Idol Upset?

Even the news programs are talking about the American Idol winner as being an upset. They're discussing what makes it an upset, and why Kris beat Adam. If you haven't followed the program, you probably don't care. It's interesting, though, how very upset some people are about the choice American phone-in voters made. I do, of course, have an opinion. I haven't heard it on television yet. Perhaps I'm alone with my idea. I'll relate what I've heard on TV first.

I've heard that Adam lost because people thought he was gay. If that were true, I wonder who voted him into the top two? That simply doesn't compute for me. One reporter suggested that Kris won because he's from the South, and there are more people in the South who like music, so they vote more. (What?) Another reporter said she thought it was Kris's "boy next door" appeal that raised him to the top. Maybe. It makes more sense than the other things I heard in the news today.

Here's my take on Kris's win. First off, lots of people don't like to hear screaming, and Adam does scream his songs. However, he screams on pitch, so you can't say he isn't talented. He's not my cup of tea, but I do recognize his talent. I don't think the screaming is the reason he didn't win, by the way. I think the judges and the producers screwed him out of the win. How? They crowned him too early.

Back up a couple of weeks. There was a guest singer on the program who came out to entertain. Was I the only one who was offended when she turned her back to the audience to hold out a cape with "Adam Lambert" emblazoned on the back? Nobody even commented on it. How did the other two contestants feel? How did their fans feel, or the ones who were sitting on the fence? 

When the grand finale song was written that both contestants would have to sing, how many people were offended that it was written in Adam's key? There was a slight apology to Kris that it was written a little too high for him, but that he did a credible job with it anyway. After the singing was over on that penultimate show, the judges basically said that Adam was the American Idol. I wish I had written down their exact words, or saved the program, but I thought at the time that you should never have a coronation before the new king is chosen.

Beyond that, look at the final show. Who was showcased? Adam was. The rock group Queen singing? That's certainly Adam's type of music. Everything was set up to make him shine. It was his moment, scripted and prepped by the producers. 

That's my opinion. People don't like to be told who's going to win before they vote... unless, I guess, it's NBC telling them who the president's going to be.