You do the math.
Christian worship director (cum Danny Gokey/cast-off votes) versus stage singer
(and therefore red states versus blue)
tween voters versus Broadway-loving voters
tween voters versus rock-star-loving voters
straight versus non-straight
(and therefore red states versus blue)
clean-cut versus Goth
instrumentalist versus vocalist
married versus single
twenty-three versus twenty-six, which in Idol years is multiplied by 1.5
"dark horse" versus "glam boy"
(and therefore red states versus blue)
self-effacing versus confident
moderate versus risk-taking
Conway, Arkansas versus Los Angeles, California
(and therefore blue state versus blue)
Keith Urban versus Kiss
I don't know why everyone was so sure that Adam would win. I wasn't, and neither was Mary. After all, Adam was in the bottom three not that long ago, and it was made clear at that time that he might not be everyone's cup of ordinary tea. Simon Cowell may have been a diabolical factor as well, touting Adam from here to Kingdom Come, knowing full well how this could cost Adam votes the way it has cost other cotestants in the past. The factor that is alleviating, when all is said and done, is that Adam seems to know he will have a career no matter who won American Idol, and Kris Allen didn't appear to know that about himself even after he had won.
No matter, Kris and Adam are, in my eyes, sweet, talented young men, and while I feel that Adam has the more abiding talent (and oh, that laugh...), Kris is certainly musically gifted and appealing. As for people who claim that the judges lost the competition for Adam, I think the list above will help explain some of that. In the end, what stands out for me as the chief reason Adam didn't win American Idol is that people already saw him as a consummate professional -- in stage presence and vocal strength, light years ahead of typical Idol competition. And who couldn't love a young man who, coming second, said so warmly of the winner, Kris Allen, "I'm so happy for him. He deserves it. He's so talented, and he's a good
person."
