Adam has an amazing vocal range and a falsetto so rich in quality that it is imperceptibly different from his chest voice.  His incredible ability to control his vocals enables him to hold his high notes seemingly forever.  His versatility is unmatched in “Idol” history.  With the arguable exception of country music (his rendition of “Ring of Fire” received strong emotional reactions both pro and con, as it was more like Johnny Cash doing Goth music with Middle Eastern undertones), Adam excels in every genre of music.  He sings soulful ballads to pop to heavy metal and glam rock, all with ease, style, and pitch-perfect tone.

Week in and week out, other “Idol” contestants appeared on stage in sneakers and T-shirts without sets or lighting design, all of which are in the contestants’ control.  But enter Adam, and the show began!  One could criticize his attire (and did!) but every week Adam came with an outfit, sets, lighting, and moves that fit his song choice and made his performances both unpredictable and more entertaining.  He’s not just a singer; he’s the whole performance package.

Unfortunately, talent has not always been the focus of commentary on Adam.  Rumor has it that some on the Christian-right refused to vote for Adam because of his ambiguous sexual orientation.  Explicit photos of him making out with other men, attending the Burning Man (an annual event in Nevada which constitutes an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance), and occasionally dressing in drag, detracted from his deserved praise.  Supposedly, Kris Allen’s church pastor urged “all believers” to vote for Kris (though Kris emphatically objected to votes based on religion).  Additionally, “Idol” contestant Danny Gokey, who touted his Christianity, had a similar performance style to Kris’.  His devout following likely swung in favor of Kris once Danny was booted off the show.

Many deemed it unpalatable if not morally wrong to deny Adam his hard earned votes based on sexual orientation.  This should have no place in the “Idol” competition.  As Kris explained, this was supposed to be a competition about singing, not a vote for the presidency.

Yet, as soon as the winner was announced and the finale was over, the left-wing media started bashing Adam for not being gay enough.  Adam has admitted that the explicit photos were of him, and he has not been at all shy about anything including his sexuality. (To date, interviewers have beaten around the bush and have not put the “gay question” to him directly.)  But neither has Adam made his sexuality a political issue…at least thus far.  Still, the photos and Adam’s behavior, which are about as “out” as can be, still leave some dissatisfied.  As is often the case with leftists, words are more important than actions, and one isn’t truly “out” until he mouths the words “I’m gay.”  Adam hasn’t done this and thus will suffer the wrath of leftist activists.

No sooner had he walked off the stage than criticism has befallen him — not for his performances, which were controversial but fair game, but for his alleged “silence” on his sexuality.  Indeed, Entertainment Weekly Online dedicated four whole pages to chastising him for failing to announce his orientation.  But, making one’s private life fodder for public consumption seems to be something the gay community does often.  In the recently released film “Outrage,” the filmmaker assumed that if he outed gay Republicans, they would change their votes on gay marriage.  The presumption seems to be that gay marriage is the world’s most pressing issue, and everyone who is gay should prioritize this about all else.  To hell with national security, the arts, or whatever else one might be interested in.

Adam has acknowledged feeling pressure from some quarters to use his sexuality and “alternativeness” to influence how America views related social issues.  Contrary to helping those in the gay community, they are doing Adam and the gay community a disservice.  By pressuring Adam to act differently than his straight counterparts, they separate him out rather than allow him to integrate and be accepted as equal.  They are also denying him the right to define himself as he wants to be defined and decide for himself how his talents will be used.

It is unlikely that at age three when Adam starting singing around the house, or at age ten when he first began musical theater, that his goal was to achieve success as a vehicle for gay rights activism.  Why does everyone who is gay have to represent a political cause?  Why can’t Adam just be a singer and an entertainer like other artists?  Both those who withheld votes because Adam’s gay and those who are bashing him for not being gay enough, insist on defining Adam by his sexual orientation.  But Adam clearly defines himself by his music.

Politics aside, it is apparent that Adam is not going to be a flash-in-the-pan like previous “Idol” contenders.  Adam was the only reason to watch the cheesy show this season.  My prediction is that he is destined to be a national star, if not international.  Offers are already pouring in, and there’s talk of him touring with Queen, being courted for Broadway leads, and making his own CD’s.  Refusing to be boxed into a specific genre as most record labels demand, his first album promises to range from pop to rock to funk with innovative electronics.  Additionally, he hopes to do corollary theatrical performances.  His goal is to fill an artistic niche of theatrical pop music which is currently female-dominated on the scene, and largely devoid of male artists.  It is Adam’s artistic expression and personal style that make him notable, not his sexual orientation.  If he does have a political message, it’s one of personal empowerment for anyone who might not fit the mold…sexuality aside.

Those making social criticism of Adam based on his sexuality — one way or the other — should apologize.  I myself owe him an apology for using his orientation in the title of this article.  However, I doubt if he cares much about any of this.  Adam is all about the music, and I’m sure he’s too busy singing to pay this any mind.

When they win, hell, it was a fair fight. They never, while basking in the glow of a victory, say, “Whew. Thank God the unfairness worked out in our favor this time!” or “The voting machines finally worked!”

They also hedge their bets before a contest, positioning themselves as the enlightened open-minded ones and their opposition as gun and religion loving inbreds before the actual contest has gone down, so in the event of a defeat, they’re prepared to act like victims rather than losers.

I’m referring, of course, to the phenomenal “American Idol” finale, an event that capped off an unbelievably good season of TV. From “Fringe” and “Idol,” to “Friday Night Lights” and “The Office” — and finally to “Lost,” I’ve loved the stuff on the tube this winter/spring. I treated last night’s “Idol” fantastically cheesy finale as a season ending celebration of great TV.

Leave it to a bunch of activist reality TV voters to crap on the whole thing.

It started Wednesday morning with screaming headlines, coyly and dishonestly put in the form of a question: “Will Idol finale be Red State vs. Blue State?”

The answer, of course, is “That’s the stupidest question I’ve ever heard!” But by putting the question out there, the New York Daily News and others have legitimized debating the outcome along these lines. Gracious in defeat was glam rocker Adam Lambert, but not so his allegedly blue state fanbase.

They secretly love that he lost, because it gives them a chance to viciously rip into “homophobic middle and Southern America”, you know – those drooling mouth breathing red-staters. Homophobia is the best excuse running. According the Nikki “Toldya!” Finke and others, “Brokeback Mountain” lost the Oscar to “Crash” because of homophobia. Lambert lost to Allen because of homophobia. It’s laughable how married they are to this idea (gay marriage?). It can’t be that people just liked “Crash” better, and according to Jim David over at Huffington Post Hucanwhinethe Most, homophobia is the only reason THE ONLY REASON that “the better singer” didn’t win.

I happen to agree with their opinion that “Brokeback” is better than “Crash,” but here’s the thing: they don’t think it’s an opinion. It’s fact.

You cannot possibly prefer “Crash” to “Brokeback” or Kris Allen to Adam Lambert, except of course, if you’re a raging homophobe. This is the only explanation. And David has since clarified his position, defended himself as not liberal but moderate. Fine, but dude, you also said you wish the music professionals would have the final say on the show. What’s the point of a show, then? The premise of the show is that America votes! It’s like replacing Jake Gyllenhall with Maggie Gyllenhall in “Brokeback Mountain.”

You know how many rednecks I heard blaring “Judas Priest” and “Queen” while growing up in Powder Springs, Georgia? The notion that a person living in a red state not embracing an artist, particularly a singer, because the singer is gay or liberal is absurd. Eminem is from a blue state, and has repeatedly come under fire for being homophobic. My favorite bands are liberal (Beastie Boys, Public Enemy) and in one case fronted by a man who’s at least as sexually ambiguous as Glambert (R.E.M.), and guess what?

I DO NOT CARE. I remember reading when I was a teenager that R.E.M.’s “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” was about a dude. This was before homosexuality was the cause celebre, and while I will admit I found it strange, it never made me change the station when it came on, or fast-forward the cassette (we used to have these things called cassettes, kids, they predated CDs and – Oh, CD is short for compact disc…nevermind). No, I warbled along with Stipe, making up lyrics in the spots where he mumbled, which was let’s be honest, for most of the song.

The truth is, Southerners usually win “Idol,” usually against a runner-up who’s – guess what? – Southern. But the whackos have disingenuously decided to decry the outcome this year to further disparage the South specifically, and red state voters in general, because it gives them a chance to sound open-minded, when in fact they sound stupid.

They’re glad Lambert lost, because it gives them yet another chance to be victimized vicariously through someone else.

My major problem with these talent shows is they try to give the impression that all of the contestants are just diamonds in the rough that took an hour off from the Burger King to come down and give it a shot. The people at “American Idol” want you to believe they have discovered some guy with a day gig and a dream and they helped polish up their act and transformed them into stars. Adam Lambert and Kris Allen did not go stand in line with the rest of the mob. They were somehow pre-screened and told when and where to report. Is there anyone in American who thinks that Adam Lambert wasn’t a professional singer before he was on “American Idol?”

The same is true of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” The people who are going to make the top twenty or ten or whatever it is are all long time professional comics. Many already have deals in place with NBC, or an agent and a manager before they “audition” to be on the show.

Here’s my point, after a certain point the show gets boring for me because all of the people have chops and a reasonable shot at winning. After a point in the elimination rounds all of the people on the show are already show business professionals who are acting out a charade for your entertainment.

I have noticed an embarrassing trend on the show this year. A few times this season if the “star” guest singer had been in the competition they would have been voted off of the show! Several of the guests were, as Randy Jackson might put it, a little pitchy.

Enjoy the final results tonight “American Idol” fans, and rest easy because no matter who comes out on top they are both going to have great careers. Besides the real winner has already been determined, the producers of “American Idol” and Fox who are raking in billions.

Hey Congress, how about a windfall profits tax?