Idol Watch: Daughtry'd?
Frank Micelotta / FOX
Spoilers for last night's American Idol elimination after the jump:
It is time to begin entertaining a thought: Adam Lambert may not be a lock to win this thing after all.
Not to overlook the fate of Matt Giraud (although how many times has he been eliminated by now? six? seven?), but the big news last night was Adam's landing not just in the bottom three but the bottom two. (I think. Come to think of it, I don't actually recall if Seacrest explicitly said "bottom two," and I wouldn't put it past Idol to have had Adam finish third but put him in the two for drama.)
For all the oddsmakers heavily favoring Adam as the champeen, and critics like myself having written as if this was all over but the falsetto shouting, it is not clear after all that Adam is America's runaway favorite. Besides last night's results, we have the dialidol.com phone-call measurement tool; it has not been flawless this season, but a look at recent weeks shows that Adam has by no means been at the top of the voting every week.
(Compare that with, say, Taylor Hicks' runaway in season 5. And by the way, who'd have thought Idol would willingly relive that nightmare by inviting him back last night? To this point, he'd practically been airbrushed out of official Idol history like a disgraced Soviet commissar removed from the state photos.)
Adam may have the most raw talent of the bunch. He is certainly the most interesting, and the one who makes an otherwise dull season worth watching in hope of seeing what he will do next. But he and his theatrical style may well be a big turn-off to a lot of the voting public.
Mind you, I am not using "theatrical" here as a euphemism for "gay or maybe gay." I'm not sure that's the issue, except maybe as it tangentially attaches to larger general aesthetic issues of his musical style. I certainly know that homophobia is out there, even if more Americans support gay marriage.
But I suspect that more relevant to the Idol vote is that Adam embraces an over-the-top weirdness to his performances, and that—where Idol audiences usually like to support earnest, nice-guy-or-gal singers—Adam's style brings a deliberate artifice, staginess and irony to his performances. Some people love that, but we have to wonder now if it's enough to build a winning Idol coalition. I'd still bet on him to make the final, but in a two-way vote—I don't know.
If so, it could be that, having devised the entire "judges' save" scheme ostensibly to avoid the voting off of another Chris Daughtry, we may have a Daughtry situation on our hands after all. (As for Matt—he seems like a sweet guy, he's talented and a fellow Michigander, but does anyone think the extra couple weeks have enhanced his career prospects one way or another?)
The irony with Chris Daughtry, of course, was that being voted off Idol when he was may have been the best thing that could have happened to him, since it only undermined his rocker cred. If Adam goes home fourth, or third—or even loses a final—does that help him?
I don't think so, though it doesn't kill his career either. Daughtry performed in a genre and with a persona—the rock guy—that demands the appearance of authenticity. Adam is in a way an anti-Daughtry, in that his pastiche style (with elements of everything from Broadway to glitter rock to hair-band metal) is built on a measure of deliberate inauthenticity; I don't mean that as an insult, but just to say that his game is about artifice and stagecraft. (OK, he does have a touch of emo in him, but with him it's less about the heart-on-the-sleeve guilelessness and more about the Pete Wentz hair.) He is, like Daughtry, different from the typical Idol frontrunner. But where winning Idol may have made Daughtry seem to fans as if he'd been co-opted by the pop system, Adam would instead appear to have beaten it, or at least mastered it.
For now, though, he was spared—and more important, the producers were, since using the save on Matt would have looked really ridiculous if Adam had gone home over him. Who's your frontrunner now?
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1
The way I see it, this was to be expected after losing 2 contestants last week, because of the voting blocs that are up for grabs. Adam has tons of fans, but I really don't think that he's bringing in a lot of new ones; whoever likes Adam, likes Adam - and the folks who don't like Adam REALLY don't like him, so the voters up for grabs (Lil and Anoop's supporters) will not go his way. Anoop's fans will probably lean towards supporting the 2 sweet, nonthreatening guys - Kris and Danny. Some of Lil's supporters may move towards Allison (girl power for the last chick standing), with the rest be divided among Kris and Danny. I also think that Adam's fans might be getting a bit lazy and that this will spark them to vote more, so as long as Danny doesn't totally screw up, I'm seeing Allison probably going home next week.
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All in all, this is the RIGHT top 4 (except that I'm still missing Alexis, I'd rather have had her in the top 5 than Matt, by a long shot). If Kris and Allison could be the top 2, that'd be awesome. However, it will probably come down to Adam and Kris. -
2
I know Adam isn't everyone's cup of tea, but personally I think he's the best performer in the competition -- I would absolutely buy a ticket to go see one of his shows. That said, I'm not totally convinced I'd buy a whole album/CD of his music, or that I can even envision what would go into such. Contrast that with David Cook, who (imho) turned in some great, unexpected performances, but you still had an idea what sort of artist he'd be after the confetti fell.
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I like Kris and am glad he's gotten this far, and in fact my iTunes purchases this year have largely consisted of Adam's videos and Kris' studio versions, if that tells you anything. I'm happy Allison has hung in there, and would be okay with her winning even though she's not on my iPod.
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Danny, to me, is Taylor Hicks redux so the results last night seriously lowered my expectations for the finale. But, I reminded myself that Ruben was in the same position as Adam in Top 5 of Season 2, and he managed to regroup. I think next week's theme is Rock & Roll, so the standings could very well switch around again.
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Speaking of Cook, I wonder what the former Idols think of the judges (and even Jamie Foxx) prattling on and on and on about how this year's group of contestants is by far the best they've ever had? I'm not entirely sure who they're trying to convince, but it's not working on me.
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Final thought: if Adam doesn't win this year, I pity whoever has to follow him on stage as part of the Idol tour (assuming they perform in voted-off order as they did last year), because he's probably gonna have the audience so far jacked up that most anything else after that will be a letdown. -
3
In my mind this result was either of two scenarios:
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1. More of Anoop's voting bloc went to Danny or Kris and more of Lil's voting bloc went to Allison couple that with Adam's voters probably are getting a little complacent and might have even given a vote to Allison (whose judgement by Simon was unfair and overly harsh considering how he gushed over Matt's inferior performance).
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2. I'll use "theatrical" as a euphemism for "gay or might be gay". Adam's "theatricality" is discomforting to many of the typical idol voting base and they don't want a "Broadway performer" winning American Idol (see Aiken, Clay) so they threw their support behind anyone but Adam.
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My guess is we'll know which scenario is more likely after next week. If Adam sails through to safety next week it means scenario 1 is what most likely happened and his voting bloc woke up and started dialing. If he ends up in the bottom 2 next week then scenario 2 is more likely and Adam will probably not make the finals.
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Final thought: even if scenario 1 is what happened last night I fully expect scenario 2 to start kicking in as the number of contestants dwindles. As Matt, Kris, or Danny get kicked off their voting blocs are not very likely to jump over to Adam's camp since all three are pretty much anti-Adam (and "non-theatrical" to boot). While I still think Adam is the best contender left and competing at a different level then the rest my bet is that Taylor Hicks...errr...Danny Glokey will win ultimately. -
4
It will be interesting to see what happens next week. Of all the contestants, Adam is the one who so easily adjusts his performances to what the audience wants. Not necessarily a good thing, but I don't think any sort of perceived "gay-ness" will be his downfall. If people were turned off by that Adam would have been gone around the time those pictures of him kissing a guy turned up on the Internet. It really will depend on performance. I think Adam has been getting a little full of himself, and it shows in the over-the-top performances. Of all the contestants, he is the most versatile. The others have taken Simon's advice and locked themselves into there little box and they don't step out of it. Of course, that's also what could backfire on Adam. Viewers tend to like boring. But we finally have an intereting competition. This is a talented final four and any person going home from this point forward will not be easy to lose.
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5
@texgator: the way I see it, it's hard to separate the gay aspect of Adam from the camp aspect of Adam. That's why I said that gayness might not be an issue except as part of a larger complex of aesthetic attitudes. I think there's a significant Idol votership that does not appreciate a camp-showy-ironic sensibility in an Idol performer; they may also overlap with the culturally conservative Idol votership.
In other words: is there a significant *voting* (as opposed to just watching) who would vote for Adam if he looked, sang and performed exactly the same way, but they were 100% sure he was straight? I tend to doubt it, but as I said, that is entirely a guess.
(You do give a good example with Clay Aiken, who probably was drawing from a lot of voters who assumed he was straight/asexual--but his performing style was a different kind of theatrical from Adam. More Phantom, less Hedwig, KWIM?)
We'll see.
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6
I'd chalk it up to laziness, mine included. We were so sure that Adam would be safe that we voted to keep Allison from being eliminated. Adam is our family favorite, yet he didn't get a single vote from us for that reason.
Chastened, we'll vote for him next week.
What an extraordinary group this year, although given how many audition, it's a crime that it's not always at this level.
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7
Obviously Adam is the Frontrunner in this competition due to his authenticity and uniqueness in terms of voice, with his genuine song arrangements he definitely gets the attention of a lot of fans not only his friends but as well as the fans of those idols who were eliminated already. My take on this story is that those voters of the eliminated contestants were somehow intimidated by Adam and so, most of the time they compare their bids to Adam's performances. Now that their bets are eliminated they do everything to support other contestants. But another take on this story would be that, probably some fans of Adam were over confident to rely much on those who are every-week voters for Adam. But for sure, now that Adam's fans are aware of his situation in AI they'll be putting out all of their time to assure his way up the finals.
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8
ADAM IS STILL THE FRONT RUNNER...It will be a shame that another Chris Daughtry year happen! ROCK THE VOTE FOR ADAM PEOPLE...ask everybody you know to tune AI and VOTE FOR ADAM UNTIL THE END OF THE SHOW!!! VOTE NONSTOP THE WHOLE 2 HOURS!!!!
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9
@JP: You make a good point. I don't mean to suggest that Adam won't win ultimately because he "may or may not be gay" (not that there's anything wrong with that). In fact I think we're pretty much in agreement on why he probably won't win...his theatricality (whether or not you use that term as a euphemism). You contend that the average Idol voter just doesn't appreciate the irony-tinged/campy performances that Adam brings week in and week out regardless of any rumors/perceptions of his sexual orientation. There are certainly plenty of people who don't appreciate such showmanship. On the other hand I contend that the reason many of them don't appreciate the performance is because subconciously it suggests something "other" about him that makes them uncomfortable (especially in red America). Is it homophobia, a lack of appreciation of broadway musicals, his goth look, or something else? Who knows. All I know is that for me AI will be pretty much unwatchable for the for the final two weeks if Adam gets booted next week. Personally I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with the annual trainwreck of a song that the producers have written for the final (this year by Kara!).
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10
He can perform and he sure can SCREAM. Of course there is always the "put on" aspect of him that i can't stand and too much screaming is very of- putting too.
in terms of looks, am i alone in saying that he resemembles Elvis?
I'm a Danny Fan though. he sure can sing; that sexy voice of his combined with the innocent look ( pure class)
Allison has some pipes for a 16 y/o. reminds me of Pink -
11
Wow, at last some well thought out, non-personal criticism of the contestants. Refreshing. I am an AL fan, but I do see why some don't like his style. And that's ok, this is America. I think he's in an entirely different class. No disrespect to the others, but they appear ho-hum next to Adam. He is a professional in his behavior. I think people mistake the cockiness of his performance with the attitude he has as a person. Everything I've seen has indicated humility and all-round niceness. I cast one vote for David Cook in the final last year. I have voted numerous times for Adam this year. I can honestly say that if he goes, I will probably not watch again, not out of spite, just because I'm entirely disinterested in the remaining contestants. They're good singers, but Adam is a true performer. I don't believe we've seen anyone with his talent since Freddie Mercury. Whether he wins or not really won't affect his career much. There's no looking back for him now.
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12
I think it was voter complacency. People just assume that because he's the best he's going to be safe. This is exactly what happened to Chris Daughtry.
I plan on voting the whole two hours next week. Adam is worth all the trouble because he's the only reason I'm watching the show in the first place. He's the only person that's interesting and without him the show would be boring. I wouldn't even bother to watch.
effedup, you're not alone. He does look like the son Elvis never had.
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13
I personally like all of the 5 Americal Idol's contestants. As a viewer of all american idol seasons I think Adam is the most talented contestant, he sings like a professional , unlike the rest of them who are like still in training. He brings a new version of presentation every time. I do not think that last week voting was real. The results were unreal, By looking at the iTune downloads , Adam's downloaded numbers were the highest.
I wish him a good luck, I think he will be the next Elvis If he keeps improving his performance like always. -
14
I think Adam is one of... if not the most talented idol the show has ever had. he is the reaso I keep watching and after last night I will definitely be casting my vote next week.
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15
I agree with the comments here about Adam being the best contestant ever on Idol, the most talented and authentic. Having said that are we all going to be complacent, assume he would be safe and end up losing him due to not voting enough for him? People, what is happening? Everybody has to get on the Adam train and vote like crazy, as if doomsday would arrive if he leaves. Closet fans get out there and vote. Vote splitters stop your nonsense, come to your senses and vote only for Adam. And fans who were totally complacent this week voting for their second favourite and not their far and away top favourite Adam Lambert, arouse yourselves from your deep slumber and vote for Adam non-stop. Adam has received world wide attention on the internet and citical praise from entertainment executives all over the world. People the world over sincerely believe and hope that he would win. Is America going to become the laughingstock of the whole world by having him eliminated and denying him the ultimate title? Whoa, folks. We must not let this happen. Start voting fast and furious, if you can convert the fans of other eliminated contestants all the better. We must start the Adam bandwagon and not let up. The day Adam Lambert leaves AI is the day most viewers which include international viewers (I am one)tune off from AI as this season Adam Lambert is the only exciting and thrilling contestant. Without him, I shall surely doze off into a deep slumber.
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16
I am - gracefully and unwillingly - going to refrain from outbursts of giddy joy at the fact that Lambert the Great is deservingly de-throned.
Instead, I would like to address the peculiar train of logic Lambert followed the night of his debut in the bottom three.
1.) The "bottom three" is not only an American Idol standard, but identifies 3 - let's review: THREE - individuals as earning the least amount of votes on any given week.
2.) The stage was split into two (2) groups of two (2). One group is allegedly the top two, the other the bottom two.
3.) If Adam Lambert were to join a group, either Danny and Allison or Matt and Kris, he would bring the group total up to three (3).
4.) By that fact, Adam Lambert is actually the only person on stage that is NOT a variable; as in, he is the only one who can accurately, 100% predict his fate - namely, that he is in the bottom three.
5.) All vocal chops aside, Adam Lambert: you are a moron.
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17
I told my husband that if Adam was voted off I would stop watching idol the rest of the season!! I vote for him every week 50 times.Idol is a talent show, Adam is above the rest. He is the whole package. He has the best voice,stage presence,delivery, and looks. I hope the gay thing did not hurt him. People need to realize Idol is a talent show. Just because you vote for Adam does not mean you support gay marriage! I plan on voting for him at least 100 times next week! GO ADAM!
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18
kimsavestheday... calling someone a moron doesn't make you look smarter. Seriously, some of the people on these forums act like they're two years old.
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19
James is it "underlined" or enhanced rather than "undermined" as to Daughtry.
Adam is going to have a long and great career on Broadway alongside Fantasia. He is a performer not a Pop Star. Of the group left only Chris seems to have a chance to be a bone fide Kelly Clarkson type of Pop Star. Great looking, charming, very strong voice and a bit of character. Danny is a dork who can sing brilliantly; a better version of Taylor Hicks. Alison may prove to be the real superstar as she can really sing, but she is so young it is hard to read where she goes. The comparison above to Pink seems apt, but whatever happened to the Sparks girl? Too soon to tell with Alison.
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20
Yes Adam is still definitely the front-runner.
The results show did not only create a tide of histrionic reaction in the USA but an international paroxysm of indignation at America for having allowed it to happen. No one here in Asia agrees that Adam deserves to be at the bottom of American Idol voting numbers.
America may not realize this, but it has created a star internationally in Adam Lambert.
I do not know how these will all end out there, and we are hoping that America opens up its mind and recognize talent for what it is. We hope majority of America transcends beyond its own stereotypes and will not box in these young talent (Adam) into what they think is their comfortable definition of a singer, of a compleat entertainer.
Above all this results in tremendous boost in ratings and earnings for Fox and even for its international affiliates. Very clever of Fox in how they staged the results show – I sincerely hope that Fox will give Adam Lambert a percentage of the grosses for being the contestant in the entire American Idol history who single handedly gave them a show that made them top the ratings and earnings in 2009 both in USA and abroad.
America – here's hoping you do the right thing and recognize Adam Lambert as your new superstar!
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21
kimsavestheday - Actually prior to this year, they've always done a bottom two at this point, not a bottom three.
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22
Guys, chill out. He's contending for American Idol, not running for President.
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23
I mean, if anyone really wants to get riled up about something, I heard there's a war going on in Darfur...
Maybe once Adam Lambert becomes the new UN Secretary General, we can really witness the global impact of performing elaborate song covers.
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24
kimsavestheday...its early in the morning and you are already whining here.As far as Im concern,Adam did the right thing.Adam did choose the group that he knew he belonged to.And Im giving him a credit for that braveness thinking they are in a live reality show.What do you expect him to do?Do what other past contestants in AI and sit in the middle like that Archuleta did before?For me,It just show how straight Adam's personality is.He is not scared,He show what he feels.Its not a disrespect to Kris and Matt but rather a breakaway from the norm that happened in the past seasons.Like his style in music-BRAVE AND BOLD!..AND by the way,your analysis sucks BIG TIME!And to call the guy a moron?..LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND YOU WILL FIND WHERE THAT WORD BELONGED TO.
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25
[...] Idol Watch: Daughtry’d? Spoilers for last night’s American Idol elimination after the jump: [...] [...]
- poniewozik @LaurelSnyder that falls under the "stuffing is not dessert" rule for me. - 8 hours ago
- poniewozik No spoilers, but next #fnl is the best ep yet of the new season and Zach Gilford's best work on the show. - 13 hours ago
- poniewozik @carr2n Not so fast, Carr. That means you owe us a substitute windy blog post. Chop chop! - 15 hours ago
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