Well kudos to Clay for being a guest writer for Huffington Post. That's a great thing. Too bad there is nowhere to post comments because I don't agree with him about Ada. I still have it on my dvr so I listened to it again. Is her dramatic style my first choice? No. But please don't say she wasn't voted thru because she isn't "the best" singer, because you know that isn't the reason why. People didn't vote for Ada because they don't like her as much as the others. People like or dislike a contestant for lots of different reasons (appearance, personality, religion, culture, sexuality, where they are from, etc.) It's naive to suggest that being a drag queen had nothing to do with it, or that voters vote for someone based solely on singing ability, or that those who are voted thru are better singers than all the rest.
Sorry Clay but American Idol is not a singing competition, it is an "Idol" competition. Which means performing is a big part of what it takes to win. We've all seen some truly great singers get sent home because they were just boring to watch (Pia Toscano ring a bell?) It is also a popularity competition. There are many reasons why a contestant isn't liked, but clearly it is more than singing ability or there wouldn't have been a million and a half votes cast before any of the singing began last night.
I think Adam/Ada would be perfect for Broadway or a Vegas show. He has a big voice and he likes to dress up and be someone else. I hope someone from Kinky Boots called him today.