Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The biggest vote theft in modern American history may not be Gore. v. Bush and the 2000 presidential election. The biggest vote theft could be Lambert v. Allen from American Idol’s season 8.
According to an article in the New York Times:
AT&T, one of the biggest corporate sponsors of American Idol, might have influenced the outcome of this year’s competition by providing phones for free text-messaging services and lessons in casting blocks of votes at parties organized by fans of Kris Allen, the Arkansas singer who was the winner of the show last week.
Representatives of AT&T, whose mobile phone network is the only one that can be used to cast “American Idol” votes via text message, provided the free text-messaging services at two parties in Arkansas, according to the company and people at the events.
The AT&T provided phones were rigged to provide 10 text messages for Kris Allen by pressing a single button on the phone.
There appear to have been no similar efforts to provide free texting services to supporters of Adam Lambert, who finished as the runner-up to Mr. Allen.
Since then, angry supporters of Mr. Lambert have flooded online chat boards with messages claiming irregularities in the competition’s voting.
Officials of Fox Broadcasting declined to discuss the situation.
No wonder American Idol refuses to release the vote tallies for the final show. Hey, if it worked for George W. Bush, why not American Idol too?
From the Left 
People take that show way too seriously.
I refuse to watch anything on Rupert Murdoch’s Fox network.
Idle Americans….
Seriously, we have much more important things to be dealing with.
I heard that on the radio this a.m. My question is, why did AT&T do this? What was their ulterior motive? Although of course I agree the whole thing is not exactly on the same caliber as picking a Supreme Court Justice or dealing with a GM bankruptcy.
Doesn’t surprise me in the least. I don’t watch it. Every time I see that it is the number one rated show on TV I shake my head. I do like that frumpish lady in England making her mark when I hear about her.
My 15 year old nephew is ADDICTED to American Idol. He loves the show and when I take care of him while his mother works on her Masters, he asks to invite his friends over to watch.
The kids really connect with the “Idols.” Their personal stories and most important, the music they sing each week.
I have to say, many of them are very good. The top winning boys this year were awfully good. To read the vote outcome may be in question is just one more reason why we can’t trust the system. No one, it seems, is trustworthy.
The show is addictive and fun. I can’t think of many TV shows people collectively discuss at work the next day other than American Idol.
I guess the producers didn’t want the gay, rocker guy from California to win.
I read where Simon Cowell is leaving the show.
If this turns out to indeed be vote fraud and there’s an ensuing lawsuit brought by angry fans, he is leaving at the right time.
What a shame that another American institution could be racked with scandal.
In 2007, Rupert Murdoch owned a sizeable portion of AT&T, so there’s the motive as to why AT&T would favor Kris Allen over Adam Lambert.
I don’t know if he still does, I’ll bet he does, but there’s motivation for AT&T to throw the contest.
To quote bash.org: