Getting on Board the Glambert Publicity Train
So, I got smashed through the turnstile and pulled on board, pretty willingly. After admittedly missing the entire American Idol season in which he took second place–and thus never having seen him perform–it was hard to avoid all the publicity about Adam Lambert, especially his much-hyped performance at the AMAs to promote his freshly minted debut album, “For Your Entertainment.”
And that’s exactly what I was hoping for. Maybe, even, to fall in love with the song, like I did when Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed “Empire State of Mind” at the VMAs and then again, more polished this time, without the freaky chick jumping onstage, at the AMAs.
All roads at the AMAs, which was stacked with great performers, led to Adam, and the capper performance of the night. Like, what? This song sucked. Forget about the S&M and fetish-y elements–it just wasn’t entertaining. And being on the West Coast, the already infamous man-on-man kiss was cut, as well as the face in crotch bit. Or maybe I looked away from the spectacle and somehow missed that. But I couldn’t help but thinking: if this was Madonna in her heyday, none of this would be any big deal. Or, if it was any one of a number of female performers pushing the envelope on stage.
So I felt bad for Adam when ABC suddenly decided to delete him and his act from Good Morning America. A spokesperson for the network said something to the effect of it was just too early in the morning for his brand of performance. And that they’d gotten 1,500 complaints about his AMA act. An instant later, sensing a great PR opportunity as well as a timely ratings grab, CBS picked him up for its morning show.
Despite the fact that I’m leaning towards hating this song, I’m fully supporting Lambert against the discriminatory, hypocritical network brass that axed him. And I hope his new album sells millions, even though I won’t be among the buyers.
