Final Results of the A.I. Poll

By a very slim margin, "The Rocket Man" received the most votes in the poll asking who should fill Simon Cowell's seat once he splits from American Idol. My choice would be either him or Cher. Both are outspoken and have the credibility necessary to take Simon's place. Ironically, the man (Ryan Seacrest) rumored by some as a possible replacement for Simon tied with Diddy and Madonna for the least number of votes.

Here are the final results:

Elton John- 28%

"Other"- 26%... below are the names of those who received write-in votes:

Kristi Mantoni said... Quentin Tarantino!!!

A friend of mine picked Stevie Wonder. The reason she gave was that Stevie has the ears for music. She added that although a contestant's appearance is a huge thing, she doesn't think it should be. Stevie never occurred to me, but having him as a judge would lessen the chances of contestants getting by on style over substance.

Rich Meyer chose Dweezil Zappa.

Hugh Jee From Jersey selected Sarah Palin. I can hear it now...

Ryan: Who's your favorite contestant?

Sarah: Uh, all of them.

Ted Nugent- 16%

Cher- 14%

Sean "Diddy" Combs, Madonna, and Ryan Seacrest- 4% each

A couple of voters feel that Simon is irreplaceable and that AI will die once he walks away. Although there will likely be some viewer drop off after Simon departs, I think the show will survive. Without question, Mr. Cowell is a big part of the show's success. However, I don't think his departure will be a ratings killer like James Garner quitting Maverick or Tom Wopat &John Schneider leaving Hazzard County.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the poll. I look forward to hearing your opinions on the next one.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current A.I. Poll... Thank You

American Idol Season 8: Is The Outcome A Done Deal Like Some Think?

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert

Although I normally don't follow American Idol, I've lately become intrigued by the eventual outcome of season 8. Based on what I'd been reading, it sounded like Adam Lambert had the A.I. crown sewn up tighter than those pants he likes to wear. For most of this season, pretty much everything I've heard in relation to the contestants has been about Adam. Hell, I didn't even know the name of the other finalist (Kris Allen) until I read the recent Entertainment Weekly cover story about Adam.

Once I read the EW article, I began to think that maybe it isn't a guarantee that Adam will take the top prize. This is because the writer of the article posed the following question: can an openly gay contestant win American Idol? The thought that a gay contestant couldn't win American Idol had never occurred to me, but the writer could be on to something. Having said that, both the writer and I realize that Adam hasn't officially come out (even though he has admitted that the photos of him kissing another man are real). Some may say, "duh, of course he's gay!" However, until he confirms that he is or isn't, all we can really do is speculate.

Of course, Adam's assumed sexuality shouldn't matter; but we know it does to some people. The thing is, will it matter to enough voters to cause Adam to lose? The question posed by the EW writer makes me now wonder about Clay Aiken's surprising (to me anyways) loss to Ruben Studdard during season 2. Don't get me wrong, I think Ruben was a deserving winner. However, all the buzz I was hearing led me to believe that Clay had the title in the bag. Since I don't remember, I'm depending on you longtime A.I. fans to answer a couple of questions for me. Were there rumors about Clay's sexuality when he was a contestant on A.I? If so, do you think the rumors kept him from winning?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out how the season finale of A.I. plays out. For the record, I think Adam is going to win. Even though I feel that he fucked up Steppenwolf's biker anthem Born To Be Wild, I'm going with the buzz factor that surrounds him. Plus, his slowed down rendition of Tears For Fears' Mad World was superb. Even if Kris Allen does prevail, it may not have anything to do with viewers reluctant to vote for an assumed gay contestant. The EW writer also raised an interesting point when he said that voters generally prefer that A.I. contestants be humble (which could play in Kris' favor).

Do you think it's a lock that Adam Lambert will be crowned "American Idol"? If he loses, will it be due to his assumed sexuality or because of the "humble Kris" factor?