Adam Lambert: The "CBS Early Show" Interview Is Not An Irony Free Zone

Adam is right, there is a double standard, and I was so upset I actually called CBS to complain about it. 212-975-4321

Adam was great. So grateful and humble to his fans, totally out and proud, right about the issue and his two performances were terrific.

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.” -- Edward R. Murrow

All I can say to this is...

CBS, thank you for proving exactly Adam's point. Thank you.

And Adam did so well in handling the interview. While watching it, I wanted to punch the lady's face who kept insisting and pushing that Adam should apologize. But Adam kept his cool.

Adam is ready for all of these. He answered his questions in interviews (no matter how bad - there was a radio interview before that that was just outrageous - or hard it could be) very well and very articulate. He's not afraid to say what he thinks. He's not afraid to put out his opinions out there. He's not afraid to be himself.

That should be the idol for kids.

And the irony of all this is that AOL Kids actually voted for him to be the Artist of the Month. 

And may I share that my friend's 6-year-old brother thought Adam's AMA performance and his music video "Oooohhh cool!"

ABC/GMA and CBS, kids are smarter than you think. They aren't bothered by all this.

And like what Adam said, he's not a babysitter. Parents should do the whole taking care of their kids. Not him.

And I remember reading someone said here in one of the articles that Adam's a diva. Oh really? Really? That man that's sitting up there, laughing and smiling so sweetly and having to wait for 2 freaking hours in the cold and having to handle stupid interviews sometimes and stupid interviewers like that is a diva. I see, I see.

ETA: What about those high notes hit perfectly for Music Again? And Adam's mom is love. And so is Monte, the lead guitarist. He did that guitar riffs for Music Again wonderfully. And love for the drummer, the bass player and keyboardist. Adam has a great band!

This debate continues on The View, where Sherri, brilliant mind that she is, says that Madonna and Britney have earned the right to be provocative, and Adam hasn't. It goes without saying Barbara and Whoopi told her she was a fool, and there needed to be one standard.

Even Elizabeth looked at Sherri like WTF?

I completely agree with Adam that there is a double standard that this country likes to enforce.  But after talking with my co-workers we kind of agreed that when all is said and done, lesbian and female bisexuality are considered aspects of heterosexuality.  Anything that doesn't objectify women as sexual objects is considered perverse and unnatural.  Keep in mind that when women objectify men, they're sometimes considered sluts.  But when men objectify women, they get back slaps and high fives.  Sad. 

What a refreshing change to listen to an intelligent, eloquent celebrity. Mr. Lambert handled that interview exceptionally well.

I wonder if the interviewer knew that CBS would pixelate/had pixelated the Lambert/band member kiss, because it proved Adam's point perfectly and disproved her assertion that crux of the matter was network television "appropriateness".

Lambert sang well too, especially if those high/falsetto parts on "Music Again" were live.

 

I am glad CBS decided to act quickly and grab Adam Lambert for the Early Show after ABC cancelled his performance (bet it didn't hurt CBS ratings either). Apparently, Adam does not know the difference between performing on an early morning program versus in a late night awards show.  Really, GMA? lol.

Re: The kiss - The fact that it was blurred out but Madonna & Brit's wasn't: clear-as-effing-day double standard.  There is no way they can deny that the main reason the Adam & Tommy kiss was considered so controversial/'obscene' was because it involved two men.  They proved the point Adam has been making since Sunday night.  And the "think of the children" argument?  Just does not fly when you consider the other acts that performed on the AMA stage Sunday night.

Good on Adam and his band for putting on a great show today.  I am glad he gave an articulate, level-headed interview about the so-called controversy.

 

To show the picture of Madonna and Britney Spears kissing while blurring out Adam Lambert kissing another man is an example of male homophobia.  Why is that when women kiss its "hot" but when two men do it is so frightening that it could scare a whole herd of horses? Oh, that's right, it's because everything is predicated on appeasing straight males and keeping them happy.

Every kids have to see gays on tv and movies more than this, before they grow up to be homophobe (like their parents) and make a hate crime. Just like gay and lesbian kids, surrounding by straight tv and straight movies but that not gonna change them to be straight, but the good thing about this that they don't hate straight people.Please do the same to gays.

And please parents! Stop using kids and religion to against gays.Because sexuality can't be change by watching, it is what it is since they were born(You are parent now you should know that).It's a natural thing.

And religion suppose to teach people to be good and tolerant (learn to care, share, no hate and respect other people life).And I don't think homophobic people are a good person.By the way some religions didn't against gays.

Sorry about my english!

Can someone rewrite my opinion and send it to Fox, CW, CBS, NBC and ABC please?

You can change the world!

Adam is out of this world!!  The next "gay elvis".  I really look so forward to following his career.

Even at 62 years of age, I thoroughly enjoy and am so impressed with not only his vocal capabilities, but his stage presence and theatric abilities....he has it all!!

Ken

www.rvbirdsofafeather.blogspot.com

 

 

Adam looked and sounded very good in that CBS Early Show Interview.  I've been thinking he's becoming way too over-exposed.  People on the net are saying "oh I'm so over him", but he excelled himself this time around. 

The double standards are appalling.  How they had the gall to blur out Adam's kiss, but linger on Madonna and Britney's is unbelievable.  What a joke.

It's interesting reading all the hype about Adam.  I'm not sure he's known very much at all here in Australia.  No one I speak to about him has ever heard of him.

An antidote to The Early Show interview. Vh1's Michelle Collins talk to Adam Lambert post-AMAs:

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVGm3Meiuas

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ya2WlPyVCY

 

This lady is funny, is she not? And thankfully she's moved on from flogging detergent ;)

 

 

I'm impressed with Lambert with the way he gave his answers to that lady's interview questions---calm, polite, but also very honest.

If it were me, I'd been definitely less than cordial.

My favorite part of this was Lambert asserting that he wasn't a babysitter, he was a performer.

What bothers me most about this "controversy" was as Lambert pointed out was Eminem talking about rape so openly and easily and no one commenting on THAT.

Are we expected to believe that a kiss between two men is worse than bragging about rape?

Go figure.

That was utterly, utterly lame. "May lead to legal consequences"? Look, we're only talking about the kiss here, not the face/crotch grind; again, just the kiss. Does this mean that Luke and Noah's kisses may lead to legal consequences? That Fish and Kyle's kisses may lead to legal consequences? That Kevin and Scotty's kisses may lead to legal consequences? Men have been kissing on network TV for over a decade now, and to claim "legal consequences" is insipid and offensive.

If I were in New York, I'd immediately start arranging a mass male-male kiss-in before The Early Show windows every morning until they apologise and admit they were wrong.

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.” -- Edward R. Murrow

He should be happy that he's there trying to be the martyr for discrimination, since it totally overshadows that it was an awesomely BAD performance.  Two things that makes me want to slap him:

1)  I thought that it shouldn't be "all about his sexuality," that it should be all about the music.  That whole freaking performance was all about his sexuality, and with that subpar vocal, it really wasn't about the music.

2)  I thought he didn't want to be political.  Talk about a double standard.  It's not okay to be political when they talk about him and gay rights but it's okay here.

What I find ironic is how this site is so happy to kiss the ass of this opportunistic jerk.

all this commentary does not address the fact that Adam went back into the closet...see this past week's rants. Plus he obviously was totally a sell-out because he didn't address gay political issues in the interview.

I guess that I am in the minority.  I was not sure at first how I really felt about Adam Lambert's performance on the AMAs. Was it more sexual than past performances by women on TV? Maybe only in regards to the 'rougher' side of sex.  But 3 days after the performance, I realized that the reason I was not thrilled by it is that I think he performed and sang beneath himself.  I think he is better and bigger than that song and what he did on the AMAs.  Adam has this absolutely amazing voice and I think he went for the shock value, the cheap way out especially for a first release.  It is well known that many comedians who are not really good resort to constant vulgarity because most people get uncomfortable with it and will laugh (honestly, it has been proven).  I think singers/performers can do the same.

Controversy for the sake of being controversial, does not progress anything along a path, culturally or artistically.

I just think Adam is better than all this.  Just my humble opinion.

steveo

PS: When did the 80s come back or did they never go away? I was having major flash backs all night with the AMA performances.

The segment was labeled "Straight Talk".

wasn't this just a brillant way to get some free press?  Not that he needs it at the moment but instead of appearing on every show known to man to push his album; he just needed to do something mildly controversial, but not illegal, that would make the mainstream media poop cows for the next week; All the while they flashed his picture, mentioned his album, and suggested he might be dangerous for "the children" - which is always code for pre-teen/teens that parents want to prevent from discovering sexuality, like the aren't already talking about it with their friends.  Then the "children"  buy the merchandise because it is "edgy".

To answers Sheri's comment about "earning it", my first thought was that the song that first made her world famous, one could argue, was "Like a Virgin."  She had hardly earned the right to do risque things when she did in that video.  People were saying it was to sexual.  Still 2 months later every girl with "mall hair" had a lace skirt and a bustier in her wardrobe. 

I think boys are less likely to follow Adam's lead.  However, if he lets a gay kid in Utah or Texas be able to express himself by wearing eyeliner and skinny jeans without getting attacked for it because he has the support of teen girls that are fans - lets face it they rule the world and the straight boys aren't going to piss them off- then I support him.

Let me clarify, the performace at the AMA's was subpar.  The song is catchy and all of that, but he was trying to sell it on the shock value, and it worked.  His actual performance was subpar.  He's a good singer, but at the AMA's he was crap.  He was pitchy, scratchy and out of breath.  There are reasons people like Brittney Spears lip synch during their live performances.   When you dance around on stage like that you run out of breath, and your singing goes to hell.  Also, with a song like For Your Entertainment the vocals in the recorded track rely heavily on digital effects.  That doesn't fly live.  "Whatya Want from Me" is a better showcase for his voice (and in my opinion a better song), and would have been better, but he wanted the shock of going out and doing the full pop slut act.   Personally, I hated it.  I like the (recorded) version of the song, but I thought the performance was all flash and no substance.  Go ahead and make it as slutty and nasty as possible, but bring the talent along with the leather and KY.

 

Still, and you can bitch and moan about Adam all you want, he made some great points during the interview.  If the show is on late, then parents should record it, and preview it before making their decision as to if it is appropriate for their child. He performed at 11pm.  Most young children would not be watching.  Not all shows are made for the family, and parents need to understand that.  Just cuz it's on network TV doesn't mean it's kid safe. 

 

Still, all of this is a grab for press.  It puts him in the headlines.  His song, last I checked, was in the top 50 on iTunes, and thats with almost no radio play.  Thats impressive, and hell, its a whole lot cheaper (for Adam's camp) to just spice things up with a little controversy then actually have to pay for ads. 

Check out my blog soap at:

soapsudzbybobo.blogspot.com

Madonna is allowed to French kiss Britney on prime time TV for one reason -- straight men think it's hot. Period. Straight men program, straight men censor, and straight men make the "final" decision. It's beyond a double standard and for the networks to pretend otherwise is mendacity.

Sherri Shepherd may be a clueless ditz but Headline News' Brooke Anderson took it upon herself to label Lambert's performance as "filth," "disgusting," "trash" and "moral degradation" on Showbiz Tonight and seem to take a Nance Grace approach to her belligerence when she replayed the CBS sound byte that Adam refused to apologize.

In the meantime, Showbiz Tonight (which, ironically, airs around the time equal to Lambert's AMA perf) several times replayed clips of the crotch grab, bj simulation and a still image of the kiss.  Apparently as a host, the performance disgusted Anderson but as a segment producer and alleged journalist, she's comfortable with airing segments of the AMA on her show.

Adam gave a great interview and really stood his ground. I loved how he continually listed what other stars said and did and called the press on it. The blurring of the gay kiss was just lame and frankly insulting tto gay men. I wonder what they think about gay kissing on OLTL or ATWT which is in daytime and children might be watching? How is what Adam did any different from what we have seen before and in various time slots? Glad CBS grabbed him to be on and shame on ABC for their behavior. 

------------------------------------------------------------

If I bring out the devil in you, he was there all along!

Legally married Sept 18, 2009. Wedded Oct 10,2009.<

Exactly what law would've been broken if CBS had aired the still of Adam kissing his boyfriend?  It'd already aired live on the AMAs, and as suggestive as the performance had been, there had been no nudity or profane language (none that I heard, anyway). 

So this begs the question:  who are they fearing legal action from?  The F.C.C. would've already done something after the AMAs.  There's no law on the books that would've been broken by showing a still of something from a live broadcast on another network.  Are they afraid of a lawsuit, assuming there's a lawsuit filed that wouldn't be thrown out of court?

CBS should've just been honest and said, "We see the hubbub about this picture, and we don't have the time or the energy to sift through all the hate mail, so we're going to blur it out just to save ourselves the headache."  But this "legal consequences" line is just an attempt at appeasement; they think we're so stupid that we can't see it's total bullshit.

All right, time to eat some turkey.  

"When the people fear its government, that's tyranny.  When the government fears its people, that's liberty."

- Thomas Jefferson

I probably ought to create a post with all the Adam news, but I'm busy watching Yo Gabba Gabba in the parade, so you guys will just need to follow a couple links. Plus the boss isn't around the clear my rather strong opinions.

Adam sat down with Michael Slezak at EW, who covers AI extensively. It was very interesting in that it was the first interview of a gay man, by a gay man, on the subject. Non-embeddable video can be had at their site.

E! News ran the CBS interview and controversy and showed both crotch snorkling and the kiss, so good on them. It's sad when we're looking at E! News for objective reporting instead of CBS News (of which the Early Show is a part of) and CNN.

And I'm speaking just on a personal basis on this sentence, and not an AE staffer on this one, because I strongly disagree with another member of the Logo family. In a piece unfortunately picked up by Reuters, Jennifer Vanasco, editor-in-chief of 365gay.com

said his performance hurt the cause of gay marriage in the eyes of mainstream Americans "who think gay life is exactly what (he) portrayed on the American Music Awards."

I already ranted about what I think of assimilationists on a personal blog, so I'll just leave that statement hanging.

And the NYTimes did a lovely job of writing up the double standard.

Now Cheyenne Jackson is on my TV singing from Finnegan's Rainbow, but billed as being part of 30 Rock. For the record, I'm counting 3 homos singing in the parade so far - we had Hair, Alan Cumming (OK, bi, but I claim him), and now Cheyenne. Won't someone think of the childrenz?

Happy Turkey Day!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/26/anger-as-gma-books-chris-_n_371535.html

I know there is a world of gay guys out there (totally ignoring the women and any straight men who want it too) who would LOVE to be the guy Adam kissed on international live TV. So, can you give us a few paragaphs and some fotos of that guy that had the good fortune to play tonsil hockey with this burgeoning sex symbol and musical marvel? Adam fans want to know!

A join the minority opinion on the subject of Adam Lambert.

I did not watch Adam claim the runner-up crown on AI last season.  I gave up on that popularity contest a couple years ago.  I haven't gone out of my way to look at his pics online, or listen to his music.  I'm not a fan, but I'm also not a hater.  I only look upon this performer-turned-curiosity as a star of the media and interweb.

We had all that is he or isn't he specualtion during the "competition" portion of AI.  *yawn*  He is.  Doesn't affect me, I'm not going to sleep with him, and he's not going to become the first AI performer whose music I buy.

The flap with the gay mag editor last week was OTT, but Adam handled himself respectably.

Then came the AMA's.  Followed by the tempest in a teapot spec whether ABC was going to blur part of the performance.   Adam spoke then of the double standard for that venue.  Fine, it blatantly is a double-standard.

Then came the ABC/CBS morning shows, and the stirring of the proverbial pot by all parties.

As a gay man, I appreciate hypocrisy being called out on the topic.  If it gets to the point of any of these parties belaboring the point for the point of staying in the headlines and grabbing publicity, I won't be as kind in my opinion. 

Headlines = web hits for the articles and videos in question, but it doesn't ADVANCE THE CONVERSATION.  Adam "wins" and CBS "wins" and ABC "wins".  WE DON'T WIN.  The conversation about double-standards becomes yesterday's news, and we become the real victims that Adam is being "portrayed as".

Adam said in a recent interview (was it EW.com? I don't recall) that he wasn't comfortable being the poster child for gay political causes (was it specifically marriage? I don't recall).  The impression I got was that he only wanted to be a performer/singer/dancer/artist.  I guess that changed since last week.  I guess Adam isn't any different from any other entertainer who relies on media coverage to sell their wares.

Wasn't there a new album coming out?  I don't recall.

Maybe that's a movie a lot of you should watch (me included). I do not want to go all bitchy at some of you. But really, please watch Velvet Goldmine and also find out a little bit more about bandom.

Adam had mentioned that he loves Velvet Goldmine. And the guy he kissed, Tommy, loves Velvet Goldmine too and has tweeted a reference to it too.

Have we ever thought that what Adam did on that stage and all this glam and over-the-top performances are all about him making Velvet Goldmine comes to life?

Even one of his Rolling Stones picture was reminiscent of Velvet Goldmine.

Adam is a dreamer, that's my opinion of him. He really is not out there to be a political figure. He actually does not even want to talk about anything else but his music (I listened/watched his interview with Sirius radio and you can totally see him going "Thank God" when the host said that he wanted to move on and not talk about other people's issues).

I may not have watched Velvet Goldmine yet (I should go kill myself for that) but from what I've read and from the clips I've seen of it, and knowing a little bit about bandom, I think that's the direction where Adam wants to go with his performances. But it's based on songs. If the song is "Whataya Want From Me" or "Soaked" or "Broken Open", he wouldn't go and grab Tommy and devour the dude. He would just sing his face off. Which he did at Letterman and The Early Show.

It's really not that great as movies go. I 'm as much of a fan of a naked Christian Bale and Ewan McGregor as anyone, but if you just find a site with nudie sceencaps of the boys, you'll probably enjoy the film far more than actually sitting down and watching it.

In the vast oeuvre of McGregor's willy pics, it doesn't measure up to the realism of Trainspotting or magnificence of Pillow Book and lacks the real homoerotic/passionate impact of Young Adam. And if you're a Bale willy fan, you really need to check out Metroland (yes, he's hunkier in American Psycho, but you don't get to see the goodies in the same way).

Velvet Goldmine is a largely inarticulate and overly pretentious piece of movie-making that's gathered a cult following only among people who've not actually seen it. And I say this as someone who worked on its marketing. Enjoy the myth of the film, but don't waste two hours of your life watching it.

And if you want to ignore my warnings, please smoke copious amounts of cannabis or sink at least half a bottle of vodka before putting it in your DVD player. I say this as your friend.

I was baffled by the ending to "Velvet Goldmine," but I enjoyed it up to that point.  Bad wigs aside, you get to play that time-honored guessing game of who's supposed to be who (David, Angela, Mick, Iggy, etc.), and some of the music, as well as the stagings for the musical numbers, is really fantastic.  But I say run, don't walk, to see it for Jonathan Rhys Meyers, at the height of his allure.  I have a feeling it's all going to be downhill from here for Meyers, who may have run out of kings to play, but he's breathtakingly gorgeous as Brian Slade. 

David and Mick?  Or is it Memorex?

"The mountain has wings."

I personally had no problem with the dancing. It reminded me of the Paula Abdul video from the late 80s "Cold Hearted". To me it was what he was trying to go for; her video is telling a story based on the lyrics of the song and that was what he was doing with his performance. Plus why can't a gay guy do sexy and people not go nuts over it. I thought it was cool when Prince did his thing and it is funny (disturbing) no one mentions him when comparing Lambert always Michael Jackson. I believe that he is more like Prince than any other singer right down to the choice of attire and the sexuality that he projects.
Below is the YouTube link for the video in case you need a refresher. Also have one for Prince.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_6w_e2HhEE
http://music.aol.com/video/get-off/prince/1702172

I Completey Agree.

People keep skipping over Prince and going straight to Madonna  as if she was the last person to be sexy on stage. 

I just think that's crazy.

If anything, he's more Christiana Aguilera and Prince then he is Madonna.

Madonna is not a vocalist.

Whatever people say about the spectacle of Christina or Prince, no one every denied their brilliant, fantastic voices.

Prince was all about overt sexuality of the gender bending kind.  He was, from the very beginning (and still is) about excellent music with a nasty edge and some funky beats and putting on an over-the-top stage showthat is sexy and in-your-face.

If there was anyone I'd love to see take Adam Lambert under their wing, it would be Prince.

Even at his most insane, he was brilliant and successfull and refused to compromise or conform his music or his image to what Black folks wanted from him or what his label wanted form him.

ON A SEPARATE NOTE

There is also some wierd singer/songwriter bias happening when it comes to singers from American Idol. 

It's like every musical performer is required to prove their worth by playing and instrument and writing all their songs in order to be taken seriously as a "real" musician.

People flippantly call it "karaoke"  and dismiss incredibly talented singers as if being able to sing beautifully is something eveybody and their Uncle Mo can do but playing a guitar or piano well is some rare, unique quality.

There is a 100 year history in American pop music of performers whose gift, who's talent, was their voice and their performance accumen.

There are tons of excellent song writers who CAN NOT SING!

Whether you like his voice or not, Adam's voice is his instrument.  He admitted humbly that he didn't give his best vocal performance on Sunday at the AMAs and that was his only regret. 

But I think for anyone who listened to the wide variety of songs he performed on American Idol, during the Idols Live 2009 Tour and BEFORE idol at the Upright Cabaret and The Zodiac Show, knows that he has a wonderful voice with great control and lot of range and he can put on a show and entertain like no other American Idol in the history of the show.

If singers only sang their own songs, Burt Bacharak, Carol King,  Diane Warren and Irvin Berlin and  hunderds of other famous, respected and highly rewarded song writers would never have had a career.

The world of music needs its Lady Gagas AND its John Mayers.  It's not, nor has it ever been an either or in American  pop music.

I thought Adam Lambert should have apologized for his behavior on the AMA's. Not only to gay men, but to people in general. He keeps talking about a double standard, but there is a big difference between quickly grabbing your groin then taking one of your back-up singers, grabbing them by the back of the hair and forcefully thrusting there face in your crotch and gyrating your hips for 5 seconds. That would not have been appropiate for hetrosexual singers, and is not appropiate for gay singers. To me, it was not sensual, but almost more of a rape scene. It wasn't sex, but power. The same with the kissing scene. Two men kissing on network TV is not a big deal anymore. I mean it's made its way into daytime soap operas for gods sake. But when you take someone by the hair, and forcefully shove there face to your mouth, crotch or anywhere, it's offensive. Hey, why not have Adam Lambert do a mock rimming scene next time. He can bend over and have one of his back up singers shove another male singer up his ass. I mean, it's all freedom of expression, right?  All Adam Lambert did was confirm the sterotypical opinion of gay people in mainstream America. That we are all pedifiles, rapist, and sexual deviants. I think he did more to hurt gay rights and equality than support freedom of expression.