- published: 13 Oct 2010
- views: 435876
Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and stage actor. Born in Indianapolis but raised in San Diego, Lambert had dreamed of becoming a performer after appearing in numerous amateur productions in his childhood and adolescence. His passion overtook him when deciding to drop out of college, pursue his career, and perform in various professional theatrical productions across the world.
Lambert came to prominence following his appearance on the eighth season of American Idol. Although he was runner-up, Lambert launched a music career with the release of his debut studio album For Your Entertainment (2009) after signing with 19 in a joint venture with RCA. Debuting at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 198,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week, and reaching the top 10 in several countries worldwide, the album subsequently achieved international success with its singles "For Your Entertainment", "Whataya Want from Me" and "If I Had You". Soon after, he embarked on his first headlining worldwide concert tour, Glam Nation, making him the only American Idol contestant to do so in the year following his Idol season. The tour was followed by two live releases: an extended play entitled Acoustic Live! (2010), and a live CD/DVD Glam Nation Live (2011), which debuted at number one on the SoundScan Music Video chart. Lambert took executive producer credit and was a principal writer on his second studio album, Trespassing, which was released to critical acclaim on May 15, 2012.Trespassing made its debut in the number one spot on the Billboard 200 album chart, also topping the Billboard Digital Albums Chart and Canada's Digital Albums Chart.With this accomplishment, Lambert makes music history as the first openly gay artist to achieve the top charting position.
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen (born June 21, 1985) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, he self-released a 2007 album entitled Brand New Shoes.
Allen's Idol coronation song, "No Boundaries" and his version of "Heartless" both charted within the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. Allen's post-Idol self-titled album was released on November 17, 2009, through 19 Recordings and Jive Records. The album debuted at number eleven on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album's lead single, "Live Like We're Dying", was released on September 21, 2009, and peaked at number eighteen in the U.S. with combined sales of over 1.7 million. Allen's second major-label album Thank You Camellia was released on May 22, 2012, and the lead single "The Vision of Love" was released March 26, 2012.
Allen was born in Jacksonville, Arkansas, to Kimberly (née Wood) and Neil Allen. He is the elder of two sons; his younger brother, Daniel, is a college cheerleading coach.
Alexis Cohen (October 17, 1983 - July 25, 2009) was a reality TV show contestant and singer born in Brooklyn, New York best known for her appearances on American Idol and compared her singing style to vocalists such as Grace Slick, Janis Joplin and Pat Benatar. She was known as Glitter Girl in the press.
In 2009, she died in a hit and run car accident in Seaside Heights, New Jersey by Daniel Bark, who was later arrested and indicted for drunk and reckless driving, manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. Authorities later reported that Bark, who had a previous 2004 DUI conviction, was fleeing police when he struck and killed Cohen after failing to stop when a police officer on a bicycle ordered him to do so. Bark later accepted a plea bargain in November 2011 and pled guilty to eluding police and drunk driving. Prosecutors dismissed manslaughter and other charges in the 2009 accident that killed Cohen.
Her performances on American Idol brought her a great deal of notoriety, so much so her death was covered by such notable sources as People Magazine,Entertainment Weekly,MTV,Rolling Stone,ABC News, and The New York Daily News.