Legendary coach Vince Lombardi said "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing," but he was talking football, not "American Idol." On that reality show, capturing the title doesn't mean that you'll be the season's most successful artist.
North Carolina's Fantasia Barrino won the crown in 2003, but also-ran Jennifer Hudson has an Academy Award on her mantel. Taylor Hicks was the top dog in 2006, but the silver-haired soul singer is one step away from being a cold case. Meanwhile, fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry is one of the most successful rockers around.
And Kris Allen topped Adam Lambert in the season eight finale, but the latter is selling out theaters while the former is an opening act.
"I don't know why that is," Lambert says. "Ask management."
Lambert, 28, knows why, but he's too kind to mention what we all know: The glam-loving pop-rocker is a rare character in contemporary pop culture. He is all about style and provocative behavior, and sizzle sells.
The flamboyant singer, who will perform Saturday at the Progress Energy Center Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, made the usually forgettable American Music Awards memorable in 2009 when he kissed a male keyboardist and ground against a dancer's head. It's not as if Lambert is going to save pop music, but at least he's entertaining, and his second album, "For Your Entertainment," released last year, is filled with agreeable pop-rock.
"It's about the hooks and melody," he says.
Yet it's more than that with Lambert; it's about a show, and Lambert is very good at putting one on. Count on an elaborate concert with plenty of eye candy. Lambert will be backed by a band and four dancers.
"There will be lots of costume changes and plenty of fashion to look at," he says. "It'll definitely be glam."
Lambert is willing to go all out when it comes to his clothes and moves. He'll hold back, though, when it comes to his voice.
"We've lowered a couple of the keys so I'm sounding my best every night," Lambert says. "I worked with a vocal coach, and we sat down and looked at everything, and we altered some things."
Fans will be on the lookout for what are dubbed Lambert's "glamour pants."
"I went shopping with my stylist and found these pants that were really pretty," he says. "There is no intentional homage to MC Hammer or Aladdin, but I can see where people draw comparisons."
And, yes, the Hammer comparisons are fine with Lambert as long as his career isn't as short-lived as the former hip-hop sensation's.
"I hope to do this for a long time," he says. "This is what I'm made to do."
