see rock embracing him because of the Idol background.) Kris has major AC vibes about him and should do well there. The winner, though isn’t something I’m entirely ready to call. I picked Kris in my pool just because I’m so far out of it, I’ve got nothing to lose. Neither does he.

and adam lambert has to do so much to be even in the same league with lady gaga, you guys are getting way ahead…he hasn’t sold a single album yet…..

the world will end if adam will not win american idol….he is that great…..even greater than elvis and the beatles, not to mention madonna and michael jackson, moreso britney spears…

MJ, I have always enjoyed your blog and over the Idol years have pointed a lot of people to this website. But, your blatant criticism of Danny has pushed me over the edge this year. What did you do when you lost your spouse at age 28? I’ll be you cannot answer that. To say that someone cannot make a rational judgement right after that – all I can say is, speak for yourself, if that is the case. I am really disappointed in your comments.