American Idol 2009

I have to weigh in on the 2009 American Idol competition. It's time. Adam or Kris?

Let me say that I watched less of the competition this season than ever before. For the first few years I was there for every audition, performance, and results show. Idol was definitely the highlight of my television-viewing schedule.

I learned fast not to get too attached to a contestant early in the competition. Year after year my favorites failed to win. In fact, my favorites have often gone home fairly early (think Jennifer Hudson). It hurts a little, but I've learned to accept that 50ish gay men are not really the target demographic for American Idol, pop music or really anything.

Then Fox got greedy, and more than a tad arrogant. With AI dominating the ratings, network executives saw a gold mine and moved to cash in. The show moved from a one-hour to a two-hour format--and longer. The extra time was devoted to mind-numbing filler and advertising. I started to feel abused--like someone was taking advantage of me. I flatly refused to make a three-night commitment to American Idol. Somehow, doing so seemed dirty to me.

Last week I watched all the performances and was not surprised that Danny went home. He stood out early in the performances I saw, but didn't perform as well as Adam and Kris that night. Last night I watched all the performances and felt like Kris didn't perform as well as Adam. Really it was about that last song, which proved that Adam can sing anything and make it sound good.

They are both very talented and sure to have careers in music. But I'm predicting that Kris is going to win. The gay blogs are going to say Adam lost because he is gay and America is homophobic. While the latter part of that statement may be true, I really don't think it is a factor here.

The winner is determined by the voters, and the voters are overwhelmingly little girls with cell phones. Remember middle school? Girls this age have no problem spending several hours after the performance show calling and texting votes for their favorite contestant. I bet millions of girls and more than a few boys do this every week.

Think about it. The little girls that think Adam is hot are not home watching television. They have better things to do. Besides, voting for an American Idol contestant wouldn't be cool. American Idol's most devoted fans love his performances, but mostly Adam reminds them of the weird kids at school.

Kris, on the other hand, is the face they see behind the door when they play "Mystery Date." Girls from sea to shining sea will diligently dial his number as a testament to their love and devotion. He'll get all of Danny's fans, too which should make for a comfortable win.

That said, recall that my favorite contestant never wins. Ever. Just another reason I'm still...

The Crotchety Old Man