Idol Headlines for 11/23/09
Adam Lambert ready to shake up pop world with CD
LOS ANGELES ‘†During rehearsals for his outlandish American Music Awards performance, amid a thundercloud of throbbing theater lights and special-effects fog, Adam Lambert effortlessly governs the sprawling stage while gripping a microphone in his gloved hands and donning a tight T-shirt slathered with an image of David Bowie’s face.
“Let’s do it faster,” the ebony-haired singer prods a choreographer.
“Tell them it should be really bright there,” he later cues a technician.
“Turn that off,” he barks mid-performance over a backing track at the sound engineer.
Lambert says man-on-man kiss at AMA happened ‘in the moment’
Los Angeles, California (CNN) — Adam Lambert’s sexually suggestive choreography — including kissing another male — on the American Music Awards stage Sunday night happened “in the moment,” the singer told CNN.
Lambert, who is openly gay, said it is “a form of discrimination and a double standard” for anyone to object since “women performers have been pushing the envelope” for decades.
Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson Big Winners At American Music Awards
Taylor Swift took home five awards, including Artist of the Year, at the 37th American Music Awards on Sunday night (November 22), but the evening was truly dominated by a series of memorable performances from some of the biggest names in the business. During the three-hour live show at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Eminem, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, Shakira, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez, Green Day and Adam Lambert all took the stage.
In defense of Adam Lambert: As a TV event, he was splendid
I admire the way my colleague Michael Slezak has analyzed the shortcomings of Adam Lambert’s AMA performance. He writes like a first-rate music critic, breaking down the ways in which Lambert’s vocals, the show’s sound system, the song itself, and the over-the-top performance failed, from Michael’s point of view as an expert of the American Idol aesthetic.
Adam Lambert Breaks Down AMAs ‘Controversy’ as Stars React to His Wild Night
But as countless pop and rock stars both gay and straight have learned, with the pipes and popularity often comes responsibility ‘†whether it be to your fans, the media, the public at large or an organized movement. Lambert learned that early on in Idol, and the lesson was reaffirmed more recently when the editor of Out magazine chose to call out the Idol imaging machine (and Lambert’s apparent complicity in a make-me-seem-less-gay plot) in a scathing letter to readers. It too was a big topic of conversation during the pre-show and a heated one at that.
American Music Awards 2009: Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga Dazzle; Jennifer Lopez Performs New Song ‘Louboutins’
Performances by Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert were among the musical highlights. Lady Gaga, dressed in a flesh-colored bodysuit wrapped with white piping ‘†embedded with flashing lights meant to imitate ribs? ‘†performed a (literally) smashing rendition of ‘Speechless.’ Starting off by singing hit ‘Bad Romance,’ she segued into ‘Speechless’ by using her microphone stand to bust open a glass box with a piano inside. Straddling the bench, she then proceeded to smash glass bottles as she performed the song. In a bizarre touch, she had violinists perform wearing gas masks in smoke-filled chambers beside her.
Adam Lambert goes all S&M during the American Music Awards
He sang his single ‘For Your Entertainment.’ The stage was packed with dancers in what appeared to be a pseudo S&M club. Adam at one point had a guy on a leash. Moments later, another dude grinded his face into Adam’s crotch. (The camera turned away too late for that one. No wonder this aired at 10:55 p.m. EST! It was apparently edited out on the West Coast feed.). He later kissed the keyboardist, who looked like a girl to me but apparently was a guy.
He used his vintage Adam screech frequently and was oddly offkey at times. Was I entertained? Not enough. Overall, it was a bit of a mess and way over the top. He seemed to be trying way too hard to amp it to 11. I anticipate the Adam acolytes will lap up this spectacle and defend him to no end but I doubt he made any new fans.
Adam Lambert at the AMAs: Simulated fellatio, bikini-area snapping, and makeout sessions. But what about the vocals?
Talk about ‘No Boundaries’ : Adam Lambert made his first big post-Idol splash tonight, closing the American Music Awards with a performance of his debut single ‘For Your Entertainment’ that ‘†to my surprise and disappointment ‘†emphasized shock-and-awe imagery over his standard-operating vocal excellence. To be fair, the entire telecast was racked with sound-mix issues that left even seasoned pros (except for maybe Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, and Jay-Z) sounding distant and tinny, but as someone who saw Adam’s Idols Live tour set twice this summer, the one thing I didn’t expect from the season 8 runner-up was intermittent pitch problems.
Adam Lambert, Nicole Kidman Are Best Dressed On American Music Awards Red Carpet
Adam Lambert loves to go glam every once in awhile (or always). And the singer’s sleek, chic Elvis throwback look, complete with the King’s hairstyle and a sharp suit, showed Lambert’s cool sense of self. Nicole Kidman, there with husband Keith Urban, represented for the non-musicians and looked absolutely stunning in her pink-and-taupe tiered Balenciaga gown. She was Hollywood in the sea of rock and pop stars. Maybe that wasn’t the point, but it worked.
Next act for Lambert: holding on to success
Now that he has become the most talked about first runner-up in ‘American Idol’ history, what is Adam Lambert going to do for an encore? Making his second act as impressive as his first would be a great place to start.
With his album ‘For Your Entertainment’ hitting stores today, the San Diego-raised singer is poised to become the next ‘American Idol’ success story. But his fairy-tale rise from musical-theater gypsy to magazine cover boy doesn’t come with a guaranteed happy ending.
So Lady Gaga Was Pretty Great at the AMAs. And Adam Lambert Was Pretty Terrible
We’ve seen this Adam Lambert look before. But somehow his first public performance was, uh, worse than anything we ever saw on Idol. And while we must admit we liked the “guys on leashes” thing, we can’t help but wonder, How did this go so badly? (And no, it wasn’t his decision to kiss a male keyboardist, nor “give head” to a male dancer.)
Why is Kris Allen Sleeping On a Blowup Mattress?
Though newly minted American Idol winner Kris Allen is basking in the joy of releasing his self-titled debut, there is one thing missing in his life.
“Furniture,” the singer, who just moved into a new home in Los Angeles with wife Katy, told PEOPLE at the American Music Awards on Sunday.
Chris Daughtry Appreciates Wife, Life
Chris Daughtry couldn’t be more pleased with his trajectory ‘†personally and professionally ‘†since becoming a finalist on American Idol in 2006.
‘I’m thankful for the fact that I’ve been married nine years,’ the No Surprise rocker, 29, who performs with his group Daughtry on the American Music Awards, tells me. ‘I’m thankful for our position in the music realm right now. There’s so much.’
Carrie Underwood Debuts a Shorter Do! Love It or Hate It?
Carrie Underwood’s gold lame Theia dress wasn’t the only thing turning heads on the American Music Awards’ red carpet tonight. Country’s blonde beauty chopped off her famous long locks for a bouncy bob! The new style makes for a refreshing change without taking away from Carrie’s bombshell status. We love the change-up! Tell us: What do you think of Carrie Underwood’s new shoulder-length do?
2009 American Music Awards: So far, so good… except Blake Lewis
Seriously, why does Blake Lewis look like a truck driver named Marge who decided it would be fun to get a Kate Gosselin cut after drinking a fifth of whiskey?
So far the American Music Awards red carpet has been (mostly) full of hits. Check out our gallery and judge for yourself.
You can also follow along with our AMA live blog. Highlights so far include every “American Idol” performance, Michael Jackson’s first award of the night and Pete Wentz sans Ashlee “Crazy Eyes” Simpson.
2009 American Music Awards: Grading the performances
Daughtry. Boom! Nothing ignites the excitement of a three-hour award show like a mid-tempo rock ballad from heartland rockers Daughtry. “No, there’s no life after you,” leader Chris Daughtry sings through gritted teeth, trying to muster some importance out of these tepid lyrics and lightly strummed electric guitars. This type of song is typically saved for the moments during an arena show when a band says, “This one is for the ladies,” and everyone goes and buys a hot dog. D
Kelly Clarkson. Yes, she had an album this year — don’t forget! — and she sold it well tonight with a solid take on “Already Gone.” Looking glamorous and sounding terrific, Clarkson was a classic throwback, a reminder of a time when “American Idol” didn’t make all artists think they had to over-sing. B+
Carrie Underwood. Was it really just a week ago that this song was performed on the Country Music Assn. Awards? There were fewer nods to Nashville tonight, or maybe it was just too hard to focus on the slide guitar when Underwood was sporting some kind of half-dress, half-lingerie outfit, and the band was nowhere to be seen. This wasn’t about the song; it was about her strutting around onstage. C
Adam Lambert. You wouldn’t have seen this on “American Idol,” a show that has broadcast its share of monstrosities. Borrowing some of Rihanna’s shoulder spikes and torture devices, Lambert dragged women around onstage and got frisky with dudes, all in what seemed like an overly calculated way to show himself off as some sort of glam-gone-dangerous artist — and to instantly distance Lambert from the family-friendly “Idol” fare. It all would have been forgivable if the song actually had a hook. Lambert has the voice, and a charisma that stands out in today’s pop music landscape, but this was provocation by the numbers. D
Adam Lambert shocks ‘em
‘American Idol’ sometimes get criticized for cranking out safe, digestible, inoffensive pop stars. But this year’s runner-up, Adam Lambert, did his best to break out of that rap with his ultra-lewd closing performance of ‘For Your Entertainment.’ ABC censors had to quick-cut to an odd aerial shot of the audience when Lambert had a male backup dancer simulate oral sex on him midsong. Parents may be outraged, but thank God for that. We were thinking music was getting a little too stale.
Sun exclusive: Fisher talks about his relationship with Underwood
Mike Fisher made a vow to his girlfriend of almost a year when she wrote a love note to him for all the world to see.
‘I told her that when my CD came out, I’d return the favour,’ the Senators centre said with a laugh after Saturday’s 5-3 win over Buffalo.
In an exclusive interview with Sun Media, Fisher also chuckled when asked if he had any immediate plans to propose to country singing superstar Carrie Underwood, who he has been dating since near the start of this year.
‘Who are you, Ellen?’ he joked, referring to Ellen DeGeneres, the popular daytime TV host who last week pressed Underwood with similar questions.
While saying there are no marriage plans in the immediate future, Fisher admitted Underwood is just his second ’serious girlfriend.’
Bottom Line: While not entirely a dream, this touring revival of the 1981 musical should score big on the road.
The rest of the parts are handled capably, with “American Idol” runner-up Syesha Mercado a suitably beautiful Deena and Adrienne Warren even better as the unheralded Lorrell. Margaret Hoffman also makes a strong impression in her few scenes as the interloping Dreamette.
Hopeful Divas Back Where It All Began
As befits a work about the essential art of repackaging in show business, ‘Dreamgirls’ has known several distinct incarnations. First, there was the 1981 Broadway musical. Then came the 2006 movie. And now there is ‘Dreamgirls,’ the comic strip, which opened Sunday night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
Apollo ‘Dreamgirls’ Sparkles With Sequins, Stars: Jeremy Gerard
Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) — ‘Dreamgirls,’ revived at the Apollo Theater in New York’s Harlem, introduces a hot new star named Moya Angela as the indomitable heartsick singer, Effie White.
Bennett invented a staging vocabulary that advanced the form while still paying tribute to his predecessors. Robert Longbottom, the revival’s director and choreographer, is a hack; every dance sequence is a cliche, every dramatic scene soap- operatic and lacking imagination.
5 finalists picked for Stadium of Fire
PROVO ԠStadium of Fire fans want the 2010 headliner for the popular Fourth of July event to be either David Archuleta, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Bon Jovi or Eric Dodge.
At least that’s the list that resulted from an online poll that has solicited 15,000 votes since Oct. 15 to narrow 27 potential performers down to five, prompting the question: Who is Eric Dodge? (For the answer, see www.ericdodge.com.)
Susan Boyle hopes debut album ‘delivers’ for fans
Until a few months ago, Susan Boyle could not have dreamed that this day would arrive.
The Scottish singer, 48, who became an unlikely overnight sensation last spring after wowing Simon Cowell and the YouTube masses with her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream, releases her debut album Monday.
The CD, which shares its title with that song, has set a global record for preorders at Amazon. But some wonder whether the raw but powerful voice that enabled Boyle to achieve fame will be enough to sustain a career, even in the short term.
Ralit: Champs crowned on ‘Runway’ and ‘ANTM,’ righteous ousters on ‘Top Chef’ and ‘SYTYCD,’ and bonus Kris Allen!
The 2009 reality TV season is zooming toward its inevitable end ‘†the sounds of ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ at the local pharmacy tell me it is so ‘†but that just means it’s the most wonderful time of the year for Ralit*. Righteous winners were crowned on America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway. Hugh Hefner committed an act of unintentional sabotage on Dancing With the Stars. The spirits of Channing Tatum and Carol Channing were invoked (probably for the last time) on So You Think You Can Dance. And someone totally awesome (named Jennifer) rallied despite weird Da Vinci Code shenanigans on Top Chef. All that plus BONUS INTERVIEW FOOTAGE WITH KRIS ALLEN!
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I’ve read a lot of college reviews of Kris’s album and it seems to be really resonating with the college kids, so a college tour would be highly recommended. Although I am pretty confident in the commercial success of Kris’s record, so I feel like given a few more months he might not need to do the small shows after all. Although I do think he should still do it anyway, as a college crowd is a good fanbase to start building.
I think that’s the problem, though, Adam does not seem apologetic about his performance at all. And why should he? Apologizing for his performance last night would mean he acknowledges he made a mistake, and then it will only lead to more nastiness. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I feel like the bad thing about all this is that he lost some fans and he seems to have dismissed them as people who just didn’t “get” his performance, just like he dismissed those who were complaining about his album cover, telling them that they didn’t “get” it either. I’ve seen all over this blog as well as other sites where people are accused of not being “true fans” because they were disgusted by the performance. I’m sorry, but if I were a hardcore fan of an artist and they did something that really tested my patience, I don’t think that makes me less of a fan. It just means I have my own limits when it comes to what I can and cannot tolerate.
I also don’t think the reaction has been overwhelmingly negative. I think some in the media have taken Adam’s stance about the double standard. The media loves to admonish and be self-righteous whenever they can. E! Online has already said that Britney and Madonna, etc have been given passes when they were sexually explicit onstage, and yet when a gay man does it, etc etc.
I think it’s weird, though, because people are up in arms and calling out “discrimination”, but then the kiss wasn’t edited out on the West Coast airing. What WAS edited out was Adam flipping off the audience and the blowjob simulation. (by the way, I have no idea why he flipped off the audience)
Yeah he seems to be getting a free pass on the flip to the audience. That was rather rude.
Unpublished top 40 numbers today:
60 64 JASON CASTRO Let’s Just Fall In Love Again 241 246 -5 0.398
66 66 ADAM LAMBERT For Your Entertainment 201 191 10 0.628
80 73 ALLISON IRAHETA Friday I’ll Be Over U 104 79 25 0.181
83 85 ADAM LAMBERT Whataya Want From Me 67 69 -2 1.82
With WWFM having an audience 3x the size of FYE and radio dropping the latter, we can consider WWFM the new single. By next week it’ll be more obvious as WWFM goes up the chart and FYE slides down.
WWFM is getting played on the two biggest Pop stations in the counry.
Oceana: Totally agree w/ you!
MJ: Totally agree w/ you too!
I’m still of fan of his voice. I can separate, I think for now, not being a fan of Adam’s recent comments (ie) response to that mother about her child at the AI tour watching WLL from Out Interview, & his AMA performance (ie) bj, flipping off the audience, agressiveness in general.
I still remember reading many Adam fans discussing how much they dislike current music like rap and hip-hop. They basically admired Adam’s incredible voice and did not find rap/HH offering much in regard to great sounding voices. I agree. Many so called artists rely on a dog and pony show IMHO to just have something to do on stage b/c in reality they can’t sing a note. Adam can sing but I would never know that from the AMAs. I understand why some are saying he doesn’t respect music. Relying and/or focusing on anything but his talent, may make some pause and wonder what he really appreciates the most (ie) making a statement, pushing the envelope or respecting his voice/and the music.
Adam himself said that he never denied being gay but didn’t focus on acknowledging whether he was or not openly, not b/c he wasn’t proud and accepting of himself but b/c while on AI but wanted people to focus on and like him as an entertainer first. His words were “I can sing my face off”. That made sense to me. Now he gets an opportunity to have viewers become fans outside AI, while on a nationally televised show,and to me he has these potential fans focus on everything other than his voice/talent. He should have taken his own advice and had these potential buyers of his new cd/new fans, see him as the great singer and entertainer he really is. They shouldn’t have to think even for a moment that he may have been making a statement, performing for shock value b/c there is no other substance (like rap singers),and being inappropriate on network tv, etc.