american idol voting scandal 2009, american idol scandal 2009, american idol scandal, american idol controversy 2009, american idol controversy
Thursday, May 28th, 2009tags: american idol voting scandal 2009, american idol scandal 2009, american idol scandal, american idol controversy 2009, american idol controversy, kris allen news, adam lambert queen, adam lambert on the early show, adam lambert at t, kris allen on regis and kelly, kris allen on ellen degeneres, adam lambert queen, adam lambert on regis and kelly, regis and kelly, anthony rakoczy
After all the American Idol fad the past few weeks, here’s a controversy that puts the voting system of American Idol under question.
From the NYTimes:
LOS ANGELES — 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 after the final performance episode of “American Idol” last week, according to the company and people at the events.
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. Read the full story here
Here’s a scoop from MTV.com
The Times story, which was based on reporting originally found in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, noted that some AT&T employees were present at an undetermined number of pro-Allen parties in the singer’s hometown of Conway, Arkansas, last week, helping his supporters lodge multiple votes.
AT&T, a major corporate sponsor of “Idol,” released a statement on Wednesday as well, explaining that the employees who offered the help were not there on official business and were simply caught up in the excitement of the moment. “Last week, countless parties were held in homes, bars and other public places across America to watch the ‘American Idol’ finale,” read the statement. “In Arkansas, a few local AT&T employees were invited to attend two local watch parties organized by the community. Caught up in the enthusiasm of rooting for their hometown contestant, they brought a small number of demo phones with them and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested. Going forward, we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants. That said, it’s quite a leap to suggest that a few individuals could have impacted the final results.”
Does Kris Allen really deserve the American Idol title? You decide.
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