Eyeliner suits him.
Adam Lambert smiles sweetly after performing a lung-bursting number in black leather and chains. Particularly with black nail polish, he’s an oddly upbeat mix of Goth and pop. Part David Bowie, part Liza Minnelli.
These days, he’s depicted politely thanking his fans and waving more often than he’s shown sticking out his tongue on those wailing high notes, a habit viewers of “American Idol” can’t help but notice.
Lambert, 26, is already a deserving superstar, but he shouldn’t be too confident heading into this week’s finals opposite the sweet and innocent 23-year-old Kris Allen. The bad boy may be too exotic for the young girls who actually vote in numbers great enough to sway the competition.
There’s no clear winner, and that’s what makes this so-so show so appealing.
The sing-off is at 7 tonight on KDVR-Channel 31; the two-hour finale starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Last year’s finale clocked 31 million view- ers. “Idol’s” record finale was the 2003 face-off between Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken which drew 38.1 million.
This year’s audience, capping a suspenseful season, should total north of that 31 million. The event beams from the Nokia Theater, which holds an intimate screaming and crying 7,000.
Will tween cohort Allen destroy the chances of the best natural talent the show has seen in years?
Making the wrong choice would be a travesty, diminishing the show’s standing as a star-finder and relegating it to prepubescent fan pleaser. It would be a disappointment that would further tarnish the musical record of the ratings phenom, which has gotten it wrong a few times. (Jennifer Hudson, anyone?) Yet it would not be wholly surprising.
Now that it’s down to the pretty boy and the rock star, the competition is set up to reflect a long-standing pattern in pop tastes.
If Adam loses, it won’t be the first time a gifted artist failed to win the kind of commercial acclaim that lesser, safer choices often do.
There is a historic antipathy of American teen and preteen girls toward entertainers they perceive as scary. Or too overtly sexual.
When the 1960s British invasion began, Paul McCartney, the cute Beatle, was easier to like than the wildly anti-authoritarian Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger. Or maybe he was just less threatening.
Paul wanted to hold your hand, Mick wanted to spend the night together. In that instance, too, an overt display of ambiguous sexuality was a factor. Paul was a nice, if shaggy- haired, boy you could bring home to meet your parents, while any liaison with Jagger would have to be on the sly.
Is Adam Lambert similarly scary to teen girls?
Or have times changed enough that real talent will rise above the tween phone callers’ obsession? Surely mascara is more prevalent on guys in this century.
Certainly snarky British judge Simon Cowell has done everything in his power to ensure Adam gets a proper hearing — he pointedly underscored the necessity of voting last week, warning against assuming Lambert would sail to victory.
Then again, some corners of the online community fear a backlash against what they see as the premature anointing of Lambert. They worry that some voters will resent being steered toward Adam by the judges and will vote for Kris just to assert their cell power.
Plus, tradition holds that the least offensive pop choice has a way of rising to the top.
A half-century ago, in the early days of rock, Elvis Presley was identified by radio and record industry executives as a safer bet for the Southern white audience than the black R&B artists whose sound he appropriated. The most exotic or outrageous artists don’t always find mainstream success the way more middle-of-the-road, commercial entertainers do.
There’s a reason the Jonas Brothers, like the Monkees before them, are successful.
The “American Idol” finalists giving Adam a run — Allen and, until last week, Danny Gokey — seem . . . nice. Kris is sweet, Danny had a heart-rending story. They’re both pleasing singers. The “three amigos,” as Ryan Seacrest insisted on calling them, were good enough for the final three, but neither Kris nor Danny deserves to be the last man standing.
Now, a record 88 million votes later, it’s down to an even starker choice.
This satisfying season has led us to the most suspenseful “Idol” finale, even better than last year’s battle of the Davids (Archeluta and Cook). With David Cook, America rightly embraced the more mature, even the more sexualized, rocker. Will they get it right again?
Will fear on the part of underage viewers be the deciding factor this year?
Win or lose, Lambert’s career will be the one to watch.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
The Good Son
KRIS ALLEN
Age: 23
Hometown: Conway, Ark.
Song to download: “Ain’t No Sunshine,” by Bill Withers
Why he could win: Very, very cute.
Why he might lose: America might aim higher.
The Bad Boy
ADAM LAMBERT
Age: 26
Hometown: San Diego
The song to download: “One,” by U2
Why he could win: Boldest, freshest talent in years.
Why he might lose: Scary to tweens who vote.
Thumbing through a season of “American Idol”
Moment we’ll remember from the season: The duet by singers Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta on “Slow Ride” was killer. They’re ready to take it on the road.
Moment we’d like to forget: Matt Giraud relegated to the bottom three again. And again.
The best of the losers: Danny Gokey is too soft to be a rock star, but he deserves quiet success. Lil Rounds (right) will no doubt turn up in our future. And nobody should be surprised to see Anoop Desai emerge as an international cross-genre performer. He’ll do better venues than cruise-ship cocktail lounges.
The final verdict: The presence of a fourth judge slowed things down, but Kara DioGuardi did what she was meant to do — take some pressure off Paula Abdul, who managed to settle down and be present this season.
Where should it go from here: Wherever it goes, it should take Simon Cowell with it. He remains the one indispensable judge.
