American Idol May Need an Adam Lambert Win More than Lambert Does

Watch a supremely confident Adam Lambert navigate the final moments of the biggest competition on network TV, and you begin to wonder if this American Idol finalist knows something you don't.

For sure, part of surviving the juggernaut that is Idol involves grace under pressure; keeping cool long enough to deliver the kind of consistently powerful performances that keep the votes coming, week after week.

But I wonder if glam rocker and odds on favorite Lambert knows something else, heading into his showdown tonight with rival Kris Allen.

American Idol needs a Lambert win as much - or more! - than he does. (click here to read my three reasons why Lambert's probably going to win tonight).

Here's a few reasons:
Idol needs a new star - In recent months, folks who got kicked off the Idol island early have made more noise than the winners, with sixth-place finisher Constance Maroulis nominated for a Tony award, fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry accepting a plaque for selling 5-million records on the show weeks ago and seventh-place finisher Jennifer Hudson overcoming the murder of her mother to bring a well-reviewed new album after winning an Oscar.

The sad truth: Idol has only made lasting stars of two winners in eight cycles. And critics have harped for a while that winners' qualities - a super-sized, karaoke-style talent for re-imagining old hits and a persona appealing enough to win over both teenyboppers and the grandmothers who dote on them - aren't necessarily the characteristics of a compelling original artist.

A Lambert win might cap the carping from those know-it-alls for a season or two.

Idol needs to look relevant -- The problem with being the most-watched, biggest moneymaker on network TV? There's nowhere to go but down.

Viewership for Idol has dropped 7-percent this season, while revenues have dipped $4.1-million, according to Reuters. Rivals hope the show, after nearly a decade of ripping up the prime time landscape, is beginning a slide toward becoming a more conventional, popular TV series they can handle.

The only way Idol avoids that fate is to regain its status as a phenomenon. And crowning puppy-dog cute singer-songwriter Allen as its next champion hardly accomplishes that.

Idol is facing serious challenges next season - Judge Paula Abdul's contract expires at the end of this season, while Simon Cowell's concludes after next year's episodes. Cowell has spoken openly this year of exiting the show, while Abdul has done the Paula thing - complimenting Idol and new judge Kara DioGuardi one moment, tearing them down the next.

Bottom line: if either of these headline hounds exit the show, Idol will need all the props it can get - which a Lambert win brings handily.

Idol can use some gay cred, too - Assuming the photos of Lambert kissing another guy are genuine, Lambert may be the first semi-kinda-sorta-openly gay man to win the contest, earning serious attention from fans who keep Celine Dion and Cher in million-dollar mansions.

We've come a long way from the days of Clay Aiken's coy denials. If Idol can position itself at the front of that revolution, it may even pick up enough new supporters to make Cowell and host Ryan Seacrest knock off all the awful metrosexual wisecracks.

If Lambert achieves that alone, he may earn the thanks of a grateful, TV-watching nation.

Comments

[pipetoe]

Look these people Daughtry, Hudson, Constantine, etc. etc. etc....winning is never all there is to Idol.Who know how they would have been discovered or if they ever would have been...
Just by getting in some cases to Hollywood Week...once it goes on the resume; that person moves on in their career....You don't have to be world famous to have a solid career in Music. Our child finished in the top 24 one year on idol...and has full ride scholarship to a very prominant music school in the east. He has loads of talent , but he was very honored by his work on American Idol and it paid off....along with the other opportunities that came his way from the Idol experience...
Thanks AI..

[redfrog]

The problem is in the voting, just like So You Think You Can Dance: fangirls and fanbois brag about how many times they voted for their favorite. Then the show brags about how many people are voting/watching. The sham quotient is tiresome. I love SYTYCD, but don't bother voting anymore. We watched a few of the last shows of Idol because we heard about Adam Lambert and wanted to see if he was all that. He is. Hopefully he will get a contract with a company that allows him to expand his musical repetoire, rather than just slots him into straight rock.

[DrCulturae]

Cowell et al have successfully opted for the politic way out of their dilemma.

They couldn't crown a young gay man, so they chose the bland boy... again. Votes? Right. It was clear the "We are the Champions" bit was meant to have their straight cake, eat it, and deny it too. The show will continue to fade away as Cowell & Co. show up for work while nurturing more interesting side projects. Lambert will still be part of the Idol company, and if he's smart, which it appears he is, find his niche guided by his obvious talent. Another Freddie Mercury? Of course. And then some.

So: Fox doesn't have to fret about a gay victor, Idol feigns to blunt the fall-out while simultaneously allowing its continuing weak ratings spiral. And of course Cowell has his hand in the cash register of all of them while he brings in newer, but more-of-the-same type shows, this time without Ms. Abdul.

More problematic is: where goes Seacrest? Might he be tempted to buy Cowell out of the franchise?

[GMcGe]

Its not about sexuality, its not about religion, its about who has the talent and clearly Adam has the most versatile voice of of them all!

I am willing to bet that Adam goes a hell of a lot further than Chris does

PS - I am not gay and I am not religious but I really think the world could use another Freddie Mercury. Adam - no matter who you are.....ROCK ON

[GHO]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's NOT about talent. It's about who the 13 year old girls out there doing the bulk of the voting like. That Chris beat out not only Adam, but also Danny and Alison who were far more talented, speaks volumes about who is voting and what their criteria are.

If you have any doubts, just think back to Sanjaya last year. While he may have been a good enough singer to earn a top 24 slot, he should have been among the first voted out. Instead he carried all the way to the top 7 regardless of what he sang, how poorly he sang it, or what the judges said about him. Why? Pre-teen an dearly teen girls thought he was cute.

Chris is Sanjaya with more talent.

[Shieldmaiden]

As usual America chose the blandest person it could find. Ridiculous. Adam is one of the most interesting musicians the show has ever had. Kris Allen blends in with the wall paper, and he'll be forgotten in a week.

[Live4literacy]

My 12 year old daughter looked at my husband and me after Chris won, and just said, " Wow, homophobia is alive and well in America." Clearly, Adam was the better singer and performer in this singing contest by a mile. What a disappointing result.

[BritishAmerican]

We don't know that Adam is gay. Just because he wears make-up doesn't make him gay. Homophobia had nothing to do with him not winning. It's really more a popularity contest than excellence.

[WilliamBradford]

You might want to give some thought to how your daughter has been brainwashed. She is obviously being taught to embrace the "paranoid excuse" side of our culture.

[Lemastre]

Kris who?

[Texdude]

Deggans: Brilliant predictions!

[dkcohen2]

I think you're definitely right. With Kris's win tonight, (although he IS a very talented guy with a good future in front of him,) American Idol loses it's star quality. Like you said, only Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have won the contest and gone on to do the things that American Idol would like their winners to do. You have a fantastic point. And just a heads-up, the 6th place finisher you're talking about is CONSTANTINE Maroulis, not Constance. Excellent point. I'm really curious to see what happens at the judge's table next year as well.

[GHO]

American Idol loses its star quality?? I think the bloom went off that rose some time ago.

The concern over the success or failure of Idol winners is lost in the bigger picture - pop music (and more and more these days country music too) is not about talent, it's about looks. Brittney, Shakira, Ricky Martin, and the list goes on. Are these people really more talented than lots of other singers? No, they have decent talent and the looks to carry them. That's what the industry has become.

Is it any wonder that pretty little blonde Carrie Underwood is a multi-platinum star while Taylor Hicks, Jordan Sparks, Reuben Studdard are relegated to the dust bin, not to be seen again until their next guest shot on Idol?

[IssuesInFocus]

Idol is going the way of all popular shows. Much "rave" in the begininning, but in time with the attention span of a two year old --most viewers want and demand something new.
Which at times gets tough for producers. Shows, like people remain interesting for awhile, its the natural cycle of things/life-- what goes up, in time comes down, loses popularity, too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WubkKRoGxIQ

[MrVee]

I used to be a fan but after the last season, I was done with it. I didn't watch any of it this year nor did either of my teens. Which was a surprise even to me. Sponsors have too much input in that show and it looks prepackaged and staged. They are not fooling anyone with this vote "crap" either.

[goodgravy]

way too much emphasis put on gay cred/gay contestant. it's a SINGING competition not speed dating night at starbucks. they're both good singers each in his own unique way. i'm hoping my favorite wins but in the end, it's only a TV show. if AI can continue to bring viewers the kind of talent they had this year i'm sure it'll last at least until cowell quits and brings X Factor to the states.

[DaveOz]

Clay Aiken said his sexuality wasn't important to most of America and his personal life is none of your business. That doesn't sound the least bit coy to me. Lambert saying; " I know who I am" is coy. I have no doubt that it is in their contracts to avoid answering at all cost.

Clay Aiken came out last year the minute his contract expired.

[Eric Deggans - Huffpost Blogger]

Idol winners' first albums after the show almost always go platinum, thanks to the boost they get from being on the show. The real test is how well the next record does.

[carsntrucks]

Last year's winner has already gone Platinum. Daughtry did well because he's very MOR and they wanted him to win instead of Taylor anyway. Paula and Simon are probably not going anywhere. Enough gays watch AI and I doubt they're going anywhere, either. And Kris Allen, an understated multi-talented singer-songwriter will make Idol look more relevant than a caterwauling Broadway diva like Adam. He's really no different than the big-throated black female singers Idol has every year, other than being a white guy.