# Idol finale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2009, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728 "2009-05-17T06:55:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/121 "2009-05-21T02:10:33Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Dio, do you have any evidence that “fundies” made the difference? I doubt they did. Hardcore fundies look down on anything to do with the entertainment industry. Unless \*\*Dio \*\*was just using “Fundies” to mean all Christians. ---
**Author:** ![FallingLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/54ee81/32.png) [@FallingLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallingLeaves)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/122 "2009-05-21T02:11:03Z")
Yay! Adam was great, and the judges and the show seemed to be pushing him as the winner all season, but when it comes to genre, songs and radio, I can hear Kris more alongside Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and David Cook on popular radio. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/123 "2009-05-21T02:12:08Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Dio, do you have any evidence that “fundies” made the difference? There’s no other explanation. It wasn’t ability or talent. He’s not in Adam’s league. Kris didn’t do a single thing all season that I can’t do. He’s not even _as_ good as me on the guitar. I think everyone can at least agree that he did not remotely deserve it over Adam. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/124 "2009-05-21T02:15:48Z")
> [@Batsinma\_Belfry](#): > > I doubt they did. Hardcore fundies look down on anything to do with the entertainment industry. Unless \*\*Dio \*\*was just using “Fundies” to mean all Christians. Let’s just say it’s all the douchebags on the Christian sites and fan sites gushing about how important it is that Gokey and Kris are Christians, and how it’s God’s will for them to beat the godless fag Jew. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/125 "2009-05-21T02:19:14Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think everyone can at least agree that he did not remotely deserve it over Adam. I don’t agree, and clearly some percentage of the voting public didn’t agree either. Did you vote? Not with the rabid ferocity of the ‘typical’ voter, but did you vote at all? Because if anyone is to blame for Adam losing, it’s the folks that watch the show, think he’s the better artist, but don’t _do_ anything to help him win. And I 100% disagree with the sentiment that Kris is the least deserving winner. Taylor Hicks? Reuben, whose CD is “sale priced” before it even comes out? When was the last time you saw a first-run CD selling for $9.96?? ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/126 "2009-05-21T02:20:40Z")
Yeah, I think those are just the insanely devout. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/127 "2009-05-21T02:21:51Z")
Adam had wonderful voice control and could belt out a song, but he’s no Freddie Mercury. Freddie had an exquisite voice, especially in the upper range. Adam could definitely hit the higher range, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound to me. It was shrieky. His softer songs were beautiful. His rock songs made me want to cover my ears. You can’t dismiss Kris’s musicality. He had a unique sound and I liked his funky arrangements. And he was undoubtedly popular with teenage girls, who are a big portion of AI’s audience. I watched, but I never voted. Personally, I would have picked Alison over both men. ---
**Author:** ![JayRx1981](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@JayRx1981](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayRx1981)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/128 "2009-05-21T02:23:19Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think everyone can at least agree that he did not remotely deserve it over Adam. Nope, this homo can’t agree with you on that at all. Adam was talented, was incredibly consistent in his performance, and had great stage presence, but his high nasally register grated on me and his style of music was not in my area of interest. Kris, while somewhat boring in spots, would be someone whose music I’d rather listen to over Adam’s any day. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/129 "2009-05-21T02:24:26Z")
A very satisfying result. (And Dio, ask your psychiatrist about Tranxene.) ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/130 "2009-05-21T02:25:00Z")
Incidentally, you’re acting like it _means_ anything to come in first vs. second. Daughtry came in fourth, and he’s doing pretty okay. Adam was going to have a successful career regardless of if he came in first, second, or tenth. He’ll go on tour, he’ll cut a CD or two with Simon’s label, and then he’ll branch out into what he’s really designed for- theater. He’s not the kind of artist who will benefit from the AI juggernaut press, and I don’t think he’s a David Cook-level artist who can put out a CD that, despite being heavily AI-influenced, is a good reflection of who he is as a performer. The fact that the judges have been consistently pigeonholing him as a ‘rocker’ all season shows how utterly unaware they are of who he actually is as an artist. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/131 "2009-05-21T02:26:50Z")
Yeah, Adam is more like Rocky Horror Picture Show. Maybe a Vegas gig. ---
**Author:** ![elbunzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f9ae1b/32.png) [@elbunzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbunzo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/132 "2009-05-21T02:27:26Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > They sing head to head and Adam crushes him. But it is about votes ,isn’t it? A popularity contest. What? American Idol? About votes? That’s perplexing. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/133 "2009-05-21T02:27:37Z")
> [@JayRx1981](#): > > Nope, this homo can’t agree with you on that at all. Adam was talented, was incredibly consistent in his performance, and had great stage presence, but his high nasally register grated on me and his style of music was not in my area of interest. Kris, while somewhat boring in spots, would be someone whose music I’d rather listen to over Adam’s any day. Exactly. He would have done much better if he hadn’t incorporated an 80s rock scream into every single solitary song. I’m not even going to talk about his tongue. Fundies didn’t vote against him. People who thought he was annoying as shit voted against him. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/134 "2009-05-21T02:28:59Z")
> [@bobkitty](#): > > Incidentally, you’re acting like it _means_ anything to come in first vs. second. Daughtry came in fourth, and he’s doing pretty okay. Adam was going to have a successful career regardless of if he came in first, second, or tenth. He’ll go on tour, he’ll cut a CD or two with Simon’s label, and then he’ll branch out into what he’s really designed for- theater. He’s not the kind of artist who will benefit from the AI juggernaut press, and I don’t think he’s a David Cook-level artist who can put out a CD that, despite being heavily AI-influenced, is a good reflection of who he is as a performer. The fact that the judges have been consistently pigeonholing him as a ‘rocker’ all season shows how utterly unaware they are of who he actually is as an artist. I think you’re spot on. I think he’s got a spot reserved for him on Broadway for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/135 "2009-05-21T02:29:20Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > There’s no other explanation. It wasn’t ability or talent. He’s not in Adam’s league. Kris didn’t do a single thing all season that I can’t do. He’s not even _as_ good as me on the guitar. > > I think everyone can at least agree that he did not remotely deserve it over Adam. Yeesh. I mean, I know it’s your name, but don’t be so…cynical and bitter. It’s not fundamentalists or mainstream Christians that decided it. It’s… everyone that voted for Chris. Your rage/frustration/anger is a very poor example of whatever position you hold. If you had said that Black People or White People or Jews or Gay People had ruined it, you might even get banned. Do you feel like you can blame/bash “fundies” more freely than Gays or Jews? Why? I voted Adam, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/136 "2009-05-21T02:29:51Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Adam had wonderful voice control and could belt out a song, but he’s no Freddie Mercury. In fairness, no one is a Freddie Mercury. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/137 "2009-05-21T02:30:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Let’s just say it’s all the douchebags on the Christian sites and fan sites gushing about how important it is that Gokey and Kris are Christians, and how it’s God’s will for them to beat the godless fag Jew. And this mystery website has, what? 100 members? Given that 100 million votes were cast, I think you might want to come up with a new explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/138 "2009-05-21T02:34:40Z")
Have you checked out [http://www.beatthegodlessfagjew.com](http://www.beatthegodlessfagjew.com)? It’s HUGE. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/139 "2009-05-21T02:35:34Z")
> [@FallingLeaves](#): > > Adam was great, and the judges and the show seemed to be pushing him as the winner all season, but when it comes to genre, songs and radio, I can hear Kris more alongside Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and David Cook on popular radio. I like Kris more than **Dio** does, but I have to really disagree with this statement. If you listen to any of the iTunes singles - the studio versions, not the performance clips - you’ll find that Adam’s singles are all at least as good, if not better, than his live performances. The vocals are exquisite, and the production and instrumentation are all really interesting. Kris’s singles all sound like muzak. I mean really, they’re unlistenable. I don’t know if we can 100% blame Kris for that, but if this is what we can expect from the albums, Adam’s the true artist here. And yes, I voted. I feel tremendously guilty that I only managed 880 of them last night. It’s clearly all my fault. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728/140 "2009-05-21T02:36:59Z")
I don’t agree on all of your points, but on Kris I absolutely agree with this assessment: > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > He’s completely bland and ordinary. He sounds like every dude you see playing in a cofee [sic] shop. I’ve been saying the same thing for quite awhile. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idol-finale/496728.md?page=8)