It would be nice if Adam was allowed to win this on his own merits as opposed to part of a national referendum on whether ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s okay to be gay. Those things always get ugly.

Oh, you are so right about this. This year more than ever, religious beliefs may actually determine the results. When pastors tell parishioners that morals are part of the decision to vote for Danny (or Kris), then it has started to get ugly.

I am positive that Adam will be in the Finale. Danny and Kris share many of the same demographics, so a good portion of the eliminated contestant’s fanbase may pass along their votes. “American Idol” becoming a part of a sermon is disturbing.

Now, I am wondering what would have happened if Adam was an active church goer? Would all of this become more of a non-issue?

On the show when he performed the song, Apologize, he said (answering a question by the host, Ben Mulroney), he was in a realtionship and he “just had to tell ‘em,” it’s too late to apologize. As far as I know this was the only “admission.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huecVWc3uFs

If only we were back in the seventies…(sigh)

Idol may be a popular reality show but it is to pop music what McDonald’s is to fine cuisine.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“No but American Idol is. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the most popular (hence the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“popà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in pop culture) television show in the US. At least 44 million people watch the show every week.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the epicenter of pop culture? Is that why we get Neil Diamond nights and Dolly Parton nights and Andrew Lloyd Weber nights and Rat Pack nights and Disco nights and over-the-hill Rocker nights?

It is what it is. Pop culture is a pretty wide net. And when you’re talking music – it can span decades and still be considered popular/populus. Dolly Parton is still selling albums and filling arenas and so is Neil Diamond. Frank Sinatra is STILL considered ICONIC…just anecdotally, my husband who wouldn’t be caught DEAD watching Idol and has a few choice derisive words for my hobby (although since he’s lately been a beneficiary of my obsession he’s stopped complaining a bit…) – anyways – he goes through a phase about once a year where he becomes interested again in Rat Pack music – Keely Smith, Louis Prima, Dino, etc…. I think more people return to that music than you make think.

About the 44 million comment I made upthread…I think it’s statistically important to note that TVs are tuned to AI 44 million times…we dont even KNOW how many people per household are watching. (Or do we? I dont know how Nielsen calculates or however this number is arrived at). But viewership is calculated per night. Also about voting – even if the voting is done by 6 million people (I would think that sounds about reasonable if 64 million votes came in – 6 mllion being 10% of the total number of votes) – that’s significant and represents a cultural force. To deny that AI represents a chunk of pop culture would be to deny Ed Sullivan or Wonderful World of Disney or any other iconic family TV show. What comes through the box, for better or worse, shapes the lens through which we view the world and experience music, art, film, sports, books, etc. All of it. TV is powerful. Popular TV is VERY powerful.

mjsbigblog: Adam Lambert makes the cover of EW http://tinyurl.com/cexzzy

:laugh_tb:

Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also a better singer.

This ^^^^^^ lol

Archie don’t need no artificial makeup. He is naturally good looking. Yea he is young, but that gives him the edge. How many old people try to look younger? lol

la la, I saw on one of the fan sites that Archie has written us another tune.

“Nobody Knows’

I think Soundscene you told us. :cool_wp:

Dang i wanna hear that tune.

Maybe because we know more about whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s really going on and we arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t as innocent in our knowledge LOL. We arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t as susceptible to the pimping or the manipulation

maybe,LOL..i’m still wondering if that’s a good or a bad thing though……..I miss sometimes just watching the show without pre-conceptions about all the behind the scenes gimmicks etc…..enjoying the show and shutting off…

But i just love the internet, cant help myself!!!

Its only on the internet blogs and forums that there is much hate for Danny

Maybe because we know more about what’s really going on and we aren’t as innocent in our knowledge LOL. We aren’t as susceptible to the pimping or the manipulation.

I would be very surprised if 44 million people watch the show every week. The ratings sit at around 22-24 million viewers each night. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m reasonably certain that the vast majority of those viewers watch both shows.

I totally agree. 22 million watch the show each week, you can’t double that, lol. No way.

I asked him why he liked Danny and he said à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not that theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the best singer, I just like his personality and the way he performs.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  My brother is educated and as I said, a non-religious liberal. So to my surprise, some people donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see him as arrogant or smirking, I guess they like his smile

Its only on the internet blogs and forums that there is much hate for Danny…Many people i talk to dont have that perception of him…..they watch the show, enjoy the performances and switch off……..My Sis for instance likes him a lot, and thinks he has a great attitude(She was complaining about Lil’s mouthing off and used Danny as an example of how to comport yourself when being critiqued!!!) and i was like … :jittery_tb:

she hasnt watched tuesday’s episode yet though :mrgreen_wp:

Honestly, I think those of us who are obsessed with, I mean devoted to!, American Idol may be blowing all this a wee bit out of proportion. I think for your average casual viewer all the talk about Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sexuality and Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Christianity is just so much background noise.

You’re right, most people watch Idol and don’t read about it online or visit blogs or message boards.

I think people vote for all kinds of reasons. Mostly because they simply like a contestant and what they represent to them. I admit I have liked people who were not the strongest vocalists but they spoke to something inside me.

But there are definitely many people who vote based on their cultural and religious beliefs. However that didn’t help Mandisa. It did help Phil and Chris Sligh, I believe, get as far as they got. But obviously Danny has something going for him besides just religion because that alone wouldn’t get him this far, and the judges see something in him too. Though I suspect in their case the producers told them in the beginning that they wanted Danny in the finale and thus they better pimp him from the get-go. Yes I truly think that’s possible.

It would be a travesty to me if Danny won because he is not a good singer. He has a decent voice but he totally doesn’t know how to use it. MJ describes him aptly as a bull in a china shop. He has little sensitivity or artistry, just a voice, which he ruins by singing too gruffly half of the time. If he wins I will think he was the worst Idol winner in history.

If there is a gene that makes you recognize Danny’s talent, I must be missing that gene.

It’s the epicenter of pop culture? Is that why we get Neil Diamond nights and Dolly Parton nights and Andrew Lloyd Weber nights and Rat Pack nights and Disco nights and over-the-hill Rocker nights?

The sooner we act like homosexuality is a non issue, the better.

For half the country it is a non-issue and for the other half, it is a big issue. Unfortunately the entire country votes for Idol contestants, so the question asked by EW is, will the country vote for a flamboyant theatrical gay man and let him win? Fair question.

I have no trouble understanding why people don’t vote for Adam or anyone else, but I have trouble seeing how people DO vote for someone like Danny.

However I had a shock last night. Talked to my brother, an ultra-liberal, in the midwest, he is watching Idol for the first time this year, and his favorite is Danny! His enthusiasm waned though when I mentioned that he was a big fundamentalist.

I asked him why he liked Danny and he said “it’s not that the’s the best singer, I just like his personality and the way he performs.” My brother is educated and as I said, a non-religious liberal. So to my surprise, some people don’t see him as arrogant or smirking, I guess they like his smile. I still think it’s the religious voting bloc keeping him in the top though. My brother, for instance, has never voted and would never vote more than 1 or 2 times if he did.

Wait till the first shot of Adam naked surfacesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦there will be a f**king feeding frenzy. You all just wait.

Do I detect a note of hope in your post? LOL. I’m sure many would like to see that, but of course artfully done with not everything shown. A PETA ad, or the cover of Vogue.

He’s also a better singer.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just saying that some press tries to make you feel like youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re homophobic if you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote for Adam.

It is my opinion that no one can make you feel anything you don’t really feel. They may cause you to think about your motivation, but they can’t make you feel something you don’t.
I think in this instance we often see what we want to see/ interpret as we think they are leading. That doesn’t make it true.

I bet that I do something I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t especially like almost every day because I feel guilty. It is one of the easiest emotions for people to manipulateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.pan handlers and charity organizations know this only too well. Sociology 101.

You’ll get over that as you get older. Manipulation is usually quite transparent and easily ignored.

but we donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t elect them President unless they have considerable experience and a record of achievments

To continue this analogy we don’t vote them in as American Idol unless we perceive them as being wildly talented and deserving. No one here is advocating vote simply because he’s black/gay.
And if they do, see above. Ignore it.

Wait till the first shot of Adam naked surfacesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦there will be a f**king feeding frenzy. You all just wait.

i can haz photos plz?

So…. what’s today’s kerfkuffle :ponder_tb:

I swear, I can’t decide whether to refer to this season as American Idol: Drama or The Year of Extreme Fuckery.
I’m leaning towards the latter.

No, his face is pure artifice–like his music.

At least 44 million people watch the show every week. From the number of votes, we can extrapolate that probably around 10 million people spend the following two hours invested in the show one way or another.

I would be very surprised if 44 million people watch the show every week. The ratings sit at around 22-24 million viewers each night. I’m reasonably certain that the vast majority of those viewers watch both shows. I do not for a moment think that not a single viewer watches both shows and that you can add the ratings together to get a total number of viewers per week. I also think that we know squat about how voting works and cannot extrapolate a single thing about how many people vote. If I had to guess, I think it’s less than 10 million voters.

Except that this begs the question of just how come Danny is still on Idol and Allison isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t. Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance (by his own admission) was one of the worst ever on Idol. It was laughably bad. Who voted for Danny? We have to believe the majority HAD to be his fanbase who – as far as we can tell – are religiously invested in his success.

This is a voting pattern we see EVERY year. Every year, several times a year, the worst person of the night is not booted. In fact, by the time you get this late in the competition, a spectacular train wreck is more helpful than a solid performance. It gets your fans to panic vote.

Take Chris D. in Season 5. He wasn’t the worst of the night Top 4 night. Kat was the one forgetting her lyrics and getting deep fried by the judges. But I don’t think the religious right power voted for her, her panicked fans did. Daughtry who was merely solid that night, went home. Didn’t pick up an casual voters like Elliott did. Didn’t panic his fans like Kat did. Anybody that gets this far in the competition likely has a big fan base. Look at the threads from earlier in the week here. People were quite happy to post that even if their favourite totally messed up on performance night, they had their phones charged to power vote for them for 2 solid hours. Somewhere, out there, are Danny fans that think the same way. I don’t care for Danny, but I don’t think that all his fans voted for him simply because they are religiously invested in his success. I chalk it up to differences in tastes. There are lots of people on the radio I can’t stand, but somebody must be buying all the records and I’m guessing they aren’t buying Britney records to satisfy their preachers.

May May 8th, 2009 at 12:15 am

This is what being an American icon is all about. There was controversy with Elvis and his à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“devilà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  hips. There was controversy with Prince, over outlandish sexual performances, and there was controversy with Madonnaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦you name it, sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s done it.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Adam has done anything controversial to put him in the category of pioneers like Prince, Madonna or Elvis. Guest performers like Flo-rida, Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga have had more eye-raising performances than Adam. The only controversy with Adam is the fabrication of one.

But that’s the whole point. The controversy with him is that he might be gay, or might now be gay, or bisexual, or omni-sexual, or a lesbian…

It is pre-fabricated hoopla in order to CREATE controversy. Elvis, Madonna and Prince were experts at creating controversy when there wasn’t really anything to be worked up about.

Adam threw the ball to the media, and they swung back. Now Adam needs to play the game, if he wants to stay in the game. If anyone can do it, he can.

My point is that those of us who google the contestants obsessively and read blogs and post comments and dissect every bit of the show are a very, very, very small minority and we may be making more out of all this than is really there

Yep, I’ve always sorta guessed that the bulk of the viewers actualy dont spend hours on end dissecting all these nitbits that come out(AND THAT’S A GOOD THING), so to me its of very little impact in the grand scheme of things.

All that the 3 need to do is BRING IT to the show, next week and any 2 of those three will make it into the finale(Although it will be a valium inducing snoozefest if its Kris Allen vs Danny Gokey!)

Adam can do the balancing act and i hope he does good next week, by catering to all sides, and hopefully makes it to the finale. Danny can do his usual borderline semi good to total crap schmaltzy performances , that is enough for his fans to vote for take him to the finale(if rendering every feline cat within a 200 mile radius of LA last week deaf didnt send him home, then he’s a lock for the finale)…Kris better bring it and have some edge..if he sings another lazy folksy interp of an uptempo song strumming his guitar, i will reach into my tv set and clobber him with his guitar before simon revs the bus!!!!Just saying……………And I hope he gets the first and last spot, is pimped to high heaven so for a change we judge him on actual performances(Which sucked last week,BTW!!) and not on saving him because the judges bussed him!

My rant for the day……Next week should be fun for all :thumbup_tb:

And I love the buzz around Adam, and understand it..he’s the pull…that’s showbizz….if there was any interesting cover on the other 2 they would feature them..unfair? yes…but Showbizz isnt fair!!Its what it is

Hee! It would be kind of hard to write Kris Allen celebrity coverage.

Find out why nothing ever happens in Arkansas!

Be there when Kris buys a third shirt!

What he was thinking when he hugged the other contestants!

Secret Kris Allen Idol stategy: I practiced, says shortest Idol.

:lol_tb: :lol_tb: Wicked!!!!

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Adam has done anything controversial to put him in the category of pioneers like Prince, Madonna or Elvis. Guest performers like Flo-rida, Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga have had more eye-raising performances than Adam. The only controversy with Adam is the fabrication of one.

I think a lot of people were taken aback by ROF. Randy Travis being one of them.

That said, I’m not going to compare him to Prince, Madonna or Elvis just yet.

As for No Doubt, Gwen seemed a bit out of breath. I heard they did a second take right after the first because the mix was wrong, but I was disappointed. I still love her, but I don’t think that performance was eye-raising. It’s how she’s been doing that song for years (push-ups included).

This is what being an American icon is all about. There was controversy with Elvis and his à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“devilà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  hips. There was controversy with Prince, over outlandish sexual performances, and there was controversy with Madonnaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦you name it, sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s done it.

I don’t think Adam has done anything controversial to put him in the category of pioneers like Prince, Madonna or Elvis. Guest performers like Flo-rida, Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga have had more eye-raising performances than Adam. The only controversy with Adam is the fabrication of one.