American Idol's Adam Lambert: The Next Zac Efron or Elvis Presley?

Adam Lambert lands some lofty comparisons

By Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna Apr 16, 2009 5:05 AMTags
American Idol, Adam LambertRay Mickshaw / FOX

Depending on whom you ask, American Idol frontrunner Adam Lambert is either the new Elvis Presley or the next Zac Efron. And, surprisingly, one of the two superstars was indeed in the building at tonight's elimination show. (That would be Zac Efron, of course.)

The High School Musical star was on hand to promote his new movie, 17 Again, which opens this Friday. The final seven Idol contestants were treated to the movie's premiere the night before and taped their experience for a segment on tonight's show.

Read on to find out how the crowd reacted to Adam and Zac, and who's making a comparison to the King...

"I think Adam Lambert could go the route of Zac Efron and do musicals," said Idol audience member Lisa, 29, of Riverside, Calif. "He's got the star appeal that Zac has." Sixteen-year-old Lacey, also of Riverside, added, "But Adam can sing better."

On this night, Adam seemed to have even more star appeal than Zac. When Adam took his seat on the contestants' couch after a commercial break, the audience erupted into cheers for the rocker and a lone shout of "I love you, Adam!" filled the studio air. Moments later, Zac emerged from the backstage area to return to his seat in the audience and…silence.

As for who's making the lofty Elvis Presley comparisons, that was none other than legendary singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, whom we caught up with in the audience before the show. The Brill Building singer told us that he thinks Adam can take it all the way: "Adam is like a young Elvis, isn't he?"

So, is Adam the next Zac or the new Elvis? One thing's for certain: He is the man to bet on, according to Las Vegas oddsmaker Betfair, the largest online betting exchange, who reported that Adam's advantage over the other contestants grew 14 percent this past week, giving him a 68 percent chance of winning American Idol.

The rest of Betfair's rankings went like this:

25% Danny Gokey
6% Kris Allen
5% Allison Iraheta
3% Matt Giraud
2% Lil Rounds
1% Anoop Desai

Meanwhile, Adam also has a fan in The Hills' Audrina Patridge, who posted this on her blog on Tuesday night: "Adam Lambert is a close friend of mine and he's one of the most talented and sincere people I know ~ he definitely has my vote :)"

Do you think Adam should be compared to Zac Efron or Elvis Presley? What do you think of the odds?


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