Did iTunes reveal ‘American Idol’ final two?

By Kate Ward

updated 3:35 p.m. ET April 29, 2009

A supposed glitch on iTunes last week revealed that Adam Lambert and Kris Allen are the most downloaded contestants of “American Idol's” season 8.

More specifically, six songs by Lambert crack the top 10 of an Idol-themed chart on iTunes, while three Allen performances appear on the list.

It's a controversial revelation — considering how “Idol's’ producers try to keep sales numbers secret to avoid letting each contestant's popularity be known — but more so because Idol's producers fans were anticipating an Lambert-Danny Gokey showdown in the finals. (Calls to iTunes have not yet been returned.)

To be fair, Gokey still made an appearance on the top 10 chart — his "Endless Love" nabbed the No. 9 slot — but is there any surprise that Kris' performances are more popular among contemporary consumers? (Even I couldn't resist downloading several of his tunes, like "To Make You Feel My Love" and "Ain't No Sunshine.")

But more importantly, these iTunes stats make me wonder why the judges continue to push for an Lambert-Gokey final two, when Allen is supposedly a bigger draw on the charts. Isn't the goal of Idol to find a future chart-topper à la Kelly Clarkson or Chris Daughtry?

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