American Idol

Michael Jackson has been a tremendous influence on pop music, including American Idol. The pop star died today at age 50.

During Season 8 of Idol, finalists were challenged with a Michael Jackson theme week. Almost every finalist talked about the influence the King of Pop had in their dreams of being a recording artist. Michael Jackson has influenced many singers who have made their way to the Idol stage, as well as dozens in the industry.

Season 8 winner Kris Allen chose to sing Man in the Mirror, one of Jackson’s many, many hits. Here is a video featuring the audio of the February performance.

It may seem a bit soon for Adam Lambert to have a single prepared and released by his new label, RCA. And it is.

But today, the American Idol runner-up has a new single, Want, from the upcoming CD release On With the Show. The album was recorded in 2007 and 2008, before Adam appeared on Idol. The entire disc will be released by Hi Fi Recordings/Wilshire Records, and the single is now available on iTunes.

Want sounds a bit more pop than the more rock edge Adam seemed to bring to Idol. Of course, I think the album will do well, as well as his RCA release, which is expected in the fall. Season 8 Idol winner Kris Allen also will release his debut this fall.

It has been weeks since sparks fell after Ryan Seacrest announced the shocking results of American Idol. Kris Allen took the Season 8 crown.

Fast-forward to now when, if you didn’t know better, you would still swear Adam Lambert won the show. As the two finalists, as well as the rest of the Top 10 finalists, prepare to kick off the summer Idol tour, Adam has been busy being in the spotlight. He is on the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone (following his solo appearance on Entertainment Weekly before the show even wrapped), and he was interviewed for 20/20 just last week.

Sure, a lot of this publicity for Adam — the “Wild Idol” as Rolling Stone sees it — has surrounded his sexuality. To nobody’s surprise, Adam is gay. He didn’t deny early rumors, but he chose to not talk about it until after the voting ended. Good, bad or indifferent, it certainly doesn’t seem to bother his devoted fans. No real shockers have come from this exposure.

The most shocking revelation, perhaps, is what Adam had to say about Kris in the pages of Rolling Stone. “They put me with the cute guy. Distracting! He’s the one guy I found attractive in the whole group on the show: nice, nonchalant, pretty and totally my type — except that he has a wife. I mean he’s open-minded and liberal, but he’s definitely 100% straight,” Adam said about Arkansas native and seemingly conservative Kris Allen.

Adam, just like Kris, already has started work on his debut album. The only difference is we know little, if anything, about what Kris has to say or where he plans to take his career post-tour. That’s because it seems nobody really cares about the guy they voted into the top position.

As always, only time will tell how high either Adam or Kris will rise on the charts. Until then, plan on seeing a lot more from Adam and maybe, if you’re lucky, a little bit from Kris.

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert are already rising to the top of the charts.

The Billboard Hot 100 has Kris Allen’s No Boundaries in the No. 11 slot after it sold 134,000 downloads in this week after the Conway, Ark., native was crowned American Idol’s eighth winner. Kris also is at the No. 16 spot with Heartless, likely his most talked-about performance of the season.

Adam’s top Billboard spot is No. 19 with Mad World. Both singers take up several other spots as the list moves along.

It seems like a great start for Kris and No Boundaries, the victory song written by judge Kara DioGuardi. But it doesn’t come close to being as successful as Season 7 winner David Cook’s Billboard showing one year ago this week. The Time of My Life, David’s victory tune, debuted at No. 3 the week after he beat runner-up David Archuleta.

David also held court in more than twice as many slots on the Billboard charts than the five spots Kris holds this week. Of course, it’s not always the victory tunes that do so well for the winning artists. I wouldn’t be surprised if Heartless bypasses No Boundaries in the coming weeks.

Kris Allen will keep his title as American Idol.

While AT&T has announced it had a few Arkansas employees helping fans power-vote for Kris, Fox Broadcasting and Idol producers say the Idol finalist with the most votes won the contest. And, even without the extra votes in Arkansas, Kris still would have been the winner.

“In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition,” a statement released claimed. The release, representing Fox, FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, went on to say the results are verified by an outside, third-party agency.

“Fox and the producers of ‘American Idol’ are absolutely certain that the results of this competition are fair, accurate and verified. Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the American Idol,” the release continued.

“We have an independent third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process. In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition.”

Adam Lambert fans began questioning the validity of the final vote count after the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the major newspaper in Little Rock, Ark., unveiled the story about local AT&T representatives being at two parties in support of Kris. No similar representation was made available to Adam’s fans.

“Going forward, we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants,” the company said. “That said, it’s quite a leap to suggest that a few individuals could have impacted the final results.”

Kris Allen was crowned American Idol last week, and this week he is the center of the continued controversy with Adam Lambert fans yelling, “This isn’t fair!”

Now reports are surfacing that power voters at parties in the winner’s home state of Arkansas may have had a little assistance from one of Idol’s major sponsors, AT&T. According to The New York Times and other media outlets, AT&T provided phones for free text messaging at two parties in Arkansas during the final night of voting. The stories say AT&T had representatives on hand to show fans how to cast 10 votes with the touch of a single button, a power-voting tactic that violates show rules.

Fans of Adam are pointing to this unfair treatment, especially since no similar chance was given to fans at California support parties of the runner-up. FOX and Idol representatives have not yet commented on the allegations.

“In Arkansas, we were invited to attend the local watch parties organized by the community,” a representative for AT&T released for the NY Times story. “A few local employees brought a small number of demo phones with them and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested.”

As everyone already knows, it doesn’t require winning the competition to have a solid musical career. It’s all about exposure. Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry and Constantine Maroulis are just a handful of examples.

Meanwhile, Kris and Adam are making the rounds to shows like Regis & Kelly, where both performed this week, as well as Ellen and several late-night shows.

After nearly 100 million votes were cast, a shocked Kris Allen became the eighth person to win the American Idol title.

An underdog throughout the season, Kris rose to the challenge week after week, eventually beating out finalist Adam Lambert for the title, which comes with a guaranteed recording contract and many other perks. Adam, who many (myself included) expected to win for weeks, also likely will enter a recording contract under his contract with 19 Entertainment.

Kris, a native of Conway, Ark., was a college student when he entered the competition. His audition at Churchill Downs included him telling the judges there likely would be better singers in the contest. That modesty certainly played a key factor in the winner’s likability factor, pushing him to the record-breaking victory.

Even during his closing comments, before performing No Boundaries for the first time as the crowned Idol, Kris said the prize should have gone to Adam. But America saw it in a different way.

While many people already are questioning the truth of this outcome — the most surprising in the history of the show, perhaps — there really is no doubt both Kris and Adam will do quite well in the industry.

The two-hour plus finale was packed with many surprises and big moments, including judge Kara DioGuardi revealing her true singing talent — and her body in a bikini. Celebrity guest appearances were abundant, and I think we can safely say we all were excited about the return of Norman Gentle. Thanks, Nick Norman. You truly have been a highlight for Season 8.

Adam Lambert? Kris Allen? It’s a tough choice after last night’s back-and-forth battle between American Idol’s final two performers.

Tonight, Ryan Seacrest will call the name of the person with the most votes and sparks will fly. Quite literally. Confetti will fall as the winning contestant takes the stage to perform their version of No Boundaries, this year’s Idol anthem. The song is co-written by judge Kara DioGuardi, and it seems like it was written for Adam’s range.

While Kris did a commendable job with No Boundaries, it certainly felt a little out of his range. Kris did, as Simon Cowell claimed, take Round No. 1 with his version of Ain’t No Sunshine. The Conway, Ark., native rounded out his three-song night with a performance of What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye.

Aside from No Boundaries, Adam offered a repeat performance of Mad World and Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come. While Simon claimed Kris captured the first round, he said the night really belonged to Adam. But the choice was in the hands of America.

With so many factors playing into the night — where will Danny Gokey’s votes land? — it really is either man’s game. I believe Adam delivered the most impressive set of tunes and season as a whole, but I wouldn’t dare count out Kris. In fact, I look forward to getting my hands on both of their debut albums.

When Adam Lambert and Kris Allen take the stage tonight to battle for the eighth American Idol title, they will be joined by at least one former winner.

Producers have confirmed Carrie Underwood, winner of Season 4, will return for the second time this season. Carrie is expected to sing her cover of Motley Crue’s Home Sweet Home, which has served as this year’s goodbye song.

While a complete lineup has not officially been released, Wednesday’s show will include celebrity guest appearances from Season 7 Idol winner David Cook, Queen Latifah, the Black Eyed Peas, Carlos Santana, Keith Urban, Lionel Richie and Cyndi Lauper.

Those will be the highlights, of course. There also will be those dreaded group performances featuring all finalists in the Top 10 this season. That includes Scott MacIntyre, who leaked on Twitter that Michael Jackson would make a special appearance during the finale. Producers have denied that statement.

For me, this week’s shows are all about the true talent of Adam and Kris. Some have said it’s like My Chemical Romance vs. Gavin DeGraw. No matter how you compare the last two standing, this year’s finale includes some of the strongest talent we’ve seen in the history of the show.

Adam has the killer range and Broadway vocals that are hard to top. Kris has instrumental talent to back up his sweet, but stern, voice. No matter how the last vote falls, everyone knows they will be able to buy new albums from both of these singers later this year.

It may seem like the contest is over. For many weeks, show enthusiasts (myself included) have speculated Adam Lambert would — or, at least, should — win this season of American Idol.

Of course, way back in Season 2, I was just as certain Clay Aiken would walk away with the title. And that didn’t happen. So, don’t count out Kris Allen. The show is not over until the sparks fly and the confetti falls.

Many people are angry Danny Gokey did not make it to the finale. My e-mail inbox has been flooded with feedback from fans swearing they will never watch another season, because they just know this show is rigged. Sorry, folks, but I think the producers can stand to lose a few viewers and be just fine. After all, 88 million votes were cast this week. And the show still remains to be the top-rated — by a mile — week after week. Plus, they have given several finalists record deals, so I don’t think they really care who wins these days.

But on to the debate. Will it be Adam? Or is Kris going to continue his climb to the title? Here’s why it could go either way:

ADAM LAMBERT
Adam has been consistent since the beginning. He has that extra spark that makes him stand out — in a good way — from the other contestants. He can really, really sing anything. And he’s entertaining. You never know what you will get from an Adam Lambert performance until he opens his mouth, and that’s worked for him to this point.

He already has been featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. I believe (don’t quote me, though) this is the first time an Idol finalist has gone solo on a major magazine cover before that season’s winner has been crowned.

Now back to the singing. All you have to do is take one more listen to Tracks of My Tears, one of his best performances, and you will understand why Adam is this year’s leader. Or search for any of his performances. He has been on top of his game from the start.

There are some things that could really be working against Adam, too.

Simon Cowell has not dodged the question of who should win this season. He mentioned to both Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah that he thinks Adam should take the crown. This could hurt, considering so many people feel the show is rigged and the judges are doing everything to throw the votes his way. (Keep in mind, America has the last say.)

Katy Perry wore Adam’s name on the back of her Elvis-inspired cape during Wednesday’s results show, which also serves as a ringing endorsement from a top-selling artist. Of course, this also is being seen by many fans as a way to “brainwash” the viewers into choosing Adam.

Plus, and I hate that this matters, there is the question of his sexuality. While Adam has not confirmed or denied rumors of his sexuality, there have been plenty of pictures released of him kissing other men. It hasn’t hurt so far in the competition, but now is certainly the time it could.

KRIS ALLEN
He’s the dark horse in the competition, and that could be a good thing. Since the beginning, Kris has been moving slowly uphill with momentum. In the early stages of auditions, he didn’t really stand out (ala Kelly Clarkson), but he’s grown more and more each week into a true artist.

While Adam may be the favored winner of Simon Cowell, Kris has had his fair share of endorsements from the judges. This week’s performance of Kanye West’s Heartless led Randy Jackson to say it was better than the original. You know, the one by Kanye West. Not a bad endorsement, if you ask me. (I also would like to note it was this stellar performance that clenched his finale appearance. He clearly exceeded expectations and made himself look stronger than Danny Gokey.)

Speaking of Danny, Kris also is more in line with that conservative style. He doesn’t wear guyliner, and his style of music and wardrobe matches more closely. And that means the transfer of Danny votes could really sway this thing into a shocking Kris Allen victory.

But, again, I return to the music. If you don’t think Kris has a fighting chance, check out his version of Falling Slowly. That, to me, really proved he could be something big in the industry.

There are some things that could really be working against Kris, too.

Mostly, the fact he isn’t Adam.

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Tonight, the journey ended for Danny Gokey. The Milwaukee native fell short after 88 million votes were cast this week on American Idol.

Danny left just one week shy of the season finale — but that’s not always a bad place to be. Sure, it’s tough to remember the third-place finisher from last season. (It was Syesha Mercado, in case you forgot.) But think about other third-place finishers who have done just fine. Elliott Yamin, for starters. (And then there are folks like Chris Daughtry, who finished fourth.*)

But Danny didn’t leave the contest out of turn. He has a good voice, and his backstory is the best of the season. That, in fact, may have been part of the downfall. Having lost his wife at a young age, Danny certainly got the sympathy votes. But the story getting told over and over seemed to some viewers like a way to get those sympathy votes. Even the judges expected him to face off against powerhouse Adam Lambert in the finale; you could see that on their faces, especially Kara DioGuardi. In the end, dark horse Kris Allen prevailed.

Again, Danny should have no problem with a post-tour career. That is if he chooses to hustle

*This post has been updated to correct a previous error.

In just a few hours, the Top 3 finalists of American Idol’s eighth season will be down to two. Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert or Kris Allen will be going home as the other two are left standing to battle it out next week for the title.

Bloggers, news agencies and media outlets everywhere are weighing in on how last night’s episode could have hurt or helped the final three guys. Anyone could go at this point, even Adam. But the bigger story today has been how the judges were bickering about song choices and opinions last night.

Simon blasted Randy and Kara for not carrying out their responsibilities to Kris, after choosing One Republic’s Apologize as his judges’ choice. They blasted back as Simon made his close relationship with Bono loud and clear during announcing his choice for Adam, U2’s One. And Simon and Paula squabbled like they have done each and every episode for the last 300 episodes.

But, today, for some reason, the word on the street is that judges need to stop taking the spotlight away from the contestants. It’s a little odd to me, because this has been a central element to the show since it first began with Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini and Nikki McKibben battling it out for the first-ever Idol prize.

The judges have opinions. And that’s half the point of the show. We love to hate to love Simon. We think Paula is a little crazy, and she’s the nice one. We know it’s just a matter of time before Randy shouts out “Dawg!” one more time. And we’re still trying to figure out how Kara fits into the mix. But the feedback from the judges, and the arguments that come out each Tuesday night, have been central to the show’s success.

If Simon bashes a contestant we like, it encourages us to power-dial for that contestant. We get angry when our favorites are not praised, even when it’s obvious they haven’t had the best week.

Yes, Idol is a singing competition. But the opinions — the judges through criticism, ours through call-in and text votes — are what make the show function. If the judges didn’t bicker, we might not be as likely to pick up the phone. They give us a reason to care.

Plus, aren’t we all really tuning in for another one of those romantic Paula and Simon kisses?

Now that we’ve covered that, don’t forget to register for the CafePress T-shirt giveaway. The winner will be chosen Monday.

Three guys performed. Only two can make it into the American Idol Season 8 finale.

After all three finalists — Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Danny Gokey — performed two songs each, judge Simon Cowell told America not to be too sure Adam would make it into the finale … not without votes, anyway.

It was a good point, because Adam certainly deserves to make it into the finale — and win the entire season, really — after tonight’s performances of  One by U2 and Crying by Aerosmith. Simon chose the U2 song for Adam, who proved rock is his genre. As always, he can sing anything that’s thrown his way.

Now, who should join Adam in the finale? It’s a toss-up, really. But I’m still sticking with Kris. His rendition of Apologize by One Republic — chosen by Kara and Randy — may have been a bit of a copycat performance. That doesn’t matter, this time. Because when Kris returned to the stage to perform the song of his choice, Kanye West’s Heartless, he threw things into high gear. Randy said the performance was better than the cover by The Fray and even the original by Kanye. Certainly, the song was a strong showing and could be what sends him into a face-off with Adam.

As for Danny, his performance of Paula’s choosing, a lesser-known Terence Trent D’arby jam, was a little too strung-out for me. Danny was all over the stage and, despite glowing remarks from the judges, I didn’t think the vocals were all that solid. Danny did make a great comeback when he chose You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker. Simon said it was a vocal master class. It certainly was one of Danny’s best performances of the season.

But I’m still sticking with the opinion Kris has a lot more to offer America. As Randy would say, “That Heartless performance was the bomb, dawg.”

Rock week, with guest mentor Slash, was meant for two of the Top 4 American Idol finalists. The other two — Kris Allen and Danny Gokey — were expected to struggle. And that’s exactly what happened. At this point in the contest, it really is any contestant’s game to win.

But here’s how I’d rank the final four:

1. Adam Lambert. Who is anyone kidding? Win or lose, he certainly will be the most successful finalist this season. He has vocal styling and a confidence that makes him seem like he’s performing behind several multi-platinum albums.

2. Allison Iraheta. She got a little negative feedback for choosing a Janis Joplin tune, but Allison got it right. She showed more confidence than she has in the past, and her incredible vocals certainly shined through tonight. Simon was right on one thing — her Slow Ride duet with Adam certainly may have saved her this week. Allison truly rocked out that performance.

3. Kris Allen. Not his genre. No question about it. But Kris didn’t produce too much of a train wreck. I give him props — and the third-place spot — because of his mad guitar skills. At least he knew to bring out his instrumental talent to try and distract from his otherwise mediocre vocal showing.

4. Danny Gokey. He’s dead last, and not just because I don’t like his voice. That last note was, er, a complete disaster. I haven’t heard anything that terrible since Megan Joy was in the contest. Sorry, Danny. You need to go. Fortunately for you, America seems to love you more than the others. Danny is the only contestant not to hit the bottom three this season.

America already had voted him from the competition, so it was no huge surprise Matt Giraud was the latest to fall on American Idol. The real surprise, without question, is how Adam Lambert landed in the bottom three.

A definite favorite to make it to the finals, Adam somehow landed in the dreaded bottom three of the group. Before you get too carried away, let’s do the math. With five contestants left, three being in the bottom three … well, odds aren’t that stacked against such a scenario. And, considering many people have pegged Adam to go the distance, some people may be power voting to try and save their “other favorite” contestants.

Not to make excuses for Adam. We all saw how being in the bottom — and getting voted off, really — saved Matt for a couple of extra weeks. No matter what happens to Adam in the coming few weeks, he will be the most successful Idol finalist from this season. It’s not even a question.

I also think Matt will be OK. Even if he returns to his dueling piano gig in Michigan, he’ll be much more of a successful artist than he stood a chance of being without this show.