Idol Finale Full of Subplots

5 of 7 winners display their Christianity? I like that it shows we are trying to pick "good" people, But it seems more like a decision made in ignorance. It says that all they have to do is be a good singer AND also wave a bible around a bit and dummies every where we think they have to vote for the good one over the one that might not be good. With Carrie, she's obviously one of the best 3 singers on idol. But what if she had not show off any extra Christian values but sounded exactly the same? Probably they wouldn't have chosen her for winner even though she would have had a fantastic voice. Or what if Kelly Clarkson had been a lesbian? She'd sing the same way and wow us. But at the same time Justin Gurini would keep talking about the church and his bible. Then all the religious nuts would say, "Gee, Justin seems like a good boy. I'll vote for him". Now I wonder if Clay Aiken lost because they knew he was gay. And this year besides Chris there was Danny who had hints of being extra religious and that propelled them forward. I know Danny is pretty good, but he's the kind of guy who would normally go home early if not for his sob story. Even I felt sorry for him, but I wouldn't change my vote. But I knew others who did. And with Chris, he also appeals to 6 to 14 year old girls more than Adam does. Too much to explain, but when most of his comments are "Oh, he's sooo hot", you know they aren't really listening carefully. Because if they were, they'd realize Adam has much more vocal skill. But really, my point is about people voting for religious reasons. I think that's just stupid in a singing contest.

I never thought that I would get %u201Cworked up%u201D over a singing competition. However, American Idol, this season, is much more than a mere singing competition. It%u2019s the representation of acceptance of diversity vs. acceptance of the boy next door.

Since I believe we all need to embrace diversity and encourage our youth of today to be themselves, I wholeheartedly support Adam Lambert. I resent him being called androgynous. I resent that he is called effeminate. I resent that some people don%u2019 like him merely because he is different.

As I watched Adam Lambert return to his hometown high school somewhere in San Diego, I was impressed that as he spoke to the teenagers, his first remarks were directed toward being/accepting who they are. In essence, he said, if you are different, that%u2019s great!

What a role model. We have far too many stereotypical %u201Cidols%u201D out there. Don%u2019t get me wrong, it%u2019s great when we can have a singer who is clean-cut, substance-free and can actually sing. They%u2019re also needed.

Adam is also clean-cut, substance-free and yes, he can really sing. He is also different. He is a chameleon while maintaining his identity. Honestly, I don%u2019t care if his sexual orientation is gay. There are so many gay children in our country and world who have NO role model, who grow up thinking they%u2019re strange because they%u2019re different, that it is time we provide a person who can impact millions by his mere presence

For those of us who aren%u2019t the perfect blonde, blue-eyed, beautiful young lady who can belt out a country song to make everyone take notice, there needs to be an Icon to whom we can relate. I don%u2019t want to take away from Carrie Underwood who made me love every word that comes out of her mouth even though I%u2019m not a Country-song type of gal. However, Carrie is not a role model to those who are struggling with feeling different. She is the girl next door as Kris is the boy next door.

What%u2019s wrong with being different?

Recently, I%u2019ve engaged in conversations with a 15 year-old dancer. She is beyond her years in talent. She is bullied, harassed, made fun of and has been tortured in public domains including My Space. Her dance school has turned a blind eye. Thankfully she has a mature head on her shoulders and a very supportive family. Still, some of the things that I hear her say from her deep, deep hurt, scare me.

In the past few weeks, two boys, eleven years old, each went to their homes, one in MA and one in GA, and hung himself. Why? Each boy had been bullied and taunted for an extended period of time. One was called a virgin because he was originally from the Virgin Islands. He spoke with an accent. He was a good looking boy, so good looking that his punishment from his cruel classmates was to call him gay.

The other boy, African American, was an avid athlete. He didn%u2019t look like a %u201Ctypical%u201D athlete in the opinion of his school companions. He was too %u201Csweet%u201D looking. They tormented him with comments of being gay, a faggot, pretty.

Dead. Both dead. Why? I believe that when senseless things happen, such as the death of these two boys, WE must all take note.

We are being sent a message. We must hear the message and join together to heal this world.

We need to support these children and all people who are different. We need to honor people who are different. We need to bond together to tell others that when someone is different, whether it be a brilliant dancer, a child from another place, or an athlete who doesn%u2019t look %u201Ctypical,%u201D they deserve respect from all of us.

About now you may be asking yourself what any of this has to do with American Idol and Adam vs. Kris? That%u2019s a valid question with an excellent response.

As we have the opportunity to choose to whom our children look up, admire, resonate with as a role model, we need to remember that we%u2019re all different. Kris, albeit a nice young man, does not represent people who are different. He%u2019s vanilla and I don%u2019t mean his skin color. He blends in so well with %u201Ctypical%u201D in our society that it scares me to think we could have him as our next American Idol.

What happens to those children who don%u2019t look, act, or feel like Kris? Doesn%u2019t that give the bullies even more ammunition to point out that these kids are so different? After all, a bully could say, you don%u2019t look like Kris, you don%u2019t act like Kris%u2026 man, you%u2019re different%u2026 you could be ADAM!

Yes, there are millions of %u201CAdams%u201D in this world. Those children need someone who looks like (as in being different), acts differently, and most importantly feels different.

On May 18, 2009, Stephen Holden of The NY Times wrote that he wonders, %u201D . . . whether the country is ready to hand the crown to an androgynous, seemingly gay 27-year-old fireball from San Diego. Or will his sexual ambiguity (%u201CI know who I am,%u201D Mr. Lambert has replied to questions about his orientation) be an impediment?

Yes, Mr. Holden, IT IS TIME for our country to embrace DIFFERENCE and to provide a role model for those who prefer someone with whom they resonate. After all, we all don%u2019t care for peanut butter and jelly (Kris Allen). Sometimes we find ourselves born to enjoy hot tamales (Adam Lambert).

I welcome your comments and feedback. Honor Our Differences and Cherish Our Similarities.

It would be nice if the more conservative lifestyles of the Christian based Kris Allen and his talent prevails in this close competition. He certainly has the talent to win. When the votes are tallied, it will say a lot about the values of the American voters.

I have never really been into Idol but this story gave me a little more respect for it. Pop culture is absolutely an avenue for change and I like the idea of social values being communicated through media in this way.