Want to know what's on the minds of the latest contestants to exit "American Idol's" Top 13? Check out this slideshow (which updates each week) to find out what the eliminated finalists had to say after they were sent packing.Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Despite the fact that Adam Lambert was the most impressive and captivating -- not to mention flashiest --- contestant to ever sashay across the stage, he wasn't crowned champion of "Idol's" awesome eighth season. Instead, the front-runner had to settle for a second-place finish behind America's sweetheart, Kris Allen. In spite of this sham, Adam and his budding career will benefit tremendously from the exposure "Idol" was able to provide, and thanks to his die-hard fan base, his engaging personality, and his unparalleled vocal capabilities, the glam rock sensation from Southern California has an extremely bright future ahead of him. Click through the following slideshow to see what Adam had to say about his runner-up finish, his fierce costumes, and his favorite moments from the season.Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: What would you say to people who were disappointed that you didn't win, and how did you deal with the outcome? *** ADAM LAMBERT: I know it sounds cliché, but I really feel like I won by getting to the final. It's not about the title of "American Idol," it [is about] the experience. I made music, and I got to do a different performance every week and I was able to use "American Idol" as a platform to get myself out there… and now I have a career. So, there's no need to dwell on the negative. We should look forward and be excited about an album and the rest of my career.Kevin Winter/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for FOX - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Do you think your sexual orientation had any impact on the voting? *** AL: Probably [laughs].Steve Granitz/WireImage.com - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: How can theatricality help a rock performance? *** AL: I think it's just all in the name of good entertainment. First and foremost, it is about the music, but it kind of packages it in a little bit more of a flashy, more interesting dynamic way, in my opinion. I think theatricality is just one way of performing. I don't think it's a better way or the way, but it's my way. [David] Bowie's a great example of somebody that did it. Michael Jackson's a good example of somebody that used theatricality and drama, Madonna; there are a slew of artists out there that do it. I was just really lucky that "American Idol" embraced it because I think that it was something a little bit new for them.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: What do you wish you'd done differently? *** AL: I don't have any regrets. I really enjoyed my whole experience. I don't think I would have changed anything.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Is there anything that you would have changed about the final performances that you did? *** AL: No. I had a blast; I really did have a good time. The "Mad World" thing was really fun because I got to change the way I performed it from the first time, and I think Simon was a little confused because I think he expected what he saw the first time. To me, I don't really like recreating things. I like making something different every time, so I wanted to take it to a different place. I had a blast singing "A Change is Gonna Come." I hadn't really gotten to do that style of music on the show, and I really enjoyed going there. The "No Boundaries" single is such a great song; it's hard to sing live and I think the only thing I could change is… I would have liked a little more rehearsal with that song.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Did the show's producers ever try to hold you back from what you wanted to do? *** AL: No. The really cool thing about the show is that they've been 100 percent supportive of everything that I've done, every aspect of everything I've done from the music to what I'm wearing to how I perform. It's been very positive and creative and never once for a second did I feel stifled in any way.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: How was Wednesday night's after-party? *** AL: It was crazy; it was pretty crowded, and the whole evening was overwhelming. You can imagine that the party… just trying to interact with as many people as I could. It was so exciting and I got to speak with Paula and Kara. It was really nice being able to kind of be off-the-record, off camera and just interact. I was really thankful for that experience.Jason Merritt/Getty Images - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Are there any designers in L.A. that you hooked onto and thought, "This is somebody I want to work with," for your wardrobe down the line? *** AL: I have some friends here in L.A. that ended up wardrobing me for a couple of the different performances. They're called Skin Graft, and the three designers that do that line are old friends of mine. They ended up doing the "Ring of Fire" jacket, the jacket for "We Are the Champions" the other night, the jacket for "Whole Lotta Love" and a lot of the jackets that I wore. I think that we may collaborate in the future. They really get my style and I really like the way that their clothes look. [As for the wings I wore on finale night for the KISS performance,] the shoulder pads were actually from the Bob Mackie showroom.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Of all the mentors, are there any you'd like to work with in the future? AL: I'd really love to work with Slash. When we did the mentor shoot at the Roxy, I felt so at home with him onstage. This guy is so rad. Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to record something in the future; I would love that. I was [also] so honored to be onstage with [Queen's Brian May]. Queen is one of my all-time favorite bands. I would love to work with him as well.FOX/Ray Mickshaw - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Which celebrities were you most excited to meet this season? *** AL: I was star-struck every time. Smokey Robinson was amazing; Jamie Foxx was amazing. I met Lady Gaga backstage when she came on the show; that was amazing. I can't even name one. Every single celebrity was coming up to me and knew who I was and that, to me, was the weirdest part. I was like, "Wait a minute, I'm a fan of yours. You can't be a fan of mine." It was so strange. I met Fergie backstage the other night; that was really fun. Obviously, Brian May and KISS the other night, what an honor. Everyone that I met it kind of blew my mind. When I talked to Katy Perry when she came onto the show she said, "Just make sure you stay close with the friends that you had before this all started. Really surround yourself with people that keep you grounded." That was really great advice.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: How did you feel when Katy Perry wore a cape with your name on it? *** AL: Oh, my gosh! I was shocked, and I was completely honored and I had this huge smile on my face the minute I saw it. I wasn't prepared for that. I didn't know she was going to do that so you can imagine my surprise. I gave her a big hug. She's really, really cool, very down-to-earth.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: If you had to pick one of your favorite performances, which would it be and why? *** AL: I'm so bad at favorites. I really had a lot of fun doing "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin. That was a great moment. We were really excited that it cleared; that we got the rights to use the song. It's an all-time favorite tune of mine, and I felt very empowered onstage getting to sing that with the band.FOX/Ray Mickshaw - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Why do you think you weren't discovered before? *** AL: I might not have gone through the proper channels, to be honest with you. The concept of being "discovered" is kind of a dying art. I don't think anybody gets "discovered." I think you kind of have to put yourself out there. I was doing the theater thing... I had a band for a while… then I started writing music. I was just getting to the point where I was probably ready to start submitting music to labels, but then this opportunity came along and I jumped at it. I think that things happened when they were supposed to happen.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Can you describe a time when you were thinking, I'll give up on this? *** AL: I've definitely had moments, and I think that's one of the reasons I decided to audition for the show. I got to a point where I was in the ensemble of "Wicked" here in L.A., and it was a great job and I had a lot of friends in the cast and it was paying the bills. But I just wasn't satisfied artistically and it was about a year and a half ago, and I kind of was sitting alone in my room one day. I had just turned 26 and I said, "I want more. There's more that I'm supposed to be doing, I have this feeling." So, this was the thing that presented itself to me, and I think the timing was right. I had auditions before, but I don't think I was ready. Everything just lined up, and I'm really, really fortunate that it worked out the way it did.Michael Bezjian/WireImage.com - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Do you have anything to say to the people who did support you from the theater community and whether you'd consider heading back to the stage? *** AL: I think my direction right now is to try to become a recording artist. I spent time doing the theater thing for a number of years. I'm not turning my back on it, but I'm definitely going in the other direction right now. I, in no way, will ever forget my roots, so to speak. I learned so much with theater and now I'm just on a new journey and I'm learning this way.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic.com - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about what kind of album you would like to make? *** AL: I think people are in for a treat. I think it's going to be a really cool album, and I'm excited to start working on it. We're at the drawing board right now trying to figure that out. My view of the record industry is that it's a little too specific lately. The labels tend to try to put one box around every artist and keep them in one genre. I'm so fortunate because I got to use the show to get myself out there. We don't really have to go about it that way. Obviously, we want the album to have a cohesive sound, but I think it can kind of be a collection of different styles with me at the center of it. My thing is that I don't want to do one specific genre; I'm more about fusion. I kind of like adding little elements of things into the final mix and, if anything, I'm more fond of the '70s glam field than the '80s even though I have that style of vocal. We'll see what happens. I'm kind of experimenting with that, and there are a lot of pop artists that are using the "glam" kind of vibe in their music currently. I think I'm actually part of a wave and there happens to not be many guys doing it right now. I [also] think there's a little bit of a misconception about the debut CDs. I think that it's a case-by-case thing. I've expressed my desire to have a lot of involvement in the process. I'm definitely a collaborator; that's my strength. I don't like to be told what to do, and I don't like to hold the reins all myself, so I'm hoping that they pair me up with some amazing producers that are super talented. I think that both in the producing and the writing process I plan on being present and involved. They are totally supportive of that and we're really, really looking forward to the process.Frank Micelotta / PIctureGroup for FOX - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Q: I'm sure there are going to be movies in your future. Is there any particular actor that you admire, that you might want to pattern yourself after? *** AL: Obviously, I'm focusing on recording right now as opposed to movies, but I would love to go [in] that direction eventually. I don't know. A lot of people mentioned the Elvis connection and in the heyday of Hollywood, artists got to do everything. They did music and they did film; something like that would be amazing. I'm just really excited to see what the future holds.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, June, 2, 2009, 8:2 PM

Danny Gokey was eliminated from "American Idol" after performing "Dance Little Sister" and "You Are So Beautiful." But thanks to his die-hard fan base, his engaging personality, and his vocal prowess, the bespectacled singer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin has no reason to worry about his future in the music biz. Click through the following slideshow to see what Danny had to say about his downfall, the pressure of being a front-runner, and what Simon told him post elimination.Tuesday, May, 19, 2009, 6:19 AM

Q: Much has been made about the scream you did at the end of "Dream On," and I'm wondering how you reflected on that performance and if you think that might have possibly been the beginning of the end for you? *** DANNY GOKEY: Who knows? I guess I was thinking about [it]. I was like, man, maybe that was the downfall because the week before, I had a really good performance. I really wanted to have a big song that week, so I took a risk. I never did rock, and I think it could have been one of the variables and being so late in the competition, you don't want to have a performance like that. Everything in that performance was good up to that point, and I rehearsed that scream so much that I really hurt my vocal cords.R Mickshaw/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, May, 19, 2009, 6:19 AM

Q: What went through your head [when Ryan said Kris was the first contestant to make the finale]? *** DG: I was very confident in the fact that it was [over] for me. I prepared myself all day. You know, it's almost like every results show you do that, but even more so [the other night] because it was getting down to the top three. But, the one thing I can say is I'm proud of my accomplishments… my accomplishment from where I came from ten months ago, from losing my wife, to where I am today. And I saw a strength in me that I didn't know I had.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, May, 19, 2009, 6:19 AM

Q: How did you feel on Tuesday night when Simon was [essentially imploring] people to vote for Adam? *** DG: It is what it is. It doesn't make me mad. It doesn't disappoint me. That's what he believes is going to make the most money. See, you've got to understand. I didn't get in this thing for the money. I didn't get into it so I can live this glamorous lifestyle. Does that come with this kind of career? It will. Things will come. But I feel like my goal is so different, and maybe it didn't line up with the goals of what [the judges] see as a pop star. But I'm OK with that. I feel like my vision is a little different, so it's OK with me. And I love Simon. I can't hate on him. I just love the guy.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, May, 19, 2009, 6:19 AM

Q: Many people considered you a front-runner. Did you feel any sort of pressure?*** DG: Absolutely. I felt like I had so much on me in the beginning of the show that I had to outdo myself every week. I'm still growing as a musician, yet people expect this to come out of me, and I felt like at times I just wasn't there yet. Since there's so much expectancy on one person, people tend to get disappointed.F Micelotta/American Idol 2009/Getty Images for Fox - Tuesday, May, 19, 2009, 6:19 AM