Arts & Culture

Coming off of my favorite season of American Idol ever (David Cook won, contestants got to play instruments, I didn’t loathe more than half of the finalists), this year’s Idol had a lot to live up to. Most of the instruments are gone, a new judge got added, the semifinal system was overhauled – but the majority of the aspiring Idols were totally forgettable. Megan Joy Corkrey was pretty, but her singing style was bizarre and stilted. Anoop Desai was tons of fun in the wild card round when he busted out Bobby Brown’s "My Prerogative," but once he made the top 13 he quickly went into "all ballad, all the time" mode. The judges got to use a "Save" to rescue a contestant they felt was voted out too soon, but they used it on the overrated Justin Timberlake wannabe Matt Giraud. To be honest, I would have tuned out weeks ago if not for one contestant – Adam Lambert.

Lambert, whose vote totals remain a well-guarded secret, is getting the most press by miles. He earned a solo Entertainment Weekly cover, made Smokey Robinson cry and give a standing ovation after his cover of the R&B legend’s "Tracks of My Tears," and has been the subject of much "is he gay or isn’t he?" speculation in the blogosphere. (Short answer: he probably is. Long answer: he probably is, but why does anyone care?) The man known as "Glambert" – because of his predilection for guyliner and ’80s-inspired pleather outfits – has mellowed out for a cover of Tears for Fears’ "Mad World" and rocked out on Led Zeppelin’s "Whole Lotta Love" (notably, the first time Zep has ever cleared one of their songs for the show). Now that the show is down to the final three contestants – Lambert, doe-eyed acoustic guitarist Kris Allen, and choir-leader widower Danny "did the most painful scream in history while trying to sing Aerosmith’s ‘Dream On’" Gokey – Lambert is the clear favorite to win. That said, I also thought Clay Aiken was a total lock in Season 2, and he finished second to Ruben Studdard. He’s been the shining light of an otherwise mediocre season and the most consistent performer of the bunch. Not only that, but his manners are impeccable – he is polite and respectful to the show’s mentors and always heeds their advice, and he did recently booted contestant Allison Iraheta a solid by letting her show off in their duet and hooking her up with his hairstylist. Is it the overconfident air of a guy who feels he’s assured a victory no matter what, or the grace of a seasoned performer who knows he doesn’t have to show off to be praised? Either way, Adam has my vote.

It’s also worth noting, since this is Jewcy.com after all, that Adam is Jewish. Idol‘s highest-finishing Jewish finalist so far was Season 5′s Elliott Yamin, who placed third behind Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. While I vote for Adam because I consider him the best contestant, the fact that he’s Jewish is a pleasant bonus. I have no idea what his level of observance or practice is, but here’s a video of him singing "Shir LaShalom" with Noa Dori at a Yitzhak Rabin tribute in Los Angeles. His Hebrew’s not bad.

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