Welcome to the business of entertainment, Adam Lambert.
Following his controversial performance during Sunday night's American Music Awards, Good Morning America has canceled the much-hyped American Idol runner-up's performance scheduled for tomorrow morning.
CBS, however, welcomes the controversy, and quickly signed Lambert to appear on Wednesday morning's edition of The Early Show.
Both the AMAs and GMA are ABC programs.
“Given his controversial American Music Awards performance, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning," said Good Morning America in a statement.
Wednesday is a plumb promotional opportunity for Lambert, whose post-American Idol debut For Your Entertainment was released Monday, and will surely benefit from the network television appearance only two days before Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.
It is highly unlikely that Lambert will employ shock tactics Wednesday morning - even if The Early Show is the lowest-rated morning program of the three major networks.
More than 1,500 phone complaints were received by ABC following the AMA telecast, which featured Lambert rubbing his crotch in the face of a male dancer, flipping his middle finger to the crowd, and making out with a male band member (see more Lambert kisses in slideshow below).
ABC has confirmed that the AMA's West Coast feed (which did not air live) was edited to remove Lambert's live interpretation of "my crotch, your face" - the portion which the network perceived to be most offensive.
More than 14.2 million people watched the American Music Awards, the show's largest audience in five years. Based on those figures, little more than 1-in-10,000 people complained.
Still, that's 1,500 more people than complained about Eminem boasting about Slim Shady's "record of 17 rapes, 400 assaults and four murders," Jermaine Jackson's hijack of the stage to introduce his children while accepting one of Michael Jackson's awards, or Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction (her fashion tribute to Peter Pan in brown had to be a mistake).
Personally, the only thing I found offensive regarding Lambert's performance was his explanation afterwords, where he claimed he was only acting "in the moment."
If he were truly acting "in the moment," would the keyboardist have leaned in for the kiss, let alone fully engaged without even a second's hesitation?
"I think that there’s a double standard going on in the entertainment community right now,” Lambert told Rolling Stone after his performance. “Female performers have been doing this for years — pushing the envelope about sexuality — and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out. We’re in 2009; it’s time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people’s eyes and if it offends them, then maybe I’m not for them. My goal was not to p!ss people off, it was to promote freedom of expression and artistic freedom.”
Translation: If people are offended by Adam Lambert rubbing his crotch in a male dancer's face, "then maybe I'm not for them" (his words, not mine).
We know one thing for certain - he's not for Good Morning America.
If Adam Lambert truly sees himself as a spokesperson for the gay community, he might want to rethink his methods. Shock tactics don't cause the public to question their moral beliefs, they only serve to reinforce them.
Are Americans who are already opposed to gay marriage going to rethink their opinion because of Lambert's performance Sunday night? No, they've only had their prejudices reinforced.
If Adam Lambert's goal was to get people talking, his mission has been accomplished - the problem is, people talking isn't always a good thing.
RELATED LINKS
VIDEO PREMIER: Adam Lambert unveils 'For Your Entertainment' music video [WATCH HERE]
Adam Lambert blames AMA "pitch" problems on sound, but whose fault was the bad kiss?
Taylor Swift tops Michael Jackson for Artist of Year honors; Adam Lambert's AMA kiss-off [SLIDESHOW]
NEW RELEASES 11/24: Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Susan Boyle, more [VIDEO]
National Music Examiner Paul Gargano on Twitter: @PaulGargano
Comments
Maybe it's just me, but 1500 complaints does not seem like a whole lot of complaining. I don't know. It would seem like they would get about that many for just about everything they air, really. 1500... out of how many viewers? Meh. It just doesn't seem like a lot to me. Probably just me. Anyway...
"If Adam Lambert truly sees himself as a spokesperson for the gay community,"
What a stupid thing to say. Who says he's a spokesperson for anything? Or wants to be? Is Britney Spears a spokesperson for the straight community? Is Kanye West a spokesman for the black community? Dumb.
Adam is making this a gay issue, and he is speaking out on behalf of it. That makes him a spokesperson. He's claiming that the only reason people responded this way is because it was man-on-man references, not man-on-woman.
He's absolutely right about that - and it is exactly what he hoped/expected would happen, as he wallows in the publicity.
My point is (which I made clear in yesterday's opinion piece that is linked in the above story), he's screaming for rights and attention, and at the same time setting his cause back by his behavior. That is hypocritical.
The notion that Adam Lambert is a spokesperson for the gay community is as ridiculous as the notion that there IS a gay community.
Gay citizens are as varied and different as straight citizens.
But the heterosexual and their maniacal obsession with gay people is something I simply can not comprehend. I mean, for a group of people hell-bent on destroying the lives of gay Americans, you sure do busy yourselves with the gayness, don't you?
I noticed that Rihanna and her naked body and her stage full of semi-automatic weapons & artillery is perfectly acceptable to the screaming-their-heads-off, oh-so-moral heterosexuals, though. Indeed.
Really, what else can one expect from (the majority of) heterosexuals? Most of them are ignorant enough to demonize SEX while glorifying VIOLENCE. Ain't something a bit backwards there, folks??? Imagine what a different world this would be if heteros treated violence with the same disdain they treat sex. A whole different planet! Fools.
Agree completely with Bill. However, I also believe that a significant part of the problem lies in the fact that a great number of Americans believe that being gay is deviant behavior. It is an atrocity that a heterosexual can marry and divorce on a whim, but a gay couple can't enjoy the same privileges.
My point is simple - the perception of homosexual behavior as deviant (as wrong as that may be) is only reinforced by Adam Lambert's performance. So HE is completely missing the point by going on record and saying that it's wrong that "straight" America can act this way onstage and he cannot.
Whether right or wrong, there needs to be understanding of the problem before it can be resolved, and understanding doesn't start with 'shock and awe' (and, yes, that choice of words was intentional)...
Adam is the "in your face" like it or lump it gay. He will only make it harder for gays. I won't be watching any show he is on. I think America has had it with self absorbed, arrogant, low life's. A person with real talent who is comfortable in his own skin would not have to go to these extremes. CBS is desparate - we won't be watching.
I THINK IT'S WRONG FOR A MAN OR A WOMAN,STRAIGHT,GAY OR WHATEVER BE IN FRONT OF MILLION'S OF PEOPLE WATCHING ANY AWARD SHOW THAT IS "LIVE" and do obscene justures,it's wrong! also how about the young kids that were up watching the A.M.A AWARD'S,AND SAW WHAT HE DID,WHAT KIND OF A ROLE MODEL IS HE GOING TO BE??? SAD,SICK AND FOUL THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ADAM! HE HAD HIS 15 MINUTES OF FAME,SOON HE WILL BE LIKE THE OTHERS,BRITTNEY AND THE WHOLE GANG CAN HANG OUT TOGETHER,WON'T THAT BE A SIGHT...LOL HAVE FUN ALL YOU CELEB. LOSER'S!
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