The New York Times reports that AT&T may have influenced the outcome of American Idol by providing free text-messaging services at parties organized by fans of Kris Allen, who won the competition last week. Representatives of AT&T, a corporate sponsor of the show, reportedly taught Allen fans how to "power text" at the parties, allowing them to send multiple messages with a push of a button. Questions remain as to whether power texting violates American Idol voting rules.
More ‘American Idol’ voting controversy:
AT&T, Fox deny power text impact on ‘American Idol’ results
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Most of the Adam Lambert fan groups advertised how to powertext, so this seems much ado about nothing.
Good grief. I shudder to think what the response to this will be from Glambert Nation.
Way to cheat AT&T and Kris fans, way to try to brush it under the carpet Idol powers that be, and way to cast a shadow over any credibility to Allen’s upset win over Lambert.
Lame. And sad.
Another reason American Idol sucks!!
So instead of losing by 20 million, Glambert lost by 40 million. Who cares.
oh gosh, here we go again….cant we just let the dust settle and leave it be?
Adam didn’t/doesn’t need the win. He is a star. Let Kris keep the win and we’ll see who we’re still talkin’ about in 5 years.
Every single fan group, every single season, publishes the same instructions on how to power-text. This is nothing new. I have no doubt that hundreds…probably even thousands…of Adam fans were power texting too.
I am pretty sure that if you subtracted all the votes from Arkansas, Kris still would have won. There is no way a few (or even a few dozen) free phones made a significant difference in the national vote. This article simply stems from an attempt made by Adam’s fans to diminish Kris’s win.
I think Idol has wanted to avoid announcing that Adam was blown out of the water because it might be embarrassing to him. If Adam’s fans keep trying to undermine the winner, Idol may be forced to reveal to vote counts.
I wish Adam’s fans would get past the denial stage and move on.
This is nothing new. AI fans have posted all over the internet for the past few years about “power texting.” If AT&T was able to show some Kris Allen fans from “middle America” how to do it, then it only leveled the playing field as the “power texting” started in California, home of Adam Lambert. So, these so called “Kris Allen Texting Parties” only helped to give Kris Allen’s fans a fair shake. Heck, the Glambert Fans were providing details on how to get phones with area codes from the other side of the country from where they were so that they could text the full 2 hours (4 for the finalé) in each of 2 time zones.
I find it humorous that Mr. Lambert’s fans, many of whom have bragged on open forums that they voted 24,000 times by power texting, are outraged that a few of Mr. Allen’s fans may have learned to do the same by a texting tutorial. If there was any unfair advantage with regards to power texting, it would most certainly go in Mr. Lambert’s favor based on his fans comments on this exact topic in various forums. Mr. Allen had the most voters – period – especially since a large percentage of his fan base doesn’t even know how to text (hence the need for a tutorial). If Mr. Lambert’s fans demand a recount, let them have it. They will then see exactly how many votes were in Kris’ favor.
Adam not only had “power texters” on his side as well, he had a fan-based website with Power Texting Instructions… http://adam-lambert.org/power-texting-with-att/
I want to know how many votes came from Arkansas. PERIOD..That would help. California has a million stars and would not bother with trying to do this..Give us answers and we will let it rest
The only part that bothers me is that they gave them free texting. I bought the GoPhone and the texting package. But if I’d been a Kris fan in Conway, Arkansas, I wouldn’t have had to?
I have unlimited txting and am middle aged. I probably text voted over 5000 times on the finale night plus calling on the phone whenever I could get through which was not much until 11:55 est which I believe is when the California voters got on. I was concerned that all the west coast voters would push Adam over the top because I could rarely get through to vote for Kris. I am from Florida not Arkansas and voted for Kris. Everyone I know wanted Kris to win except my daughter
I think Kris won fair and square as they say!
hahaha wow these Adam fans are sooo bitter… Kris won. By a lot. Cause he was more appealing to America. And really had some amazing performances that people aren’t recognizing: Man in the Mirror, To Make You Feel My Love, Ain’t No Sunshine, She Works Hard For the Money, Falling Slowly, Heartless, What’s Going On… he’s going to go down as the most underrated Idol winner ever and Glambert will be SOO overrated I mean really guys I think Adam is EXTREMELY talented and wish him the best but Kris deserved it MORE than Adam and has a better shot at a promising career in this industry. Personally, I’m planning on buying an understated, smooth Kris Allen album over 12 songs of WAIIIIILING or moody undertones… And I know I’m not alone cause Kris did get more votes than Adam, his fans are just less obnoxious and vocal and don’t need to piss and moan for weeks on end.
I find it disconcerting that I could not cast a vote during the first 3 hours after the lines opened to vote for Adam Lambert. I hear of people who voted 8 time for Adam, hell I was trying to vote 500 times but just busy signals until I could finally connect from time to time. Even then, a lot of attempts were wasted dut to strange connections, spanish recordings, being told the number was not in service, well the result of all my dialing was maybe 50 votes in 4 hours. I used a landline. Verizon couldn’t connect with my cell phone ever. I could not text and the instructions for power voting were way over my head, a tween probably could show a friend in a minute, but I am a 62 year old retired fire captain. I felt cheated when my votes could not be cast most of the time. I am thrilled that Adam is so gentle and a true statesman when he talks with the press and it’s not about the winner as much as it’s the principle of the thing. I do want to say that Adam Lambert is wicked good.
Can we just get over this? Adam and Kris are moving forward. It’s not like there are lives hanging in the balance here! Besides, if it turns out Adam is going to tour with Queen, he wouldn’t be able to do that if he had won. Stop taking something that has absolutely no relation to you so personally people, and get over it! They are both good (people AND artists), and both have a bright future!
One person, one vote. That’s the only democratic way.
Adam Lambert does not need the win – Kris Allen did. He may sell a few CDs, but you’ll be reading about Adam Lambert musically, not Kris (sadly for him). Adam is a star, Kris is just a vanilla contest winner. Hootie Dean is right, we’ll be hearing about Adam 5 years from now, but Kris will already have faded into Taylor Hicks style Idol Obscurity. Let’s face it, Adam won’t have to sing that horrid “No Boundary” song, or whatever it is.
Okay, let’s leave this alone now. Adam AND Kris don’t deserve it. They’ve accepted the outcome, now let’s move on.
can the adam fans get any more desperate? the dude lost in the biggest upset in idol history. stop cryin and get over it.
Congrats to Kris! Hahahahahahaha!
Seriously? Are we still talking about how the results are tainted a week later?
A) Isn’t att already swaying the vote? Most people in Arkansas have att and would most likely vote via text.
B) Isn’t Idol swaying the votes by giving the “pimp spot” to certain contestants contiously during the season?
C) Aren’t the judges swaying the votes by labeling constestants front runners 2 weeks into the season?
The whole system is biased.
who cares, there are so much bigger problems in the world than who should’ve won an obviously rigged contest anyway
No one is bitter that Adam lost, and he actually didn’t lose by a lot according to American Idol – only 1.1percent of the vote separated them. So where do you get it that Kris won by a lot? I much rather he win and be controlled by the Idol people, now Adam can go sing for Queen! AWESOME!! Funny how so many people forget Kris was in on that duet, I guess Adam just outperformed him to the point no one noticed Kris. Adam won out in the end, no matter who won the contest.
Who cares? This show opens the door so MORE than one person can make it big. It is over and they both will have great futures. The “title” don’t mean a thing.
vv if the 1.1 percent thing is true, that’s pretty amazing for lambert because apparently the deal is, and k.allen kind of said it himself, that a big reason he won is because he got the danny gokey vote, and then taking into account this article…it seems adam lambert should have won, probably would have won, but there were just too many factors working against him.
which brings me some peace of mind…i was totally drop-jawed shocked when he didn’t win.
a.l forevahh
Adam was the most talented performer to ever have sung on Idol. The fact that he did not win, has me questioning the strenghth of religious fervor in the U.S.? Are we here, as devout as the Iraqians, and if we are, why are we killing them
I don’t think it was a few dozen phones….from what I’ve heard 38 million votes came from Arkansas….
I don’t think it was a few dozen phones….from what I’ve heard 38 million votes came from Arkansas….