Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The conspiracy theorists are going to have a heyday with this one.

I can hear them now. Did Idol rig the votes to make this year’s show look more wide open than it is? How could Adam Lambert possibly have been standing center stage, his Idol fate in the balance, at the end of last night’s show? Especially after that brilliant performance Tuesday night?

No way that could really happen.

Surely, Idol must have rigged the votes for the sake of stirring things up, stimulating viewer interest in a competition that’s been looking more and more like a one-singer race.

I’ve got another theory: Lazy voters.

Look, you couldn’t blame Adam Lambert supporters if they just sorta assumed he’d cruise through the week. If perhaps they didn’t dial the phones with quite as much fervor as they were earlier this season.

I mean, after Tuesday’s performance, who could argue that this guy shouldn’t be the next Idol? Only those closely related to Allison Iraheta, Matt Giraud, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen, the way I figure it.

The possibility of Adam Lambert heading home in fifth place? No way. Couldn’t happen.

But it almost did.

Hey, I compare this season of Idol to season three — the Fantasia year. By the middle of the finals, it was pretty darn clear that Fantasia was easily the best singer, and the best performer, that year.

But guess what? Fantasia was in the bottom three in the sixth week of the finals and in the bottom two three weeks later. She still prevailed.

Adam will be around to sing again. So there’s no harm done, really. His supporters will be rejuvenated. He should still claim the Idol crown three weeks from now.

If he doesn’t, then we can start talking about conspiracy theories.

Because, folks, Adam Lambert is putting together the best season in Idol history. And, in spite of what the judges keep saying, this final five was not the best ever.

Bottom line: There’s still no question who should win in the end.

Deserved his fate: Matt Giraud finally paid the price for inconsistency. He should have paid it two weeks ago, but the judges foolishly used their save. In the end, he got the theme week he was waiting for, and didn’t do much with it. I’m not as convinced as the judges that he’s destined to a brilliant post-Idol career. I seldom caught glimpses of brilliant on the Idol stage.

Very, very lucky: Allison Iraheta. Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m a big fan of Allison because she’s been as consistent as Matt had been inconsistent this season. But she’s dodged two bullets in a row — disco week and Rat Pack week. Next up, rock music week. Bet Allison is sighing with relief tonight. Finally, a theme that fits what she does best.

Stock rising: Adam Lambert. How does your stock rise when you’re nearly eliminated? Well, when your supporters at home get a pretty clear reminder of how important it is to support this future star week after week. Be assured, Adam supporters will be galvanized by what happened Wednesday night.

Stock sinking: Kris Allen. He’s been proclaimed a dark horse in the competition, but most of his best performances came early in the finals. Rock week? It might be more of a struggle for Kris than any of the remaining contestants. It should not be a struggle for Adam. He’s already demonstrated his ability to rock. (Remember “Satisfaction?”)

Coming tomorrow: An exit interview with Matt Giraud.