As previously mentioned here, I have occasionally found myself part of the conglomerate of Americans that weekly find themselves lingering on the every word of the well-groomed and omnipresent alien being that refers to itself as Ryan J. Seacrest. And as an American Idol viewer, I am keenly aware of the three contestants remaining in this year’s contest, and have formed my own personal opinions about the outcome of the competition.
For the uninformed, here is the general rundown of the three gentlemen who have yet to be eliminated from the program: (since there are only three contestants remaining, it should be assumed that all are talented vocalists, which they are. If we assume the playing field is even in the talent department, then the contest will be determined, as it typically is, by the persona each contestant has created, the demographics they appeal to, and the way they style their hair rather than pure musical giftedness. This will be a discussion about those particular nonmusical qualities.) Danny Gokey is the odds-on, overwhelming favorite, as long as the only people you’re asking are white, Christian, and middle class. He’s a church worship leader, he wears trendy glasses, and he’s a widow, which in an eerily morbid way, makes him more likeable. Kris Allen is a guitar-strummin’, aww-gee-shucks southern heartthrob, and his style lies somewhere between Jason Mraz and John Mayer. Whenever Ryan Seacrest says Kris’ name, hundreds of pubescent girls scream like his last name was Jonas and hold up signs that say “Marry Me Kris,” while Kris’ clearly visible wife smiles on adoringly. And then there’s Adam Lambert.
Adam Lambert, in many ways, defies description. He wears eyeliner and lots of jewelry and leather, and has a vocal range that would make Steve Perry wet himself with jealousy. The only thing the public really knows about Adam Lambert is that he’s a theater kid, and was in the Los Angeles cast of Wicked before he became a contestant on the show. We don’t really know where he came from, we don’t know anything about his family, we don’t know who taught him to sing like that, and we never know what he’s going to do next. Moreso than anything else, however, we don’t know whether or not Adam Lambert is gay. And that’s where J.J. Abrams comes in.
J.J. Abrams is the man behind such T.V. shows as Alias, Fringe, and Lost, and movies like Star Trek and Cloverfield. J.J. Abrams knows the power of an unanswered question, as evidenced through this article he wrote in Wired Magazine, or his Ted Talk here. He has revitalized suspense in a way we haven’t seen probably since Alfred Hitchcock. What J.J. Abrams knows is that an integral part of human nature is our inquisitiveness. Going all the way back to Socrates, we have been a society that questions. As humans, we seek truth, it’s just part of who we are. What happens after we die, who would make the best president, and what the hell is that smoke monster thing, and why did it kill Mr. Eko? And now, added to that list of unanswered questions is the question on every American Idol fan’s mind: is Adam Lambert gay?
I think I know what J.J. Abrams would answer if you asked him whether or not Adam Lambert was gay. I think J.J. Abrams would probably say, if we knew, wouldn’t that just make it less exciting? The truth is, if Adam Lambert told America he was gay, it wouldn’t change the fact that he’s still a talented singer, and I don’t think it would change anyone’s vote for or against him. The kind of person who would only vote for Adam Lambert if he wasn’t gay is likely already casting their vote for Danny or Kris. If Adam Lambert told America he was gay, the only thing he’d be changing is the mystery that surrounds him, and that might just be the reason we don’t know yet. The reason people keep watching Lost week after week is because they expect that eventually, all their questions will be answered (even if forty-seven new questions show up every time you answer one). Isn’t it possible that, aside from his obvious talent, Adam Lambert is still on American Idol for the same reason? We figure if we keep watching, if we keep voting him to the next week and the week after that, he might just answer some of those pesky questions.
I’m not saying Adam Lambert left his sexuality in question intentionally, but he might have. If he didn’t, he’s probably realized by now that he’s stumbled into something that’s keeping the public’s attention, which is why he hasn’t just flat-out said anything about it yet. As Abrams points out in the Wired article I linked to earlier, we live in an age of immediacy, where the answer to literally any question we may have is only a mouse click away, and that truth has enhanced the way we look at questions that don’t seem to have obvious or easy answers. In other words, in a world where we can have all the answers, we’re intrigued only by the ones we don’t have.
And that’s why I think Adam Lambert is going to win American Idol this year. Or, if he doesn’t win, he’ll end up more successful than whoever does. It’s apparent from the itty-bitty-nobody-to-all-powerful-cultural-icon path of previous Idol winners like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson that twelve weeks of being on that show is the equivalent of an upper division master class in becoming a celebrity. And judging by the way in which he has captured the public’s attention (he hasn’t even won yet, and he’s already on the cover of this week’s Entertainment Weekly), it’s clear that Adam Lambert is at the top of that class for this year. Whether or not they deserve the attention they get, (and that’s another story entirely) the celebrities that capture the public’s attention do so by utilizing Mr. Abrams’ favorite concept of mystery. Who are they dating, where are they going, what will they do next, and yes, are they gay?
And that’s why Adam’s going to win. Like all the contestants, he’s got the talent to deserve the spotlight, and perhaps more importantly, he’s got the mystery to maintain it. And as long as he keeps America guessing, he’ll be at the forefront of the public eye, and he’ll preserve our attention. That is, until some bigger mystery comes along to distract us.
Life Out Of The Bubble 
Recent Comments