3rd Update: From HDD Rumor Mill: “The network said it received about 1,500 complaints. But one person familiar with the situation said ABC gets more complaints from viewers over broadcasts of Dancing With the Stars.”
2nd Update: ABC has made a statement: “Given his controversial live performance on the AMAs we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning.’”
Update: Per Rickey.org and Perez Hilton.com: The CBS Early Show has Re-booked Adam. Reset your VCRs peeps
I have a source who confirmed with 19M that Adam Lambert’s 11/25 appearance on Good Morning America has been canceled.
I don’t have any further information, but it’s pretty easy to speculate here. Adam’s controversial performance on the American Music Awards was edited on the West coast. A kiss with a male band member was left in, but simulated oral sex with one of the backup dancers was cut out of the later feed.
ABC told Rolling Stone that they weren’t aware of the male on male kiss ahead of time. Also, the Parents Television Council has urged their followers to complain to the FCC. It’s been reported that the FCC has received over 1500 complaints.
Whatever. I think the cancellation is lame. Money always talks, however. ABC was probably afraid of losing sponsors.
I’m listening to Adam as I read all the posts …. his vocals on Pick U Up are incredible. So far I like ALL the songs on FYE. My kids just shake their heads and say really Mom, aren’t you going a little overboard? I think they mean I’m too old for some of Adam’s music. They too will be older someday.
Also, I received an email from AO so that I could d/l another bonus track. Down the Rabbit Hole
But see this draws so much more attention. He was on TV for 3 months, gained fans and attention from media and show biz folks. If they just threw him out there with the other people who are just signed to a label, he would be an unknown. This way people who never even watch Idol know his name. He’s famous before many even know his music.
Wrong.
This was to be a free concert, no sales, no distribution of any tickets ahead of time. You had to be in line at 6AM.
Have spent all day trying to figure out what was the upside of this for ABC.
Can’t find any.
It’s November sweeps. Where the ratings are measured for networks to set their ad prices. They’re losing the ratings bump the AMA publicity would have gotten them. And donating a day of out of the ordinary ratings to the otherwise trailing Early Show. Not to mention setting up Letterman for a nice lift.
Never seen any protest by any alleged morality group get action in 24 hours. And they usual like to draw out their actions for the PR. And there haven’t been any highly visible protests over Adam appearing on GMA. 1500 calls about the AMA did not make this happen.
Someone had to decide this. And then get it cleared high up the ladder. And ABC knew they risked backlash, and appearing anti-gay.
Advertisers? Can’t imagine a company who could even get all the necessary emails and approvals finished by end of biz Monday. And why? He’s a rock star. Nothing new happening here. Except he’s gay. So they’d be weighing that same anti-gay risk as well. And what advertisers were getting pressure from whom to do something about this specific show? Where’s the visible protest against specific sponsors to make them pull the plug? And it would be cheaper for ABC to just offer discounts and freebies on the fill-ins, run the concert, and take the good ratings.
Other than the earlier speculation of 1 powerful person threatening 1 powerful thing, can’t figure out ABC’s upside.
Maybe it was payback to Adam? Maybe they said “no blow job”. And he said fine. But did it anyway? They pimped his rehearsals all over their website. So they knew what was coming.
They also knew exactly where to bleep the rappers. Can’t believe they were broadcasting AMA’s without a delay built-in.
Anyway, still haven’t found a reason for ABC to do this. Where are they benefitting?
I haven’t read all the post, but decided to voice an opinion,(everyone has one). With all the sex, nudity and violence on TV right now I think ABC is a joke. I’m really floored and ABC will hear from me. If people complain about Adam then they certainly can field a few complaints. The whole show the other night was bad. Adam wasn’t his best but as far as OTT what about Shakira (who I normally like) and all those dancers humping away and Lady Gaga looked naked. you could see her breast and butt crack in that outfit. The sound was bad also. Daytime tv has lots of simulated sex and partial nudity when very young children are around. Every Night on TV you see people raped, killed and cut up in autopsy’s. Where are the censors then. Adam performed at the end of the show so it would be out of prime time I’m sure because they knew what his performance intailed. If that was a simulated bj, then maybe I don’t know what a real one is and trust me I know. This is from one who has been around along time and get lumped with the pearl cluchers. I reallly love and admire Adam
If you are in Ontario Canada the Future Shop is carrying Adam’s cd.
Hi guys –
Just popping my head in to give my 2 cents.
Vocals were meh. Performance was pure AMA’s. [laughs] Over half of the performances that night were all about the sexy. Honestly, IMO, Adam didn’t take it that much further than anyone else. Heck, he was wearing *significantly* more than Carrie! What was *with* those gold hot pants??? But…I digress.
I wasn’t shocked by anything but the sound mix. Glad Adam didn’t get badly hurt by the fall.
Now, can the rest of you PLEASE give some much deserved props and kudos to Kelly and Carrie for awesome performances?!!! They totally deserve some attention! Geez, I’ll even wave my usual “whateves” for Daughtrey. They were decently solid.
[waves]
I’ve not read the comments and just now heard about this. So, I’ve not spent alot of time digesting or thinking. But, first blush reaction? I think it’s ridiculous, seriously so. And I’m pissed, seriously so. Not even just because Adam won’t be on GMA. Something really smells about this, and ABC will now not receive my viewership. Their shows generally suck, so no real loss to me. LOL Only Grey’s Anatomy interests me, but this year it’s pretty much sucked too. So, bye bye ABC for me.
And, no, right now I don’t believe I’m overreacting. I cannot put it into words, but something is amiss. Someone (who I believe harbors hate in his/her heart… yeah, I said it) in a position to do so is using some big time power to get this canceled this way, at this time, at this speed. He/She will get his/hers. Karma’s a bitch.
Good for Adam for taking the high road. And good for/congrats to CBS!! (CBS broadcasts nearly all of the shows I enjoy… so I’m not surprised.
)
Rant over (for now) carry on…
This is one subject I’m having a hard time keeping my opinion to myself on, so I will just let it out. There are just so many issues here I don’t even know where to start.
First of all, the cries of “gay discrimination”. I’m sorry but that just is not the case here. When Adam’s performance was edited for the west coast, the kiss was left in. Obviously whatever problems the public/network had with the performance did not revolve around Adam being gay, or having a male on male kiss. The scene’s censored were the simulated bj. This i feel nullifies the whole “they are giving him a hard time because he is gay” argument imo. And I’m sure you could counter by saying that people are in an uproar ONLY over Adam’s performance, why aren’t they targeting everyone else for their transgressions? Perhaps they are. Perhaps the population is getting tired of all the postulating, grinding, lewd behaviour on stage and Adam was just the icing on the cake so to speak. I personally did not see Shakira’s or Janet’s performance on the AMA’s so I cannot comment on that, however I can say that I have seen several comments that blasted the entire AMA show for being ridiculously over the top and citing Kelly Clarkson as the only good performer of the night.
Next we have the issue of double standards for male pop stars vs women pop stars. Adam has been name dropping ever since his performance. What he fails to mention is that alot of women performers have caught a lot of flack for their performances too. Janet Jackson was thrown under a bus for years after her “wardrobe malfunction”. Madonna has been banned from entire countries for her antics, her videos have been banned from television. Miley Cyrus elicited an enormous amount of flack for her “pole dancing” performance. I could go on and on but I’m sure you get the point. I’m sorry, but this whole double standards defense just does not hold water. I’m sorry, but if equality is what you are looking for, you are getting it.
Then there’s all the “prude/homophobe” labels being tossed around. I have read a great many comments from the gay community, most of them found the performance offensive so obviously the homophobe label can’t apply to them. And you could label all of us prudes, but that doesn’t really apply either. I would be willing to bet that the majority of the people that took offense to this performance are not “virgin pearl clutchers” I’m sure most of them have had sex, given/received bj’s, watched an R rated movie etc. What becomes offensive is the context in which that kind of scene is displayed. I think it is logical to assume that most people that tuned into the AMA’s were expecting a MUSIC show. You know, shows where people sing, dance and win awards. I’m sure most people did not tune in saying “gee I hope we get some good simulated sex”. Not to mention the fact that this was on network television.
Finally, there is Adam himself. He has routinely claimed he wants to “push the envelope” and “take risks”. And he has. As such, he should be willing to accept the controversy associated with taking those risks. All of the other “trailblazers” that Adam has been name dropping had to deal with it, so, if this is the course he has chosen to take, then own up to it. This whole attitude of Adam’s of “it’s just art, get over it” just isn’t going to work. So what, because Adam claims it’s fine, then the world should just accept it? Who is he to dictate what I or anyone else is comfortable with? So if someone gets on stage and starts having live sex and claims its “art” then I should just accept that? I’m sorry, the “art” blanket does not cover everything and give you carte blanche to do whatever you please. It is up to each individual to decide what they deem is acceptable to them. And obviously the majority of the population does not seem to think that simulated sex, s&m and bondage is acceptable in the setting it was presented in.
ABC had every justification in not allowing Adam to perform live. At this point, he is a wild card that is just not worth the risk of fines and backlash from the FCC.
What does Adam being gay have to do with his performance on GMA being cancelled? Last I checked, he was gay before Idol, he was gay during Idol, gay after he lost Idol and gay when he was booked on the AMAs and then GMA. And correct me if I’m wrong, but if you type Adam Lambet into google, you get five or six pictures of him making out with people on Google Images. It’s not like people weren’t expecting him to do something like kiss his keyboardist. So forgive me if I don’t see any discrimination.
What was edited out (and what a lot of people are pissed about) was the simulated blowjob and Adam flipping off the audience. They edited the same part out when Pink did it at the Billboard Awards, they should edit it out when Adam did it on the AMAs. It doens’t matter what your sexual orientation is; it’s a stupid move to do it on basic cable network.
Sexual orientation has nothing to do with it. I am not surprised by anything anymore but that simulated bj was so inappropriate. It was porn let’s face it. That was not the venue to do that. He admitted that he didn’t plan it – it just happened. How can anyone control what happens on live TV when someone ad libs something & puts this in when it wasn’t rehearsed. Networks will be nervous now because he’s out of control. Then there are concerts will you bring your kids to it or you don’t care because they watch porn all the time…. he’s a loose cannon. Sure you see a lot of stuff on TV but they give it “ratings” first.
Muppetgal, you make a lot of sense
A reporter who saw the rehearsals said the bj was in the rehearsal. It was the kiss that was not.
For those who think ABC is being discriminatory over a male-male kiss, they happen to have a homosexual couple on One Life To Live, a DAYTIME show, and yes, that couple has kissed.
The only apples to apples comparison is the Justin-Janet incident. Not the cable incidents with Madonna/Britney and not what is shown in taped, primetime tv shows (where editing keeps them safe from FCC fines). And I dare say Janet-Justin was a heterosexual incident that was even more infamous than anything Adam has dreamed up to stir controversy. If people don’t fall for his smokescreen, the excuses fall away pretty quickly.
Good for Adam for taking the high road.
Like I believe a reporter.
Sorry the block quote and edit didn’t work on my previous post.
I weighed in on three other threads post-AMAs and sort of predicted this. I’m with a group of people who think Adam did himself a disservice but also think it’s very unfair. With ABC, it’s one strike and you’re out. But that’s the reality and what I kept posting is that this isn’t the way to launch your career. As a newbie, you don’t want an entire network pissed off at you (and possible Dick Clark productions and some in the media) the day your debut album drops, much less anytime in your first year playing in the big leagues.
So, bottom line, for me… I like Adam and think he’s very talented. I think there are double standards all over the place. No one said life is fair (that was my mom coming out in me lol). But as I’ve posted before, you can still play the game and not sell out. You can push the envelope and do your thing, but be smart about it. There are lines to cross and lines not to cross. I work for a major network and they take the indecency rules serious enough for employees to take an online refresher course and pass a quiz (and get certified) at least once a year. Networks and their affilliates don’t want fines, and those fines come when the masses start complaining to the FCC. Unfair that some acts get complaints while others don’t, but it’s the world in which we live. I hope Adam does the damage control (he can do better with this than he’s doing right now, IMO) and this passes. But it’s a rough way to start out in a VERY competitive business… not just music but entertainment in general. Where you need friends. Where you need to generate good will.
For me, one major Adam fan (went to my first AI tour show just to see and hear him), I am disappointed in his performance at the AMAs. I am not a fanatical Christian and I am not a homophobe, it was just OTT for me. If Adam had pulled his zipper down, I would not have been surprised. Thankfully he did not do that.’
Adam’s need to shock and awe just went over board that night. He says that the areas that shocked were not in the rehearsals, so ABC and the AMA producers were not prepared for what he did. No wonder GMA did not want to take a risk on what he would do.
I totally accept that Adam is gay and in fact have told my family and friends I think gays should be able to marry legally. I would even volunteer to work for a change in my state. But, why the need to push any sexual act on television. It would be a primetime showing on the West coast. If this had been cable, I would have gone okay, its cable.
I am afraid Adam shot himself in the foot on this. If he had waited a few years and really had his career established=maybe he could have gotten away with it. He is just going to have to accept the consequences. I don’t the think in a few weeks his album will be in the top 100. It pains me to say that. I am just not as enamered anymore by him.