I have never been a fan of Johnny Cash so while I respect those who are, I thought his version of "Ring of Fire" was really exciting. My first thought was, "I could totally hear this being sampled and looped and blasted at a club."
Adam Lambert is exciting. As others have said, he is the only reason to watch American Idol. I actually went to the American Idol website for the first time ever because I missed his performance last week and cared enough to look it up.
He should win just because he is exciting. American Idol is a TV show that needs ratings just like any other. The most exciting performer (not the best singer, not the most Christian, not the most likeable) should win.
I honestly don't care what he does, as long as he's happy. I would like it if he would stop ruining songs I really like by making them all screechy, though. I'd like to see this man on Broadway, where he belongs!!!!
@kityglitr: YES. I've said all along that he's a Broadway singer. He needs to go back there and not ruin perfectly good songs. I mean, really. What he did to Ring of Fire was sacrilege.
There's a back story to this. A few years back, Mika auditioned for Pop Idol. Simon Cowell totally dissed him and would not let him on the show. Mika got his revenge: the song "Grace Kelly" is all about Mika's efforts to please Simon, and it became an international hit.
I suspect Simon realizes he was way wrong on Mika and is now making it up through Adam.
Also, I can't deal with the Freddie Mercury comparisons. No, no, no, no. There was only one Freddie, and Adam is nowhere near the singer and performer Freddie Mercury was. Just STOP IT. It is so very wrong.
@Mrs. Stephen Fry: when I first saw him, my immediate thought was that he was trying to be Freddy Mercury. He really creeped me out because this is all so blatently choreographed.
On the other hand, he has chops. I'll give him that. Singing falsetto in tune and with power is not easy.
@GeorgeFayne: you know the song Grace Kelly is about Simon Cowell, right?
@GeorgeFayne: Mika WISHES he was the new Freddie Mercury.
But I know what you mean. He's definitely closer than Adam Mercury.
@brendastarlet is on it: Absolutely. He seems to be mimicking other flamboyant singers. He is closer to Justin Hawkins than Freddie Mercury (and I really like Justin Hawkins, so I don't mean this as an insult).
Why would I care? Just like NPH, I just want him to continue to be talented and pretty on my tv and he can do whatever he needs to do to be happy and well adjusted in his own life. It's not like I am actually going to date any of my celebrity crushes.
Although, a friend of a friend is voting for him just because of his sexual orientation, so if it gets him more votes it's a plus.
There is some interesting sociological discussions about this here ([mjsbigblog.com]), one of the best comment threads I've ever read about Idol. Most of them I can't get through (thanks EW readers!). There's also a large Christian contingency this season which makes Adam's rise to the top even more fascinating.
This kind of bothered me. How is this any different from the stereotypes about hot lesbians? I'm not going to lie, I do enjoy some slash and what-not (as evidenced by my earlier comment), but gay men are not here for my enjoyment. Maybe they are making out, not because they know girls like it, but because they like it.
I don't watch Idol, so I'm unfamiliar, but can I just say that the demi-goth eyeliner-boy trope is like my favorite thing in the world? Ever? I don't care if he's gay or not - I just think he looks nice.
My stepdad loves Adam Lambert. I don't know what he thinks of his possible sexuality, but he loves him and think he rocks. He was comparing him to Freddie Mercury.
Can't speak to how true those comparisons are, but I like the idea of my stepdad realizing gay people are just like us: They're on American Idol!
My stepdad is a sweet and lovely person, as is my mom. But they just don't know of a lot of gay people. The more gay people are out there, the better off we all are, I'd say.
According to a first season contestant, American Idol producers made him delete a web entry about him being gay. Idol's main producer Nigel Lythgoe (though he's no longer working directly on Idol now), is rabidly homophobic as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. So for those of you going what's the story here, no there isn't one as reported by that substance-free NYT article. But there probably is one given the anti-gay sentiments within the Idol machinery. It'd be interesting to know how they're handling Lambert.
04/13/09
Adam Lambert is exciting. As others have said, he is the only reason to watch American Idol. I actually went to the American Idol website for the first time ever because I missed his performance last week and cared enough to look it up.
He should win just because he is exciting. American Idol is a TV show that needs ratings just like any other. The most exciting performer (not the best singer, not the most Christian, not the most likeable) should win.
04/13/09
Tuneless, pointless, and completely shit? Absolutely. Yes.
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I suspect Simon realizes he was way wrong on Mika and is now making it up through Adam.
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On the other hand, he has chops. I'll give him that. Singing falsetto in tune and with power is not easy.
@GeorgeFayne: you know the song Grace Kelly is about Simon Cowell, right?
04/13/09
But I know what you mean. He's definitely closer than Adam Mercury.
@brendastarlet is on it: Absolutely. He seems to be mimicking other flamboyant singers. He is closer to Justin Hawkins than Freddie Mercury (and I really like Justin Hawkins, so I don't mean this as an insult).
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I too love Adam AND Freddie, but I compare Adam more to Sam Harris (winner of Star Search) than Freddie. Although, I was also a big fan of Sam's.
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Although, a friend of a friend is voting for him just because of his sexual orientation, so if it gets him more votes it's a plus.
04/13/09
There is some interesting sociological discussions about this here ([mjsbigblog.com]), one of the best comment threads I've ever read about Idol. Most of them I can't get through (thanks EW readers!). There's also a large Christian contingency this season which makes Adam's rise to the top even more fascinating.
04/13/09
I like Alison too but really, Adam is so far above and beyond anyone else on that show right now it's embarrassing for them.
04/13/09
This year AI kind of sucks. But I guess it has for the last few years.
04/13/09
This kind of bothered me. How is this any different from the stereotypes about hot lesbians? I'm not going to lie, I do enjoy some slash and what-not (as evidenced by my earlier comment), but gay men are not here for my enjoyment. Maybe they are making out, not because they know girls like it, but because they like it.
04/13/09
dressing in drag =/= gay
that is all.
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Can't speak to how true those comparisons are, but I like the idea of my stepdad realizing gay people are just like us: They're on American Idol!
My stepdad is a sweet and lovely person, as is my mom. But they just don't know of a lot of gay people. The more gay people are out there, the better off we all are, I'd say.
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