Live at American Idol: Are Adam Lambert and James Durbin BFFs or Bitter Rivals?

From our seat behind the judges table we saw the official meet-and-greet that had Glambert fans scooping their jaws up off the ground:

By Aimee Curran Mar 11, 2011 5:39 AMTags
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We've heard the buzz that James Durbin is this season's Adam Lambert, we've seen Glambert fans attack the comparison, and we've read what Adam and James have had to say about each other in the press, but what really happened when they came face-to-face on the stage of American Idol at Thursday night's elimination show?

From our seat behind the judges table we saw the official meet-and-greet that had Lambert fans scooping their jaws up off the ground: 

All eyes were glued to Lambert as he made time to hug every contestant and had an especially long and chummy interaction with James. It seemed the two hit it off. There were no dirty looks or cold shoulders. In fact, pictures were taken, smiles exchanged and hugs shared. Adam's fans seemed surprised, and their insta-bond makes us think Adam may be over his Pia Toscana fandom (he gushed over her via Twitter after Wednesday's performance) and is now on the James Express.

As sweet as it was to see James and Adam play nice, our favorite Adam moment was watching the fan fave be completely starstruck meeting Steven Tyler

The first words out of Lambert's mouth (accompanied with bulging eyes and legitimate look of awe), "Wow, it's an honor to meet you."

Then it was on to air kisses with Jennifer and a bro-down with Randy Jackson, who we spied popping multiple Altoids breath mints.

However, no matter how many lights are flashed or former American Idol runner-ups perform, elimination cannot be buffered. Tears, panic and awkward goodbyes are always in order and Thursday's elimination was no different.

Unfortunately for Ashthon, none of the judges seemed surprised or upset at the news of her elimination, but that didn't stop Jennifer Lopez from letting her emotions get the best of her as she threw her head back in relief when Karen Rodriguez was announced "safe." We also watched J.Lo's legs bounce around like a jack hammer under the judging table as she told Ashthon that she would not be receiving a reprieve from the judges.

Jennifer has proven to be a crier with a supersensitive heart, but not to worry, she got her closure with Ashthon after the show. They chatted, they smiled, they shared a laugh and a few hugs. Oh don't worry, Randy and Steven were there, too, for comforting pats and encouraging words. Steven just took a minute to get to the consoling. He had more than a few female fans to hug on his way to the stage. Total flirt! Oh, the life of a rock legend…

Other noteworthy tidbits:

• The girls all seem to have bonded except for wild card Naima Adedapo—who really doesn't seem to fit in with her female competitors. While Pia, Haley Reinhart, Thia Megia and Lauren Alaina looked to be thick as thieves, giggling and chatting with each other on the couches, Naima sat stone cold. For a second we thought there might be some sort of tension between her and Lauren, since they were sitting right next to each other not talking or even looking at each other. But then Naima relaxed and warmed up…but still, her funky style just doesn't quite click with the rest of the flock.

• It appeared that Lauren's serious scare, when she thought she was in the bottom three, affected her family more than expected. So much so, that during commercial break, Steven and Randy brought her parents over to the judging stand for some sort of pep talk. 

• Nikki Reed was also in the audience, no doubt in an attempt to help promote Red Riding Hood (the premiere Idol contestants attended), but the Twilight babe didn't get front-row seats like star Amanda Seyfried. We spotted Nikki posted up in the last row of the floor seats. Our opinion? She should have had a front-row seat since she was clapping, smiling and into everything, while Amanda just sort of sat there the entire time. 

Was Ashthon the right contestant to be voted off? Should the judges have saved her? Are you happy Adam and James made nice with each other? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

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