Adam Lambert overshadows other Idols at the American Music Awards

Sunday night's American Music Awards recognized many past American Idol contestants.  Carrie Underwood was nominated for Favorite Female Country Artist, and Daughtry was nominated for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.  Both awards were lost to Taylor Swift.  Kelly Clarkson gave a hauntingly beautiful performance of her current single, "Already Gone."

But the number one topic of conversation on everyone's lips afterwords wasn't the fact that Swift was the big winner of the night with five awards.  Instead, conversation  was all about Adam Lambert and his "vulgar" performance of his single "For Your Entertainment."

Adam closed out the evening with a highly anticipated performance, an opportunity that seemed like an honor.  However, when the lights came up on the dancers, many were shocked at the events that unfolded before them.  Everyone was decked out in lots of leather and eyeliner, which was to be expected, but the stripper pole and pelvic thrusting dance moves seemed a bit excessive to some.  Then, not long into the performance, Adam proceeded to pull a dancer's head into his crotch in order to simulate oral sex.  He later kissed his keyboardist, who, he told sources afterwords, is straight.  To top it all off, his vocals unfortunately didn't live up to their strong Idol standards, and Adam ended up sounding a bit shaky and unsure of himself (thought sound is often a bit off in performances at awards shows).

By yesterday morning, complaints were rolling in to ABC, the channel that hosted the AMAs.  Fans and parents are upset about the fact that this is not the man they believed that they and/or their children voted for on Idol.  Some are disgusted with Adam's behavior.  Others continue to support their favorite Idol of the year unabashedly, citing his performance as art and self-expression.

Adam has not offered up any sort of apology for Sunday night's performance.  His explanation of the event, the most controversial parts of which he claims were not planned, is simply that "...when it comes to being a live performer, thinking is the biggest enemy. It’s about trying to be in the moment as much as possible.  Adrenaline is crazy and sometimes things just happen" (RollingStone.com).  

Because these things "just happen," these things sometimes have to be edited out of live television, and the West Coast didn't see all of Adam's raunchiness on their airing of the Awards.  The editing upset Adam, who believes that he is fighting against "a form of discrimination and a double standard" since "women performers have been pushing the envelope" for a long time.  Admittedly, performers such as Madonna and Britney Spears have done just that, memorably locking lips on the MTV Video Music Awards six years ago.  However, they arguably may not have taken their sexual suggestions to quite the level that Adam has.

Due to this stunt, Adam's upcoming performance on Good Morning America has been cancelled.  ABC issued this statement:  “Given his controversial live performance on the AMAs we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning.”

Whether or not this has been blown out of proportion is a matter of personal opinion.  However, it is due to these opinions that Adam should consider backing down on his defenses and at least apologize to the people that he offended.  Perhaps Adam is not sorry for what he did, which is his prerogative as a performer, but the fact that he does not seem to hold much regard for the fans that he turned off is worrying so early in his career.

Of course, Adam has never been about pleasing masses.  Perhaps pandering to anyone, even former fans, would be a detriment to his edgy and carefree image.  One thing is for sure though:  Adam continues to prove that he knows how to keep his name on everyone's lips.