Updated: ‘American Idol’ finale is least-watched since ’02
Wednesday’s “American Idol” finale may have boasted higher vote tallies and splashier production numbers than in the past. But the ratings? Call them a sign of the straitened times, but they were reduced.
Fox’s two-hour finale, a heavily hyped showdown in which low-key crooner Kris Allen upset flamboyant rocker Adam Lambert, drew an average of 27.7 million total viewers, according to early data from Nielsen Media Research. That represented a 13% slide compared with last year and was the least-watched “Idol” closer since the first season in summer 2002 (23 million). (Fox offered “time-zone-adjusted” ratings from Nielsen, which offered a higher viewer tally of 28.8 million, a mark the network said would be closer to the final figure.) The 2003 finale between Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken remains the most-watched, with 38.1 million tuning in.
Internet Gets American Idol Wrong
Every year one can take a quick a look at Internet activity and predict who going to win American Idol. It totally worked last year, with David vs. David, and years before that. This year, though the Internet bet wrong.
Looking back at the beginning of the season, the two finalists really did come from nowhere. Back in February, searchers pegged Danny Gokey and Alexis Grace as would-be finalists. While Gokey almost made it, it came down to the acoustic soul of Kris Allen and screamqueen Adam Lambert.
And it looks like everybody got it wrong, from the Internet to the judges. Lambert was clearly favored by the judges, even on occasions when he stepped far to the left of the right pitch. After a Allen tame duet early in the show with Keith Urban, Lambert got to be the new front man for KISS in full makeup’ sounds like even the producers had favorites.
Hitwise reports searches for Lambert outnumbered Allen by five to one
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Kris Allen & Adam Lambert Dominate iTunes Charts With Record-Breaking 26 Singles and 29 Music Videos
LOS ANGELES, May 22 /PRNewswire/ — Less than 24 hours after the eighth season finale, “American Idol” winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert have taken unprecedented control of the iTunes sales charts, holding down a history-making 26 positions on the top 100 chart as of 4pm PDT on Thursday, May 21. All 26 tracks are released by 19 Recordings, giving the label one of the biggest shares since iTunes first introduced its charts. The victorious Allen has moved up to No. 2 with his first single, “No Boundaries, ” and is also No. 5 with his acoustic version of Kanye West’s “Heartless, ” while Lambert’s impressive take on “Mad World” has soared to No. 7.
On the iTunes top 100 album chart, Adam’s season eight performances collection is No. 3, Kris’ season eight performances collection is No. 6, and an iTunes pass for Kris, which includes his forthcoming debut album, is No. 7. David Cook, who performed “Permanent” on the season finale, rebounds to No. 9 with his debut album.
WHY ADAM LOST
‘AMERICAN Idol” fans were left won dering what happened yesterday in the wake of Kris Allen’s stunning defeat of clear-cut frontrunner Adam Lambert.
Fox refused to say if the vote totals were even close.
The most intriguing report came from “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush who, early yesterday, twittered the message:
“Source at the top says votes were NOT close on ‘Idol.’ Kris blew out Adam Lambert.”
Adam Lambert Visits ‘Extra’ — From Makeup to Close Up!
He came in second, but “Extra” and America still loves Adam Lambert!
Adam is rockin’ his signature black and blue ‘do and a vintage leather jacket for his interview with “Extra”!
Kris Allen’s Friends Are ‘Freakin’ Happy’ About ‘American Idol’ Win
Kris Allen’s friends knew he was going to win “American Idol.” They said so more than a month ago when MTV News visited Conway, Arkansas, and they proudly restated it Thursday morning (May 21), after a sleepless night of celebrating the victory.
Still groggy from the late night, former roommate and good pal Charles Browder, 25, said he got a bit nervous during Wednesday night’s interminable wait for the results, but he never really lost faith.
Hold off on those ‹Idol conspiracy theories
Watching the …American Idol finale, all 127 minutes of fluff-packed filler, a casual viewer might be forgiven for assuming Ryan Seacrest announced the winner first, instead of in the last few minutes.
That because it was Adam Lambert show. In between appearances by contestants and auditioners wed thankfully forgotten, such as Norman Gentle, Kris Allen did a duet with Keith Urban.
‘American Idol’: On the scene for the finale!
Good morning, PopWatchers. How is everyone today? Have we all slept off our Idol hangovers? I like to picture you out there in your sleepy stupor, Kris fans conked out with lampshades on their heads and party streamers around their necks, Glambert fans just starting to rub the guyliner from their tear-stained cheeks. It’s my honor to bring you the final On the Scene report from American Idol 2009, a report that will be kept fairly direct for a variety of reasons, not least of which being the fact that my seat at the Nokia Theater last night was located somewhere just north of Fresno, resulting in my experience of the finale being something akin to watching the show on a very small television situated very far away.
American Idol: Season 8 Review
An American Idol season that produced unprecedented amounts of fan dissatisfaction for the bulk of its run was significantly redeemed by the unique Idol journeys of both champion Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert. But that doesn’t mean the earlier complaints were off base, or that we aren’t going to see more changes by the time next January rolls around. As we wrap up our coverage of Idol for Season Eight, here are some questions raised by the latest competition, and some suggestions for making the show we love/hate better.
Ceremony to pay tribute to Lil Rounds on Monday in Handy Park
“American Idol Mama” Lil Rounds will get a crisp Memphis salute Monday afternoon with a Community Recognition Ceremony at Handy Park on Beale Street.
Rounds, a 24-year-old married mother of three, made the top 10 on the popular Fox TV singing contest. She won high praise from the judges for her Mary Blige-esque vocal renditions, but fell out of favor later in the competition amid criticism of her song choices and artistry.
The Memphis Rock N Soul Museum, Memphis Music Foundation, Memphis/Shelby County Music Commission and Beale Street Merchants Association are collaborating on the tribute program.
After Idol: Gokey Slams Kris; the Hoff Parties Hard!
The top 13 American Idol contestants are still owned by Fox, practically, but at least now that the show’s over, the baker’s dozen can relax and let their guard down, even if just a li’l bit. And it totally showed at last night’s postfinale party at the Mondrian Hotel!
Check out the best action of the night in the video, babes, for your last few Idol drops until next January. Our fave moments?
Danny Gokey says to the cameras he “doesn’t know” if he’ll buy Kris Allen’s album! ‘Cause you’ll prolly be sent a free copy from Kris himself’ that’s what you meant to say, right?
What Next For …American Idol Finalist Adam Lambert?
On Wednesday night Idol finale, after nearly 100 million votes and two hours of star-studded filler, the American Idol audience collective jaw dropped as flamboyant front-runner Adam Lambert took home the silver, and low-key Kris Allen, considered a talented vocalist and arranger but a long shot for the win from the start, finished in first. But, as former Idol runner-ups Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson have shown, oftentimes winning the crown isnt everything. In fact, sometimes it better not to win.
‘American Idol’: Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz and Queen Latifah talk about performing on last night’s finale
The American Idol winner and runner-up weren’t the only bold-faced names to appear backstage at the Nokia Theater last night. EW also caught up with singers Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz, and Queen Latifah as they made their press rounds during the live telecast. Here are the highlights of what they had to say:
Cyndi Lauper, who performed “Time After Time” with Allison Iraheta: I tried to create a little band. I rocked it a little for [Allison], because she has that rock-and-roll voice and it’s a really neat voice. You know, it’s hard to do that [show]. I probably would never been anybody if I had to come through Idol. I don’t think Bob Dylan would’ve either! It’s really hard what they’re doing, so I give them all props. [Allison’s] a terrific little singer. She should have a record deal, that’s a no brainer. Oh, I shouldn’t say ‘no brainer.’ I hate that expression!
Will Kris Allen’s upset mean another Emmy humiliation for ‘American Idol’?
Throughout this season of “American Idol, ” Adam Lambert was widely proclaimed to be the front-runner, even by the notoriously fickle Simon Cowell, who called him a brilliant artist, showman and “worldwide star.” Victory by Kris Allen is such a blatant rejection of industry and critical opinion, we must wonder: Does it diminish the credibility of the show?
Adam Lambert Kris Allen American Idol Season Eight Finale Emmy Awards For Jon Caramanica of the New York Times, “At best, Mr. Allen is a harmless singer ‘ he makes Kenny Loggins look tough. At worst, he indefensible, utterly lacking in texture and range and interpretive imagination. His awww-shucks demeanor spills over to his performances, in which his chin jerks violently to the right every time he aiming for a big note, as if his mouth is struggling to deliver what his brain is asking for.”
The American Idol Finale: Everybody Loves Kris
Well, that’s it. After all this tumbling and mumbling and Kara bumbling, the eighth and most bespangled season of American Idol yet has come to a screeching, crooning end. How’d it end for you? Are you satisfied? Surprised? Gassy? To work through all these emotions and sensations, let’s discuss.
‘American Idol’ Runners-Up Set Shaky Precedent For Adam Lambert
The judges dug Adam Lambert from the beginning. So did America ‘ until the glam rocker went vocal-chord-to-vocal-chord with Southern boy-next-door Kris Allen and came out on the losing end. No matter! Lambert is arguably the most fully formed and creative of all the top “American Idol” contenders. And judging by those awesome, blinged-out shoulder cages he rocked on the season finale, the man knows how to make an impression.
Will it be a lasting one? Whether he goes in the direction of ’70s glam rockers like David Bowie or hooks up with a band, Ã la Chris Daughtry, will we still buy the 27-year-old singer’s albums in years to come? MTV News went back into the archives to dig up info on past “Idol” runners-up in a quest to discover how Lambert’s career will shake out. (Check out our analyses of the third- and fourth-place “Idol” finishers, and the “Idol” winners.)
Can Past ‘American Idol’ Winners’ Careers Predict Kris Allen’s Future?
Kris Allen may have declared that Adam Lambert deserved to win the eighth season of “American Idol, ” but the voting public disagreed. I’m with Allen on this one. Which is not to take anything away from the guy’s win. His acoustic-guitar-driven covers of Kanye West’s “Heartless” and Donna Summer’s “She Works Hard for the Money” were among the best performances of the competition. Throughout the season, the Arkansas native drew comparisons to Jason Mraz and John Mayer. On Wednesday’s finale, he shared the stage, somewhat awkwardly, with country star Keith Urban.
Given the range he’s displayed on the show, what musical path will Allen pursue? And how will he fare as he travels it? MTV News studied the history of “Idol” winners for clues about how the eighth-season champ’s career might turn out.
What Kind Of Post-‘Idol’ Career Will Adam Lambert Have?
Adam Lambert just spent the last four months learning new songs each week, taking part in commercial and photo shoots, and being picked apart by “American Idol” judges, Internet gossipmongers and the general public. Now that the show is over, the truly hard work begins: He’ll have to record an album.
In the annals of “Idol, ” there are winners and losers who’ve delivered mega-hit debuts (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry), and there are winners and losers who’ve turned in subpar first discs (Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis). How will this first mainstream-recording experiment go for the eighth-season runner-up? MTV News talked to music experts to get their takes on what type of album Lambert should make, which artists he should take inspiration from, and his long-term career prospects.
‹American Idol: The Triumph of Soft Rock
Kris Allen began the final sing-off on …American Idol on Tuesday night driven by what appeared to be a combination of fear and good sense. He won the coin toss, and opted to let Adam Lambert perform first in each of the battle three rounds, knowing perfectly well that should the otherworldly Mr. Lambert follow him, all traces of the genial and flat Mr. Allen would be erased from the planet ‘ and voters memories.
At the end of the second hour, after all the performances were complete, the judges were already writing Mr. Allen eulogy. …You should be very proud of what youve done in this competition, Randy Jackson told him. …Youve done an amazing job to end up where you are right now, Paula Abdul said. Compare that faint-praise damnation with how the constitutionally fussy Simon Cowell celebrated Mr. Lambert season. …Doing a show like this, he said, …you hope that you can find a worldwide star. I genuinely believe with all my heart that we have found that with you.
‹Idol Machine Cranks Out a New Star
America chose sweetness over sizzle, small-town reticence over Vegas swagger, or as Ryan Seacrest put it, the guy next door over …the guyliner.
It possible that …American Idol viewers selection of Kris Allen over Adam Lambert says something about the mood and mores of the country, that viewers are too conformist to anoint a sassy, androgynous individualist. Then again, maybe not: Mr. Allen victory may merely reflect the voters conventional taste in pop music.
Ann Powers: Why I really wanted Adam to win
Last night, I wrote what I hoped was an even-handed assessment of the shocker that created a million streams of tear-stained eyeliner — we all know what I’m talking about. Of course, Idoltracker readers also know that I’ve hardly been moderate in my support of a certain Los Angeles-based contestant with a self-aware smile and serious rock-star chops. This morning, my various e-mail in-boxes were flooded with condolences about Adam Lambert’s loss — as if I were a member of his family, which, people, I know that I am not, but that is the beautiful power of pop’s dream machine — and assurances that, you know, he is going to be fine.
Rovzar on American Idol: Why It Okay That Adam Lost
Let me be honest from the beginning: I voted for Kris Allen. Three times ‘ in spite of a longtime personal policy against voting for American Idol, and a similar discriminatory attitude toward people who spell my birth name with a “K.” I just didn’t LIKE Adam Lambert. Not his screechy sameness, not his look, and not his endless vamping. But over the past few days, I’ve spoken to several gay friends (and read some screeds online) that suggested I should have voted for Adam out of loyalty to my kind.
‘Idol’ Upset: Did The Evangelical Christian Vote Push Kris Allen Over The Edge?
Kris Allen was indeed the underdog going into the “American Idol” finale on Wednesday evening, and the vibe inside the Nokia Theater was definitely in favor of the more controversial, theatrical and incredibly “out there” California native Adam Lambert.
“Adam has the potential to be a star so overall you could say he deserves to win, ” Simon Cowell told Tarts on Wednesday afternoon. “But this is ‘American Idol, ‘ anything could happen and we could have an upset.”
And an upset for Cowell it clearly was — the outspoken judge was the only one not to give Allen a standing ovation when he was announced the 2009 winner as determined by a record-breaking 100 million votes.
Memphis Celebrates Idol’s Lil Rounds
The Memphis community will celebrate American Idol finalist Lil Rounds on Monday, May 25 at Handy Park on Beale Street. The free event will start at 3:30pm with a performance from the Navy rock band Freedom. At 4:00pm activities will continue with a parade from Fourth Street to Handy Park with Lil Rounds and the Millennium Madness Drill Team and special presentations from city and county government, the Memphis Music Commission, Beale Street, Memphis Rock N Soul Museum and Memphis Music Foundation.
‘American Idol’s’ LaKisha Jones has a story to tell
Before the Kris Allen and Adam Lambert drama, before Michigan was rooting on Kalamazoo’s Matt Giraud, there was LaKisha Jones, the Flint native who wowed judges with her Aretha-sized pipes on the sixth season of “American Idol.”
Jones is now back with her debut album, “So Glad I’m Me, ” which was released Tuesday. She’ll celebrate with a performance tonight at Seldom Blues inside the Renaissance Center.
Jones, who now lives in Houston, Texas, has a lot on her plate these days: In addition to promoting her album, she’s due to deliver her second child, a girl, in August.
Sugarland, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift lead CMT Music Awards nominees
Kellie Pickler joined Lance Smith Tuesday morning to unveil the final nominees for the fan-voted 2009 CMT Music Awards, which will air live on the network 7 p.m. June 16.
Sugarland led the pack with five nominations, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift following close behind with four nominations each. Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts each had three.
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Final voting to determine the winners in all fields besides video of the year starts now at www.cmt.com and runs through June 14.
The final nominees for video of the year will be announced during the awards show. Fans can then vote for their favorite video for the show most prestigious category at www.cmt.com or text their vote on Verizon Wireless cell phones throughout the live broadcast (in eastern and central time zones only) to determine the night big winner.
Former ‘Idol’ Jordin Sparks to give free performance after Oakland A’s game
The Oakland A will host a post-game concert featuring 2007 American Idol Winner Jordin Sparks following the A game on June 6 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The concert will begin shortly after the A 6:05 pm game against Baltimore concludes and is free to fans with purchase of that night’s game ticket.
Individual game tickets start at $9 and can be purchased at all usual ticket outlets, online at oaklandathletics.com, or over the phone by calling (877) 493-BALL (2255). Fans listening to Star 101.3 and WiLD 94.9 can win complimentary tickets to the game and the opportunity to meet Sparks.
Vince Gill, Amy Grant Will Host Concert for Disabled Veterans
Vince Gill and Amy Grant will host a benefit concert for disabled veterans on June 8 at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The event will launch their new national initiative, Challenge America, an outgrowth of Challenge Aspen that helps wounded soldiers return to a daily routine through sports. Other artists scheduled to perform at the concert include American Idol’s Melinda Doolittle, Alison Krauss, Michael McDonald and Darius Rucker.
Greek Folk Festival 2009
The Greek Folk Festival offers a real treat this year with the special guest being American Idol finalist, Constantine Maroulis. Constantine is also the star of the Broadway hit, Rock of Ages. The festival, hosted by St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church of Baltimore, Maryland, is the largest Hellenic festival in the Baltimore-metropolitan region and each year, it gets bigger and better. Plan to get there early as parking is at a premium. There will be access via the light-rail and buses and this is definitely a better option if you want a relaxed start to the day.
Q&A with ‘DWTS’ champ Shawn Johnson
116598_2835_pre There hardly been a moment rest for Shawn Johnson since Tuesday night, when the Olympic gold medalist bounced past Gilles Marini to nab Season 8 …Dancing With the Stars title. We got to chat with the gymnast while she was in New York on her media tour, and the 17-year-old from Iowa couldnt have been nicer. Here what the youngest …DWTS champ had to say about the nail-biting finale, her close bond with partner Mark Ballas and where the shiny Mirrorball trophy will fit next to all of her other hardware.
