(Not only was America shocked...so was Kris)
I should have done Survivor recaps. I love Survivor. I loved JT. JT, the other kid from a state that begins with A, who actually won a competition he completely and thoroughly deserved.
(Still shocked)
Don’t worry. That’s about the only thing I’m going to imply about last nights results where 100 MILLION VOTES were cast and Kris Allen became this year’s American Idol.
(Really really shocked)
One of my first thoughts (after I had to be given CPR at the Results Show to revive me…poor m.a.h.) was that I was genuinely happy for fabflamingo and Aunt Shelle, two ardent supporters of Kris Allen.
I was also happy for the millions of tweens who have more time on their hands than God and their cell phones have become a sixth digit who patiently and persistently texted or called the American Idol phone lines for 4 hours straight the night before.
I was also happy for the Christian contingent who were devastated by their Danny boy being sent home the week before and shifted their focus to Kris, because God forbid anyone ungodly get their vote, and we all know, no guy who wears “guy liner” can be godly.
I was also happy for Miss California who surely must be taking some credit for this win, a moral victory of sorts, and there are some who did not vote for Adam simply because they feared he might be "gay" and are now heaving huge sighs of relief that America is not yet so depraved it crowns and endorses a champion that may be swinging for the wrong team.
(Could this have been a turn off to voters?)
So, do you want to know what it was like to actually BE THERE?
(Let's just say, m.a.h. is very petite and I'm well...not)
First things first, meeting beautiful petite m.a.h. was the HIGHLIGHT of my day. m.a.h. who so graciously prodded her darling husband who has some damn good connections to get us not only 2 seats to the show, but AMAZING seats to the show. Did you see us? We were there, 9 seats from the stage and surrounded by celebrities and former American Idol contestants.
It was an extravaganza of a show. A lineup that never ceased to amaze: David Cook, Santana, Queen Latifah, Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas, Steve Martin, KISS, Queen, Cyndi Lauper, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie, and Keith Urban. The show was fast paced and the 2 hours flew by.
There were some painful moments: Notably BIKINI GIRL with the constant snarl on her face got put in her place by Kara who redeemed herself last night with her great voice and her guts and own bikini to show BG what a real woman is.
Speaking of painful moments, I was engaging in a spirited conversation with a friend of m.a.h.’s about Kara and her horrible turd of a song and what we didn’t like about her, when a pretty woman sitting in front of us turned around and said, “Please stop talking about Kara like that. She’s my cousin.”
OUCH! We both did flip flops that would have made John Kerry proud and immediately started singing Kara’s praises. The woman seemed to buy it and the lights gratefully went down to hide my red and mortified face. My mother always said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it.” When will I ever learn?
m.a.h. and I had a wonderful time and within minutes of meeting each other, felt like long lost friends. If you can say anything about OS, say this: It is one amazing community.
As for Adam and Kris, you know those darn liberal Californians (never mind that they took away the rights for gays to marry, a minor detail), this crowd was all about Adam, the Adam who knocked the socks off of all of us with his voice and performance with KISS.
(I snuck this one picture of Adam in...no cameras were allowed)
Finally the moment had arrived to announce the winner. The evening had been so spectacular, so fantastic, so obvious to everyone who was there who was going to win American Idol because, and please trust me because you probably weren’t there, it was SO apparent who had the best voice, the best stage presence and the most charisma.
So I can only tell you that when Ryan announced Kris Allen as the new American Idol, the theater that was packed with thousands of people was stunned. I haven’t seen the replay, but the producers surely must have had to resort to some kind of canned response to make it sound like there were people in the audience that were actually happy with this.
And don’t get me wrong. Of course there were some Kris Allen fans, but they seemed small in number. The rest of us stood there, jaws dropped to the ground, faces in disbelief as we looked at one another, shaking our heads in bewilderment.
It was just SO WRONG.
And let’s be honest here. No one seemed more shocked than Kris Allen himself. I felt really bad for him because it was so apparent in that large hushed theater that the applause was reserved and restrained. It was the ultimate of party poopers and Debbie Downers. A night that had had so much momentum, so many spectacular performances…Ryan’s announcement landed like a thud, like the turd of the song Kara had written that Kris had to sing one more time (this song is the only reason I’m grateful Adam didn’t win).
And as people slowly and quietly left the Nokia theater, still shaking their heads in disbelief, another season of American Idol went down in history, proving once again that the American voter can’t always be trusted.
I’m not as bitter as I surely must sound. Yes, Adam will get record deals and be famous, blah blah blah. It’s just the principle I’m stuck on. The whole, it’s a SINGING competition. I’m jaded now and the good news for all of you is that you will no longer be subjected to my American Idol recaps…collective sigh of relief for that…and come next January when American Idol starts up again, I’ll be doing something a little more productive with my time on Tuesday nights like playing bingo or watching reruns of Gilligan’s Island.
Or how about this? I’ll be spending my time on REAL ISSUES like our wonderful BBE and countless others who remind us on a daily basis of the true suffering and injustices that go on in the world that could surely use our time and attention.
One final thing: Kris Allen seems to be a peach of a guy and I will give credit where credit is due. He is one talented kid who has blossomed, matured and developed as a performing artist over the last 6 months. His rendition of Ain’t No Sunshine was pure perfection.
THANKS M.A.H. and thanks to everyone on OS who’s had as much fun with this as I have.
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Comments
But we love y'all.... Thanks for sharing with us....
xoxo
I had a blast, Mary. I hope you don't give up on Idol---it helps pay my mortgage---and we weren't together long enough for me to tell you just how much I hate Survivor---it helps pay the mortgage, too---but, oh I can't go into it here.
Talk to you soon.
P.S. I agree, this is an amazing community---because of people like you.
I had read that phone banks were being set up there to flood the voting numbers.
Good for Kris...but as he mentioned, Adam deserved the win.
P.S. Sorry for your pain, but thanks for the season long joy. Everyone needs a little mindless entertainment to balance the serious stuff and you provided me with a great weekly laugh. Thanks, it was fun...and please rethink next year!
I actually never watch AI. So, you know, no investment. But if the better singer didn't win, that's not right.
Great post Mary!
And don't you dare apologize for the AI recaps. They have been a fun distraction and sometimes folks just need a little entertainment. You have entertained us for weeks and I will miss Wed. mornings. Please rest and get ready for the next season. You know you will be watching. You can't fool me!
KRIS ALLEN IS THE AMERCIAN IDOL!
(Ok, that was just a little gloat!)
I have loved your recaps. I also felt sorry for Kris - I believe you could tell that the theatre was shocked and restrained. He's a sweet, talented kid and I hope he has a good career.
Adam will have a great career. He's one of those contestants who is really unofrgettable, and I think he'll be able to ride the wave of injustice. I hope I hope I hope that the vote had more to do with teeny boppers than homophobia. My daughter texted her votes for Adam, but thought Kris was - in her words - adorable.
Thanks for the fun you've given us this season - you and Adam!
For my part...I didn't think Kris would win, but as he was my pick, I was happy.
I do have to say that the absolute highlight of the show was Adam singing with KISS. They were my favorite band in junior high (the 70's...remember them?) and I loved that perfomance...he was excellent! (And that comes from someone who thinks he wasn't always as great as his press would have it)
Cheers, and thanks so much for showing us what it was like...up close!
I predict Kris will have a mildly amusing first-CD release that sells a few copies, but Adam's career will be much longer and stronger. The better careers, thus far, have largely consisted of runners-up in AI, not the winners themselves. Such will hold true this year, too. Thanks for all the recaps, Mary.
It's all irrelevant though because both of these guys will do well. Adam will be a bigger star, for sure. When these finals come down, it's already written that both, or at least the best is going to do the best. Chris Daughtry is a prime example.
That aside they were both extremely humble and likable. I'm sorry you were so disappointed but I think the teen girl vote went to Kris more than the Christian right. I don't think they take the time or spend the money to vote. You have to win the little girls and little boys. They are the textmaster generals.
RATED and kudos for ALL your hard work this season. You made it fun. Hugs
And PT Barnum said nobody every has gone broke underestimating the stupidity of the american public.
So they didn't vote the best singing voice?
Picture a young presidential campaign staffer all wide eyed at the League of Women Voters' debate. Leaving said staffer hears two women talk about Howard Baker, a close competitor to said staffer's "guy." They say they were disappointed in Baker, perking up said staffer's ears.
They were disappointed in Baker because he was so short.
Said staffer went to a bar, crinkled beer cans, staring at a wall talking to himself for a while.
I meant to say this yesterday - this is exactly what I love about OS. Virtual strangers going beyond for one another. I cannot imagine how thrilled you were. And kudos to your great, new friend m.a.h. - what a gal.
I have to say, I'll miss the reports though.
Secondly,
Although I agree that Adam absolutley, hands down should have won. Its almost better that he didn't because he would be stuck for a full year doing "hurricane" like songs contracted out by AI. All of which are terrible. So...at least this way he can become his own person and not some lame ass that sings songs about determination and f*c^ing hurricanes
It was a "singing" competition, not "least likely to be gay" competition.
Every year there is some asexual, non-threatening, under-the-radar sleeper contestant that I invariably hate, like Sanjaya. And millions of adolescent girls and conflicted young men vote for them until they stop feeling all weird on the inside and then they see themagain and they start dialing again.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.
Your audience experience was fun to read. That, I would have loved to be a part of. m.a.h., does "Top Chef" pay the mortgage? If so, I'd love to be a part of that or "Project Runway".
Thanks for sharing the fun/shock and, of course, the lovely m.a.h.
Glad you had fun!
I like Kris, but a "no brainer" and "range" do not apply. That's like saying Jack Johnson can sing anything other than soft folksy rock. Kris did some interesting arrangements, but his range was narrow. Not saying that's bad, necessarily, and he puts his own spin on things, but he struggled when it came to singing disco or rock - he did his quiet thing every time.
I didn't see you and m.a.h. but I tried.
d
But as we say in gay, spicy world - this is a marathon, not a sprint. And a big old homo almost made it to the promised land. It's only a matter of time before one of us is re-decorating the oval office in velvet and lavender, so look alert Jesus.
2. Did it seem to anybody but me that while the song with KISS was really rockin' that it seemed a bit like a bunch of old guys dressed up in make-up doing a parody of a rock group?
3. While I wasn't outraged or anything other than surprised at the outcome was I the only person whose reaction was actually closer to George Carlin's "Well isn't that interesting"?
4. Am I also the only person this morning whose thoughts have been going round in circles that maybe this would be a good way for political parties to select their Presidential nominees? Visualize a Republican judging panel of Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh and Condee Rice with Billy Mays being the onstage interlocutar--America votes and each week one contender is eliminated until the final 2 who bitch slap one another into oblivion followed by a final phone in/text vote. Just a goofy thought.
5. And did you notice during the group performances that there is a huge, huge gap in terms of talent between the final 2/final 4 and the rest of the competitors.
Just some idle Idol thoughts this morning.
I loved Kara's performance last night too. I don't know if it saved her job or not, but it's good to see she has a sense of humor about herself.
Rated.
I only caught the last five minutes, because I'd promised to take my son to a soccer game. But all I saw in Adam's face was relief. He's savvy enough to manage his own career. And close up it looked like he and Chris had been joking a lot about who was going to have to sing that crappy song.
As for the homophobic thing. I don't think that people who didn't care for Adam would actually go as far as pick up the phone and vote for Chris. Even though I don't consider myself a homophobe (and I'm Canadian so can't vote) , I think, apart from the state of Arkansas, people who prefer soft rock and teenage girls, there may very well have been a homophobic block. But it's a bit of a stretch that they controlled the vote.
AI is about singing. If you can't sing, or you choke, you go home.
You "don't get it" because you've never watched. Duh.
I like it because I like to watch talent. I like to watch people striving to improve, to find their own unique voice, being brave enough to stand in front of the freaking world with who they are. I don't always watch - some seasons no one interested me.
In a way it is like an Olympic event - you root for someone, you watch them take the lead or slip back into the pack or bring out something you didn't expect. Not a soap opera at all.
Try watching it, then decide what it is.
::cough::
I was happy with the results.
::ducks::
::runs::
For me, the most moving moment was when Queen came out. I had said for weeks to my fiance that I was sure they would see in Adam a bit of the beloved and amazingly gifted Freddie Mercury - including that multi-octave vocal range. I was literally in tears when I saw the lead guitarist of Queen walk on the stage - I knew it had to be an emotional moment for the band (I know them, by the way, long story, my friend used to run a well known record label) - it is only a pity that Kris was in the way - this should have been Adam's moment and his alone with Queen - It had to have deeply moved the band, and Adam as well, to hear his soaring voice on "We are the Champions," eerily reminiscent of Freddie's...Adam is better off not winning, but we all know who is the true super-star here.
I'm happy you got to meet m. a.h. - and jealous, too!
And fear not, it's really not a talent contest, but a popularity contest.
Adam will be okay - probably better than okay. He Did look relieved, actually.
Kris will niche himself into Nashville. His duet with Keith Urban was where he needs to be - country balladeering.
Don't give up. It's harmless and sometimes entertaining spectacle, and you're a fantastic standard-bearer. Come on back next January. You're a voice of both enthusiasm and reason.
good for you and m.a.h. for getting to the show!
I'm OK, you're OK! Adam's OK, Kris's OK! Obama's OK, Cheney's ... downright bunker-like old-GOP scary all the time! ;-)
[Closing the door on my Adam disappointment - and fervently looking for a way to send (sigh) fan mail!]
Sign me,
40-something Adam guyliner and glam rock fan 4-ever!
Adam's voice was awesome. I give him that. However, it wasn't commercially viable. Note that he mainly sang along with rock dinosaurs, like Kiss and Queen. There isn't a market for that kind of stuff right now., outside of classic rock stations, and I would rather hear the classic rock groups than Adam.
Kris, on the other hand, has a good voice. He also fits in stylistically to the pop hits of today. I can see him going on tour with Jason Mraz, or the Fray, etc.
Figure it this way, both won. Adam Lambert will be quite wealthy and well-known from this point forward, I'm sure.
You guys must have had such a good time. Who was your favorite non-Idol performer? Who wowed you?
You obviously haven't listened to Muse, one of the most popular bands in a long time - the lead singer is hugely theatrical, seems to be "yelling" because he puts emotion and force behind his voice. U2? Bono is well known for what people call "yelling" which is just a big voice. They aren't going anywhere soon - just came out with a new album.
Kings of Leon - their lead also does some 'yelling' (which again isn't yelling but rock singing) and they're really new and very popular.
Aerosmith has been around forever, and Steven Tyler screams just like Adam (or vice versa, sorry) - you can't say they aren't marketable.
Besides all that, why would I want someone who fits right into the mainstream of what's "marketable' when I could listen to someone who might bring something OUT of the mainstream to the table. That's what will spark my musical interest.
Kris is marketable to a certain demographic, while Adam is marketable to another. I happen to like both, but while I might think Kris is a bit bland and not marketable in MY little corner of the world, that doesn't mean he isn't marketable in yours.
I've never watched the show but I did last night, if only to get a glimpse of you two ladies. Thought I spotted you once or twice.
Had to laugh at your getting called out by the cousin of the judge who writes turd songs. THAT is something that would happen to me!
But as always Mary, I may not know what you are talking about, but I love the way you say it!
After the announcement last night, all I wanted to do was to hug you. When Bill and I learned via the Internet earlier, because we are so far away and 3 hours earlier than west coast, we were stunned. Speechless, jaws open, catching flies for a few minutes until we realized it was true. We both fully believed Adam would win this, however, leaned Kris, as you know.
I have to add, humbly, that it isn't always the performer's talent that grabs an audience, but the actual genre of the music and people's preference for musical style. Voters are fickle, as we have seen for many season's now and this was no different.
I am so happy to read here that Adam has been doing some musical theater as that is a winning combination for his vocal range and stage presence. Adam is as multi-talented as he is a genuinely nice person. I liked him so much and did expect him to win this.
You and m.a.h. looked beautiful and had a thrill of a lifetime together. It was all worth it for that and all the music icons you watched perform in front of your eyes! Utterly amazing line up of performers, professional and past contestants. Most would give anything to have been in your high heels!
If we see any Broadway musical open up with Adam in it, you and I are going to be seeing it together! I really mean it! xoxoxoxoxo
See
http://santafeandthefatcityhorns.blogspot.com/2007/05/amiercan-idol-is-looking-for.html
Adam will do just fine, even though he didn't win. In all honesty, I'd probably pick up an album by Adam before I'd buy one from Kris.
If they and Adam want to make a few bucks the first thing they need to do is get a single of him singing "Mad World" out there straight away.
Do you feel sort of like you did when Bush won in 2000 and 2004?
Kris was in disbelief and didn't want the trophy. He seemed truly embarrassed to take it, but Adam seemed genuinely happy for Kris. His already high stock just jumped that much higher for me after that.
It became a popularity contest the last three weeks, very similar to class president or whatever in high school. Enough of that for awhile. I'm glad it's over and I'm especially glad you two got to go and have a great time.
The funniest part of your post?
“Please stop talking about Kara like that. She’s my cousin.”
Hilarious!!!!! Just wondering how you got the foot out of your mouth. hehehehe
Ah well. ‘Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip...’
Anyway, I'll have to go and check out some of these performances on youtube. I'm never in on the action with these reality tv shows but catch up after the fact.
Regardless of who won this year, I have no doubt that Simon is already thinking about the best way to earn millions of dollars from both Kris and Adam's recordings.
Oh, and I love that Kara's cousin was in front of you! What a great foot-in-mouth story.
I'm also keeping in mind that this is the kind of fluff stuff that sometimes is required in life, life that presents its challenges, sorrows, it's grief...I'm thinking particularly of Dakini and her early departure from this life, a life she was so passionate about. (Dakini, you will be forever missed).
Thanks to all who had the enthusiasm, patience, stomach and loyalty to my AI recaps. It's been a blast doing them.
anybodhi: What's the website address?
I STILL LOVE ADAM!
Now.... it really isn't a singing contest and you should not be surprised. It has already happened time and again. This is by no means the first time. The judges SAVE this year was intended to keep this same thing from happening too early in the season a la Daughtry... but it clearly proves that this is a POPULARITY CONTEST. As soon as you open it up to the masses you hve lost control. It got worse when they began to allow people to cal in as often as they want. AND THEY WONT FIX IT BECAUSE IT IS A SUCCESS AND SELLING AIR TIME LIKE NOTHING HAS EVER SOLD ON TELEVISON.
So you can hate it if you choose.... but you'll be back, because it is good television... not because it is a good singing contest.
I knew that Adam was the better singer as did everyone... but I wasn't that surprised.
And BTW, for those who asked: Was I as disappointed as when Bush was re-elected? NO. Nothing will match that disappointment in the American public. Ever. Or at least up until now. That was beyond disappointment.
I've probably only watched American idol once in my life, but I've become a big believer in anonymous votes of this sort to be a fairly accurate barometer of our collective thought. People will tell a pollster one thing, but anonymous votes reveal the truth.
Hey, you two look great and happy on those photos!
ADAM LAMBERT: THE TRUE AMERICAN IDOL WINNER